Thanks for letting me vent on my last post. Things are better - the windshield has now been replaced in the car and I have had a much cheaper week without the use of my credit card. Funny - when I go to the store with a limited amount of cash I spend less. I expect my new credit card will show up by Wednesday so things will then go back to normal, other than having to contact a couple of trip related places to give them my new credit card.
My foot remains very sore with tendinitis. I quit going on the treadmill altogether on the 12th - my step level has gone from 11000 steps a day to 3-4000. Yes, my regular life does not have me walking around much. I have tried ibuprofin, putting heat on it and using ointments. On Monday I will go to the Dr and get a proper anti-inflammatory as the last time I had a similar condition (neck strain due to carrying 60 lb bags of mulch) that seemed to fix it right away. Fingers crossed I can nurse the foot back to health before the 27th when we leave.
Today I begin packing. I already have a section in the closet for potential clothes to take and I stopped off at the dollar store yesterday to pick up a few items for our travels. Since we will have apartments with washing machines in Rome and Salerno I will take about 5 days worth of clothing only. They don't have dryers as most European places don't have them - so I will make sure everyone does laundry at least a full 2 days before we head to our next destination so it has time to dry. I will be taking a small amount of laundry detergent with us in case the apartments don't have any.
One of the items picked up at the dollar store was baggies - two boxes of them. I always take large baggies on every trip even if we aren't cooking and it seems like we use them for this or that every time. We are checking our large luggage this trip even though hubby and my bags qualify as carry-on the boy's pieces don't(taking adult kids #2 and #3) so will will just all check it (for free) and then have smaller carry on luggage with us. I always put one set of clothing in a baggie in my carryon plus makeup - I figure if I had to survive without my luggage for several days an alternate set of clothing is mandatory. We are taking one laptop this trip for the business which will go in carryon as well.
We are flying one discount airline this trip - Easy Jet from Naples to Paris. I have prepaid a suitcase for each of us as their luggage allowance is very small. They also charge for every single thing onboard so we will take snacks with us to try and save a couple of bucks. Our up front price for that flight was about $70 CAD each with one suitcase so a great bargain compared to airline prices in Canada. There were lower fares with small carry on only allowances if you aren't bringing as much luggage as we are.
It seems like I have a zillion things to accomplish before we go like filing our taxes (I have everything ready to go in Turbotax, just waiting on one final investment slip), and a ton of company work as we onboarded one new client this week and likely will be onboarding another next week. I am also driving Mom to another town on the island 2 hrs away to visit with her best friend that she hasn't seen in about 7 years. They talk regularly but haven't been able to connect and Mom can no longer drive long distances so I volunteered.
We are also trying to eat up what is left of the fresh produce in the fridge - I can always give it to Mom if we can't finish it but would like to give it our best shot. There is also a batch of chicken salsa soup in the freezer for the night of our return, simply heat and serve.
It is always a relief when we finally get to the airport on departure as our life seems to accelerate right up until the day we go. We are not sure where our travel plans will take us next year but we will be going somewhere warm likely in winter for a week instead of a huge Europe trip - the next one of those will wait until 2020 when we take adult kid #1 with us somewhere.
Have a great week everyone!
I don't want to be funny but watch your wallets/valuables in Naples. They are VERY good at pickpocketing. Better to be safe than sorry. But have a WONDERFUL time. Anna
ReplyDeleteHow exciting! I do hope your foot feels better soon. It is amazing what a difference the heavy-duty NSAIDs make. I think it is good that you rest.
ReplyDeleteI do a lot of pre-vacation shopping at the dollar store for sure too!
I am so happy for the trips bloggers I follow get to take. I travel with them through their stories and photos, just like I will be doing on your trip this time. How wonderful that you will have laundry facilities on site. It really helps when you don't have to carry as many clothing items. Saves space for the ziploc bags (yeah I pack those too and they always get used for something) Several years ago I bought cheap retracting umbrellas (Dollar Store items) that travel with us and have paid for themselves several times over, so they are in my always pack list too!
ReplyDeleteI hope your trip is filled with wonderful experiences to create nothing but fond memories! Have fun. I look forward to sharing it vicariously with you!
I hope you get the releif for your foot. Soon you will be exploring so mnay wonderfl places. We are still making out final plasn-just have an outline at this point. I used to overpack, but with having access to a washer, seems silly to brin gmore than is needed-other tourists and locals could care less if we wear repeats.
ReplyDeleteWe have flown with easyJet a couple of times before. No problem. We are ready for your trip... Looking forward to the updates!
ReplyDeleteHave an absolutely brilliant trip! xxx
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you pack like me. I always put a set of clothes in a ziploc bag in my carry on too...just in case the luggage goes somewhere else. lol Oh, I hope your foot gets better. I'm having problems with my right wrist this week. I've tried everything, (hot and cold packs), but only Advil gives me some relief. I'm starting to wonder if I fractured it, but it's probably just a pulled tendon. Man, it hurts!
ReplyDeleteApropo snacks. There are some low-cost companies that won't offer food even for money. To be on a plane without a sandwich or a fruit for several hours can be quite frustrating. So, we do take some sandwiches with us.
ReplyDeleteOnce, I asked at the checking point whether the screening of the luggage affects the food we take in the suitcase. No, of course, not was the answer.
Even if there is is minimal radiation and it does affect somehow, what can we do? We can only hope no harm will be done to us.
I don’t know about you but I sure am excited about your trip. Hope your foot pain eases up!
ReplyDeletePlease get your foot checked out. I would hate for it to ruin your long anticipated vacation. Wither you clothes are small or your baggies are very large :) How can you pack a change of clothes in one? Nice to have two clients come on board. Hope they are both good ones. Good luck with the to do list.
ReplyDeleteGetting ready to travel is stressful, but so worth it. Speaking of credit cards. Do you remember when they used to send them out unsolicited, so you didn't know one was in the mail? At least it was that way in the States quite a few years ago. One sent to Wayne was intercepted in the mail before it arrived. We didn't know about it until the bill arrived. At least they had the $50 rule back then that you weren't responsible for all the charges. The police found the buy up in Montana, but when confronted he said Wayne as a drinking partner and loaned him the card. They let the guy go, but later found him again when they learned the story wasn't true. I'm glad they quit sending unsolicited cards. Now I wish they would quit sending all the credit card offers. - Margy
ReplyDeletePack me pack me!! :) I am super-excited for you and hope all goes well. I also feel very stressed until I am finally in my seat on the plane - then I sigh a huge sigh of relief. I guess it's a good thing that all the crap happened while you still had time to deal with it all before flying away!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to hearing all about your trip. For me, getting to the airport on departure day just adds to the anticipation. And of course, travel days are always long days.
ReplyDeleteTake care of your foot. As others have said you don't want to be out of commission while away. Most of all, enjoy your travels!