I worked with a lady that used the word ‘literally’ in the entirely wrong context each and everyday. “”I literally have a million things to do”” was her favourite saying. Getting ready for this trip, I can see why she said it, cause I feel I too have literally a million things to do.

Once the decision was made to sell both restaurants and travel for the rest of the year, checklists were made, remade, and made again. Questions needed to be answered: How do we rent the house? What type of rental do we want? What do we do with all the crap we gathered over the years? When do we go? Where do we go?

First, the house. Since we didn’t want to move everything out, it was decided it needed to be rented as a Vacation Rental.  It looks great. I say that now, because it took about three months to get it looking great. Every cupboard, drawer, closet, crawl space, and bin was purged. Furniture was sold. New furniture was purchased. Walls were painted. Carpets were cleaned.

We did managed to have fun along the way. Hosting a silent auction to sell our more expensive items, while consuming copious amounts of wine and catching up with friends.

With the house now in shape, it was time to plan our travels. We knew four things: One, we needed to be in Disneyland on April 21 for Dirk’s sister’s stagette. Two, we needed to be in Edmonton for her wedding in August. Three, Dirk wanted to be gone by April 1. And four, we both wanted Asia as our overseas destination.

I am not sure how it all evolved, but it must of been over wine. I was to plan California and Dirk Asia. So, more checklists were made and remade, followed by emailing all our friends, and looking at travel options. We, well I, settled on the train, economical yet the best way to see any country. And really, we are in no hurry plus trains are pretty cool. I have planned great stops along the way to see great cities and great friends. Seattle, Portland, Chico, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Los Angles.

Of course, Dirk has centred his focus first on the technological needs of the family before we leave. New smaller camera, new smaller iPad, new perfect laptop bag, new security on the laptops, and finally, a new trip planning application. I am hopeful he’ll start planning our Asia trip soon, but at least my passwords are all safe.

Travel Tip:

When planning a trip, the first thing you are going to do is jump on the internet and hope for the best. Just remember to set your currency to Canadian (or your whatever your home country is). You don’t want to think your are paying a lower price and be surprised when the Visa bill arrives. Don’t hesitate to ask friends and family that have traveled about the best sites to search for the best deals.