At IrishRover%26#39;s suggestion, I%26#39;m posting this post from another thread as it%26#39;s own topic.
Posted Oct-6:
This morning I witnessed another in a very long series of traumatic accidents on the métro that people traveling with children (or in groups) need to consider. I%26#39;ve personally witnessed it many, many times. The train stops at a station and the doors are open and shut in as little as ten seconds. Part of the family/group boards the train and the others don%26#39;t make it through the doors in time. The train leaves the station.
Groups/families of more than three run the risk of the doors closing before everybody has regrouped on/off the train. Thus, %26quot;the rule%26quot; must be invoked and communicated to all in the group, regardless of age. If any part of your party who can walk-upright without having someone holding their hand, %26quot;the rule%26quot; must be burned into their heads.
%26quot;The Rule%26quot; says, if you are traveling on the metro or any other mode of transport, if part of the group gets on the train but one or more of the party misses it, %26quot;the rule%26quot; dictates that those who got ON the train/bus/whatever, get off at the next station and wait. The %26quot;left-behind%26quot; takes the next train and do the same. Simple as that. This MUST be a basic and unambiguous understanding between all members of the traveling group.
Where the absence of %26quot;the rule%26quot; shows itself most often is where either or both of the separated party decide to proceed through to the intended destination (that is assumed to be common knowledge in the group) where they will miraculously reassemble there. This can completely ruin your day and your vacation.
Kids get really excited on the métro and tend to charge ahead. Have your back-up plan in place and confirm that the kids understand the plan.
All Parisian kids know %26quot;the rule%26quot;.
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Great post, Metromole. Very worthwhile.
As an ancillary rule, children, actually any young people, even teenagers, should ALWAYS have a piece of paper on their person with the name and address of the hotel or apartment where the family is staying , along with enough money for a cab, with clear instructions to get a cab or find a policeman if they get separated from their family or lost in the city.
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happy and mole very good points joan and i have used these tips for the 45 years we%26#39;ve travelled , only had to use them once but well worth it keep up the good work
cheers
jim
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That%26#39;s a good reminder metromole. I use that rule with my daughter (and others) when we travel. In general, however, I hold my daughter%26#39;s hand when getting on the metro/tube, etc. Fortunately, she hasn%26#39;t objected to that yet, as she doesn%26#39;t want to get separated either.
We also set up a place to meet in any museums we go to, usually the information desk by the entrance. I have found that we come closer to being separated there than on transportation, as we are usually paying attention to the museum, while on public transportation we are concentrating on getting on the metro/tube/train.
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My wife and I established the rule the first time we went to Paris, years ago, because we witnessed this happen to another couple....
Sean
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Excellent post Mole!
When I travel with my nieces, I ALWAYS give them a business card from our hotel and an ample amount of %26quot;emergency%26quot; money (not for snacks, souvenirs, etc...) with instructions to take a taxi to the hotel. We always establish what we should do if we become separated and I%26#39;ll ask them several times a day, wherever we are, what they would do if we became separated - I think they%26#39;re pretty tired of the uncle%26#39;s stupid qizzes throughout our time together..........
In the Metro, we always used the %26quot;get off at the next stop and wait%26quot; routine. Don%26#39;t remember where I learned about it, but I%26#39;ve always used that rule in Paris and even London......
Excellent post for discussion - could even be a sticky............
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Grateful thanks to the original poster.
This happened to me and my husband in July. He got on the train and I was left on the platform. Thanks to this post we had discussed it beforehand. My only panic was that he would remember the conversation.
He did and we were reunited.
I never would have considered it but for this post.
Denise
love from england
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Thanks Metro we have that rule for elevators as well
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