What is it like to prepare for 5 weeks of travel?

WARNING: I think that this is the most boring post of the blog. It will get better. My excuse is that I got up at 4 am this morning and am trying to write this at the airport where I have wifi.

I plan to base this blog on questions. I have thought of lots of questions, but I would love to have questions from you, my special readers! Feel free to comment with your own thoughts and questions.

I think that preparing for travel is a highly individual process. For about one month before the trip I think of things that I need to do. 

• Let people know I will be gone. Sunday School Teaching, Volunteering, Boards, Clients.
  
• Find someone to take care of the cat and house while we are gone.
• Plan grocery shopping and meals so that there is not too much left when we leave.
• Find and download some books to read.
• Learn a bit (not enough) about the places we are going.
• Clean up the yard a bit. (never enough)
• etc...

Then a week before I go shopping for things that I will need on the trip

• an umbrella (it rains in the Philippines in this season)
• Laundry hand washing liquid.
• A universal stopper for the sink
• extra cat food
• any clothes I might need 
• gifts for people we will see. 
• snacks for the LONG (24 hour) trip on the airplane and for times on the way when jet lag is telling us to eat, but it is not meal time. 

Finally on the day before I 

• Spend time with a close friend and go to a movie, so I am not anxious all day.
• Do a final house cleaning and pick up the house, 
• Pay bills for the month-think ahead
• Wash the final laundry (actually Steve did this), 
• Put anti-flea stuff on the cat
• Make piles of what I want to pack on the bed (spend time thinking what I might need to wear with what, for what occasions, what shoes to wear, etc...)
• Pack up things to do on the plane-crocheting, sketching pad, computer, iPad loaded with books.
• Go to Book People so that Steve can buy some books to read for fun.
• Make sure I have my passport.

It is understood that Steve has already done the hard part of purchasing the tickets and figuring out where we are going to stay and many other things.

It is a lot to think about, but now I am here in Los Angeles waiting for the long flight to Tokyo, Japan and from there we go to Manilla. We left at 4pm this morning and will arrive there at about 8pm tomorrow night.