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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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THE EFFICIENT TRIP
Last week I attended the wedding of a former student from Louisiana. The event was held in Victoria, B.C., so I took the international ferry and was met by the happy couple in their rental car. Everything was arranged so that I could arrive in time for the simple noon wedding and spend a few hours with the newlyweds at Buchart Gardens before returning home. My former student is a master of navigating the internet. He created a comprehensive itinerary with detailed information about each site, event, hotel, and restaurant they planned to visit as well as complete driving directions to each one. I'd never seen a trip so efficiently organized. Everything went exactly according to schedule, and we never once got lost or had to ask for directions. That evening, as I headed home on the ferry, I eavesdropped on a tour guide discussing options for the next day's ride with her bicycle group. They all had maps of San Juan and Lopez islands, complete directions to their hotel, ferry schedules and instructions on when to arrive at the terminal. They were as efficiently organized as we had been for the wedding day in Canada. I realized, however, that the one missing ingredient for the tour group was local input from people who actually live in the islands. Their maps did not tell them which routes were the most scenic or the least difficult to negotiate. Their information packets told them little about local history and geography. There is so much more to experiencing a place than just checking off items on a preplanned itinerary. Wrong turns sometimes lead to amazing sights. Conversations with local residents uncover a wealth of information that no guide book written by another visitor could ever provide. I think the next time I leave the island I'm going to lean a little more in the direction of spontaneity and less toward efficiency.
© 2003 David Bentley David Bentley, M.Ed. & Personal Coach, coaches clients through the game of life, helping them find balance, clarity of direction, and purpose in an ever-changing world. You may contact him at 360.378.8436 by e-mail at david@coachbentley.com or visit his Web site: www.coachbentley.com |
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