Our travel binder
Our travel binder almost didn’t fit in our luggage until we added yet another bag. I can’t go anywhere without all this information. We have it electronically but are so afraid of technology letting us down as we try to prove we have a reservation somewhere. We also have a vast spreadsheet some of you have seen. Lots of prep work has gone into the planning. Crossing our fingers, the trip goes exactly how it was planned.
Luggage +
Speaking of luggage…. we have too much of it. The picture is short of two backpacks and another small duffel. Graham is blaming me, and rightly so. I have to admit most are filled with my clothes, shoes, and stuff (women get it, men just don’t). I also did too much research into what would be good to bring on a cruise (since we will be on 7 between now and April). I feel we won’t really need it all and will be offloading to our storage unit in between trips. I just hope we don’t lose any luggage anywhere. Put the important stuff in a carry-on, and suddenly we have several carry-ons. EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT!
Home Free
Yesterday was our first official HOMEFREE day, Feb 1, 2023. Woke up to snow. Definitely, an omen that it’s time to go. Keys to the apartment were turned in on the 31st. We drove to the storage unit with the last big load (we forgot our key, luckily, my sister had the spare and was home) and spent our last night in a hotel near the mall.
Feb 1st we drove to Baltimore after a day of pampering for me. PAGAVE to the rescue. Had a discount at another salon and made the appts a few months ago. They had to cancel on me at the last minute due to health reasons (can’t fault them for that) but that left me without a manicure, pedicure, lash lift and tint. Called Pagave (which had been my go to before pandemic). Lan came in on her day off to do my nails and Melissa did my lashes. They both did beautiful work and I have future appts booked for when we are back in town.
We took the car to Carmax and, an hour or so later and had a check in hand for a little more than initially expected (yeah!!) and took a Lyft back to the hotel. No house or car keys to worry about. Wonder how often we will panic because we can’t find the keys, LOL.
Pier 5 Hilton Curio Hotel
We arrived at the hotel a little after 4. We had our first upgrade on the first official night of our trip. Maybe the travel Gods will be with us. The rooms (yes, plural – we have a living room and a bedroom) are huge and very comfortable, and the staff is exceptional. The hotel is in a great location if it was warmer outside. We would definitely recommend it.
Had the best night’s sleep in a very long time. The bed was the most comfortable ever, and I didn’t have crazy lists of things to do on my mind. Graham slept very well too. Maximizing everything, including our Hilton status, with a free upgrade to a suite.
Cruise reservations
Tomorrow morning, we board the first of the six cruises we have checked in on. 7 in total before we spend a few months on land. I hope it doesn’t go by too quickly.
Tonight, Thursday, we eat dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse using $100.00 in gift cards we’ve been saving for quite some time. We found other gift cards and coupons as we cleared out that we have now used. We are maximizing everything.
While having dinner at Ruth Chris, we were asked if this was a special occasion. Since it is our anniversary on valentines day, we mentioned that. Desert was on the waiter. 🙂
I am so excited for the 2 of you to be embarking on this great adventure! Bon Voyage, happy trails and smooth sailing.
Have a great trip! Thanks for blogging.
I miss you already. I pray the text God’s don’t let me down! XOXO
Happy holidays and safe travels.
Hope to see you in the UK and you are welcome to stay a few days with us in Brighouse, West Yorkshire if you wish
We’ll check our schedule and let you know when we will be in that area. Would be great to see you!
Karen and Graham