WIth 3 weeks and six days until departure, the idea of leaving home for an extended period of time is become a reality. Realizing our parents, our friends, and our home will be thousands of miles away is a difficult comprehend. In particular, Gen hasn't put down our dog for weeks, and won't until absoutely neccessary. As my time wanes, Im becoming increasingly paranoid; terrified that something will happen to prevent us from leaving, and so, not leaving my house unless absolutely neccessary.
In the past few weeks, we've solidified almost all the important things...we think. We have our EuroRail passes, which we got from their website. Also, so that we can keep records of our travels, we ordered journals from a company called K. Schweizer. They make beatiful, handmade, leather journals that they'll personalize with a name if requested. Additionally, they have a superior customer service department that is willing to work through anything the customer requests. And finally, we've ordered and recieved our phones from Telestial. There's some debate over the praciticality of one, world-wide SIM card versus SIM cards for each individual country. Genny and I opted for a world-wide SIM card, as it relieved the stress of having to find/order a new SIM every time we change countries. Also, it allows us to carry the same phone number for the duration of our trip. We purchased a special they were running called The Passport, which includes a phone and the SIM card we wanted. The nice thing about this program is that every time our minutes drop below $10 worth, we're automatically charged for an amount predetermined when we activate the phone; this way, we never run out of minutes or have to worry about keeping track. The less stress the better, that's all we're trying to accomplish.
So, as my last week of work winds down, and as our departure draws closer, my sleepless nights become more numerous as I review things we may need or may forget. I know I'm forgetting something...
