Misadventures in Managing Trips ****************************************************************************************** * Misadventures in Managing Trips ****************************************************************************************** There are numerous student associations at Charles University that organise extra-curricul time) activities for the international or Erasmus students. When I was studying abroad mys existence of such events appeared very logical to me – there are international students at so you offer trips, country presentations or cinema and theatre clubs to them. But the rea much more adventurous and remarkable than the students joining the events may think. Take the Erasmus Club (of the Faculty of Arts) trip to the castle of Kokořín and town of M of years ago – all thought out to the last detail, the guided tour in Kokořín Castle and a the historical wine cellars of Mělník Castle were ordered days in advance to secure the ri tours; maps of the region were borrowed from the library and studied in detail to find the trail to the castle, from the arrival point Mšeno in Kokořín region. And then the reality had actually been forewarned to wear good walking shoes, coming partly in ballerina pumps, hills in the forests around Kokořín Castle bare-foot in the end; a delay in reaching the c it on time (mainly due to the very limited bathroom and refreshment options) and then, fin shock of the day – the bus connection from Kokořín village to the town of Mělník. The connection did indeed exist, that was no problem at all; it was after all proved by no participants of the Erasmus Club trip, but also another similarly big group and some indiv waiting at the bus stop. The big issue was however the size of the bus – instead of the st regional 45-seat-bus, a minibus of maximum 15 seats and about the same number of standing at the village; the driver was not too happy that nobody had forewarned him or the company exceptionally high number of tourists without their own car, wanting to use the connection However, I might add that the weather was exceptionally nice, sun shining the whole day, i May, and a weekend. But, well, the people who planned the bus connection did obviously not that on a nice spring weekend a higher number of tourists might want to use the connection things even more complicated, they did not warn about the size of the bus in the timetable highly unlikely someone would call them in advance to inform them that a bigger group woul connection on that particular day. What options were left to the organisers of the trip? Bargaining in earnest. The bus drive some extra money if he would take the first part of the group to Mělník and then return fo the trip participants. The promise of extra money evidently worked well – within 20 minute back to take the second half of the group into the town. However, the bus driver needed to quickly as he was supposed to drive another bus connection soon afterwards; as a result I have ever had the opportunity to enjoy such a wild and fast (mini)bus drive – not before a since this trip. Should you like to know if the trip ended well after all the complications, the answer is almost on time to Mělník, hurried up the hill to the castle and enjoyed the tasting of the (sadly on an almost empty stomach, as in Kokořín we had been not able to get any more subs than small snacks or chocolate bars – which is the reason we were not very sober when we l cellars, to be very honest with you), and then, finally, we had the opportunity to relax f the afternoon in the local restaurants. Believe it or not, we actually have fond memories was after all one of those events for success of which we had to fight the hardest.        During the history of the Erasmus and international student events at Charles University, offered for over 10 years, there were many other mishaps in organising the trips of the Er the Faculty of Arts) and other international student clubs active at Charles University. The International CUNI Club once booked a boat trip in Southern Bohemia and ordered a loca time of the originally planned train arrival, to take the participants from the closest tr to the camp by the river Vltava (Moldau) for the first night, only to get on a train in Pr redirected to the South via Pilsen and was thereby delayed by almost two hours. The Erasmus Club at the Faculty of Arts planned a trip to Karlovy Vary, Bečov Castle and M several years ago and ordered a bus for the event which did not arrive on time to the meet so much delayed in the end that the organisers had to call the bus company. They were info driver had not been told by the company directory about the booking of the bus for that pa was still asleep! This year the participants of the traditional late October trip to Karlštejn Castle by the lost their booking for the more attractive tour Nr. 2 in the castle (= the medieval chapel time of the emperor Charles IV. which are accessible only with an advance booking) because Karlštejn did not work for several hours due to a sudden technical failure and the replace about 45 minutes to arrive to the train station where the train from Prague preliminary en All things considered, it can be quite adventurous to plan and manage such events. But as trip finally takes place and the participants enjoy it, the organisers can take pleasure i organising them. And, perhaps not so surprisingly, it is those trips (or other events) tha difficult to arrange that we recall the best and which created the fondest memories. It is confirmation of us doing things well. Abbie Elizabeth Burnett is a BA History student studying at the University of Essex in the Faculty of Arts, Charles University Prague for her Erasmus year and is enthusiastic to imm an Erasmus year within the Czech Republic can offer. She was motivated to join the interna experience, meet new people and experience other cultures.