[VAC] Caravans

["Richard P. Kenan" <as5368@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

	Caravans are pre-planned packages...yes, you are bound to their schedule;
yes, they won't stop the world if you have a breakdown (go on a cruise and
see if they stop the ship for you when you get sick ashore); the caravan
"mechanic" fixes minor things that go wrong with your trailer, not major
problems with your tow vehicle; and, yes, you have to take care of your own
problems - how's that different from everyday life?

	WBCCI caravans are fun (I'm told by numerous friends) if you don't break
down or have an accident, just like ordinary trailering.  There's lots of
camaraderie;  tours are planned by people who know the areas and have
traveled the routes, taking the planning and reservations burden off you.
Jim Smith's caravan to Mexico was, I believe, a commercial one; I expect,
and hope, he'd get better treatment and consideration from a WBCCI one in
the face of such a major catastrophe as a transmission failure.  

	Bottom line is, if you don't want a packaged tour, complete with warts,
don't go on one.  Many of us simply like to smooze around from one place to
another, with minimal scheduling and no particular consequences if the
schedule slips, taking our chances with the roads and using guides and the
internet for attractions to see.  That's largely my preference, too.
Still, there are a few canned caravans I'll probably go on, like the Maple
Leaf, Nor'by'Noreast, possibly American Adventures Southwest, and maybe the
Alyeska one; depends on whether we like the experience.

- Dick
(5368)