Planning Overseas Journey
No matter the journey one has to do research, know more about the destination. Quintessential streetwise South African (I had traveled overseas on bus tours with my Mother four years earlier), always make copious notes before going, with a Plan B, planning is half the journey, anticipate things you wish to see and do.
In 1978 there was no internet connection, my golf-ball typewriter, researching books, popping into travel agencies to source brochures, wherever possible maps, you going a long way from home, no regrets/surprises are needed when you reach your destination.
Places of interest and possible routes to follow all noted down.....
Be Prepared
After passports were arranged, visited banks to obtain foreign currencies in Travelers Cheques along with Travel Packs, these were small amounts of local currency for as many countries you planned on visiting, each country had their own currency, Bank advised recording a note of Traveler cheque numbers in case anything untoward happened.
At a glance exchange rates noted before leaving, need to know what you are working with....
Visit the South African Youth Hostel Association pay membership fee and arrange cards allowing use throughout Europe.
Arrange EuroPass for a month allowing 1st class train travel throughout Western Europe (the East still divided by the 'wall').
Travel through Britain was planned and paid for in South Africa, a Combi Camper to travel for a month, geared to sleep 4, fortunately only 2 of us. The cost of EuroPass and Car Hire at the time was USD $500 each.
With notes typed, small diary prepared with all numbers, additional places to stay if things went haywire we flew out of Jan Smuts Airport Johannesburg. Having arranged paid and unpaid leave to cover our time away, paid flat rental for period locked up and got driven to start the adventure of a lifetime.
Open viewing deck filled with some friends who came to see us off, flights were marvelous those days people had leg room, you were allowed to smoke (for those who enjoy the habit), after walking the tarmac you lighted the plane by staircase. There were no movies so you watched out the window as town lights slipped by below.
Interesting reading about airport links attached for convenience.
Source Photograph Wikimedia
Source: Viewing Deck Jan Smuts Airport +/-1978 (Martin S Olivier)
Front of airport. - Source - Art Work in Jan Smuts Airport
Flickr - Airport 1978 Traffic interesting to see the airlines arrive and leave. https://www.flickr.com/photos/61761410@N05/albums/72157626504465182/
Being South African we mainly hugged the West Coast up not being allowed to stop due to sanctions, so travel was around the 'bulge' of Africa normally stopping over to top up fuel at Ilha do Sal where you could stretch your legs and have a coffee, or stay onboard.
For some reason I never kept a note on how much air-tickets cost at the time.
London Town
First few days in London was spent visiting meeting up with friends living in London Town,, seeing Houses of Parliament from the river trip to Kew gardens taking in the sights exploring enjoying a picnic at the park.
Following day made our way to St Paul's Cathedral, after exploring inside took to the stairwell to viewing deck to orientate ourselves from elevated view.
Having friends made life interesting with them strewn across the city, each able to take us to places of interest they had found off the beaten track of tourists, pubs, clubs, dinners with them or local eateries.
Next will be train travel to Dover and crossing over by ferry to Europe, taking us on the next leg of the trip.
Photographs originally from film camera, converted in early 2000's to digital so please excuse the age, memories are wrapped up here!
Thought for Today: "The wise traveler leaves his heart at home." - African Proverb
Places to Enjoy On Hive: #lifestylelounge hive-114105, #qurator hive-102880, #featheredfriends @melinda010100 in hive-106444, #wednesdaywalk @tattoodjay in hive-155530, #amazingnature @adalger in hive-127788, #alwaysaflower @dswigle in hive-154065, #feelgood community @barbara-orenya in hive-19093, #theterminal learn Hive @thekittygirl @brittandjosie in hive-101265 and #ladiesofhive in hive-124452
Such an interesting post, I have to admit when I used to travel a lot I was not a planner, well for work trips I kind of was, but for vacations I used to just Wing it, book a flight somewhere and then just play it by ear and go with the flow, Have always been that way, but my wife likes more planning so we have to compromise ::)
Most of the trip was winging it, collated ideas before leaving, paid fees to commute, accommodation did not always work out, so you kept moving... Good fun way to travel back then. Oh I still do all the planning... nothing has changed there!
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ENGAGEtokens.A great trip Joan with lots of memories. You were organized much better than me who flies by the seat of my pants.:) I’ve flown into London a couple times ( about 11 yrs ago was the last time)and it is a long flight and the airport in London (Heathrow) was packed wall to wall with people.
My sister and a bro went with me and we had to make a connecting flight to fly into Ireland. If our cousin who lived in England hadn’t met us at the airport and got us to the correct terminal I don’t know how we would have made out...maybe missed the connecting flight.
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Flights used to leave around 18h00 and arrived at about 08h00 next morning, fortunately same time zone.
I have been fortunate enough to go on three occasions, last trip in 2005 on business trip, still managed to fit some sightseeing in.
Travel is educational in so many ways, look forward to sharing the rest over a couple of posts Jo, thanks for !BEER and tip.
