WILMA C. INVENTOR-MIRANDA l November 2, 2022 l Business Mirror
For me and my daughters the best time to travel is in the month of September. We just found this out in our recent trip to Europe. This is also a more convenient month for me because the tax season is over and although we have clients that have fiscal years as their accounting period-end, this month is not as hectic as the first half of the year when the deadlines are just crazy.
There is a song that goes “I’ll see you in September when summer is gone” and what a relief it is that the crowd of summer is indeed gone in September. And one big advantage when you travel this month is the cost is cheaper—the fares and the hotels are lower since this is not a peak month. The weather is also cool but not freezing cold. And as we observed we can enjoy more the places we will visit because there are fewer people compared to the summer months.
We started our journey for a “thousand steps” on September 17, 2022 (you will see later why a thousand steps). The first stop is the Netherlands and we were anxious at first because of the recent news that there is a labor shortage in the airport. The problem is not in coming in but in flying out. Since we will be flying from Amsterdam to Nice and my daughter anticipated the problem of the long queues, she booked us in business class. It was the best decision since we saw the super long trail of people lining up to check in and undergo security screening. And of course, we enjoyed the lounge not only because of the many varieties of food but also because it is huge; thus, it is easier to find a good place to rest and even take a short nap.
We conveniently survived this challenge in getting out of the airport for another flight but we were also thinking of the future flight we have in going back to the Philippines since our exit airport is also Amsterdam. But no time to be worried because we are just about to start our trip to various countries in Europe.
It is true what some people advised —do not wait to travel until you are too old to walk. International airports are huge and there is a lot of walking to do to reach your departure gate or your baggage area or immigration area. But I just look at it as a sort of exercise since I walk every day at home anyway as my form of workout aside from spinning, dancing , and doing strength-training, such as lifting weights. You have to wear good comfortable shoes too, which you can wear anywhere from the airport to the places you will be visiting. I brought only two types of shoes—a pair of rubber shoes and leather shoes which are so comfortable.
I am with my two active and driven daughters and I realized I am no match to their energy and vitality. Made me realize I am getting old and not as driven and energetic as they are. I can also see myself in them when I was at their age – squeezing in such short days as many itineraries and activities as I can. Although I am not far from being laid-back as I am now, one has to set priorities to be able to enjoy more peaceful moments when one can just relax and savor the place and the views. But my other daughter was telling me —Mom, you are still squeezing a lot of your activities even today! That is the advantage of travelling with families—you see yourself in what they tell you—traits which sometimes you failed to see in yourself since all of us have blind spots (huh!).
Nonetheless, you can still do business while travelling which of course you should try to limit. But I did remote managing of our office work back home with the use of the internet. However, a word of caution—do not rely on roaming WIFI—the signals are unreliable. I got better signals from the airports and the hotels and the places we had been to. However, minimize using bank applications or accessing data that you do not want to be hacked!
The longest wait in the airport I had experienced was in the Schipol airport in Amsterdam on our way back to the Philippines. Since there is still a labor shortage, the waiting in the check-in was long but not as long as the queue for the security screening. It was the longest wait I ever experienced in my life in an airport. We anticipated that but did not anticipate it was worse than we can imagine. Lesson? Avoid the Schipol airport in Amsterdam as much as possible unless you have the endurance to wait in those long lines or check before you travel to ensure that labor shortage problem has been resolved. It used to be one of the best airports in Europe but it is now one of the worst.
There were ups and downs in travelling but I am still looking forward to another one. Travelling is an investment—it gives us a perspective that life is more than just our home, our work, our social circles and made me believe more in a greater God who created such an amazing, wonderful world. As in the line in Desiderata “with all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams—it is still a beautiful world”.
*** Wilma Miranda is the 2022 Chair of FINEX Ethics Committee, Managing Partner of Inventor, Miranda & Associates, CPAs, Board of Directors Member of KPS Outsourcing Inc. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of these institutions.