Leaving on a jet plane….

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borrowed from the web…couldn’t find who to credit for photo

 
Can’t believe it, but our trip is FINALLY here. After months and months of planning and saving we leave Monday for Costa Rica.  We are busy finishing up all the last minute details. It will be nice to sit down on the plane and just enjoy our trip.

The pre-trip stuff can sometimes be overwhelming, but I’m just about done with all the things on my “to-do” list. Here’s what our pre-trip checklist looks like:

• MAIN PRIORITY: Find a house sitter to house/cat sit. Grandma is going to dog sit for us.
• Stop the mail.
• Clean, clean, clean and do all the laundry. I do not want to return to a dirty house. It’s not so much “dirt” as the clutter that is hard to keep up with. Especially with a house full of people for the holidays.
• Pack everything I think I want to take than take half of the items out and live with what is left. Here’s a photo of the duffel bag that Alan and I are sharing for the 18 day trip; There is also an image of my small pile of clothes.  I believe in traveling as light as possible. I don’t want to be hampered down with “stuff”. We’ll check the duffel bag and then we’ll each have a carry on. My messenger bag carry on will have travel documents, wallet, snacks, books, net book and camera. Alan’s will have an extra camera lens, snacks, and a book. He has LOTS of room left over in his bag. Have a feeling that it will be full of coffee on the return trip 🙂

That’s 4 shirts, 3 pants, swimsuit, undergarmets and sarong. I also threw in a windbreaker (not pictured).

• Check, double check, and check again all reservations.
• Note bank phone number in case cards are stolen.
• Copy passports id page. I should take additional passport photos as well, but I’m skipping that step.
• Make sure our general itinerary is written out and left with a family member.
• Arrange for someone to plow the driveway. We are getting lots of snow here in the north and our house sitter will need to be able to come and go PLUS we don’t want to have to shovel when we return.
• Schedule all bill payments through bank or utility company. 

Now that everything is just about done it’s a matter of waiting to leave.  We are all very excited to be taking this little adventure away from our normal lives. I’m a bit concerned about bugs in the tropics, but I’m sure I’ll handle it all just fine.  When we return I’ll share a break down of costs for our journey. I like to think I’m a pro at budget travel so we’ll see how well I do.