Remember that super cheap flight we got to Spain? As we write this, we will be leaving for Spain in exactly 7 days (give or take ten minutes, assuming our flight is on time).
Anyone who has planned a big trip knows that the run up to that trip can be hectic and stressful. This trip is no different. By the time we get on the plane, we will all be ready for the prep phase of the trip to be over and the fun phase of the trip to start.
Do they have CVS in Madrid?
First, we had to make sure everyone has everything they need for the trip. Is anyone running low on toiletries? I know they have stores in Spain, but do the stores sell the things we use? And who wants to spend valuable sightseeing and visiting time trying to hunt down the right conditioner? I’m referring to the kid here. That hair routine is involved and highly specific.
We’ve also had to make sure we have the right electronic adapters, travel pillows, chargers, etc. So Amazon has been making a few extra trips to our house as we remember more things we need to re-stock before we go.
It never hurts to ask…
When we originally booked this trip, we chose a flight with a 24-hour layover in Toronto. It was one of the reasons we got such a good price on the trip. That flight schedule got us home at 8pm on Tuesday, 8/20, a mere 12 hours before the first day of the kid’s junior year of high school.
Obviously, none of us were thrilled with that plan, so we decided to call Air Canada to see what our options were. We did the math that transportation to and from the airport, meals, and an Airbnb for one night would cost at least $500, before we even did any sightseeing. So we were willing to pay flight change fees to get a better schedule.
After 45 minutes on hold (with hold music that repeating every 60 seconds or so – interrogators are missing a torture opportunity here), we got a nice Canadian service rep on the phone who took a look at the flight options. After some typing, he found a flight from Toronto to Kansas City that lands a FULL 24 HOURS EARLIER than our original flight. That gets us home with a day to sleep and recover before starting real life again.
And the best part? It didn’t cost us a thing! Yay Air Canada! It literally never hurts to ask!
Dog Sitting and Garden Sitting
The world keeps spinning here at home while we are gone, so we need to have plans in place for that. The dog with separation anxiety is not going to Spain with us, so we had two options; dog sitter, or kennel.
The issue with a dog sitter was finding someone who could be here with the dog pretty much 24/7. Yes, we know we need to train this dog to be okay alone, but we haven’t gotten there yet.
The kennel was the easy option, but the dog would be pretty traumatized spending 10 days in a kennel. Instead we enlisted our middle kid to stay and made some contingency plans for the times she has to go to work. Now we have to think through all of the things that need to be done here while we are gone and leave detailed instructions so she will know what to do and where to find things. Documentation takes way longer than you think, and we always seem to forget some important detail.
We could also ask middle kid to harvest vegetables from the garden while watching the dog, but we thought it would be easier to break those jobs up. We have asked our neighbors to harvest the vegetables in the garden and they can keep whatever they harvest while we are gone. The neighbors have a (smaller) garden of their own. With them we know the garden will be taken care of and the vegetables will not go to waste.
Happy birthday…and liftoff!
This trip to Spain is bookended by birthdays. We will land in Spain on youngest kid’s birthday and land back in KC the day before Gene’s birthday (the 19th, which is also my mother’s birthday).
We will do our best to celebrate the kid’s 17th birthday on the plane and in the airport, but it isn’t the same as a birthday with your friends and presents and the whole shebang. We will celebrate before we leave, with a family dinner, a gathering of friends, and, of course, cake and presents!
The gifts have been purchased, but we still need to plan a family dinner and the kid will probably have friends over the night before we leave. This will definitely be the most unusual birthday the kid has had so far!
Channeling my inner Cinderella
Steph here. Something you should know about me – I cannot leave a messy house when I travel. Before we go, I will do a thorough cleaning of the house from top to bottom. To come home to a house that needs to be cleaned after a long trip and several legs of flights (not to mention the time change) is overwhelming. When I come home, I just want to dump the suitcase into the washing machine and relax.
And, you know, normal everyday stuff
All of these things are, of course, on top of our regular work schedule and normal activities. Luckily, we have 17 hours on planes and in airport lounges to relax after our marathon of vacation prep!
What do you do to prepare before a big trip? Also, have you ever been to Madrid? If so, let us know in the comments what the Madrid must see attractions are!
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