It’s getting to that time of year for me when a vacation is required, I am beginning to feel the strain of all those additional hours I have put in and almost like an in built clock my body says it’s almost time to sit back and relax for a couple of weeks.
So, at the beginning of October I shall be making the long journey across Europe to one of the most tranquil places on earth. Not a tourist resort, but a small development by the sea where I am unlikely to bump into anybody who can communicate with me in anything other than sign language, a place where I can get lost in my own thoughts reasonably uninterrupted, a place that given the opportunity I would even call home.
But before I reach my destination I must consider what is required for this annual trip and in particular what I can or cannot take with me on this journey. Long gone are the days when we just packed a bag full of whatever we require, make sandwiches and pop to the local supermarket to buy drinks for the journey. Long gone are those days when we could even wear what we wanted without worrying about metal detectors and body searches and having customs rooting through your baggage, taking an interest in the latest form of silk underwear that your wife, having filled her own suitcase to capacity, has packed in your suitcase. Those days are long gone and the days of travel restrictions are here!
Having purchased the tickets for the flight my first action these days is to see if I’m even entitled to take any luggage with me, as surprisingly some airlines believe that the majority of us would like to go on a two week jaunt carrying just a wash bag under our arm, or those who wish for more would be happy to pay the extravagantly priced surcharges associated with such a modern day luxury. Well, I’ve been fortunate this time and it does appear that both myself and my wife will be entitled to one 20kg bag each to put in the hold of the plane.
The next question of course is whether or not our passports need renewing. Again we have been fortunate in that I renewed mine only 3 years ago and therefore have several years to go before that embassy hurdle rears its head again. My wife on the other hand will not be as lucky as she has only two years to wait, but for this holiday we appear to be documented to the hilt.
My other main concern is (sadly) my website which requires updating twice a week, and with a growing audience that passed 10,000 this week I have had to ensure I am in commutable distance to a web café, from where I hope I will be able to do the necessary to keep on top of things to a minimal standard until my return.
Then comes the big one and it relates back to the baggage; I must figure out how to remove the hard drive from my laptop, as last year I was asked to remove it whilst the computer was put through the X-ray machine, the idea I believe is that the hard drive can become corrupt due to the magnetic field associated with the machine, or so the security man told me at the time.
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Finally, I must consider what, if any, liquids in the form of duty free drinks, perfumes, toiletries, lighters and small things such as nail clippers I am or not allowed to take with me in my baggage. On this subject I must admit I remain unclear; Last year I purchased a lighter multipack at the airport just to be informed that I would have to throw all but one away before going through customs, we purchased drinks in the belief there was no provision for in flight catering, just to be asked to leave them in the bin on the way to departures. Fortunately, we had learned that there were still liquid restrictions for your hand luggage and we didn’t purchase duty free perfume as originally discussed, just to find that we could have placed such items in a sealed bag and taken them through. Thankfully my wife had already packed her "Chanel Nos 5" in the main luggage, which having already been opened would have made its way, "one way", to the nearest customs collection bin for disposal. All this just to take a quick plane trip!
Well, there’s 3 weeks to go until our vacation and it can’t quite pass quickly enough for us, but we know the trouble will be worth our effort and whilst these stringent regulations should keep danger at bay, I can’t help thinking who will benefit from all that product that is left abandoned on a massive scale at the passport control prior to the departures gate? Perhaps we can buy them back from a street merchant standing outside the front of the airport on our return!
Don’t you just love a cynic?
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travel,
hotels,
airfare,
vacation