Decisions, Decisions

OK, so I am not on my journey yet - I'm still at home.  I just feel the need to share some of what I am going through - which is not solving world peace or anything.  Just things like what kind of luggage to buy, will the value of the Euro drop $.10 the day after I place my order, rent or buy a cell phone and from which company, etc.

The luggage thing.  My husband often shakes his head when I talk about luggage.  It seems I have a luggage fetish.  But - there's this hope about luggage - I instantly go to some eutopia in my mind that is full of exciting things to do, beautiful places to see and intriguing people to meet.  It never means a business trip (although that is usually where our luggage accompanies us) - it always means escape.  So - yes, luggage and I have a special relationship, and just like other relationships, you want to make sure it is just right before making the commitment.

Counting Down

I've experienced Germany enough to know that wheels and cobblestones, are not compatible, that the train you are on will be late and the one you are trying to catch will be on time, and that if there are not stairs to climb, there will be a hill.  I am also a 5'3" female who will be traveling solo, and I don't want to be feeling like a bag lady.

So, I think I've narrowed my selection to an Eagle Creek bag, a 22" Crossroads model, that has oversized rugged wheels, a backpack strap system with both sternum and hip straps, and a 2" expandable section for the extra stuff I buy on my trip. I would really like to see this bag in person - but, alas, the shopping gods that oversee Jacksonville have not provided a store that has this particular variety of bag in stock.  I've done the minimalist thing and decided what goes with me - and the trial packing in my traditional 22" carryon proves that I have become a savvy traveler, having room to spare even without unzipping the expansion section.  I've also looked at the Eagle Creek 22" Switchback with a detachable backpack - at about $100 more than the Crossroads.  So, in my mind, do I want a backpack suitcase that costs $100 more that basically holds the same as the cheaper variety, but in 2 bags vs. 1, that will make me look (and feel) like a camel if I carry the thing on my back with the backpack attached to the suitcase?  This "camel" case I have visited in person, and I just don't see it and I having that special relationship.

The next dilemma is the Euro thing.  I've been watching it hang steady around $1.27 for the last couple of months - yuck. It has risen from I think around $1.18 since the first of the year.  On my first trip in 2002, it was running $.98 for every dollar, and around $1.10 in 2004 on my second trip.  While I plan on using my debit and credit cards for the majority of my stay, I also know that I need some seed money to get started.  So, I think I'm about to bite the bullet and settle for $1.27 for every Euro, because it's probably as good as I'm gonna get.  No doubt the price will drop $.10 the day after I place my order, but in the big scheme of things - this will be the least of my decisions around expenses I'm sure.

November 26, 2006

Euro is at $1.30 and rising....however, my purchase of the Eagle Creek Crossroads has arrived, and now all that is left is the decision of the cell phone...to rent, to buy, and which company.  The packing can wait, although daily I am tempted to start putting a few things in the bag.  I've done my Christmas shopping - well, 95% of it anyway, and the purchases are wrapped.  Now there is just work to do - and lots of it, to earn the paycheck that helps me afford this journey.  Such trivial matters, huh?  But - to be off from work for 2 weeks requires much laboring on my part to "earn" this vacation.  The project I am working on requires much research, decisions, presentations, which will lead to more reserach, presentations and decisions before I leave, and I expect will await me upon my return.  Ugh.

My daily peak into the webcams located in the cities I will travel are showing very moderate temps and not much precipitation.  Most travelers would say "ah, perfect", but for me, I'm hoping for snow.  Florida girl wants to walk through snow in her Weihnachtmakt sojourn.  There's still 2 weeks, and lots of change can happen with the weather, so I'll keep peeking and keep my fingers crossed.