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Hellen DeRich was sitting at the dressing table in her boudoir. She loved staying at her penthouse in Manhattan, it was so convenient and the city at night was the place to be especially in the spring. However it was time for vacation once again and the planning and arrangements had to be taken care of. This month the destination was Paris and the Chateau needed to be opened and made ready, time to call our agency, and of course the fitting at La Maison de Argent for her spring outfits. Hellen sighed quietly as she remembered that her personal dressmaker had warned her that she was gaining weight, and in all the wrong places. She shrugged the thought off and moved to the next item on the agenda, the children.

As usual they were delighted to spend time at the ranch in Montana, their grandma and pap-pap were looking forward to seeing them and of course there was horse riding their favorite pastime. She made a note to have them fitted with new things for the trip; they were probably bored with their outfits, after all those things were almost three months old. She picked up her phone and called her husband. Harry answered the phone, he sounded hurried and irritable, and she felt sorry for him. Montana">All these stocks and bonds and brokers and bankers that he had to deal with was wearing him down and she was happy that he was taking some time off. One week vacation every month was hardly enough but it was the best he could do, poor fella. She reminded him to schedule their private jet to take the children to the farm and to return in time for their trip to Europe. Hellen hung up and changed into her swimsuit for an early morning dip.

Okay, okay back to the real world. We all take vacations, well most of us do but there are the people that are so in love with their jobs that the thought of taking a break never occurs to them. However if you are an author or you are planning to become one I would recommend that you choose your vacation destinations with care. I am suggesting that you consider combining your time off with a suitable venue that could be added to the book you are planning to write. For example a trip to a Caribbean Island would be perfect if you could include the ambiance and beauty of the island in a segments of your book.

"Bill met Milly the dragon girl at the beach party, the night was warm and sultry and the reggae music was intoxicating. They were seen wandering down the beach close to the lapping waves and that was the last anyone saw of them."

In June of 07, I took a long overdue vacation, my book was finally finished and in the hands of the editor. I was physically exhausted but emotionally elated. I packed my bags and with my "lovely wife" at my side we headed for Europe and the Mediterranean. It was my first trip to that part of the world and I made sure that I did not forget my trusty notebook and my camera.

There is a major disadvantage to traveling by cruise ships, you never get to see as mush as you would like to at any port of call. On the other hand, the convenience could never be overstated, and the cost compares well with other forms of vacationing. In three weeks we visited seven countries, France, Italy, Portugal, Croatia, England, Spain, and Gibraltar. There are so many things I could say about this trip, we came face to face with the ancient history of the old Europe, the magnificent Cathedrals, the Vatican, the Eiffel Tower, the Pantheon, and the Coliseum, the list goes on and on. I took pictures and I made notes and on my way home a glimmering of an idea took root.

"It started in America, a super secret team left Washington on a luxury yacht for Gibraltar to join an equally secret British team for a raid across the straits to Morocco." But that is another story. Do your homework, make notes, and take pictures.