Busy Month - January

As I mentioned before, I have a major To-Do List. Each month contains tasks I either must or should complete. There were about twenty items on it for January. I actually accomplished about half of them. I'm not freaked out, however, as several tasks from future months were also checked off my list.

Staying flexible helps maintain my sanity and keep anxiety at bay, at least for now. I saw two of the doctors on my long list. I had a check-up and told them about moving. They were more than willing to help me with a treatment plan for the future. My optometrist told me he'll be sad to see me go. We've become friends over the last fifteen years, chatting at each appointment.

He loved my plan and asked for details. He was very interested when I told him that in my new state and on the ship, I wouldn't have to do most of the daily tasks that I have to do now. I want to eat, just tired of cooking. I enjoy a clean house, but cleaning is not fun. All the planning, shopping, checking on things, gone. They're someone else's responsibility. 

I'm taking one of these emergency lights with me when I leave California. I like it very much. It operates at the touch of a finger, is rechargeable and pleasant in appearance. Check it out, CLICK HERE  #ad.

He asked for contact details for the ship, and information about the state I have selected as my home base. I was happy to provide them. Heck, maybe he and his wife will join me. That would be fun. Nice guy.

I found and made reservations for an apart-hotel in my new state. What's an apart-hotel? Think apartment building with furnished rooms. Consider also, how a hotel operates, cleaning, changing linens, including sheets. Take the best of each type of property and put them together. That's an apart-hotel. It is so much less expensive than California. Life will be even better there. 

I also did something unexpected. When I made the reservations for my ride to the ship, the owner of the company asked me if I was selling my furniture. It seems he loves going to estate sales, and finding treasures. Yup. I promised I'd give him the dates and times once those are finalized. He then asked about my car. It seems someone he knows wanted a car for their seventeen year old son. 

So that issue, a biggie, is solved. This is about four months before I had planned to do something with it. No problem, however, I need to get comfortable using Uber, since that is how I intend to get around from now on... no car. I'm done. 

I then did something I find unpleasant, set up a new credit card and new bank account. Neither was difficult, I just do not enjoy the process. My email account is full of messages from both, telling me various things I need to do, once my cards arrive. Oh, goodie. More tasks. 

But one thing I did in January was lots of fun. I had new luggage tags made. I took the photo you see in the banner of this blog, my one and only "selfie", and had it made into tags. The flip side of the tag includes my name and contact details. I ordered four of them to fit my luggage. They will come in handy when flying to my new state, and whenever I'm on the cruise ship. 

Here's one of the pieces of luggage that will be sporting a brand new, super cute luggage tag real soon. Check it out for yourself, CLICK HERE #ad. 

Most of the January items I have yet to complete, have to do with the new bank account and credit card. Both have been approved, and my cards are "in the mail". Let's hope so, I have to move lots of charges from my old ones to the new. Then I'll close the California bank account, and the credit card I have been using here. Yes, I know this will have an impact on my credit score, but I really don't care. It's high enough, it won't matter.

The cards should arrive some time this week. I'll be able to catch up on the actions I had to skip last month once they do. In the meantime I'm canceling my California library cards, transferring my California Teachers Association membership to my new state, and figuring out how to handle my phone both in my new home, and while traveling internationally on a cruise ship. 

More to come. In the meantime, feel free to check out my YouTube page, Elizabeth Endorses, CLICK HERE #ad, where I do reviews of my favorite Amazon products that simplify my life.  They could simplify yours too.

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Planning Ahead to Avoid Future Issues - December

Once I decided to move to a safer location in the Mid-West, and to buy a cabin on a residential cruise ship, finding insurance was next most important step. That was made much easier by the cruise line setting up a relationship with a company, and Congress finally rescinding the much hated WEP. I was able to find and fund an insurance policy to cover my needs when out of the country. Medicare will continue to cover me when I'm in my Home Base in the Mid-West.

The next major hurtle was to find a company to hold an estate sale and sell most of my belongings. This was surprisingly simple, since a good friend knew of such a company. She highly recommended I contact the owner, which I have done. It looks great. She handles just about everything. I don't even need to sort anything, or rearrange my belongings. Her crew is used to selling from a home where the owner has died, so no help is necessary. Simple.

As with many in my age group, those over 65, I have been assigned a covey of doctors by my medical group. Unfortunately they are needed. Happily though, they are excellent at their jobs, and have helped me stay upright. I made a list of my doctors in December, and spent several days lining up appointments so I can be seen by each of them. Since some are specialists, it's not easy getting an appointment.

This is why I started the process in December. I want them all complete by mid-April. A few need lab tests to be completed two weeks before seeing the doctor. Timing is everything, especially with CT scans and the like. I was able to set up all the appointments I need, except for two of the specialists. I have to call back in January, when their calendars open up for the time frame I need.

This is an important part of moving. When establishing relationships with new doctors in new states, or when seeing a doctor onboard a ship or while visiting another country, documentation and a treatment plan are quite helpful. This way, doctors are not working in the dark. This is why, although I have not asked for a paper copy of my after visit reports in the past (I usually read them online), I am now. I intend to have a file with paper copies of all my visits, a plan for each specialty going forward, and test results.

I'm also going to request copies of CT scans, as I have a couple of ongoing issues. One is my lungs. They were damaged by working in a school where admin didn't take enough care to ensure the health and safety of those on campus. The other is my bones. Small boned women should have many important tests completed routinely on an annual basis going forward from thirty, but this was not done. I didn't know to ask, and no one bothered to tell me. Therefore, I was low in Vitamin D, Calcium and Magnesium for years, resulting in osteoporosis.

All of my medical issues are under control, and I follow the protocols established by my doctors to make sure they stay that way. Anyone who intends to move or travel, and may need to see new doctors, should visit their old ones before moving. Ask for an assessment for each chronic condition and a plan for future treatment. They will come in handy.

More to come. In the meantime, feel free to check out my YouTube page, Elizabeth Endorses, CLICK HERE #ad, where I do reviews of my favorite Amazon products that simplify my life.  They could simplify yours too.

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Have K-12 kids? Then you'll want my book, Free College, to show you how to help your kids earn lots of college scholarships, CLICK HERE. 

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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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