FYI: The next gift on the list is for me -- A Gift of Fun!
In about a week and a half I take off for a 3-month trip to Europe!
Very excited, but still don't feel it fully. Need to pinch myself to get out of the state of mindless day dreaming in order to get back on track with the planning and prep.
The suitcase is partially packed with absolute essentials which will have to be reviewed for their worthiness several times over. I did say "partially" because there's about a trillion things I'd like to bring with me.
I keep looking inside of it, willing it to expand into more space, and to evaluate what else I can squeeze into it.
There's just a tiny bit of space left-over to use which makes me wonder-- WHERE'S ALL MY STUFF GONNA FIT????
It seems my "must haves" which exist to satisfy my need for battle-readiness exceed the possible.
My biggest hurdle is putting aside the idea that I already have so many terrific useful and useless things. And, that unless I bring a good many of them along I will end up buying again at higher prices.
For instance, in a panic, I've thought what if they don't give me a towel? Who knows where I'll be staying; hotels, castles and convents are all possibilities. Even though I do love my towels I've come to realize, so what? I can always use t-shirts if need be.
Seeing how flexible thinking can lead to unusual solutions-- the other 999 things on my packing list should be a breeze.
Of course, it's easy to get all freaked out by reading about travelers who are constantly getting mugged in one way or other: like paying $29 a pound for cherries, or 4 times the cost of shampoo. At those prices, I'll be lucky to last a week before needing to add panhandling to my skill-set! (Note to Self: add to phrase list: how do you say "can you spare an euro" in Italian?)
Have purchased the Eurail Global Pass for 20 countries which will hopefully help me to contain costs! Will I get to see them all? Probably. Including some places which aren't on the pass like Morocco and Prague.
Figured the pass a good investment since I can always sleep on the trains to save a bit of money on hotels whenever possible.
Gee, I sure hope, like everybody says it's so -- that European trains are wonderful compared to Amtrak which will never see me again after my last trip from NYC to Chicago. What a mess! 18 hours late, no food, no water; I think you get the picture. Though I must say the crew did come out at one point to hand out M&Ms only to the kiddies.
How I managed to get my hands on a pack out of their limited supply was a miracle; probably because of that strange child sitting next to me.
Another item on my to do list: I need to figure out how to use that useless looking train time-table. It's all in tiny print (why? do they have something to hide?). Planning to blowup the whole brochure into larger more readable pages. That should help? At least I'll be able to see what I don't understand...
It's no wonder tourists have the dazed/confused look of where am I?—it's from continuously staring at tiny print in their guides that does them in. I used to think it was the fanny-packs cutting off their lower body blood flow, but now know better.
Did splurge on a new "Jeep" brand suitcase at Wal-Mart. Only $50! What a great steal; well made, sturdy —the wheels are incredibly flexible making turns easy as butter!
Yet, there's a part of me that wishes I didn't need a suitcase at all only because there will be plenty of times when I'll have to lift it due to unanticipated situations such as having to use stairs. Also, traveling with a large suitcase is not safe in my estimation when it comes to protecting my most valuable belongings which are in my shoulder bag (money, passport, cigarettes).
Considering that I will be using the trains a lot, must plan for securing the luggage as I hear that there are professional thieves that hop on and off trains just to grab bags from the holding areas. I've decided my best bet is to order a few bicycle flex cables and use padlocks to tie everything down including the carry-on bag at my train seat so it'll stay put when I doze off.
Also, am counting on these cables to act as handy deterrents when leaving stuff in hotel rooms or other places where I'll be lodging in case the maids have sticky fingers. After all, the best security is got to be motivating thieves to move on by making it all just a big hassle getting through locks. Especially when they don't even know if you've got anything in the bag aside from your stinky socks and undies!
Great prices on cables in various lengths can be found at Sunrise Cyclery (New York). The only problem with their check-out is that there are no indication that it's a safe shopping site. Instead, I will call them and try to place the order by phone.
Unless I see security certifications that say "Hacker Safe" or otherwise, I always resist using plastic on-line.
OK—now a few thoughts about Mr. Money. If you're thinking about traveling overseas, you've probably got him on your mind, too. Needless to say, just about everyone is thinking about the dollar because I constantly hear how it's worthless junk and that this is a bad time to take a European trip.
True the dollar is struggling -- but when is it ever the best time to travel? Something else could easily get in the way...like not enough time, or conflicts galore!
Personally, I believe the best time is when one is ready to go. I'm ready and feel the need to explore the world on the other side of the planet—just for the simple pleasure of rambling.
No big plans for self-improvement; just to have some fun.
Nevertheless, I've been keeping an eye on the global exchange rates over the past week and finally found a decent entry point for ordering some British Pounds with XE (they claim to be the world's "favorite" exchange site or something like that). So far, I believe them; they have been extremely helpful and nice and would recommend them to anyone who needs to do a quick currency exchange in order to arrive with pocket money at their destination.
Still to do: have to pickup a barrel of Euros from my bank. Practically, all the countries I'm visiting are on the Euro. When I first asked at my bank the manager told me they wouldn't charge me anything for the exchange: zero, nothing, zilch-- they promised.
What a joke that proved to be. I'm still learning that there are infinite ways in which lies can be presented as the truth. LOL!!!
After sorting out the double-talk with them they still persist in claiming that they do not charge me a fee.
From my perspective, this is not complicated: when you don't hand over the full value of my money there certainly is a fee, or charge, or something, no matter what you want to call it. But, please don't call it "free".
OK, so, they are at liberty to give me whatever conversion they want to, at whatever exchange rate they wish to set! I'm not unreasonable-- just tell me how much it's gonna cost and I'll decide whether or not I want to buy it.
Makes you wonder if these people ever heard of the word "disclosure"?
Yes, knowing they will rob me just a "little" is less painful than getting ripped off for a lot in the long run. I do admit: despite all the smoke and mirrors their exchange was the very best I could find.
Still: Yikes!
What a letdown!
I wanted it to be free because I wanted to believe them when they said I was a "much valued" customer!
Also, mostly, because I love gifts and freebies are always gifts. So much for appreciation!
For a moment I thought I was finally getting a "free lunch".
Still waiting.
Maybe next time?
PS: For a little bit of British Humor and to see a very funny painting of Hitler in his underwear visit: http://bloggavinit.blogspot.com/
