Barcelona, Spain

If things had gone as planned, I would be in Barcelona, Spain right now. I know this because my iPad told me so this morning. I remember, one of the tech savvy passengers on the 3-year round-the-world cruise I signed up for this past March took our itinerary and formatted it for our iPhones and iPads. I uploaded it to mine. 

So, when the location popped up on my calendar, I realized I can still take my blog readers on a 3-year cruise. I'll tell everyone what I have seen on previous trips to the places I have already visited, and explain where I was planning to go on my now cancelled 3-year cruise. 

I've visited Barcelona before, also ironically while on a cruise. I was taking a 3-week long cruise of the Mediterranean Sea out of South Hampton. We stopped for the day in Barcelona. It was nowhere near enough time. 

I wanted to visit the Park Guell, designed by Gaudi. It's covered with colorful tile work. I had seen photos of it, and realized this would be a worthwhile destination. the park is situated on a series of hills, and is full of steps. If you start from the bottom and walk up, you better be in great shape. My decision was to take a taxi to the top of the park, and walk down. I intended to pick up a taxi at the bottom, and return to my cruise ship. Want to learn more about the park? CLICK HERE (ad).

Sadly, I didn't go to see the park. Why? I noticed there were no handrails at all. Several of the steps were pretty steep too. In my physical condition, walking down those steps seemed too risky for me to try alone. Life lesson, when travelling alone, check out who else wants to visit attractions you are interested in, and see if you can go together, split the costs and maybe have a shoulder to hold onto while walking up or down precarious steps. Wish I had. 

If I was in Barcelona today, I would spend much of my day on La Rambla, the most iconic street in Barcelona. It stretches inland from the port. My plan would be to walk the length of the street until I tired. Then I'd pick an outdoor cafe, have some wine and tapas (yummy small bites famous all over Spain). Want to learn more about Tapas? CLICK HERE  (ad). After I rested, my plan was to walk back to the ship in time for dinner. 

Barcelona was planned to be a short stop  in order to pick up passengers who didn't want to fly to Istanbul, which was the intended starting point of the 3-year cruise. The next ten days were meant to be at sea. While some might find land days the most enjoyable, I love being at sea. In the past, I intentionally chose cruises that had many sea days. This was the main reason the 3-year cruise was so appealing to me in the first place. 

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Getting Ready for a Lengthy Trip: Six Months Out, Part II

During the month of April, I started keeping a list of expenses. I put them in one of the lovely notebooks I ordered to use while cruising, CLICK HERE  (ad). I know that putting off recordkeeping makes it a brutal task. Keeping a running list and making entries once a week keeps it simple.

On April 10, I signed the contract for the cruise. I kept a copy online, of course, but also printed it out, so I would have a hardcopy. I kept all my cruise documents in a large plastic envelope,  CLICK HERE  (ad). Life lesson. This made it easy to locate anything I might need going forward.

Once I decided not to go on the cruise, I added my cancellation documents to the pile of others in the envelope. I’ve used colorful, clear plastic envelopes like these for years. They come in handy, especially for planning trips.

The next thing to take care of was my car registration. Although I had not really decided what to do with my car, I knew it had to be registered. My three choices were to sell it, store it, or give it to my nieces. Eventually, I decided to sell it. Leaving a car in storage for three years just leads to problems. Giving it away, although generous, was not wise financially. It was fortuitous this was my decision, as I still had it when I decided to stay put in California.

During the month of April, the Management team at Life at Sea made a portal available to passengers, so we could communicate with them, and with each other. This proved to be quite valuable. Many of us were concerned about how to receive mail and packages while aboard ship. The Management team took care of this for us. They set up a once-a-month delivery system, but it wasn’t inexpensive. However, one of the other passengers contacted me with an idea. We would find two others to join us and sign up for the service. All our packages and mail would be sent to him, and we’d pick up our items once they were received. Brilliant. This would cost us a few hundred dollars each, instead of thousands.