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BEER.I was born in Lienz and 20 kilometers before Lienz is a very small village to the left on the other side of the river. You might even have seen me there playing with the other kids when you passed the area 😁
That was a wonderful journey and you have seen many beautiful places, even the Lake District is on your list. It is on my bucket list too 😄
Thanks a lot for sharing this cool journey with us, Joan, I am looking forward to the next part 😊
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We have only just started, much more to come... realizing we could never afford to do this again, we made the most of it. We will have to look back perhaps you will recognize some of the places!
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I am sure that some places will look very familiar to me and I am really looking forward to your next post 😊
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May take a couple of posts before we reach Austria, will get there slowly like the train moved those days. Pity we never had digital cameras although the photographs give a nice feel, period photography 😁
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!BEER and !PIZZA good to enjoy with friends...
I love the old photos and their colour style and like to look sometimes through the old paper photos 😀
Take your time, I am sure I know a lot of the other places too 😁 It will be an interesting journey back in time.
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!BEER and !WINE and !PIZZA - perfect 😃
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Still have original photo albums with coins, maps, memorabilia stuck in, amazing thing was when we converted film negatives into digital (around year 2000), we found some great photographs that had never been handed over to us at the time. Perhaps early years of stealing other peoples photography?
Yeah, and looking through these things might also help to remember more of journey,. Such things are better than souvenirs in my eyes.
Now that you say it, I have never checked the negatives back then. Maybe I also haven't got the best photos 🤔
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!BEER and !WINE and !PIZZA - perfect 😃
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BEER.What an amazing accounting you have kept and how fun it is to travel at that age! You embarked on a trip of a lifetime! I am a planner by nature, but, I have winged more than a few trips that were fun too.
I loved hearing about your travels and what wonderful memories!!!
Still more to come this is going to be quite a post with the mileage we put in over there... One trip I did document thoroughly at the end of each day, and yes now I can read and enjoy it all over again!
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How cool you are, Joan! This was so fascinating and I can hardly wait to get going down that memory lane with you!
Great, look forward to you joining me down memory lane....
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I am always amazed by people like you who have journals in the past. It is like we are reminiscing about and grateful for this beautiful life!
Even reading travel journals is like traveling but in mind.
Very fortunate to have traveled in my youth and once much later on business, each trip has very special moments, this was the most documented of them all.
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A post like a time travel, i really loved that.
Everything seemed to be so complicated,
but as it was normal, I guess you just accept it.
:)
Once you had an idea of what you wanted to do it fell into place quite quickly, actually very efficient in those days.
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Gern geschehen, es ist mir immer eine Freude 😀
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BEER.WOW... a journal of your travel!
It is amazing!
It is a wonderful journey, and would you remember it more because you had written it down!
I traveled Europe and because I have not written it down, I have forgotten most of it... what a waste!
Do you still do a journal @joanstewart?
This little book is most probably one of very few daily diary type journals I ever did. Normally after holidays I used to write details in next to photographs, with technology now I have not done as much as I probably should.
Although, now on Hive I do write about places I visit in detail so perhaps call that new-tech diary of sorts 😁
Traveling those days definitely seems like a challenge but I can't help to imagine what I would have been like. Reading maps asking for directions etc and also Pre-planning travel must have been hard those days, I can never travel without planning in advance.
It was great fun anticipating what routes to take, needless to say nothing works out exactly as planned.
To this day I still prefer checking a map to get my bearings, I find these machines that speak as you drive infuriating.
Now that’s organised, I’m afraid it’s last minute Chuck anything in a bag kinda bloke oops!
And what memories you have kept
Will be getting to your neck of the woods much later when we reach Wales 😄
Saving the best til last 😂
Most definitely.... 😉
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BEER.Thank you @joanstewart for the very interesting tour overseas, yes there is a lot of planning that goes in a trip like that, but in the end it's all worth it.
This is the start of the trip, found a place that converted photographs to digital still having all the negatives, hope to see you visit as we go along @artywink
That is quite an adventure you've had. Today everything seems so easy when traveling but back then with no internet was a challenge. I think travelling back then was really exciting.
Experience of a lifetime, so many options that make me happy now that we did go when we were young. Thanks for visiting @watersnake101
It is very cool! I also like to plan my trips well, but nowadays, with the development of technology, this is much easier to do than it was just a couple of decades ago, this is much easier to do than it was just a couple of decades ago.
Look forward to continuing the story of your travels :)
Look forward to taking you along @sharker many will recognize places I am sure they may have forgotten.
How different travel planning was back then not so; the old map books always came along and we had to use travel books to see which places to go to; awesome blog and memories Joan! Thanks for sharing it here with us Silvers :)
Oh I still rely on my maps, going to the Berg in October I went directly there, my brother relied on automated and was taken via Winterton miles extra travel...
Will keep posting full travel covered, hopefully peek some interest in very old film converted to digital.
hello dear friend @joanstewart good afternoon
I loved your trip, I really appreciate that you have let us know, I admire the planning work you have done, our trips have never been so organized.
I take this opportunity to wish you a splendid afternoon
Thanks for stopping in and enjoying the start with me of a wonderful time had @jlufer