North Idaho, Country Life, and the Vienna Woods

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If you decide to fly with a charter line (anyone can do it ... you don't have to belong to any kind of group, as long as you're willing to pay your fare at least 60 days in advance), my advice is to pick a carrier that you've heard of before. Wardair has been around awhile and can (in my experience) be trusted. Sun Toursa Canadian company that's underwritten by the Royal Bank of Canadahas been around awhile, too.

Charter prices seem to be a little less expensive across the Canadian border than in the U.S. (an advantage only if you happen to live near or above the border), but this may change soon. The important thing is to check the prices of as many charter companies as you can before you buy your tickets ... don't limit your search just to American firms.

VIENNA ... VIA "THE WOODS"

Here are some tips on going to Vienna (or anywhere else in Europe) via "the woods", gleaned from my own experience in making six trips to the Continent over a twenty-year period (1956 to 1976):

[1] Never, never go by guided tour, even the first time. Sure, you'll make mistakes at first ... but that's what life is all about. I once boarded a train for Venice in Munich without realizing that you have to be on the right car as well as on the right train. (Some cars are disengaged en route and sent to other destinations ... and the final destination of mine was clearly marked on its side, had I bothered to look.) Consequently, I wound up in Merano, Italy (a place I'd never heard of) in the middle of the night ... and proceeded to have the time of my life. (I wouldn't trade that kind of "mistake" for anything!)

[2] If you can, learn a little of the language before you go ... but don't worry about it if you haven't. (You'll get by, believe me ... even the first time, even without a guide.) The thrill of a lifetime is going into the restaurant at the Gare I'Est train station in Paris ... ordering something with your high school or college French ... and finding that the waiter actually knows what you're talking about. ("He brought it! He brought it! ")

[3] Travel by train, second class. Western European trains are clean, punctual, and fast ... andunlike airplanesthey deposit you in the heart of your destination city. As long as you go via International Express, second class is plenty comfortable. In fact, if you travel during the off-season, you might have an entire compartment to yourself.

Eastern European trains are another story, unfortunately. They're punctual, but poorly maintained (in my experience). The word "clean" definitely doesn't apply. At this stage of eastern Europe's political development, you'll probably want to keep your travels behind the iron curtain to a one-time "quickie" stay, just to say you've been there. Personally, I didn't care for what I saw of the "satellite" countries. Accommodations were scarce, officials rude, and costs high. (Hungary has the highest suicide rate in the world. Go there and you'll find out why.)

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