I tell everyone in my life when they are faced with having to make a decision, consider a response or remove the emotion from an argument to give it the 48 hour rule. If you sit on something for 48 hours you usually develop some clarity and can make a really good decision that will be based on your gut and not a knee jerk reaction.
In just over 48 hours I am leaving on a trip for a month and this morning I am thinking its time I got my A into G and got a few things finalised. Procrastination is such a silent thief and I have known I was going on this trip for months so there is no excuse for me rushing around like a blue arsed fly at the last minute. Yes , I have done a little planning and the to do list in my head is causing me to reach for the nurofen this morning but I seem to have missed a couple of basic travel requirements in my haste.
I realized on Sunday after speaking to a friend that I actually hadn't applied for an entry Visa into Canada and I arrive on Friday. I watch Border Patrol on TV and see all sorts of folk trying to enter countries without a visa and scratch my head in dismay. Despite being a seasoned traveler I seen to have left that particular job off the to do list. Back in April I did apply for an American one and for some reason I thought it covered Canada as well. It is no secret that I am geographically challenged but common sense had not prevailed in this instance obviously. They are different countries despite being next door to each other. After realising my gaff , I have had the last couple of days anxiously checking my inbox to see if my application for the Canadian one has been accepted. $7 CAD was all it cost and it arrived yesterday morning and I am kicking myself to creating any more angst than I needed to. There are definatley many benefits to using a travel agent - they generally look after these things for you. Its money well spent in many cases and it can save a lot of time and trouble for the traveler.
Knowing I cant find my way out of a paper bag , past experience tells me not to leave the country without a GPS. I own three of them but none with a Canadian or North American map on them so they will be as much use as a chocolate teapot on the other side of the world. I am frantically trying to download the required map onto my GPS . Garmin has taken my money and said it would be easy but despite many attempts I am about to throw the laptop under the wheel of the car and run it over as I head to work this morning .
The countdown is on I guess and instead of a sense of excitement I should be feeling , I am having the odd panic attack about making it to the plane on time and getting everything in order here before I go. The rescue remedy my friend packed in my first aid traveling kit will be half used before I get off the tarmac I expect and I will be having a few chats with myself today about breathing deeply and looking forward to my month away - once I have managed to locate those hideous stockings that are going to cut my legs in half reducing the risk of a deep vein thrombosis and I find that dam neck pillow I put away about a year ago somewhere .....
Bring on 5pm tomorrow and I will be able to sit back, relax and enjoy the flight!