The next thing to happen turned out to be great fun and resulted in my starting this blog. One of my Twitter followers sent me an article about two sisters who took a tour around the world. The article had been published by CNN Travel. I read the article and responded to the question at the end. They asked if we had ever had a unique experience while cruising. I responded to the article and told them my plan to take a 3-year cruise around the world. (Typing this makes me sad, as I was so looking forward to the trip.)

Briefly after sending off this reply, I received an email from a reporter with CNN Travel. She asked if I would participate in an interview about the trip. I agreed and the article was written. When it came out, I was surprised. It was more about me than the cruise itself. What happened next was an out of body experience. The article bounced around the world, was reprinted in several languages, and reporters and podcasters used it for the basis of articles and podcasts of their own.

My 15 minutes of fame lasted far longer than that and spread to several million people all over the world. (That was a shock.) It led to another interview, this one for a television station in Germany. People I knew saw one of the articles, as did people I met that spring. They were excited for me both about the adventure, but also about being “famous”, if only for a short while.

Sometime after the debacle that resulted in my pulling out of the trip, I was contacted again by CNN Travel. They wanted to do a follow up interview about the unpleasant situation that led to my decision. I was happy to participate. This is because I had learned several people signed up for the cruise because of my initial CNN interview. (This was very cool.) I didn’t want my initial enthusiasm to continue to convince people to sign up for the cruise, since the situation had changed. I was no longer sure it was safe and didn’t want their future happiness or safety on my conscience.

As you can see, when planning a long trip, or moving to another country, there’s lots to do. Some of it you can plan for, some things, however, pop up unexpectedly. Life lesson. This is why planning is so important. If you act in a spontaneous manner, and something unplanned happens, you may not be able to roll with it, or take advantage of the situation. 

The interview with CNN Travel, and the resulting international buzz online resulted in a message landing in my inbox. It was from someone I did not know, but he did me a big favor. He suggested I strike while the iron was hot and do something with the attention I had received. He’s the reason I started my journal, which led to this blog. Even though I’m no longer taking a 3-year cruise to 300+ destinations, the knowledge I have gained can encourage others to travel, whether as a family, couple, or even solo. This is a good thing. I’ve done all three types. I know the ropes and am happy to share them here.

Photo Credit: Google Images

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Getting Ready for a Lengthy Trip: Six Months Out, Part I

 

Years ago, I went to my travel agent and asked her to arrange a weeklong trip to Cape Town, South Africa for me. I told her I was going over Spring Break in order to figure out what I needed to do as I was planning on moving there in the summer. She was aghast since Spring Break was less than a month away. She told me she really needed more time to plan a big trip like this.

I was confused. I was only going for a week, so it wasn’t a big trip. For her, the distance made it a “big trip” and not the length of time I would be gone. Okay. Life lesson. This past March, when I heard about a 3-year round the world cruise, I was pleased since that would give me eight months to get ready. I began by creating lists of what I would need to do in the interim. I dedicated one page to each month, CLICK HERE (ad).  Drew a line vertically down the center of the page, and labeled the pages by month.

Today I’m going to start by telling you some of what I decided to do in April. I completed each of these tasks within the time I had allotted, one month. There are far too many to include in one blog post, so I’ll continue in my next post, on Saturday. 

Some of what I did was related to research or planning. Most of the tasks, however, were more hands on. The first was money. I had to move the down payment from my savings to an account where I could wire it to the Life at Sea team when requested. This was a large chunk of money, so I moved smaller amounts weekly. By the end of the month, all the money I needed to send was ready. If you’re reading my blog to plan for a big trip yourself, thinking about your finances is the first and most important thing you should do. This was true when I moved to South Africa years ago too. 

The next most important chore was to find an international phone plan. I started online, but quickly realized for my purposes keeping my Verizon Plan and adding their International Plan on top of it would work best. This isn’t always the case. Depending upon where you intend to travel, and for how long, other plans may suit your purposes better. However, to keep yourself sane (always a plus), start with your current carrier. If they have a plan that works for you, it will simplify your life.   

