... And this is what I packed

8 pollo shirts
5 Tshirts
2 under shirts
2 dress shirts
10 pairs of underwear
9 pairs of sox (I couldn't find a tenth pair)
2 pairs of shorts
1 pair bathing trunks
2 pair linen pants
1 pair of jeans
1 pair of woman's jeans (Claire's)
1 pair of flip flops (for consultations)
1 pair of canvas sneakers
1 windbreaker
10 disposable razors
1 stick travel sized deodorant
1 can travel size shaving cream
1 bottle travel size gold bond
1 pair of nail clippers
1 sonic care tooth brush
2 spare sonic care brush heads
1 bottle Tylenol PM
1 bottle aspirin
1 bottle vitamin c (Claire's)
1 travel alarm clock (Claire's)
3 Deep Nights wristbands (one is for Piet)
and one padlock

That's just what's in my carry on... As for my "vertical boarding bag":

iPad, two adapters and charger
HD camcorder and charger
Earbud headphones and spare earbuds
LED flashlight
2 electrical socket adapters
and prescription meds :)

I'll be wearing one more Tshirt, running sneakers, belt and linen pants.

It's been almost nine years exactly since the last time I left the county for an extended duration, so though this isn't exactly new for me, it's completely different and immeasurably more exciting.

So I've got that going for me...


- Bill

What did I pack for a six month trip around the world?

the answer to that is one carry on size suitcase. Bill has been telling people that instead of traveling the world in 80 days, we are traveling in 80 degrees. This made the packing much easier because we don't need coats or sweaters. But it was hard to choose what to bring. I knew there was no way I could carry more than one suitcase, and I didnt want to always be checking bags at the airport. If the luggage was lost, by the time the airline got it back to me I would be in a different place. Whatever I chose to bring had to fit in my carry on suitcase that my grandmom bought me when I went away to college. So this is my list,

2 pairs of jeans, one of which I'm wearing on the plane.
3 pairs of leggings: black, spandex and jeggings
1 pair of cargo pants
1 pair of linen pants
2 pairs of shorts- 1 denim and one Terry
5 tee shirts: 2 of which are a little fancy
5 tank tops: 2 of which are a little fancy
2 oversize tops
1 long sleeve tee
1 zip up hoodie
3 jersey dresses
1 sexy black dress!
2 pairs flip flops, 3 pairs of sandals and a pair of converse, 1 pair of black heels.
15 pairs of underwear
5 pairs of socks
Jewelry and makeup
2 small purses
Oh... And 2 bathing suits and 2 cover ups.

I figure by the time we get to south America the shirts will be in shreds from washing them so often that I'll probably have to replace them. For India I plan on buying some cotton Kurta type tunics when we get there to wear with the cargos and linen pants. It's a safe bet to assume I should be dressed pretty modestly there so I won't be strolling around in sweat shorts and a tank. I had very specific requirements when shopping for a purse to bring. It needed to be big (of course) so I could fit a lot of stuff in it. It had to have straps that were sewn on and not attached with hook things, it had to completely zipper shut and have multiple inside pockets. I found a Kenneth Cole bag that met all these standards and it was only 40 bucks, marked down from 120! Bill, typically, has a ton of room in his suitcase while mine is bursting. I asked him to put my other pair of jeans in his and he said absolutely not, and that I needed to pack less things. So I just waited until he wasn't home and opened his suitcase and hid the jeans in between his shirts. He noticed. But because he loves me soooo much he's going to take them in his bag for me :)

-Claire

TRY HARDER

I've been known for saying "Whoever said you can't have it all didn't try hard enough".  With that in mind, the mess of an itinerary we were staring down just two weeks ago has finally taken shape. We've ditched the cool apartment in Berlin in favor of "having it all"; we bought the Air Berlin Europass AND we're still going to Croatia... and Rome, Italy, Frankfurt, Paris, and possibly Vienna, Madrid, Nice, etc. It's going to cost more in the end than a RTW ticket, but the travel restrictions were too limiting and didn't line up with where we wanted to go and when we wanted to be there. I really wanted to find a video of Yoda singing "My Way" by Frank Sinatra to drive home the point, but sadly the internet is only awesome 99% of the time. I'll let this 1% failure slide this time on account that I love cats.

So, without further ado... If you have any intention of being in Europe this summer/fall, we encourage you to come visit us along the way at any of the following times/locations:

June 30th - July 5th: Berlin, Germany
July 5th - July 11th: Zadar, Croatia
July 12th - July 14th: Rome, Italy
July 15th - July 20th: Napoli, Italy
July 21st - July 24th: Frankfurt, Germany
July 25th - September 18th: Berlin, Germany
September 19th - September 27th: Possibly Vienna and Nice or Madrid (TBC)
September 28th - September 30th: Paris, France

India and South America TBC

We have our exact itinerary details up on www.TripIt.com, so if you need to know flight numbers, hotels, addresses, departure times, etc. you can find it all in one convenient location.  99% of the time the internet makes trying harder a lot easier and this site has been a huge help, but I still want my Yoda Sinatra!

-Bill

EVERYTHING IS PRICED TO SELL!!!!!!!

