Ready, set......

It's almost here!  We leave in less than 4 days for our big adventure.  There's so many last minute items to take care of: call the credit card companies, make a list for the house/cat sitter, order a turkey for Thanksgiving, pay bills, finish immunizations, get cash,  have gallbladder removed.  Gallbladder removed???? Yep, it had a fear of going to foreign locals so my doctor and I decided it was better to leave it at home.  So long, old friend.

This weekend we have all the last minute packing to finish.  We also want to see as many people before we depart just to tell them how much we appreciate them and would miss them if we end up in a foreign jail with no one to post bail (please, please, look sufficiently distraught if CNN asks you if we're worth risking an international incident to get us safely back to the US of A).  We even made last minute trips to see both of the boys. 

I also have had to concede that I will not receive a degree in ancient civilizations before our departure.  I've read several tombs regarding our destinations, but will have to rely on the experts to refresh my memory at each stop.  At least I tried.

Next post: On the Road

Ya Gotta love Swag....

This week we received our final trip documents along with their version of swag - you  know, the stuff you didn't really ask for but love to get because it's FREE.  Because some of the areas we're visiting are not too friendly to a big jet, we'll be traveling on small planes that need small luggage.  The tour company's solution to this dilemma is to send you their 'approved' luggage for these stops.  It's actually not bad (although it's another piece of BLACK luggage that looks like every other piece of BLACK luggage on the airport conveyor belt) and helps define the amount of clothes and other various items we can take with us.

The other swag was more swag in the true sense of the word - sample sizes of bug repellent, hand wipes, sunscreen, ear plugs, a flashlight (hmmm, this one concerns me a little) and an alarm clock.  It also clues me into what I need to go buy in larger sizes to make the trip a little more comfortable.

The final documentation lists the daily activities, a little bit about each location and lists of participants.  Glancing through the list of our fellow travelers we discovered an Ambassador (yep, the type you make major donations to a President to buy yourself an extended vacation in a foreign, hopefully friendly, locale).  Somehow I don't think anyone will get very excited if they happen to Google check the Maloneys!

Next: Time to pack

Questions, questions, questions

I subscribe to a blog called "The Happiness Project" because, really, can't we all be a little happier?  A few days ago I received the following email that seemed quite appropriate for the trip.  I'm going to use it to frame what I should focus on while we're gone.

9 Questions To Ask About Someone's Big, Life-Changing Trip.
 

Every Wednesday is Tip Day.
This Wednesday: 9 questions to ask about someone's big, life-changing trip.

One of my resolutions is to Enter into the interests of other people's lives. When you think of people getting along harmoniously – whether in a family, or among friends, or in an office – people make an effort to enter into the interests of each other’s lives.

My friend Michael Melcher (author of the terrific book The Creative Lawyer -- which isn't just for lawyers) pointed out to me an area where this is often an issue: with travels. It's quite common for people to come back from big, life-changing trips, and feel let down because no one seems very interested in what they saw or thought or experienced.

Part of being a good friend, colleague, or family member is to show an interest, but this can be challenging. Often, people need help finding ways to talk about their travels in ways that are interesting to people who weren't there.

I'm not much of a traveler, myself, but Michael is, and he suggested nine questions that you might ask, to enter into the interests of a newly returned traveler. The point, of course, is not to fake an interest, but rather to find a way to be sincerely interested.

1. What was the best moment of the entire trip?

2. What are two interesting things about China [or wherever] that the average person doesn't know?

3. Tell me about one person you met.

4. Now that you've been there yourself, when you think of China, what's the first image that comes into your head?

5. What was the hardest or most frustrating part of the trip?

6. Did anything go wrong that seems funny now? [I often remind myself of my Secret of Adulthood that "The things that go wrong often make the best memories."]

7. What little, ordinary thing did you miss from your usual routine?

8. What did you learn about yourself?

9. Now that you've been to China, what are two other places you'd like to go?

What am I missing? Have you identified any questions that are good at invoking interesting conversation? And travelers, when you come home, what questions are interesting to answer, and that show interest in what you've experienced? Have you ever been frustrated by the fact that people don't seem interested in hearing about a trip or adventure that was very significant to you? Because I'm not much of a traveler, myself, I know that I haven't shown as much interest in people's travels as I should have. Something to work on.