The next two items were time sensitive. I needed to start the series of shots for Hepatitis A & B immediately. Since it takes time to arrange for these shots with my HMO, I ended up starting the series at my local CVS. This meant shelling out over $100 for the first vaccine. The next two at my HMO would cost me nothing. 

Here’s a scary thought. My passport would expire in March 2024, while I was cruising. Finding a place to have passport photos taken wasn’t as easy as it should have been. I ended up having two sets taken at two different places. The backdrop at the first place I went, was the same color as my hair. With the light directly overhead, the top of my head blurred into the light. When I was finally able to obtain a clear set of photos elsewhere, I paid extra for expedited passport service. I didn’t relax until my passport arrived in the mail, with plenty of time to spare. 

Each week I tackled hardcore decluttering by room. I began in my bedroom, handling one piece of furniture at a time. Depending upon how long you plan on traveling, you may not need to be as brutal as I was. Remember, my plan was to live on a cruise ship for three years, then either move to Lagos, Portugal, or Laguna Woods Village, California. I had no desire to pay to store my car, furniture or other household items and then ship them somewhere. 

During the month of April, I completed going through all the furniture in my bedroom, my closets and one area of my garage. I made multiple trips to my local Goodwill drop-off site. It helped that I had decided not to try to sell anything. I didn’t have the time or energy to deal with that. 

The last thing I want to cover today is making doctor appointments. I don’t know about you, but I see a long list of specialists (oh, the joys of getting older). I made appointments with all of them, trying to fit them within my busy schedule of other activities. I wanted to make sure everything was shipshape before boarding. 

I kept all these appointments even after deciding not to go on the cruise; some were completed in September, one just this week. Everything was indeed good to go, although I am no longer going. That’s a pity, but from everything I have heard lately, both about the cruise going forward and strife in many parts of the world, I’m happy to have decided to skip it and stay in California. 

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Moving Day Has Come and Gone

 

September 30, 2023

I know it must have seemed I fell off the face of the earth after my last blog post late in May. It felt that way to me too. Although I have moved several times in my life, this time was much more difficult for me than any other move i have experienced. Perhaps it was my injured vertebrae that slowed me down, or perhaps, gasp, my age.

No matter the reason, I was overwhelmed. I had already started decluttering for my 3-year cruise, so you would think that would have given me a head start, but there was still far more to do than any one person should do alone. Eventually, the day came, but I wasn’t ready.

I had yet to tackle my office. I saved it for last, knowing if push came to shove, the movers could pack up the room for me. They did. They also packed my kitchen, but I had planned all along for them to do it. I learned that lesson eons ago. Life lesson. Let the pros do the kitchen. They do a better job and can handle the boxes with ease.

I found the movers I hired to be especially kind and helpful. They frequently sent me to sit on the couch while they moved things about. I put several bottles of cooled water on the kitchen counter for them, and when they broke midday, I handed each of them $20 and told them to enjoy their lunch. We met later at my new condo. 

It took hours to unpack. It helped that I had labeled all the boxes by room. I had also put sticky notes in the rooms to show where I wanted the boxes to be stacked. These guys weren’t happy until I was pleased with where rugs, lamps, furniture, and boxes were placed. Once they were finished, I paid my bill and gave each another $20.

After they left, I made my bed, and collapsed on it. I had stacked food in the fridge the day before my move-in, so I was able to eat after I rested. The next day, I went back to the house, and waited for Habitat for Humanity to come pickup items too large for me to take to Goodwill by myself. They were quite accommodating, taking everything I wanted to donate. Then 1-800-Got-Junk arrived and took the rest.

The bulk of the potted plants and flower boxes I had on my patio and in my courtyard were collected by neighbors. What was left was put in my driveway and labeled “FREE”. They disappeared quickly. I felt relieved. I didn’t want to put them in the trash. They were my friends,  and are now making other people happy.

