So much to do, and so little time left to do it.

All too soon, I'll be flying to London for a 14-day cruise through the Norwegian Fjords.  I'm a bit apprehensive about the unknown, and I know that I'll have to dot my I's and cross my T's in both preparing for this trip and going on this trip.  I've made sure that my passport is in my carry-on bag.  But there is so much I have yet to do before leaving on this trip.

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Somewhere, I made a checklist of clothes I'll need on the trip.  Other items were on this list as well.  But I can't find the list.  This is something I'll take care of tomorrow when I'm more awake.  In addition to packing, I still need to do some laundry before the trip.  Unfortunately, I'll be making this trip as Mario, so I can't bring along a nice dress or two for formal nights.  But I will have a good time anyway.

Unlike other cruises, I'll be able to do some laundry while onboard the ship.  Of course, I'll take care of some of RQS's stuff in the same loads.  At home, I spend $4.00/load (plus $1.00 in detergent).  On the ship, each load will cost $7.50-$9.00 depending on the cost of the detergent.  Either way, being able to do a load or two while on the ship will be a great life saver.

With everything that's going to go on, I'm making sure to have an extra battery pack (for phone recharging), as well as a set of European SIM cards for use in my spare cell phone.  (I can leave the US phone in airplane mode and avoid roaming fees.)  This way, I can still make a phone call when I need to while in the UK, Norway or Belgium, and not worry about roaming charges. (Just turn airplane mode back on when returning to the ship to be safe.)

I can't help but think that I am missing something.  Keep your fingers crossed for me....

Planning Trips

 

Today's post will be a short one.  I don't have too much to say, and not enough time for a thought piece.

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Lately, I've been prioritizing my future travels. Given that I will be going to Hawaii later this year, I am thinking of the trips I will take next year and the years after that.  One of the trips I want to take is a Panama Canal cruise.  I'm making a lot of effort to insure that the Canal cruise goes through the old locks, as it will be much more interesting.  If the canal IS the destination, then I want maximum value from a trip through the canal.  It is important that I take this trip next year, as I want to visit my (now) 88 year old uncle in California.

One of the issues I will have on future travels is going through an airport and flying on a plane.  I hate going through security, and have lined everything up to get a trusted traveler number via Global Entry.  But this doesn't do much for sitting on a plane with my large size, nor does it deal with the issues of baggage.  I still fear the headaches of flying later this year, and will avoid airports and flying as much as possible in the future.

All things considered, it is better for me to be thinking of the future than of my most recent past....