Getting Ready
Next month, we’ll be off on a trip …
… to Nevada. The one in the USA, for anyone who is not sure.
And every week, I’ll be posting a letter. All about who, what and whatever I fancy.
I know that I have just said ‘next month’, but a trip like this takes far more time and effort than just being on holiday for a fortnight. In fact, it has taken far more hard work (and money!) than it might seem to need. So I might as well start writing the letters now. Who knows? Someone might find them interesting. Even useful, perhaps …
Organising a holiday to the USA is somewhat like invading the Americas. It takes planning – lots of it – and time. Probably more time than actually being on holiday. Flights, accommodation, car rental, insurance. The list goes on and on. Then there is the timing …
If we go to this place on the such and such, then we have to leave on the blah-blah, which means that we have to stay in motels for two days because we can’t move in to our next place until lah-di-dah. Look up motels. Check availability. No joy. Look elsewhere. No better. So it is back to the beginning to see what alternatives are available. We can do the same places, but in reverse order, so that means flying to San Francisco instead of Los Angeles. Which changes the dates …
Believe me. It ain’t easy.
Eventually, we had our dates. A week in Las Vegas and a week in Lake Tahoe.
“Ooooh! Lucky you!” That is what many people have said. Not luck. Hard work. Hard graft. Lots of determination. Ask anyone that knows me. I have the reputation of being the unluckiest man around. So not luck, then. I have to plan very well indeed! If I relied on luck, I would be ‘lucky’ to make it past our garden gate before ‘luck’ struck. I plan for ALL contingencies.
The accommodation is set. The flights are booked. I’m insured. (Bizzarely, I’ve never claimed on it.) The car is booked for the duration. We know where we are going and how we are travelling. I’ve read up on baggage limits, picked our seats on the plane, done all the paperwork – you need an ESTA to go west ah! I’ve missed flights before – twice! – but I always get to where I am going. It’s a personal thing.
We have no fear of disaster at our destination. They happen. Floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes. They might devastate the place we are visiting, but we are merely observers and the disaster never touches us. Except in the heart. We will never forget New Orleans.
I even run a Disaster Sweepstake before we go. The prize goes to the person who guesses what goes horribly wrong on our holiday. Everything from Las Vegas Showgirl Incident to Sandstorm is in this year’s disaster list. Feel free to join. Nearest to the mark will win a prize of our choice. Entry is free!
Four weeks and counting …
More next week.
Mesklin