It’s taken three months to arrange things in my condo. The local Internet and television people came and went. I also hired my own television experts to come make sense of the wires that had been left a mess. Several pieces of furniture, drapes and a huge area run were ordered, and arrived. I paid extra for “white glove” delivery for the massive area rug. Life lesson. So glad I did. The deliverymen were not only professional, but friendly as well. In fact, all the people involved with my move were great.

Eventually I hired a handyman recommended by a friend who lives nearby. He put up drapes and hung a heavy mirror and several large pictures. He’s good at what he does. I’m planning on calling him to do more work next month. I’m going to hire him to come every other month to replace the filters on my HVAC system, CLICK HERE (ad). The air intake is in the ceiling. I gave away my ladder, so I wouldn't use it. I’m no longer in the demographic that should be climbing ladders or lifting furniture.

Although most of my new home feels settled, my office does not. It still contains a mountain of big boxes filled with supplies, equipment and who knows what. Since I didn’t do the packing, unpacking is happening much slower than it did with the other boxes. However, I decided to give myself a break, and unpack one box at a time. I’ve already emptied three boxes using this method. The rest will happen eventually.

While doing all of this, I’ve been neglecting my blogs, Road to Free College and Enjoy the View Touring. I wasn’t doing much in my Etsy shop, Enjoy the View Totes either. Plus, I didn’t even look at my Instagram Account. I was still active on Twitter, @ElizaWallace27 though. My number of followers even grew during this time. That was a pleasant surprise.

Recently two friends sent me new articles about the 3-Year Cruise I was going to take this coming November. The first article bragged about the cruise becoming “forever” and not stopping after three years. I found that disturbing, as Maritime Law requires cruise ships to go into drydock for maintenance on a set schedule. They are not allowed to just cruise on without going into drydock, it’s unsafe.

The second article they forwarded had a few other bits of misinformation. One was about guests not needing health insurance, since there will be a doctor onboard. I can see how this might seem appealing, but unless medical care (major and minor) is written into the cruise contract, it would be foolish to go without insurance. 

I stumbled across a health insurance policy that could solve the problem of health insurance while traveling. It’s called Cigna Global. Since I’m no longer in communication with those who decided to go on the cruise despite the issues that led me to cancel my trip, I hope they read this blog, and see there is a company that will insure them while out of the U.S.

Next week, I’ll go back to giving tips on solo travel, including both short trips and long ones, like the 3-year cruise I signed up for last March. Thanks for being patient as I moved house. It wasn’t fun, but my current setting is much better for me.

 

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Options

 

Monday, May 29, 2023

The last few days have been busier than before, but less stressful. Getting ready for a 3-year cruise, and not having needed information was hard. Everything else seems far easier, even moving. My original plan was to cruise the world for three years, then move to Portugal. Having the rug pulled out from under my feet (although not literally, of course, it sure feels like it), made me reevaluate my timeline.

One possibility was to push up moving to Portugal. I could go sooner rather than later, but why? Sure, it’s safer there and gorgeous. The weather is about the same as SoCal, but the prices are much lower. Do I really want to be somewhere I don’t know, and where I know no one? I did that once before, when I moved to Cape Town, South Africa for two years. I loved every minute of it. But that was then. I was twenty-five years younger. I didn’t have osteoporosis, or the pain that comes with it.

So, this weekend I investigated another option. I could move somewhere closer to home. I opened my iPad and scrolled through rentals in Laguna Woods Village. It’s a huge retirement community not far from where I live now, in Laguna Niguel. I lived in the Village before moving here. It was very easy living there. But as a renter, you’re always subject to the whims of the owner. My landlords were a lovely couple, very thoughtful and kind. But when the husband died, the son pressured his mother to sell the condo. He had plans for her money.

I found a two bedroom, two bath condo that is clean and bright and flooded with light. Being smaller than where I live now means it will be easier to manage. My present home should have been undemanding and was before the pandemic. I had a handy man I trusted and a house cleaning company I had used for years. The owners had even become friends. But when everything shut down, it was all on me. This has become oppressive, which made the cruise seem like a great option. No housework, no shopping, no taking care of potted plants, just fun.

