Beattys Overseas

So I'm a little overwhelmed with all the details that have to be ironed out before we leave.  Naturally, John sees them as minor and easy to handle, but I'm a woman and I'm very good at worrying, so worrying is what I'm doing. 

I've already created a packing list for the trip, but I'm worried I'm packing too much, or maybe too little!  Clothes-wise, I've split my wardrobe items into two parts for the two hemispheres.  An entire suitcase will be used in Europe during the Autumn.  A totally separate suitcase (perhaps smaller) will contain items for summery months the remainder of the trip (bathing suits and flip flops take up much less space than coats and boots).  A few items will carry over to the summer months, but all the wintry clothes will be sent back to the States upon our departure from Europe.  We plan to bring sufficient technology to keep you - our dear travelogue reader - entertained and informed of our travels.  Such items include our laptop and its cables & cords, a digital camera and its charger & USB, a webcam & headset for Skype internet phoning, our international phones & their chargers, and a set of power adapters and a voltage converter.  Those items alone may take up an entire suitcase, so I'll have to do some strategic packing (while watching the weight on the case, as to not be slammed with fees by airlines).  Nevermind the travel hairdryer I'm eyeing...

We are settling up piles of the paperwork that go along with a trip like this, as it takes quite an amount of effort to plan to be away from your 'normal life' for 5 months.  Canceling mail, re-routing parcels, paperless banking, finalizing wills (just in case), vaccines and obtaining travel insurance is keeping us very busy in these final days in the U.S.A.  All this, of course, will be well worth it when we are relaxing at a bistro drinking wine and eating soft cheeses in France, or lounging on the beach in New Zealand, or seeing those crazy big old turtles on the Galapagos Islands.  Ahhh, I can't wait!!!!