Homer's Travels: Anticipation ... Planning ... Worries ... Vacation Planning

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Anticipation ... Planning ... Worries ... Vacation Planning

Make a list.  Check it twice. That's what I've been doing for the past week or so.  Preparing for our Jordan trip.
  • Scan passports and copy them to a thumb drive.  Oh yeah and e-mail a copy to yourself just in case.
  • Frequent flier numbers.  Where are they?  Write them down and don't forget to apply them to the tickets at check-in.
  • Turn off half.com and amazon seller accounts.  Can't fill them orders when you are out of the country.
  • Hold the mail.  The snail mail, that is.
  • Can I trust the foreign computers?  Copy Portable Chrome and KeePass to the thumb drive as well ... oh and an antivirus thingamajig too.
  • Replace the camera screen protector.  The old one has started to curl.
  • Charge the camera batteries ... both of them.
  • Are there any geocaches in Jordan?  38?!?  Copy them to the GPS.  Oh yeah, batteries for the GPS - pack 'em.
  • Send the itinerary to the families.  Don't forget the emergency number.
  • Speaking of numbers, what are the lost credit card phone numbers?  (Hope I don't need them.)
  • Call the credit card companies and tell them I'm traveling.  This always reduces the amount of hassle when using the card overseas.
  • Do I need a packing list?  Damn, I don't have one yet.  What's taking me so long?
  • Jordanian Dinars ( $1.00 = 0.7077 JD) to buy the visa with.
  • US Dollars to buy the Wife's new Bedouin jewelry.  Do I have enough?
  • Who will water our plants?  Oh yeah, that's taken care of.
  • How do we get to the airport?  Right, that's taken care of as well.
  • What am I missing?  So much,  I'm sure.
That's what my mind has been going through.  Too many nit picking little details that have to be taken care of before we leave.  Obfuscating all of these preparation ruminations are the niggling worries that are spinning in my head.
  • Will I like the food?  Fear of food has been a lifelong companion and the food of other cultures ... *shiver*
  • Will I forget something important in all the chaos?  I have to remember to consult the list.
  • Will I be able to sleep on the airplane?  We have thirteen and a half hours of flight time and I need to sleep.  I don't sleep very well on planes.  I don't want to be a zombie on the first day of the tour.
  • I hate airplane bathrooms.  Silly, I know.  I think I've used bathrooms on airplanes three or four times in my 46 years of life.  I hate interrupting the person beside me to get out.
  • Will I be overwhelmed by the exotic nature of it all?  The strange language?  The strange customs?  Okay, I doubt this will be a problem but ...
  • Will I accidentally eat with my left hand?  The left hand is considered unclean to Muslims and using it to eat or to hand something to someone is offensive to Islam.  I am right handed and it shouldn't be a problem but ... one careless moment is all it takes for awkward to make its appearance.
  • Will I sweat my guts out (90+ everyday).
All of these plans and worries will soon fade away, forced aside by all the cool stuff and new experiences.  Jordan, for a Muslim country, is pretty liberal and we will probably be prepared well by our tour guides.  Our Peru vacation was similar ... except I knew the language.

I am soooo ready ... I think.

5 comments:

  1. You are going to be fine. You're one of the most polite people I've ever e-met. :)

    I hate airplane bathrooms too. Go before you fly and hopefully you'll sleep. I take a tylenol PM to help me on longer flights.

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  2. Miss McC: Ha, my on-line persona is better than my real life one at times. It's hard to edit real life. Thanks!

    Not sure I can go 12 hours (the length of our Chicago - Jordan flight) without a bathroom. I will try though. I try not to take sleep inducing stuff but I may have to make an exception this time.

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  3. ...Will you calm down for a bit?

    Generally people are more accepting of tourists precisely because they intend to spend money in the country. Be respectful of others (I've got no doubt you'll be) and you'll be fine.

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  4. You'll be good. Remember, you're not going to the moon and, if BlakSpring's extensive travel experiences are correct, passable English is found around the world (or at least anywhere someone has something to sell).

    And am I the only one who noticed you thought of copying geocaches to the GPS ahead of sending the itineraries to the families and The Wife's jewelry? Priorities, man!

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  5. Godefroy: Sure ... When I put the post together I freaked out a bit but I'm chill now.

    GH: Actually I sent the itineraries out before I downloaded caches. The list wasn't quite in order. ;)

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