Of the three options, I decided to move forward with the lovely condo in Laguna Woods Village. I contacted the Realtor Friday, saw the condo Saturday, and filled out an application the same day. After sending heaps of documentation to the Realtor, the owners picked me from a group of applicants.

Sunday, I emailed my present landlord to notify him I will be moving out by the end of June. He called shortly thereafter. We had a pleasant conversation. He wished me well, and I wished the same for him. The rest of the day was spent tackling my bedroom closet. Finished early enough in the day to start on the master bathroom. There’s a closet there too. I piled up lots of clothing to take to Goodwill Tuesday. Life lesson. Get rid of stuff on a regular basis, so this won't happen to you. 

Today I filled out more legal documents online and will meet with the Realtor to give her checks tomorrow. I’m back to decluttering prior to packing. I was doing this anyway because of the cruise. It's less complicated now, however, because I don’t have to figure out what to take, what to store and what to donate. I just decide what I want to keep and what to give away. There are a also few things that should be sold. I’ll let the movers take them to my new home and sell them later.

My next blog post will be back to discussing how to get ready for a big trip. I still have my lists of monthly tasks. Although I’m no longer hopping on a ship for an around-the-world cruise, the information is still valid for anyone getting ready for a big trip. Little notebooks make this simple. I found these work well, CLICK HERE (ad).

Organization is really “my thing”. It started when I took language students to Europe to use the French or German they were learning. It was all on me then too. I did all the planning and organizing, with some input from my students. These trips prepared me for my big move to Cape Town, South Africa in 1997. That in turn made the decision to go on the lengthy cruise less daunting.

Remember to subscribe, to learn more about how to travel, even solo. I have. You can too.

 

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Allergic to Chaos

My normal routine since signing up for a three-year round-the-world cruise is to start my day by opening my iPad and reading any new posts in our resident portal. This past Sunday, May 20,2023, I saw a message from another passenger which read, “We’re still going to Istanbul”. Uh-ho. What does that mean?

It didn’t take long for someone to comment back, echoing my sense of dread. The response came quickly. We were directed to the cruise Facebook page, to read a letter from the Managing Director of our cruise.

The worst had happened. He announced he cancelled the cruise and gave his reasons for doing so. Rather than try to rehash the contents of the letter, and give the “other side” of the issue coming from the cruise company, which had been working in collaboration with the management team, here’s an article from CNN which explains what happened, CNN Article.

It took me all week to process this, but as stated in the article, deciding whether to continue with the cruise was an easy, although very sad, decision. I’m allergic to chaos. Life lesson. This felt far too risky for me. I’m out.

Now, what to do about my blog? My plan was to share my adventures on this three-year cruise with family, friends, my Twitter followers, and especially single people who have been reluctant to travel alone. About the middle of the week, I realized that I could achieve my goal, without going on this specific cruise.

After all, I’ve been single for over three decades, and I haven’t stayed home much. I can still encourage people to hang up their hats, get in a car, plane or ship and go somewhere. I will show how to do it by blogging about trips I have taken in the past, and those I take in the future. Yes. I made a list. So far, it has twenty places I intend to visit.

As I stated at the top of my blog, I encourage you to join me on my adventures. Just subscribe to this blog so you will be notified when I post something new.

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Lots of Deliveries

 Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Today was about deliveries. Several packages arrived from orders I placed in the last few days. One is a small “backpack” on wheels. I needed something convenient to carry my laptop for me whenever I want to work somewhere on the ship. I ordered the smallest I could find. It’s intended or kids in school, very fitting considering I was in school in one role or another for most of my life. It’s very cute, with lots of soft pastel colors. CLICK HERE (ad) Just right for a cruise.

