London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

To travel or not to travel, that is the question

To travel or not to travel, that is the question

My wife, Janet Quinn of Trophies N’ Tees, and I recently returned from a 14-day trip in Europe visiting Germany, Prague in the Czech Republic, Austria, Bratislava and Budapest, Hungary aboard the AmaWaterways River Cruise Ship the AmaVerde sailing the beautiful Danube River.
Upon returning I have had many people ask the question, “Is now a suitable time to travel?” I am not going to get into a debate with anyone on whether COVID-19 conditions should stop anyone from traveling, that is a personal decision. However, travel is in my blood, so to speak and I have chosen to travel whether conditions are optimal or at least doable. I have assisted Janet in the travel business as an independent affiliate of Avoya Travel for 14 years traveling through 49 of the 50 United States, and 42 foreign countries, and I can emphatically state that while travel might not be optimal right now, travel is very doable but different in many respects from pre-2019 travel.

So, “How difficult were the pre-flight, pre-trip preparations?” you may ask. To prepare, Janet and I decided to both get vaccinated and have not experienced any negative side effects. Again, I am not going to debate the current national and international vaccination disarray, and debate whether we need to or should be vaccinated as that too I feel is a personal choice. I will, however, say this - all cruise lines, including AmaWaterways are now requiring COVID vaccinations as are a lot of airlines, entry into countries, restaurants, hotels etc. so we did what we had to do to make this trip as enjoyable and stress free as possible. In addition, although the country of Germany did not require us to have a negative COVID-19 test to enter Germany, we decided to get a PCR test at Walgreens three days prior to flying just to give us peace of mind that we were healthy and COVID-free before showing up at the airport.

Our AmaWaterways cruise took us along the beautiful Blue Danube River from Vilshofen and Passau Germany to Linz, Weissenkirchen and Vienna Austria, Bratislava Slovakia, and Budapest Hungary. There were several included shore excursions in each town to choose from or you could explore on your own. Janet and I started with the City of Three Rivers Tour in Passau, the Durnstein and Melk Abbey tour near the Wachau Valley, the City of Waltzes tour in Austria, the St Martin’s Cathedral and City tour in Bratislava, and the Budapest City Tour in Hungary. Each tour was led by a professional guide who grew up in the region and spoke wonderful English and their native tongue.

AmaWaterways’ River Cruises then prepared us for our individual journey’s back home. They contracted with a local pharmacy company to come on board and administer a COVID-19 test, which is now required for entry back into the United States. All our ship’s guests’ tests came back negative. On our return transiting through Budapest Airport was a breeze, the flight to London uneventful, and our connection to Phoenix was at the same terminal we landed in so proceeding to our next gate was easy. After our 10-hour flight back home we were exhausted, but thrilled we had just sailed through one of the most beautiful parts of the world.

“To travel or not to travel is the question.” You must decide what is right for you as it is a personal choice. Traveling is the only thing that truly makes us rich. While onboard AmaWaterways, Janet and I signed up for Europe’s 7 River Cruise for sailing in August 2023. This 46-day grand river experience will take 144 guests through 14 European countries and sail along the Seine River in France, the Saone and Rhone Rivers, the Rhine, Moselle and Main Rivers from Basel and the Danube River from Vilshofen to Romania.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×