This summer’s heat had already killed the last of the ivy that ran along the eaves of my front porch. It felt as if last week’s heat wave was trying to finish off the rest of us as well.
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| Have you ever notice that when people post these kind of "car temperature" shots, it always shows that the doors are the car is open. It's too dang hot to close the doors for at least a few minutes! |
This morning feels better.
It is 7:20 am and I am not sweating.
The cats seems intrigued with walking on the dead ivy branches, my dog has stopped panting, and I hear birds again. I think it is going to be a good day.
The recent hot days have meant that good days to practice long hikes were harder to come by. As I get ready to leave I will have to squeeze some in whenever I can between some of the other ways I've needed to prepare.
I wanted to share some of those other things that I’ve had to prepare. My ideas may help someone who wants to plan a long trip, but more likely…someone will have some great ideas to share with me. Please let me know via comment or a direct message if you’ve had something really work out for you. I know that some of you are expert travelers, please share with us what you’ve figured out!
The Bills
Let me start by saying thank you to Maru and Sarah for sitting with me and learning my bill pay system. I do have some bills that auto pay, but it’s so nice to have real people (with real brains) reasoning over my real-life finances while I’m away. I am so lucky that they agreed to sit down with me and go over the myriad of ways I pay different things.
There are some bills that I will take care of before I leave. Usually my AT&T bill gets paid through my phone…but I can’t be certain that the necessary link-via-text will come through when my Spanish SIM card is in use. So I’m putting enough money into my AT&T account to create a pool of credit that they can dip into to pay my bill each month that I’m away.
I also paid $40 extra per month to be able to use my USA line while in Spain, too. That might seem like a lot but it’s so much cheaper than the hundreds of dollars I paid in roaming charges after my “budget” trip to Puerto Vallarta! I have a texting/photo sending habit which requires enough data to satisfy.
This way I can switch back and forth between my Spanish SIM card and my USA account so that I can use my phone whenever I need to, saving data for precisely the time I need it most. Having the phone completely set up gives me a feeling of security as a solo traveler. I may not be able to shoot an attacker with my phone, but I can sure post their picture! LOL!
Feeding/Caring for the Dog
Everyone needs a loving dog sitter when they travel, but when your dog is vegan…you really need a sitter that you can trust to prepare their food right. Enter Sarah and Maru…do you see a pattern? These two are my travel heroes. They love my dog…so they are the best sitters for our Jazzy.
I mix a vegan kibble with a homemade preparation. Maru and Sarah have watched me make Jazzy’s food many times, so I just pre-ziplocked all the dry ingredients to make the prep go easier. They are learning to use my Instant Pot pressure cooker to make the base recipe of sweet potatoes, brown rice, and lentils as well.
Maru knows Jazzy’s vet as well as I do. The whole family gives Jazzy love every time they pass her. She makes sure she gets noticed by laying in the most awkward positions right at doorways so you have to talk to her to ask her to move. She usually gets love every time! So I’m not worried that she will ever be hungry, sick, uncomfortable, or feel unloved.
My only concern now is that Jazzy will realize she doesn’t need me anymore when I get back!
Clearing out the Fridge
It’s weird for me to go on my weekend shopping trip and have to ask myself, ”If I buy that, can I eat that up within 10 days?” I don’t want to leave food to get fuzzy in the crisper…so I’m keeping the shopping down to only what I can consume soon. I’m guilty of leaving food to get fuzzy in the past when I went on shorter trips. I just think that with a two month absence, a mold monster could be born. I don’t think it’s cool to have other people need to clean, or live with, my mega mold monster. One problem, however, is that the food is the fridge doesn't look appealing to me! Look at this mess!
So far, I have mixed leftover spaghetti with mushrooms and marinara sauce fromTwo Guys with my leftover homemade chile. It was actually really good! Two ziplocks down, not bad! I am buying small cartons of coffee creamer instead of the big one even though it doesn’t work out as cheaply. Most importantly, I am looking in the fridge and figuring out what to make based on what I have. I usually don’t do that because I am terrible at making impromptu meals…at least ones that taste good. I don’t know what the name of that skill is…but I don’t have it. Maybe this is my pre-Camino lesson, to make stuff from the fridge!
I am also cleaning up my side of the room, my bathroom cabinet, and my car. I want to return to a fresh start when I get back.
Plane fare
I purchased my air fare months ago. Don't get me wrong, I love spontaneity, but when it comes to getting the best prices...I try to buy my tickets as early as I can. I love using a site called Skyscanner. This site really helps if you have the ability to be flexible with the dates you want to leave. You can get their app on your phone or find it at skyscanner.com.
If I have dates that I definitely need to go, I just type them in. When I hit "Search Flights" they will pull up the best deal they could find for those days.
The real cool part is if you don't have definite days. Just hit the "depart date" field and a monthly calendar will appear.
Their is an option on the top of the calendar where you can select "whole month."
Next, choose the month you think you would like to leave in and click on it. It will seem to take you back to the original page but notice that they have filled in the depart/return dates with the month you chose.
Now select "choose flights" and a calendar will come up with the prices for each day.
Sometimes the prices are just slightly different, other times there is a big difference. If you find a day that works for you and has the right price...just select it and you can be finished booking your flight in minutes.
(check to see if you have clicked on one way or round trip before booking!)
I have use other apps to look for fares (Kayak and Hopper) but this one keeps winning me back.
Travel Insurance
Because I always buy cheap tickets, I end up getting travel insurance to make sure my trip is insured in case something unexpected comes up. Many of the cheapest seats on a plane are non-refundable.
