Friday Five - Bon Voyage Edition

 

Friday Five - Bon Voyage Edition

We head out soon for our Alaska cruise, where we'll have four generations of family sailing together, so my Friday Five will be travel-prep focused accordingly.

1.  Once the suitcases are zipped, I finally get excited. My rule is to pack two days ahead so that I have time to mentally go through our itinerary, the expected weather, and any out-of-the-ordinary activities I may need to bring items for. I then continue to mentally go thru my list over the remaining days, removing or adding items as 'Oh, I need!' or 'Oh, I don't need!' thoughts occur to me.

I also gather my toiletries together, so that I have time to do a complete dry run at least once, ideally twice, before we depart, in order to ensure I have set aside everything I need to take care of my teeth and eyes (contacts) and do my hair and makeup. 

2. This will be my first cruise bringing just a carry-on bag. Even with the many layers we need to pack for Alaska's wild weather, I managed to get everything into one carry-on suitcase. Why bother, in the event you're wondering. Simply to ensure both me and my luggage arrive together!

I file it under 'ways to reduce travel stress', a list which is getting longer as I age.

To be fair, I did place two pair of shoes into my husband's check-in size luggage, but everything else fit into my carry-on bag.

In my bag I packed one pair of basic black pants for dinner, along with six lightweight, blouses, one for each night other than sail-away. On sail-away day, the first dinner dress code tends to be very casual as many guests will not yet have had their luggage delivered to their cabin. So on the first night I'll simply wear what I plan to wear onto the ship - lightweight black summer trousers with an apple green silky tank. 

Otherwise, I packed a couple of casual pants with a variety of lightweight shirts, several layers of outerwear, including a lightweight rain coat, plus workout clothes, pj's and a swimsuit. 

3.  I located 10+ miles of scenic walking in Seattle, where we'll be for two nights pre-cruise. The weather is looking to be gorgeous - cool and sunny - so perfect for walking. And walking a city is one of my absolutely favorite things to do while traveling. There are also lots of coffee stores scattered along our routes, so, I'm sure some stops for iced coffee will happen as well.

4.  I signed up for tennis lessons. I have played tennis off and on over the years, but it's been almost a dozen since I last picked up a racquet. I've been waiting for our health club to run a series for Beginners, and they finally did. I signed up the moment the email arrived, and start my 'refresh' lessons immediately after we return.

5.  I saw this at the beach during a walk earlier in the week, and it made me laugh:

I hope you all had a great, satisfying week, wherever you are!