I Hate Packing

I doubt it's anyone's favorite part of the process, but I really hate packing.  I put it off until the very last minute and am always convinced I have brought too much or too little.  It was the one area of real argument between us when getting ready for a vacation - Bill would start getting anxious and asking me: when was I getting ready, when was I getting ready?  The more he asked, the slower I became (rule #1 in keeping Ann happy is "do not nag").  He would empty the entire contents of his dresser and closet and then get annoyed when I tried to make the pile more manageable.  I would end up with about 1/4 of a suitcase to bring everything I needed.  It rarely ended well.

So now I can just pack for me and it's weird.  I came to rely on his anxiety to force me to get moving and now I wait almost too long.  Once I become a true frequent traveler, I will get it down to a science.

Clothes are done, camera stuff mostly done (I'm bringing Bill's with me too, so lots of new stuff to figure out) and everything else ready to go in the carry-ons tomorrow.  It's all very real and yet not - always feels like this after months of planning.  I'm excited, nervous and restless - usual pre-trip jitters taken to a new level.

I am ready - no turning back now.

Getting Ready

After about 8 months of planning, I will be leaving for London in just 5 days.  It's no longer next month or next week, it's this week.  I plan obsessively for vacations, often for years without a date or time frame in mind - just a dream of somewhere I want to visit.  I know that I could pack at any moment, grab my passport and head to London without a second of advance planning, but my life and personality don't really allow for that kind of spontaneity.  

Serious work for this trip took place in June/July - dates selected, flights and hotel booked and then the daily agenda filled in.  I booked my Eurostar tickets for a day in Brussels, decided which day to go to Hampton Court and Bath, bought theater tickets for Saturday night and everything fell into place.  I have definitely splurged on the tours/guides I have booked - semi-private evening tour of Buckingham Palace, half-day tour of Hampton Court with an historian and I think only one other person and the full day tour with Martin Randall Travel visiting "Seven Churches and a Synagogue".  I also splurged on my hotel (although the great upgrade was courtesy of British Air), but that is not surprising, as I love hotels and fell in love with this one from the second I saw their website.  It looks amazing, location is perfect and reviews are outstanding.  I will be there for 8 nights - I want to be comfortable and feel secure and yet pampered and not lost in a giant corporate hotel.  

Planning my first real trip of the second half of my life has helped me in so many ways.  I know that I am lucky that financially I am on very good ground since Bill died, so I can indulge a bit and not feel too guilty.  As I have met with financial planners in recent months to set things up for the next 15 years or so - when they ask about goals, the answer is always the same: travel.  We always talked about all the places we wanted to see, but now I will be doing it without him.  I think if I waited another year or so, I might have lost the courage to get started on true solo travel.  I did that one trip to Oxford a few years ago and the spa week in Sedona - but that was really mental and physical therapy at that point.   This is the first trip to Europe, sightseeing, meals on my own, "everything on my own" vacation.  A little unsettling but liberating too.  I need this in so many ways.  I need to indulge myself, I need the pleasure I will get from visiting London again, I need to know I can really do this.  Bill will be with me in London just as he is here in NJ but I think he will be spending time with a much happier version of Ann.

The First One

This is really just for me.  I don't expect anyone to be truly interested in my travel stories or photos, but it would be nice to have one place to keep it all organized and accessible.  Not the first time I have tried to do that, but the first time for a blog (which is no longer cutting-edge technology in the second half of 2013).  I have lots of photo albums and my scrapbook from the trips of the early 2000s, when that was the way to hold onto memories.  I did create a website for the trip to Ireland and now have digital photo albums scattered around iPhoto and Picasa sites.  Finally, I made a hard cover album of my photos from Sedona last winter and plan to do that again in the future.

So, why a blog?  I realize that I use FB as a blog of sorts, but hate to be THAT person, who gloats over all the details of a vacation, even though I love to see and hear my friends photos and stories, so it's not a personal pet peeve.  Hopefully, a blog will let me gather thoughts when planning trips, record events and places and photos while traveling and allow me to look back and sum it all up when back home in NJ.

I think the impetus is the knowledge that most of my travel in the future may be alone.  Sharing vacation memories is one of those ways that a solid relationship gets even better, as long as you are a good travel team, which we were.  If I don't post that sunset or that lovely restaurant or amazing hotel - who will know I was there?  Solitary memories are fine, but I want to create a permanent record to share if anyone is ever interested.

So - London beckons in just a week now.  Let's see how this goes!