The plans are made, the bags are packed, the leg has been given doctor and physical therapist approval and now it’s time to board the plane and begin doing what I love…seeing the world and being enchanted by its statuesque features and its endearing people.
I’ve had doubts over the past few months, first about ever doing what I love and second my ability at this point to even take this trip. But physically, I feel ready. Emotionally, I’m still nervous/concerned, a little unsure about what to expect of my abilities. Thankfully, I’ve given myself permission to go at my own pace, stop when I need to and accept where I am along the journey.
The first stop on my month-long, so ready to go, trek is Copenhagen, Denmark, where I’ll be meeting up and hanging out with two fellow travelers, Alice Hayes and Tammy Wu. I met these incredible women three years ago while on the Rick Steves tours to Turkey and Greece. I was on both of those back to back tours and so were they. Alice is from the great state of Washington and Tammy is from Sydney, Australia. They are childhood friends whose roots go back to Hong Kong and were traveling together when I met them. I’ve since traveled with Alice and her husband, John, and now I get to see Tammy again.
Although I enjoy my solo travels, I love traveling with friends who are as eager to explore the world as I am and these two women most definitely fill the bill. And, with my travel nerves on edge, I’m glad to be in the company of understanding and caring friends.
Along with spending four days in Copenhagen, this trip includes a 13-day Rick Steves tour of Germany that begins in Hamburg and ends in Berlin. From there, Alice, Tammy and I fly to Luxembourg for a couple of days then take the train to Brugge, Belgium, for five days and then on to Amsterdam, our last stop, for six days before heading back to our respective homes.
This trip will be a good walking test for me. Breaking both bones in my right leg, that required surgery to mend with metal screws and rods, definitely put a temporary halt to my travel plans. This trip was planned in advance of my injury, which occurred this past November. Although I had to cancel other travel plans, I really did not want to cancel this one.
I normally pack light when I travel and for this trip, I was hoping to pack even lighter, but its easy for me to condense clothes but when it comes to my electronics and cameras, I do tend to go overboard.
My black Lipault luggage, called the Spinner 55/20 measures H-21.6 x W-14.9 x D-9.4, holds my clothes, shoes and toiletries plus it fits into the overhead bin of any domestic or international flight. It’s light, has four wheels and seems water resistant but a real downpour could be questionable.
And my lightweight Baggallini backpack fits under the seat in front of me, if that’s where I need to put it. What I also like about this backpack is the trolley sleeve in the back which allows me to slide it over the handle of my Lipault suitcase. And, yes, I wear a fanny pack or what I like to call a waist pack by Travelpro that is slash proof and allows me to lock down the zippers. I also have a Pacsafe crossbody compact purse/wallet that locks, is slash proof and can also double as a waist pack.
I’ve supposedly condensed my electronics, which has been difficult for me because I like bringing my iPad Pro with keyboard, my iPad mini with keyboard and my iPhone 8. For this journey, the iPad mini stays home but my iPad Pro and iPhone 8, with a foldable keyboard, will join me on the road.
As for my camera equipment, well it’s strictly point and shoot for this trip. I love bringing a DLSR with a telephoto lens but I purchased a Canon G9X PowerShot last year as a backup for my Italy trip and it became my go to camera. The quality of the photos from that little beauty were absolutely fabulous. I’m also bringing a point and shoot telephoto camera, the Canon SX720 HS and yes, just one more point and shoot, the Canon G7X. Yes, I have a thing about cameras and a difficult time packing light when it comes to my electronics. I’m done and I’m ready to go.
Go. For a minute I had scared myself into thinking this day might not come. And, now it is actually here. Thank you Dr. Eugene Curry at the Carrell Clinic, Meg McCormick at Southwest Sports and Spin at the Katy Trail, both in Dallas, family and friends…for getting me travel ready. Ready to explore places I’ve never seen before while saying hello to places I’ll get to know even better on this trip. I feel so amazingly blessed and grateful.
And, thank YOU for coming along…there’s so much to see and I look forward to sharing the journey with you.
