It’s booked!

Less than 24 hours from the point of no return. Last night, my lovely bride booked a flight across the pond, and Delta Airlines gives me until tomorrow to drop the hold on the ticket. Timing will be early to mid-day, during decent spring weather but – in theory – before the massive legions of college students and tourists descend on The Continent. To eliminate a leg of train travel, I’ve decided to land in one city but depart from another. Beginning in Amsterdam on May 7, I will work my way clockwise through Germany, Czech Republic, south to Italy, then back north for a couple days in Switzerland. Two nights in Paris with a flight departing from Chuck de Gaulle airport on Sunday, May 23, rounds it out. Leaving from Paris was a wash from a frequent-flyer-mile perspective, and it eliminates several hours of rail back to Holland, plus the flight back to the States runs an hour shorter.

Even though the ticket only cost $82 (taxes and surcharges) thanks to my frequent-flyer-mile collection, owning a non-refundable ticket should squelch my personal inner conflict about whether to embark at all. It took several years to build those miles, and they’re not going to waste! Railpass will be my single-largest expense of this trip, and after consulting with a travel agent friend, that’s probably my next purchase.

Whoa, this is really going to happen.