travel planning, again, already!
Sep. 7th, 2010 06:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaeclecticSomehow trips always seem a very long way off, right up until the moment when it seems like there isn't enough time to organize everything. Here it is September, after Labor Day even, and I will be traveling on September 30th.
So far, I have been reasonably successful in coordinating with friends. Heather is taking off work for the first week and a half of my stay, which will be lovely. As you may recall, my friends Neil and Ann are living in France now; Ann is still recovering from a stroke but they think they will probably be up for a long-weekend-ish visit. So, Heather and I will probably go see them, and maybe tour a bit in France and/or the south of England.
And I have touched base with Barbara (my elderly British friend whom I met while on holiday in Greece) and with Marie-Louise (friend from graduate school), but need to make solid plans after confirming exactly which dates I'm going to be in London.
And I need to make hotel reservations in London. I should probably do that right now, but I am dithering slightly.
Also need to decide what to do about having a cell phone while there -- sadly my shiny new phone is CDMA only. Verizon has some kind of loaner deal, which may be as good as any other option, but sounds a little awkward (e.g., I need to deactivate my real phone in order to activate the loaner, and then I need to ship it back to them right away or risk getting charged for the cost of the phone). The last time (or some recent time) I bought a very cheap international phone and the quality was extremely poor -- possibly buying a phone in the UK would work out better. Either way, I am sad, because I am spoiled now with my nice phone with the email and the GPS and all... Why does our stupid U.S. technology have to be so stupid?
Anyway... I am entering into the nervous part of travel prep, but it is still basically a pleasant distraction (from work being annoying, and from back pain).
So far, I have been reasonably successful in coordinating with friends. Heather is taking off work for the first week and a half of my stay, which will be lovely. As you may recall, my friends Neil and Ann are living in France now; Ann is still recovering from a stroke but they think they will probably be up for a long-weekend-ish visit. So, Heather and I will probably go see them, and maybe tour a bit in France and/or the south of England.
And I have touched base with Barbara (my elderly British friend whom I met while on holiday in Greece) and with Marie-Louise (friend from graduate school), but need to make solid plans after confirming exactly which dates I'm going to be in London.
And I need to make hotel reservations in London. I should probably do that right now, but I am dithering slightly.
Also need to decide what to do about having a cell phone while there -- sadly my shiny new phone is CDMA only. Verizon has some kind of loaner deal, which may be as good as any other option, but sounds a little awkward (e.g., I need to deactivate my real phone in order to activate the loaner, and then I need to ship it back to them right away or risk getting charged for the cost of the phone). The last time (or some recent time) I bought a very cheap international phone and the quality was extremely poor -- possibly buying a phone in the UK would work out better. Either way, I am sad, because I am spoiled now with my nice phone with the email and the GPS and all... Why does our stupid U.S. technology have to be so stupid?
Anyway... I am entering into the nervous part of travel prep, but it is still basically a pleasant distraction (from work being annoying, and from back pain).