One Day to Departure (D+1): (Reluctantly) Entering the Digital Travel Age

I leave tomorrow.  Wow.  Even at my advanced age the beginning of a long journey brings excitement and anticipation.  I am almost ready, and what doesn't get done didn't really need to get done.  

The days of traveling with paper are over.  Paper maps, paper guidebooks, paper journal, paper photographs, paper letters to be sent home are all dead.  Electrons have taken the place of ink, view screens the place of paper.  Herr Gutenburg would be amazed.

I feel like I am carrying more electronic devices than an Apollo moon mission.  I know my devises are more powerful than what the astronauts carried and yet I am staying on the surface of terra firma.  

I bought a Kindle Fire 7 inch tablet just for this trip.  It surfs the web, takes pictures and movies, plays music, plays videos and weighs less than 10 ounces, all for under fifty bucks!    There's probably an app that lets the Kindle do my laundry, but I haven't found it yet.  Buy five Kindles and Amazon will throw in a sixth one for free.  Amazon gives you six months free access to the Washington Post on line (thank you Jeff Bazos!) which I'll be using regularly.  I added 64g of memory, a tiny keyboard and a case and basically doubled my cost.  The Kindle will be my blog updater on this trip.  

The Kindle is so handy I am thinking about giving it a name.  Maybe 'Chuck' would be a good name for the Kindle.  Later blogs might say that Chuck is sick, or that Chuck got lost or that Chuck is having a good time.  Chuck will be to me as Harvey (the rabbit) was to Jimmy Stuart, only with more apps.  And I can always ask "What's up Chuck?".  Take that, Sirri!

Add to the electrics pile a handheld GPS unit.  Great for navigating strange cities or areas where you can get lost.  Mark your temporary 'home' on the GPS and you'll never be lost again!  

And a camera.  I am probably the last user of a point and shoot camera on earth.  It takes great photos, is very small and runs on AA batteries.  Using AA batteries eliminates the need for finding power outlets or esoteric battery types in remote areas.  Another tip: the first photo on your camera's memory card should be how to find the camera's owner.  When someone finds a camera they often look at the photos from the start.  An honest person will contact you to arrange its return.

And an Ipod. It's small and includes an FM radio, clock and some other features.  The Kindle is not good for storing music, so I am bringing along my favorite 500 songs on the Ipod.  Mick Jager is a good traveling companion.  And podcasts.  Gotta have my NPR when traveling these days.

And a European cell phone.  My cell phone is so old it barely works in the USA, much less in foreign countries.  You can buy them cheap in Europe, but mine is a loaner.

Then there's all the mandatory add ons.  A voltage converter.  Extra AA batteries.  Extra camera memory.  Cases.  Cords.  The list goes on and the pile gets bigger.  I am sooo thankful for miniaturization.  All told I am using a total of nine batteries when I use all of my devices.  Ouch!

If I wasn't such a Luddite I would have a single device that did it all.  Probably something akin to a smart phone or smart tablet.  But having all of the individual devises works for me and I get to  avoid the cost of a big phone and data plan.  

Saw a movie tonight where dinosaurs eat dinosaurs.  Yuck.  I prefer to think about eating french pastry while walking along the Seine River.  Which I'll be doing in a few days.

Next Blog: Travel Day

Two Days to Departure (D+2): Commitment

They say you should begin your story in the beginning, but I am going to break that rule right away:  I am going to begin before the beginning. 

It's two days until I leave for Paris.  I am planning to be gone up to six months, a minimum of two.  Lots of little details to take care of, like a car, a house and a million other little things.  A neighbor will collect the mail.  The car will get registered and stay insured during my absence.  The heat will stay on, at 55 degrees.  The household bills are on auto-pay. 

Long trips are best approached with commitment.  My commitment came in the form of my pantry and refrigerator.  I gave away 90% of the contents of both, planning to consume what is left before I leave.  I'll have a few cans of soup in the pantry when I return.

I gave away the food via Craig's List.  The recipient was actually worried that I would have enough food for myself.  He took about 15 paper grocery bags of food.  The fridge will be off while I am gone, the doors left ajar and propped open with a dish towel. 

I've made two other commitments as well.  I bought a one way ticket to Paris.  I do not have a return ticket, leaving my return open to future events and circumstances.  I also paid for two months in a Paris apartment in advance.  I am VERY committed to this trip. 

All of the packing and repacking is done.  Everything fits in a day pack and a small canvas duffel, except for the CPAP machine which is in its own small bag.  I probably have too much of some things and too few of some others.

Yes, that's really all I am taking.  Six days change of clothes, various toiletries, electronics, some airport reading materials.  Everything in ziploc bags and packed away.  I might add a pair of shoes to the pile.  (Did you see the Simpson's-themed sweatpants?  They serve as PJ bottoms/loungewear.)  If I need something more I can always buy it along the way.  They have some nice shops in Paris.  This isn't like backpacking where the towns are sporadic and have limited shopping.

Before you pack for a long trip lay out everything and take a series of photos.  If all or part of your luggage is lost you'll have a good record of what was lost.  You'll also avoid arguments and/or angst about what you did or did not pack.

NEXT BLOG: Entering the information age

Author's Notes:

It is not my intent for this blog to be about me, but rather about my journey.  I plan to share personal observations and accounts of my travels, and hopefully some travel tips for the interested.  I'll try to remember to put the travel tips in italics.  I'll be sharing more pre-departure travel tips later.

My goal is to make this blog fun and informative to all viewers.  I am happy to answer questions when they arise.  Your questions and comments are always welcome.