Day before you leave
 

We're leaving tomorrow for our honeymoon, and I, as always, am rushing around. What do you do the day before you leave on vacation?

make sure everthing is packed and plan on the taxi being late, bad traffic, far away parking, long lines. i.e. leave the house as early as possible.

I double check everything. I am so excited by that time that I am scatterbrained. I am usually packed several days before. i drive family and friends crazy with my rushing around. I leave the house spotless. I talk to the cats continuosly explaining the dates I will be gone and how much I love them. I got them from the shelter. They were abused and abandoned so I always make sure they know I will be back for them. :)

I think it through...usually take OUT a few things from my suitcase!!
AND
I don't read the TURBULENCE posting!!!!

I take the Pup to the sitter, go home, double check everything, where the tickets are, did I pack everything on the list, check over the house again, call the family and say goodbye...
Then I sit and wait for the fun to begin!
Have a wonderful honeymoon!!

I usually run around like a chicken with a head.

Best wishes on your marriage! ((%))

See what I mean! Just thinking about the day before got me going. I meant, of course, "without" a head.

dln, even chickens WITH heads run around funny :D

I make sure that my travel consultant has made all of my arrangements. Make sure that the housekeeper has made all the arrangements. Make sure that my man has made all the arrangements.

Then, being somewhat fatigued, I take a nap; making sure that I will be awakened in good time for my driver to take me to the airport.

For each minute that passes, the more I panic about having forgotten to pack something or write down addresses or whatever. I also stay up late and get up early so that I am so tired I sleep on the plane.

Happy honeymoon!

Oooops. I see you wanted to know what I did the day *before*.

Usually - that is most of the time - or generally speaking, I don't have time to post with Fodor's and, not only that, it's been my practice in the past to get myself married immediately prior to taking those honeymoons.

Please settle down and enjoy yourselves!!!

Kcw214,

Congratulations and enjoy! Make sure you have your tickets, passports, ATM card, credit card & cash!

KCW214
I know what your doing today...packing the picnic hamper for the long flight!!! (your menu looks great)
Congratulations!!!

IRA Good help is soooo hard to find!!

So true, Bailey. So true. However, down here in the South folks have a more feudal spirit, as in "Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit".

kcw, Have a wonderful life and honeymoon.
I put fresh sheets on for the return,
clean the house, do the wash, double check if I do want to take what I pack and wait til the last moment possible before I must board my sweet dog Misha at the "Pooch Palace."

I usually try to catch a bit of a nap because I know my wife will be making noise and asking my opinion about various articles of clothing until 3 AM while she repacks her suitcase 20 or 30 times.

Intrepid, cut the lovely bride a bit of slack! How can she not be overcome by wedding nerves & a honeymoon too! Everyone knows if you post here you can entertain yourself for hours with all the silly twaddle we produce (in between solid facts, of course). Ergo, a chance to stop, sit down in between all the rushing about, and have a laugh or two! As good a solution for the day-before madness as I've come across.

I am running last minute errands, cleaning off my desk, and PACKING!!

Pack (always the last minute--more exciting that way)
Worry
Take dogs to the kennel (unless I'm able to take them the morning of my flight)
Worry
Give copies of my tentative itinerary and contact info to a variety of people I know from different contexts: work, my town, the internet, etc.
Worry
Eat the fruit in my refrigerator, throw out leftover cooked food.
Worry
Stop my mail and newspapers if I haven't already done so earlier.
Water plants.
Worry
Call a few friends.
Worry some more.

I worry A LOT before a trip. The way I act before leaving you'd think taking a vacation were some sort of torture. However, once I arrive, my curiosity and sense of fun and happy excitement take over. I hardly worry at all once I'm at my destination, and I enjoy surprises and the challenge of getting around mini obstacles, and I always have a great time and learn a lot. So, my pre-trip worrying is nothing to worry about. :)

I'm usually packed about 3 days before departure, so the day before all I do is make sure everything on my list checks out. I have my suitcase on the floor by my bed with the packing list next to it (items all checked off), and just to be absolutely sure I go through the list one more time and double-check-off each item.

I also try to go for a long powerwalk the afternoon or evening before I leave so as to burn off some energy and get myself ready for all the walking I'll do.

Once that's done I retire early if possible and try to zone myself into Europe time so that I'm up really early the day of my departure and ready to go when I get there.

That said, I'm not above doing a last-minute check once I get in the car to go to the airport - keys, passport, credit cards, ATM card, ticket, etc. You can never check enough times to make sure you have all the essentials.

Once I'm at the airport, I figure it's all in fate's hands and I don't fret anymore.

I usually run around thinking I have all these things to do, but in fact they were done days ago, so I begin to panic thinking that i have forgotten something...
But that day before I have to take my bird to the birdsitter, so usually I am excited about the trip but stressed out about transporting the bird...Once my bird is dropped off safely and I am on that plane, I know I am on holidays..

Tracy, all of us who have beloved pets are the same way.
KCW, surprise him or her on the plane with a bottle of good champagne, sneak up to the serving station and have them chill it if possible.

I used to travel for business and racked up over a million FF miles.

You would think I'd learn to plan ahead, but I never did - always waited until the night before leaving or even the morning of departure to pack. Stressful? Yeah, big time!

To prevent ulcers and a divorce, I now try to finish packing 24 hours prior to departure. I also use a checklist and don't wait until the last minute to withdraw some cash for the trip. Still, we all worry to some extent and
we are never "totally" ready to leave.

I leave tomorrow for Europe, and if today is any indication, I have to work like a madwoman at my job to get all of the loose ends tied up! But the day will fly by, I don't worry at all, and once I leave work I'll get that rush this evening of "I'll be in Venice on Sunday!"

Then when I get home, I've got lists, and lists of lists, with most of the items checked off and in my bag already, with just the last bit of laundry to finish up.

So after that's done I'll tackle watering the plants. Believe it or not, this will take another hour (I've got a lot!), then after that...voila! It's time to crack open a beer, play Yahtzee with my son, and go over which CDs I want to take with me...