I know, you're probably thinking that I could have bought a more expensive ticket and had the same thing...but with travel insurance comes other benefits that are worth having. Like dental insurance in case you get a surprise killer toothache, or a filling falls out. What if you get sick? What if....you can fill in all the blanks. For the same price that I can get insurance for my health and safety, I can insure my cheap tickets.
I have used two insurance companies that I've been happy with; insuremytrip.com and world nomads.com
I have liked Insure My Trip because it works like Progressive does with car insurance. If you put in your travel dates and destination, it will come up with a list of policies from the minimum coverage to comprehensive. You can pick a package that suits your needs and know the price up front.
With World Nomads I loved the benefit of them having good coverage for the trips that involved more excursions or "dangerous" fun things to do. The prices are really reasonable, too.
Guide Books, Videos, and Forums
I cannot get enough of watching videos/movies about where I'm going. I love watching other people's YouTube videos that show me portions of their experience. I have picked up a million tips from that resource (e.g. dinner is at 8:30 pm in Spain, so eat lunch late and be ready to wait!)
I also love my guidebook about the Camino because every time I have learned some history about where I am going, my experience has been a zillion times better. It also includes all of the maps, tips for places to stay and eat for each stage of the walk. If you ever walk a camino, just check Amazon for the guidebook that fits the exact camino you have chosen.
Best of all, for this trip, I have loved using the caminodesantiagoforum.com . This forum is hosted by people who have already completed a variety of the caminos and have huge, helpful hearts. I can log on anytime and post a question in a frenzy, and be talking to someone who has all the answers in no time. Many other people will post answers to your questions as well. I can't believe how helpful the different perspectives and advice has been.
(Thank you Wily!)
Miscellaneous
I've chosen to recover from my walking days by staying with a friend who lives on the Canary Islands. This meant I needed to send clothing on through the mail so that I would have something that smelled pleasant to wear during my visit.
It seems as if I've been preparing something everyday lately, but I think I've covered the biggest items. Again, if anyone has learned something via their own travels and wants to pass on the tip, I would appreciate that...it would be so cool.
Well, I’d better start walking and cleaning.
I purchased my air fare months ago. Don't get me wrong, I love spontaneity, but when it comes to getting the best prices...I try to buy my tickets as early as I can. I love using a site called Skyscanner. This site really helps if you have the ability to be flexible with the dates you want to leave. You can get their app on your phone or find it at skyscanner.com.
If I have dates that I definitely need to go, I just type them in. When I hit "Search Flights" they will pull up the best deal they could find for those days.
The real cool part is if you don't have definite days. Just hit the "depart date" field and a monthly calendar will appear.
Their is an option on the top of the calendar where you can select "whole month."
Next, choose the month you think you would like to leave in and click on it. It will seem to take you back to the original page but notice that they have filled in the depart/return dates with the month you chose.
Now select "choose flights" and a calendar will come up with the prices for each day.
Sometimes the prices are just slightly different, other times there is a big difference. If you find a day that works for you and has the right price...just select it and you can be finished booking your flight in minutes.
(check to see if you have clicked on one way or round trip before booking!)
I have use other apps to look for fares (Kayak and Hopper) but this one keeps winning me back.
Travel Insurance
Because I always buy cheap tickets, I end up getting travel insurance to make sure my trip is insured in case something unexpected comes up. Many of the cheapest seats on a plane are non-refundable.
I know, you're probably thinking that I could have bought a more expensive ticket and had the same thing...but with travel insurance comes other benefits that are worth having. Like dental insurance in case you get a surprise killer toothache, or a filling falls out. What if you get sick? What if....you can fill in all the blanks. For the same price that I can get insurance for my health and safety, I can insure my cheap tickets.
I have used two insurance companies that I've been happy with; insuremytrip.com and world nomads.com
I have liked Insure My Trip because it works like Progressive does with car insurance. If you put in your travel dates and destination, it will come up with a list of policies from the minimum coverage to comprehensive. You can pick a package that suits your needs and know the price up front.
With World Nomads I loved the benefit of them having good coverage for the trips that involved more excursions or "dangerous" fun things to do. The prices are really reasonable, too.
 |
| How cool would it be to make a space trip! I think I would need more than travel insurance, though!
BTW: This is from the Space Museum inWashington DC and was in the movie"Hidden Figures."
|
Guide Books, Videos, and Forums
I cannot get enough of watching videos/movies about where I'm going. I love watching other people's YouTube videos that show me portions of their experience. I have picked up a million tips from that resource (e.g. dinner is at 8:30 pm in Spain, so eat lunch late and be ready to wait!)
I also love my guidebook about the Camino because every time I have learned some history about where I am going, my experience has been a zillion times better. It also includes all of the maps, tips for places to stay and eat for each stage of the walk. If you ever walk a camino, just check Amazon for the guidebook that fits the exact camino you have chosen.
Best of all, for this trip, I have loved using the caminodesantiagoforum.com . This forum is hosted by people who have already completed a variety of the caminos and have huge, helpful hearts. I can log on anytime and post a question in a frenzy, and be talking to someone who has all the answers in no time. Many other people will post answers to your questions as well. I can't believe how helpful the different perspectives and advice has been.
(Thank you Wily!)
Miscellaneous
I've chosen to recover from my walking days by staying with a friend who lives on the Canary Islands. This meant I needed to send clothing on through the mail so that I would have something that smelled pleasant to wear during my visit.
It seems as if I've been preparing something everyday lately, but I think I've covered the biggest items. Again, if anyone has learned something via their own travels and wants to pass on the tip, I would appreciate that...it would be so cool.
Well, I’d better start walking and cleaning.
So until next time - go take a hike!
Patti
PS: At the time of this post, my fridge looks way better. 😇
PS: At the time of this post, my fridge looks way better. 😇
Great preparation ideas Patti. Thanks for sharing!
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