I read back through the timeline of your family’s travel plans and the decisions they made, and it’s even weirder than I thought. Do you think that, when it came down to it, they didn’t really want to go after all?
LOL!
I think it was just not thought through well enough. I mean, yes, they wanted to see a lot of places, but the big thing, I think, was that this was in some way a birthday gift for himself, seeing the VW factory in Wolfsburg and then stopping in London to visit a “friend” of his who has a TV show over there.
The trip started in Italy, then it was off to France, then Germany, then GB and home. Too many hotels, travel arrangements, etc., and no real idea of what Europe is like these days.
It might have worked if they had concentrated on just the two places, but that doesn’t seem to have been in plans at all. Not even considered.
I had my own thoughts on it and kept my own counsel, because years of abuse have taught me that’s the safest way to go. I doubt very much if I would have been listened to. But the less complicated the itinerary is, the greater chance for success.