Okay, 20-ish… there’s been a lot going on.
It’s remarkable to me how different some aspects of my prep lists are each Camino. Much depends on my experience level, the state of the world, and my starting and ending points on each hike (see ‘20 Days Out’ posts from the past three Caminos.) This trip, my prep list is also reflective of the fact that my friend Susie will be walking with me and we’re starting from Portugal, a place I’ve never been.
As we’re traveling together there’s a need to make sure our plans are agreeable to both of us. So, there’s been lots of collaborative discussion over many cups of coffee in the past months. And, I think we’ve ended up with a fairly good plan and with a reasonable, workable amount of prep.
Some of these items are repeats from prior years, but I’m listing them here because they’re still important:
- Get Travel Insurance. A basic policy is about $70 for the entire trip and covers replacement of lost luggage, fees associated with missed connections, accommodations if flights don’t take off on schedule, emergency medical care, etc. As there are a lot of moving parts in our itinerary, I thought this was a worthwhile ‘just in case’ investment for my peace of mind.
- Arrange for Time Off. From ALL my jobs. This includes getting coverage for major tasks for my main job. And, figuring out how many vacation days and unpaid days I’ll be using. I’m also able to put in for a day of ‘volunteer time’ for one of the days we’ll be walking on behalf of Charity:Water. I also blocked out my dog-sitting calendar so pet owners can’t request time that I’m away (though some have tried to). And I put in a special request for extended time off from my retail job. Very grateful for the work. Very grateful for the time away.
- Get a new Phone Plan. My previous vendor offered international service at an exorbitant rate – and then didn’t have the infrastructure to adequately support it. So, I switched to T-Mobile and added international service at a nominal fee. This will save me the headache of looking for a SIM card upon arrival – or having to work off spotty public WiFi connections.
- Pre-Book. Susie and I had a few pre-booking sessions where we’d plot our course and timetable and then synchronize our online bookings. These sessions also led to brainstorming some shortcuts and detours from our original plan. These pre-bookings included:
- Flight to Lisbon
- Train to Porto
- First two nights’ accommodations in Porto
- First night’s stay after walking
- Flight to London
- Accommodations at Greenbelt
- Greenbelt tickets
- Flight to Iceland
- Accommodations in Iceland
- Coastal tour
- Flight back home
We’ve also both signed up for TSA Pre-check, US Global Entry, a check-in fast-pass on the flight from Santiago to London, and have taken care of the new UK entry requirement. We’re in agreement that a few extra dollars are worth saving on something we can’t get any more of…time. Not to mention the value of avoiding unnecessary frustration.
We’ll pre-book additional accommodations, tours, events, etc. once we’re on the road – but this list covers our basic pivot points and provides a little peace of mind as we start out. And, we have a little margin for error / rebooking. (see item #1)
- Arrange Finances. This includes setting up all the home bills to pay automatically, purchasing a few Euros and Pounds in advance from our respective banks, and calling the card companies to let them know our itinerary, just in case.
- Set up care for home. For myself, this includes talking with my son about the routine for the hens. Asking a friend to come by to get excess tomatoes from the garden and eggs from the coop. Updating my siblings on my plans. And stocking the fridge and supplies. I’m reasonably comfortable that everything will keep ticking along while I’m away.
- Training. The best training for walking is… walking. Susie and I have been each walking about 5+ miles each day for the past several months. It’s been getting easier. I now feel antsy if I haven’t done my minimum goal towards the end of the day and will head out a dusk to finish off my walk. But, we agree that we’re both getting really bored with it as it harkens back to pandemic days when we were each circling our neighborhoods alone, destined to return to the same portal at the end. I’ve kept my mind somewhat active while walking through the local park by keeping an eye out for golf balls hit over from the local course. If they’re on my side of the fence, they’re litter and I’m doing a public service to collect them. I don’t golf. We’re grateful for safe neighborhoods and parks in the area – but after months of hiking the same paths over and over – we’re pining for a change of scenery…
…not much longer now.
More later.