Travel Checklist

I've gradually developed a spreadsheet listing the things I want to take with me when I travel. It's got about 40 things on it by now, and I keep adding to it. There are several categories of items, such as clothes, gadgets, and toiletries, and I really like having it around. It pretty much guarantees I won't be smacking my head at the airport, realizing how much worse the whole trip is going to be because I forgot to bring underwear or my kindle.

At the same time, there's absolutely no spontaneity to my travel. I never just throw stuff in a bag and take off. And there's no variety in what I take with me anymore. In the old days, I used to bring about 10 books wherever I went; now there's just the kindle. In the old days, I had no idea how many of each article of clothing to bring; now I know I need one per day of most things, and also some pants. In the old days, the airplane was randomly more or less comfortable based on whatever accidental materials happened to be in my pocket; now I always have earplugs, ibuprofen, lip balm, a nail file, and a sleep mask.

Sometimes I feel extremely proud of my little travel checklist, and I want to share it with others, and share the miracle of easy travel. In fact, really that's most of the time; but I also have to acknowledge that there's a whole aspect of adventure that's simply gone from my travel plans, possibly never to return.

Lena has stories about her family in which a momentous travel decision is made by her mother at the last possible moment, and the entire family has a completely unplanned adventure for days and weeks.

That's the opposite of my travel checklist.

So sometimes I feel like I want to make a momentous travel decision! Poof! Where'd Zack go? Oh, he's out on walkabout, you know, just felt like leaving one day, I expect he'll be back with more of those amazing adventure stories of his.....

Earplugs, ibuprofen, lip balm, a nail file, and a sleep mask.

So there's a bit of yin-yang tension in my travel checklist; highly appreciated, even interesting, but also quite clearly the wardrobe is just a wardrobe, and does not lead to Narnia.

When I was little, the possibility of Narnia existing in my wardrobe was utterly real to me. Unicorns and fairies were just around every corner, and psychic ability was an awesome possibility! I practiced frequently with decks of cards, or with a candle flame. Could I blow it out with just my mind? How many cards could I guess? Traveling on an airplane meant hurtling through the sky to an utterly unknown land of different customs and languages. What folly to think I could conceive the mysteries that awaited.

Earplugs, ibuprofen, lip balm, a nail file, and a sleep mask.

Together with "The Designated Mourner", "My Dinner With Andre" is my favorite film. At one point in the film, Wally tells Andre that he and his girlfriend recently got an electric blanket, and it's so great, and "such a marvelous advance over our old way of life," but he also wonders, "what is it doing to me?" He sleeps different, his dreams are different, and he's a little concerned. And Andre wholeheartedly agrees, saying he'd never use an electric blanket, it "separates people from reality in a very direct way."

And Wally replies, "I know, but... I would never give up my electric blanket, Andre, because New York is cold in the winter! Our apartment is cold!"

Now, the part of me that wins the argument is the part that says, "I'll have adventures anyway." And it's true! I always have wonderful adventures on my travels. Like this time, for instance. I'm heading out to Illinois to visit my oldest friend, Jesse. We've known each other all our lives, and nowadays we see each other every year. And in addition to my travel checklist, my visits with Jesse nearly always involve an activity checklist as well! This year we discussed our possible activities from time to time, for months before the visit, and then created a spreadsheet for them, with notes, and everything.

And yet, when I get there, everything will be completely spontaneous. It's very strange, but it's true. We have no idea how all of these items are going to pan out, or even if we'll get to all of them. And in almost all cases, each item is itself a big adventure. For example, this time around we're going to knock down the wall dividing his kitchen from the dining room, and put in a counter-type structure, so the two rooms will merge and have better lighting. He's been rendering 3D images of all the possible end results for the past year, and considering what materials to use, and I've weighed in on the various selections; but when it comes down to it, it's just going to be a huge adventure with an unknown outcome.

And I think my travel checklist is just the same. It might eliminate certain aspects of adventure, like having to sit through five hours of headache and noise before I get where I'm going; but with my earplugs and ibuprofen I typically arrive at my destination all set to embark on whatever madcap ideas the people I'm visiting and I can come up with.

Today, my flight leaves JFK airport at 3:05 PM, and the web site says it's still on schedule. If I take an hour leeway, that's 2:05; if it takes an hour to go through security, that's 1:05; if it takes an hour to get there by subway, that's 12:05; if it takes an hour to shower, dry off, and dress, that's 11:05. It's 7:47 now (no pun intended), so I've got over three hours to relax and have fun before I have to think about leaving.

Time to go relax and have fun! Wish me happy adventures!