Selling everything you own is exhausting. And time consuming. Last Saturday we posted on craigslist that we were having a moving sale, moved everything we wanted to get rid of in the living room, drew on the sidewalks outside "MOVING SALE!" with arrows leading into the apartment and then we sat back and waited. It actually turned out to be a lot of fun and pretty successful. I'm pretty sure that's because we sold a lot of stuff, but it also could have been the 8 mimosas I consumed over the course of the afternoon. I was pretty drunk by the end. People were more into the little things, which I thought was interesting. Also interesting is the number of people who paid for things and said they would come back another day to get them. This happened with the picnic table, grill, kitchen block and the microwave. Who just hands a stranger cash and doesn't take the stuff with them?! I guess Bill and I have pretty trusting faces. I, personally, would totally trust someone downing mimosas at 10:00am. So we had a moving sale part 2 yesterday and got rid of even more stuff. We sold the curtains right off our bedroom windows, that's how serious I am about getting rid of everything. It was kinda rainy yesterday so we wrapped things up around 2 to head over to a friends party but right as we were closing up shop who walks in but an Argentine woman who happens to have an apartment in Buenos Aires that she rents out! The universe was really loving me yesterday. We talked a lot about South America and what the best ways are to get around, and a lot about Buenos Aires. We got her info and she bought a coffee table and a lamp so then I was really loving this woman. All in all it was a success. We still need to sell the couch, 2 desks, wardrobe, bed, some lamps, vases, records, kitchen utensils, dish sets, sewing machine, art supplies, gardening tools and some plants. So if you need any of that stuff, this crap is priced to sell!

-Claire

Take... These German Wings...And learn to fly again, learn to live so free...

Remember that whole super saver deal with Air Berlin and Itinerary freak out? Well, we're not living in the past. We booked our flights to Croatia this morning with German Wings and will be landing in Zadar on 7/5:

Flight: 05.07.2011 | Flight Number 4U 8964:
Departure 06:15 Berlin-Schönefeld
Arrival 08:00 Zadar (K)

The hotel reservation was actually made weeks ago at the Pansion Delfin from the 5th to the 12th. So if you're going to be in Croatia in July, you'll know where to find us.

And yes, the German Wings stewardesses all make those faces when they greet you at the airport. I have it on good authority.


- Bill

Nobody wants to see how sausage is made

How to you make plans, yet keep your plans open at the same time? By driving yourself crazy. Here's the process we've been through since the wedding:

1) We wanted to go somewhere new, and initially thought Ukrain would be exciting, but it's difficult and expensive to get to
2) We want to visit our friend Davide in Naples and the best time to visit is July 11th to 18th
3) We wanted to get an apartment in Berlin, but if we go to Italy for a week, we're paying for a place we're not using
4) So we decided to delay our arrival in Berlin until after Italy, and decided we'd go to Croatia (instead of Ukriane) before Italy (we already booked the hotel in Zadar from 7/5 to 7/12).
5) Finding a mid month rental start date in Berlin has been difficult
6) Finding a convenient way from Croatia to Italy has been difficult. The direct flights are expensive and ferrys are limited
7) If we take the ferry to Ancona, we can take a train to Rome, then a train to Naples (arriving around the 14th and staying until the 18th)
8) Davide (our friend in Naples) works on weekends and wouldn't have a lot of time to hang out with us unless we came earlier in the week (he has Mondays off) AND he wants us to meet his girlfriend who gets there on the 16th.
9) We've now found a dream apartment in Berlin that looks amazing (pics) with a great location (Simon-Dach-Str. 38 10245 Berlin, Germany). It's on a lively street around the corner from a cupcake shop and near Dave's office (Berlin Dave, not Naples Davide)
10) To get the dream apartment, we'd have to rent it for two weeks that we won't be there in June, but it's cheap enough that it balances out with other apartments we looked at for the time we would be there (but with a better location, size and decor)
11) If we take the dream apartment, we won't be going to Croatia or Italy in July and our trip is back to square one.

That's how the beginning of our trip is shaping up. As for the end of our trip:

1) We want to be back in time for my older brother's 40th birthday.  I'm assuming there's going to be a big party.
2) In order to get the cheap flight AND be back in time for the party, we'd have to cut our trip short and fly back on December 11th (only $350 one way from Lima to NYC on Spirit Air, woohoo!)
3) That means either less time in India (skipping orientation week) or less time in Buenos Aires (4 weeks vs 6 weeks)
4) There are no cheap flights from Santiago, Chile to Lima, Peru.  All advice points to taking a 40 hours bus ride, but it only cost $50. Fun!
5) So when we leave Lima decides when we arrive in India in order to spend the time in each place we want to, and do all the things we want to do in those places (Diwali in Madurai for example)

Lastly, our estimated air fare (and train, ferry, etc), total is running neck and neck with the around the world tickets you can get from the major airline alliances. Tempting. But... there's not 16 places we want to go, and if there were, you have to spend at least 10 days in each destination.  That doesn't jive with our itinerary.  It's just painful scouring all the cheap flight deals we found to make this happen, only to get slammed with a $1400 one way ticket from India to Buenos Aires.  There's no way around it and it's more for that one ticket than all the other flight we'll buy combined.

Nobody ever wants to see how the sausage is made, and this is why... Though I'm sure when we get to Germany, the sausage will be delicious.

-Bill