I attacked several household chores at midday, watered potted plants on my patio and in my courtyard. All my plants will be sold or given away before my trip. I scheduled doctor appointments and negotiated with DirecTV. I also finished sorting out my nightstands. I’ll drop off the books I’m donating next week.

Another delivery was a cane with a seat attached. It’ll come in handy on excursions. In the past, I found there isn’t always a place to sit down when you need one. With my injured spinal vertebrae, I sometimes need to sit. CLICK HERE (ad) I bought a blue one. Now I can, pretty much anywhere.

Finally, I did some research to find an appropriate price of medical treatments I know I will need while cruising. The exact amount won’t be known until details of my cruise are finalized. However, I found a site that gave approximate costs for both the medication I need, and the infusion to deliver it. Fingers crossed my costs will be this low, medication was under $15.00 and the infusion just over $100.00.

It doesn’t seem like much to have accomplished, but there were also things to do in my EnjoytheViewTotes.com shop, and on social media. I again took a little nap in the late afternoon. I could get used to those! 

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

I took it easy today just I worked in my shop. I designed and listed a French zodiac symbol bag with the symbol in green, the power color for Taurus. Otherwise, just did a few things around the house, engaged in social media and watched some television. I needed this break, as the last twelve days have been intense. EnjoytheViewTotes (ad)

Thursday, April 6, 2023

I spent some of the morning enjoying our glorious weather. It’s been rare lately. In addition, I did household chores, including cleaning out the top shelf of my kitchen pantry. I intend to continue attacking one shelf every trash day. Both the recycling and regular trash bins will fill up as I prepare for my cruise. No food items will go into storage. Three years is just too long.

Later I picked up prescription medication at my HMO’s pharmacy and drove to the Toyota service center in the same area. I had them do the usual routine maintenance, but also check everything. I was pleased to hear the car is in great shape, including the tires. After I have it detailed this fall, it will sell for high Kelly Blue Book value. Super. This will mean I can take more excursions on my cruise.

When I returned, I enjoyed a late lunch and designed another Zodiac tote bag for my EnjoyTheViewTotes.Etsy.com shop. My goal is to design and list three tote bags each week, and use my original photography to create wall art, also for my shop. Used my Flowbee to give myself a haircut. Took out the trash bins and gave social media a little attention. Then I had dinner and watched some television.

Friday, April 7, 2023

If it’s Friday, it’s time for Zooming with my friends, Debbie and Connie. We discussed what’s going on with each of us, and in our country. We solved many political and social problems. Too bad no one in a position of power was listening in on us.

We also discussed my upcoming cruise, of course. I brought up an issue I had yet to resolve. Since I’m giving up my rental, I will stay in a hotel when the cruise ends, three years from now. I’ll look for a place to rent, probably in Laguna Woods Village. I’ve lived there before. It’s an easier life than living in a single-family home elsewhere. I don’t know how long it will take for the pod with my belongings to arrive in California from Istanbul. I’m hoping to have it shipped to my new address. If it comes too soon, I didn’t know where to send it.

Life lesson. Three heads are better than one. I’ll either have it sent to my storage unit, if there’s room, or to the hotel where I will be staying. They can store it for me, until I find a place to live. Movers can move it when they pick up my things from storage. However, all of this will change if I decide to move to Nevada or Lagos, Portugal. It’s looking more and more likely that Portugal will be my final retirement destination.

We also discussed whether I should open a TicTok account. I’m going to make short videos to post on Twitter and Instagram during my cruise. They both agreed, I should add TicTok. Debbie also reminded me these videos need to be funny or quirky. Using my travel companion, Bob, should make this easy to do. He has a goofy face, and if I put him in awkward positions, it should do the trick.

We discussed getting props for Bob, small objects he can handle while posing. CLICK HERE (ad) Any suggestions would be appreciated. Just post them on Twitter, @elizawallace27. Thanks.  

