Pre-Trip Jitters!
 

Ok, leaving in 48 hrs and high anxiety kicks in.
Will my driver to the airport get here in time? Did I pack too much/lttle/forget something major? Can I get a little rest on the plane? I've never been to THIS connecting airport before..will the change be easy? Will my dog (who tore his ACL two weeks before my departure) be okay with the pet sitter and his altered routine (multiple meds, no steps, etc)? Did I print out the correct train schedule/apartment rental info/e-ticket, etc? I'm starting to catch a real cold! You get the idea! Sometimes just putting it in writing makes it seem more 'conquerable!'

I'm leaving Tuesday... Deep breaths! Once the driver shows up, it's out of your hands and you can relax! Worst case, you can follow the late lamented dogster's practice and throw money at the problem. (Hopefully not too much money - doing that in Aleppo I was offered a $700/night suite, but fortunately the receptionist knew a cheaper place nearby.)

It's all conquerable because you've done it many times, remember? (haven't you? :)

Just make sure you have your CC, passport, and itinerary codes. Make, "all is well" your mantra.

Have a great time.

I leave Wed and wasn't giving much of anything a second thought . . . Oyster card in hand to top up at LHR - check, hotels confirmed - check, checked in for easyJet flight to Venice - check, transport booked from airport to St Mark's in Venice - check, . . . and my packing almost all settled - my normal wardrobe for a fall trip . . . and THEN I see it is in the 70's in London. Bloody 70's!!

Now I have to rethink <i>everything</i> I'm taking.

I'll still take layers - they'll just have to be lighter layers. Back to the drawing board.

Just remember Julian of Norwich: "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well."

As long as you get to the airport (which you will), everything else will fall into place.

I always get a bit jittery, too, but even when there are glitches, like the time my flight was cancelled and I had a very tough time getting a new flight because I was on frequent flyer miles, things turned out okay.

As long as I am at the airport on time (WITH MY PASSPORT, WHICH I FORGOT ONCE), it will all work out.

This illness is known as "travel fever" and absolutely normal. Annoying, though. But as soon as you are on the plane all will be well. Without some anxiety travel would be boring!

You'll be fine. Seriously. Have a GREAT trip. suze

Thank you everybody! And I even made a mistake...less than 24 hours (not 48)!
I had started preliminary planning in January, then all was put onto a back burner due to a tragedy in the family in February. Then I resumed a bit in March, only to drop things late May when my 82yr old mother needed urgent and unexpected heart surgery. I made the most basic reservations (air, apartment), and put everything on hold again through the summer to get mom 'cardiac rehabbed.' In between these flurries of activities, I researched daytrips and such, did my train fare calculations (Half Fare Card won again), and dreamed. Then the dog had his spontaneous ACL rupture, but no time for surgery before I leave :-( . Because my planning has been so disjointed this time, I'm a little more anxious. This will be my 4th solo trip and 13th overall. Each year, I meet just a tad more trepidation in the final countdown. But I SO need a soul rejuvenation this year. And you're right, once I'm at the airport tomorrow morning, I'll relax. Thanks again!

>>Thank you everybody! And I even made a mistake...less than 24 hours (not 48)!<<

Silver lining . . . that just means you have 24 fewer hours to fret :)

Well, I don't get this at all. I check for the passport when I leave the house and when I get through security. Everything else is, as they say, gravy. [Someday, I'll be the half naked elderly guy wandering through the airport without luggage but until then.... no worries).

Good luck though (and check the passport twice!).

Close your eyes.

Before you know it, you'll be in the basement of the Zürich airport, boarding your train. There's the joy!

s

Thanks Swandav! I'll keep re-reading these posts in the next several hours.....

...And the weather this week in CH looks great. It's pouring off and on today, but starting tomorrow, the sun rolls in with highs somewhere between 17 and 22 C. Not bad! If it's that nice next Saturday, DH and I are going to spend the day hiking around Gstaad.

Bon voyage!

Good to hear (I have the weather channel app with Solothurn's forecast on my phone, and it DOES look promising)!
AND I cleared some space in my calendar for your Romont suggestion (versus walking along the Aare for 2.5 hrs from Altreu-- I'll get my landlady's opinion, and of course, the weather will help decide). Minutes now.

I hate travel days that involve planes. They have become so unpleasant. When I traveled for business, I had a colleague and good friend who would get to the gate at the exact time required by the airline. I like to get there early, just in case.

I have a sister-in-law who likes to get to the airport days before here flight (an exaggeration for you literalists).

Before personal electronic conveniences were cheap and ubiquitous, I would produce elaborate itineraries, when visiting multiple cities and using different forms of transportation and twice I left them home.

Have a glass of wine and chill.

Relaxing in my apartment's comfy leather recliner after uneventful travel but NO sleep (seriously decreased seat pitch and a full flight). Central apartment
on a square right below St. Ursenkathedral. Beautiful private courtyard. Festival on edge of town provided much-needed crepe ;-). Looking forward to about 12 hours if sleep tonight...will chill with a beer tomorrow night!

Yeah! Meanwhile, I am in the middle of packing...

I'd be more worried about what to wear on the Moo Cow Train at Zürich Flughafen.

I guess you geezers don't have a permanent prescription for Klonopin.

Thin, dreaming of Wengen

"will chill with a beer tomorrow night!"

"chill" being the operative word since it should go down to 7 degrees C tomorrow night in Solothurn. Great sleeping weather. The week ahead will be one of the nicest we've seen in ages.

I walked to work this morning, lovely, bright and crisp with a mild breeze coming off the Rhine...the neighbor's cat basked in the sun for about an hour, then drifted into our office and curled up on the conference table. A large, sweet-natured, loudly purring cat does wonders for relieving workplace stress.

Hope your dog is feeling better!