Hagan

And to add to my last-minute jitters, our older grandson had surgery on his great toe last week, is on 2 anti-biotics, 2 footsoaks per day, and is at present hobbling around. We're hoping he will be able to walk without too much discomfort by the weekend, so keep your fingers and toes crossed! Yikes! I will REALLY be a Nervous Nellie worrying about that toe for the next 10 days.

tomassocroccante

If I had my way, about 5% of life would be the "last 3 days before a trip". Then give me a few weeks away, a month or so at home, and start again.

Truly, I get excited about going, but the thing I'm most nervous about is getting to the airport and onto the plane.

If you've ever missed one, you know what I mean. One early morning departure I only made because I had hired a car to take me to the airport - the driver woke me up ringing my door. Fortunately, everything was ready to fly, I pulled on the clothes I'd laid out and was on the street in two minutes. Shaved and cleaned up at the airport. On another occasion one of my travelmates called the night before with a question, which caused me to open a bag and retrieve some info. Next day I couldn't find my ticket, which sent me as far as going through a dumpster where I'd emptied trash. of couse, I had slipped the tix into the folder I'd been reading from, then packed it again.

Maybe this means it isn't a matter of forgetting something in the planning, but having an oddball wrench fall into the works.

DaveBrad

I'm with you, Hagan. We've actually been planning this trip for a year and a half...we were supposed to go last March but couldn't because of a death in the family (Air France was VERY kind and helpful about refunding our airfare, by the way). So, now we're scheduled to leave on Easter Sunday and I have yet to utter the words, "We ARE GOING to Paris," for fear that I will jinx us somehow (notice I said we are SCHEDULED to leave)! Still, my wife and I are reading Rick Steve and Fodor's and various other guidebooks to each other nearly every night...when we're not reading "French for Dummies" that is. And, she is the detail person, so she's got printouts of our itinerary and phone numbers and insurance info, etc., all over the place to leave with family, friends, etc. She's got a checklist and you can bet we'll be checking it right up until "wheels up"! Going on vacation sure is a lot of work! Bon voyage!

outwest

I guess I start worrying way before the last three days. My two big worries are flight delays that cause us to miss connecting flights and getting sick just before the trip (something that seems to happen all too often despite the fact that I'm normally a really healthy person--stress and Murphy's Law I guess).

On our most recent trip I was so paranoid about catching a cold (it was February--major cold season) that I took Cold FX (an immune enhancer) for a month before our trip and washed my hands like I was a surgeon. Something worked because I didn't get sick although my husband did shortly after we got home. And of course our flights were late both directions but we were lucky enough to just make our connectors.

tomassocroccante

DaveBrad =
So, one night bring home "French Kiss" with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. It's an underrated romantic comedy that plays all the right notes - and includes some great Parisian scenery. (And includes some very funny looks at the neurotic behavior that overtakes some travelers.)

GreenDragon

About flight connections, I've learned that a four hour layover really isn't too long - but a 2 hour layover isn't nearly long enough If I can't get a direct flight, I try to pad as much as I can, as I've had too many mad dashes through airport terminals. And I'm too old and fat for that!

For colds, well, I'd been lucky until last summer, when we went to Ireland. I had a bad cold the week before, adn thought I'd recovered, but had a lingering cough for most of the trip. It wasn't bad at night, just during the day - and the medicine I bought for it disagreed with me in other ways. Still, I had fun!