Here are a couple rules we’re trying to follow when we travel. You might find them useful.
The 3 Day Rule
Many years ago, Mike had a boss named John. John was a great guy – friendly, always upbeat, laid back. He was also an avid fisherman and would take frequent days off to go to his favorite spot. (The company culture was also laid back. “Going fishing” was considered a legitimate excuse to miss work. Ah…those were the days!)
Inside John’s office, above the door, hung a small sign. It said
GUESTS AND FISH START
TO STINK AFTER 3 DAYS
We’ve adopted that thought as a rule for our travels, especially when we’re staying with family or friends. After 3 days, we have to go. We’re not going to stink!
The 3 Night Rule
This is sort of a corollary that we learned on our latest trip. We did 10 days of constantly (it seemed) packing and unpacking, only staying 2 nights in several locations. At our final stop, we stayed for 3 nights and it felt luxurious. No rush to pack. No rush to get to the train or bus station. Time to explore and an extra day to explore more.
Our new rule is:
IF WE CAN’T STAY IN A PLACE FOR
3 NIGHTS, WE WON’T GO
Check back with us later to see if the new rule holds.
Until next time / Até a próxima vez
Mary and Mike
The Cook and The Writer
Do you have rules that you follow when traveling? Tell us about them in the comments below or via the Contact Us form.
Love the three day rule Mike.
Great plan. We stayed 3 nights in Florence and did day trips and it was amazing to know where we were going to spend the night after a long day.
Thanks, Bonnie.
Love that rule!
And love your clever, informative blogs. You two are awesome.
Hi Diana,
Thanks. You’re awesome, too!
Mike
We are trying to plan good European travel with no concrete agendas or strict timelines. We find that so many folks try to cram in so much without really enjoying. We realize that we’re lucky to be living in Europe so that’s an advantage.
But as far as when it comes to house guests, our philosophy has always been, ” Here’s a roll of toilet paper. When it’s gone, you are too”.
Thanks for the 2 posts in one!
P & C: Thanks for your comment, and sorry for the delay in replying to it. We had a little distraction over the past couple of weeks – a story for another day.
Your toilet paper rule is the best! We may have to add it to our list.
Mike
Hi friends!
I love this! And I completely agree!
Take care,
Nan
Hi Nan,
It’s nice to hear from you. Thanks for the upvote.
Mike
Totally agree! I never count the last day as I usually spend it with travel anxiety that I am yet to learn how to avoid!
Can we bring back “going fishing” as a legitimate excuse to miss work? Please 🙂
Hi Ali,
Yes we can! Just tell your boss that “John said it’s OK”.
Have a great week.
Mike
What a great new rule! That extra time really does make a difference, and as Mary said, we live here so we can return and see other spots so we can truly enjoy a location and soak it in. Our newest rule is “Do NOT stay that one extra night!” In conjunction with your three night rule, which is brilliant and which we have typically employed, our last two trips to Spain for music festivals led us to the thought, “Oh, hey, if we stay in Barcelona or Madrid an extra night we can go see x or y or a 3.5 hour opera sitting in the nosebleed seats for the price of a monthly new car payment!!” Wrong! We realize we’ve already experienced the primary goals of our trips and are already exhausted so we of course fall asleep immediately in the opera and leave at the break before the 2.5 hour third fourth fifth acts!!! So, three nights yes, at least, and beware the temptation of adding just one more . . .
Até logo!
Hi David,
I think you’ve written the corollary to our corollary. (In Portuguese, is that “corrollarais”? 😉 ) There is certainly a tradeoff to be made, particularly at the end of a busy trip. We often want a day near the end to just sit and do nothing, or at least the next day at home with no agenda.
Thanks,
Mike