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Hectic Times

 

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Surprise. My swim gear has shipped! That was super-fast. Glad I ordered immediately and didn’t wait. Life lesson. Summer items always go fast. Speaking of which… did an online search for comfortable pants for travel. Found something I have been looking for years, loose fitting cargo pants. Nice big pockets that are functional, because the pants are not skintight. The green they had was lovely, but the black pair I wanted was sold out. So, I ordered a neutral golden khaki color as well as the green.

Did research on my health insurance. Turns out they cover emergency and urgent care treatment when we travel, even internationally. Super. Moved money from my online bank to my local bank today, so it will be there when my next (balloon) payment is due. Will move more in April, since the money isn’t due until late May. This will be a wire transfer from my bank.

The last few days have been hectic. I felt the need to do some household chores to catch up on what I have been skipping. Laundry was on the top of my list. Finished two loads in time for lunch, followed by another webinar. Irina, the director of sales welcomed us, and gave us some updated information. The most exciting, new renderings of our cabins are available to see online. There will also be an online portal for passengers. This will make asking questions and staying up to date a lot easier.

Mike, the Managing Director, came next. For those interested, about 40% of the cabins are still available. This is much lower than expected at the time. But hurry, prices are going up! Mike introduced the owner of Miray Cruises. He radiates experience, confidence, and excitement. Then they went to answer questions from the audience.

After hearing one of them, I realized I needed to investigate the cost of flying to Istanbul, to start the cruise on November 1, versus waiting to the board in Miami 16 days later.

Much to both my surprise and delight, I will come out a few thousand ahead by starting in Istanbul. Why? I pay rent where I live. Leaving early means I won’t have to pay for November. As a side benefit, it will be autumn in both L.A. and Istanbul, so packing will be easier. This simplifies things. Nice.

Thursday, March 30, 2023

I had hoped the excitement was waning, and I would have a good night’s sleep. No such luck. Fell asleep quickly but woke up only three hours later. Don’t think I slept after that. Up at 7:00 not rested at all.

Did my morning routine and was ready for my regular Friday Zoom meeting with two local friends. As a joke, I set Bob on a cushion by my iPad camera, so they could see him instead of me. We chatted about politics, health, family members, our Etsy stores, and my trip.

They made a very good suggestion. After we ended our call, I looked up walking canes with seats. I damaged two spinal vertebrae a few years ago and the pain hasn’t left. It’s not bad when I sit, and not even terrible when I walk. However, if I must stand in line, the pain increases. I ordered this, CLICK HERE (ad), so I’ll be able to sit when needed.

Friday, March 31, 2023

UPS arrived with the swimming gear I ordered from Coolibar. The swim shirt and swim pants fit great. The top, on the other hand, didn’t. A pleasant phone call with a very nice lady solved my problem. The correct size is on the way.

After lunch I worked in my Etsy shop, Enjoy the View Totes, (ad). I added a new French shoulder bag for Aries. Using one of the languages I taught for decades is always fun. Then my friends and I exchanged messages to discuss topics that need to be addressed before my trip. Their first question was about dental insurance. The ship provides a dentist on board for routine matters. They will also help with dental emergencies.

Went to bed early, hoping my excitement level will have dropped sufficiently to allow me sleep. The last few nights have been brutal. Too much planning going on in my mind to sleep well.

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Details Details Details

 

Tuesday March 28, 2023

I called the Coolibar company and tried to order the swim gear I saw in their catalogue yesterday. The agent was great, knew exactly what I wanted. As it turned out, the catalogue being new was the issue. Life lesson. Their computers didn’t even show the swimsuit, etc. yet, but she could handle it live. So, she did. Very nice. Had a lovely chat about my upcoming trip while she resolved the issue.

Spent most of the day planning and thinking about all I need to do. Making a to-do list for each month is helping me move things out of my mind, and onto paper.

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Meds Onboard

 

Monday, March 27, 2023

This was a tiring day. Did the chores around the house that I should have completed over the weekend. Once the excitement wears off, I hope to balance my time better. Watched another webinar, this one live. Many questions were answered. It helped me make an executive decision to sign up for mail and package forwarding. It’s expensive, since you must sign up for a minimum of 18 months. But it will be worth it to receive prescription medication and Amazon orders on the ship. However, if the ship pharmacy has the meds I need at a reasonable price, I’ll skip it and save the money.

