Packed and Ready to Go

Jim and I have slightly different concepts of what needs to be packed for such a long stint away from home.  He is of the mindset that if something is needed, you can always buy it there.  I, on the other hand, am cheap and practical and would rather just buy it here it Bianca Amor's Liquidation Centre where I know it will only cost a few dollars.  As such, our luggage looks completely different.

For starters, my bag was packed a month ago.  I know, I know - it sounds crazy.  But it's been a while since I traveled for any considerable length of time (the longest time away being 6.5 weeks) and my travel gear/clothes/personal products all need some serious updating - especially having only ever traveled with a backpack.  By packing prematurely (very prematurely) I can determine what I already have and what I need to buy.  And by knowing what I need early on I can watch for specials and sales on those items!  You get it now, right?

So yes, my bag is bigger than Jim's (which happens to qualify as carry on luggage - smart guy) and contains more unnecessary items.  But I have the room so why not fill it with shampoo and conditioner, snacks, and an extra few pairs of underwear.  Jim is used to traveling for much longer periods of time - the longest being 5 months - so naturally he is better at packing efficiently.  He's okay with only wearing one or two shirts for 3 months.  I however, am not.

As the next week creeps up on us, I will continue to unpack, downsize, and repack until I am completely assured that I have enough matching wardrobe pieces to satisfy my once-in-a-blue-moon desire to look good while still maintaining a reasonable luggage weight.  And Jim, well, Jim will be sitting back relaxing while trying to smother his 'I told you so' grin.

What's the one thing you can't live without when traveling?

The Beginnings of Grand Misadventure

         Team Jimbali!

Jim and I have created this little blog for those of you interested in following the misadventures of our 3-month journey across Europe.   

Departing on February 9th, the grand plan is to arrive in Barcelona, Spain on February 10th where we will immediately board another plane to Malaga (southern Spain, along the coast) and further, a bus to Marbella.  We were fortunate in acquiring a timeshare from my (Ali's) uncle and aunt there and are taking full advantage of it for 2 weeks, making day trips out to Sevilla, Granada, and Ronda (among other towns in the surrounding area) and perhaps even Gibraltar and Morocco.   After 2 weeks of exploring Spain's southern region - also known as Andalucia - we will be making our way toward Madrid for a couple of days then it's back to Barcelona via train.  

From this point on we plan to utilize the Eurail system to its fullest, winding our way around Europe: south of France, northern Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Germany, Paris, London and Ireland.


These, of course, are merely suggestions.  For after Spain, we have booked no accommodations and have decided to choose our route based on finances, weather, level of frustration, and desire (not necessarily in that order).


So if you're interested in following along and perhaps even living vicariously through two folks that really have no idea what they're in for, then by all means bookmark this blog.  Feel free to post comments or questions and we'll try our best to respond to them as soon as possible.

Until then...