"" Writer's Wanderings: Travel Anxiety- Am I Ready For This Trip?

Monday, June 20, 2016

Travel Anxiety- Am I Ready For This Trip?

It has been ten weeks since we last were on the road. Wow. That may be a new stay-at-home record for us. There is an upcoming trip planned soon but after seeing an article, 10 Signs You're Not Prepared For Your Trip, I felt my heart race a bit. Are we ready?

This is a diving trip. The annual trip we take with our grandson so I'm fairly familiar with preparation and we usually don't pack until a day or two ahead but still, I went ahead and checked our readiness against the list.

Do we know the weather? Oh yes. It will be hot and humid. Very hot and very humid. Of course if it wasn't the water would be cold and we don't like diving in cold water. Shorts, light shirts, sandals, swimsuits and one nicer outfit for Sunday church and we're set.

Is our house in order? Hmmm. They didn't mean clean although we will leave it somewhat neat and orderly. The more important thing is to check that we have light timers working, the refrigerator will be clear of the perishables like milk and fruit and the mail and paper will be stopped.

Do we have backup ID? Last year's fiasco with a lost passport has taught us a lesson. We had photo copies of our passports but we had neglected to copy our grandson's. It might have saved us some moments of panic and shear fear that we were in real trouble. So, yes we will have that all done.

ATM? No we won't carry extra cash as the article says to do. We know, at least for this trip, that there will be ATMs available and it's always better to use them to get your money exchanged or use your credit card. I carry an extra card in case one is stolen or canceled. We've had one canceled when a card was compromised. Even if you fly into another country, you can always check the airport for an ATM and withdraw cash there for your necessities that won't take a credit card.

What is your flight status? Bob takes care of this. He has notifications come to his mailbox if anything changes. So far the weather is good. It is hurricane season but so far doesn't look like there is anything churning in the Atlantic. Our condo rental is confirmed and we have all the information for getting in. Rental car is reserved. I think we're a go here.

Have a plan for the little things that can go wrong? At least for this trip we are familiar enough with Grand Cayman that we can navigate any small problems that come up. But if we were going somewhere new, we'd have to consider alternatives if our travel plans were interrupted by something out of our control like a hotel room not being ready.

Is your passport ready to expire? Nope. We recently had them renewed and of course, our grandson had to get a new one. Thanks to his mom he's all set.

Have you thought about packing? Well, yes, thought about it. Won't do it until a few days before. Bob will check our gear out a week ahead to be sure batteries are in our dive computers and all the gear is in one place. I have a list for packing for a dive vacation or a cruise so I follow that and I don't have to fret over what to take. The more challenging trips I do have to plan a little farther in advance.

International phone plan? This is on Bob's list but normally we don't do that unless we will be gone for a long time and/or we are concerned about something at home where we will need to be reached. Email and messaging are a cheaper way to go usually.

No one knows you're leaving? Well, just like a pregnant lady in her eighth month we get the question, "Are you still here?" So for the most part, our friends know when we are leaving. Family too, except for those kids who don't pay attention and say, "You're back? Where were you?" We also put a call into our local police department and have a house watch. Our neighbors are sweet and keep an eye out as well. One even drives her car up our driveway when it snows to make it look as though our cars have been in and out. Longer trips have a friend stopping by to check on our fish tank.

Check, check, check and check. Guess we're as ready as we'll ever be. Let the travel begin!





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