Many of the items I ordered yesterday arrived. Everything was great, including Bob, the cute critter I bought to bring with me, CLICK HERE (ad). I ordered a bow tie for him to wear at dinner, CLICK HERE (ad). I don’t know how often he'll appear on the ship, but I’m certainly taking him ashore with me. Life lesson. He'll be great for a little added humor in my photographs.

Found a sun protection swimsuit with matching coverup in a Coolibar catalogue that came today. Looked for it online to order, but it wasn’t there. So annoying. I’ll call tomorrow. Don’t send out catalogues if you don’t have the items in stock. Sheesh. It can’t be gone already. The catalogue just arrived!

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Money Matters

 
Saturday, March 25, 2023

I spent much of the day watching webinar videos from Life at Sea and doing more research. I still can’t believe I signed up for a three-year around-the-world cruise.

I was able to save the itinerary on my laptop and study when we’re going to be where. That really matters to me because of the weather. It’ll let me know what kind of clothing to bring. I’m happy they’re sending us a pod (which is like a portable closet). We will use it to pack everything we want to take on the ship. This means we won’t have to take lots of luggage. 

If possible, I’m thinking about only taking a small carry-on bag,

 CLICK HERE (ad). In the bag, I’ll put my laptop, Kindle, iPad and chargers, so I can keep them safe with me. I’ll stuff any medications I need for the few days between leaving LA and arriving aboard the ship into that suitcase as well.

My goal is to not bring anything else to the airport, except my coat and purse, of course. I’m going to let the airlines know I need a wheelchair at LAX and later upon arrival. That should make life easier in both airports. That’s important because of the back injury I suffered three years ago. I have two compression fractures in my spinal vertebrae. They still hurt. So, a wheelchair will be helpful. A side benefit is we can skip lines. I always tip the people pushing the wheelchair well. They’re angels who make it possible for me to travel.

I also need to let the airlines know that I have this disability. If my little carry on won’t fit under the seat in front of me (it usually does), it will need to go into the overhead. I can’t lift it. It might cause another fracture, even though it is small and light weight. When I’ve asked for aid in the past, airline personnel have not been helpful. Luckily, there was always a male passenger nearby, and when I asked him to put it in the overhead for me, there was no problem. So that’s my fallback, if airline personnel refuse to help.

Much of my day was spent thinking of things I need to do. Since I live alone and won’t be keeping the house that I’m renting during the three years I’m gone, I had a decision to make. What to do with all my stuff? Well, I’m going to lighten the load. I’m only going to keep the things that I really love. The rest will go to an estate sale or be donated to charity. That’s the plan for my furniture. It could include the television as well.

All my knickknacks, and the pictures that are currently hanging on walls will go into storage. Some of my clothing might as well. I’m going to use this as an opportunity to get rid of anything I haven’t been wearing. Who needs to have it hanging in the closet? I think I’m going to dump a lot of shoes too, maybe all that I don’t take on the trip. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

In the evening, I made a list of things that are going to cost me money while I'm not in the United States. That includes insurance, cell phone, Prime, storage, virus protection for my computer and two software services I use to keep my Etsy business running. I plan on selling my car. My goal in making this list was financial. I wrote down how much I pay each month/year for each of these items. I need to know because handling money is a balancing act when you travel.

In fact, the use of money itself is a balancing act. You must balance what you need to spend and what you want to spend with what you have coming in. I also intend to continue saving money even though I’m traveling. I’ve been saving each month since I retired. 

My plan for this nest egg is to cover any help that I might need once I get old. Yes, people might think I’m old now; according to the calendar, maybe I am, but I don’t look at it that way. Old is when you can no longer take care of yourself. That could happen to anyone in their 30s or 40s or, in my case, much later than that.

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