Preparation part 2

BR (Before Richard), I thought I knew how to prepare for a holiday:

- book the trip
- shop for the appropriate wardrobe
- shop for a suitcase large enough to hold the new wardrobe
- pack
- buy a guidebook at the airport to read en route

Turns out that all these years I’ve been missing some crucial steps. Apparently, beginning several months before departure, one must make lists. Many, many lists: lists about meds, shots, clothes, passports, camera equipment, and cancelling the newspaper; lists about things to see and things to do and things to avoid when we get there; lists for the person looking after the cat and the one watering the plants; and, of course, lists prioritizing all the other lists.

One must also buy, read, and highlight the important passages in every book one can find on the history, politics, art, religion, and economic development of every town, village, national park and truck stop one intends to visit. Then one prepares a briefing volume for each member of the travel party, containing notes on these books, along with detailed maps, the location and hours of operation of all art galleries and museums within a 100 mile radius of all hotels they’re booked into, health warnings, and a minute-by-minute trip itinerary.

Hey! I don’t mind. It keeps Richard busy while I’m out shopping, and the finished product looks pretty impressive. But this week when I received my own personal Africa briefing duotang, it came as a shock that it contained NOTHING that a traveller really needs to know.

It listed our itinerary and described the safaris, the animals we’ll be seeing and the tours we’ll be taking, and it lists all of our hotels, with phone numbers, addresses, number of rooms, and all of that nonsense, but did it mention the important details a traveller needs to know? How close are we going to be to shopping and restaurants? Is there a swimming pool? A sauna? Does the room have a bathtub or a shower? A hair dryer? A coffee maker? Room service? Little bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and hand cream? NOTHING was mentioned about any of those things! Did it mention how far I’d have to go for a chocolate fix? Did it list the good places to eat nearby? Did it describe the local food specialties and crafts? Did it talk about local markets and shopping areas? Did it tell what the locals do for entertainment? NO!

So now I have to put my shopping plans on hold before I’ve even maxed out my Visa, so that I can check out each of the hotel websites and then look them up on Trip Advisor and find out the answers to all these questions. Luckily, my briefing notes will be no more than a couple of pages, so I can slip them into my duotang and at least one of us will be fully prepared for this trip!

Sigh. A woman’s work is never done.

Eleanor