Planning and Preparing for a Vacation

Its that time of the year again.

A time when families sit around the dining table and discuss where to go on vacation this time round, where schedules are checked to see when all the members are free on the same days, quick calls to check for availability of tickets and a final check with every member (to ensure they are of the same mind) before paying up for tickets.

This is just about the least important thing required when planning a vacation.

What is more important is the week before actual time of departure.

Once a place and time has been selected, there comes the all important wardrobe check. This involves placing yourself in clear view of your wardrobe and running an expert eye over all the clothes piled/hanging/artistically draped in it, and then finally claim that there is nothing appropriate to wear on the vacation.

Thus is planned the shopping expedition. This involves pen, paper, and a good grasp of the merchandise sold in various stores in and around your home. Of course, a good pair of legs and the patience to deal with trial rooms is also a must on such expeditions.

So you go shopping for something appropriate to wear on the vacation. Depending on where you're going and what time of the year it is, choices will vary between smart jackets and knit wear and cool summery cottons and pastel prints. But finding the perfect garment requires browsing through a lot of clothes racks, and a lot of trying on clothes in tiny cubicles with what im now sure are the most unflattering mirrors money can buy.

Once shopping is through, you make a list of the accessories and realise that the new clothes dont go with the shoes you have...which means only one thing. More shopping. This time for shoes. Sigh. This takes even more effort than clothes and such is the energy expended in this seemingly trivial task that i expect a standing ovation when i come back after successfully having bought a pair of footwear after an entire days searching!!

Having done clothes and shoes is like winning three-fourths of the battle. The remaining quarter involves putting together the basic essentials - sunscreen lotions, body lotions, hand lotions, moisturisers, perfumes, deos, cleansing milks, etc. Then there are the hats, caps, scarves, bandanas and sunglasses. There are also other essentials but i forget.

One day before the ETD you pile all everything on the bed, and then stack them in the suitcase. Then you take a deep sense of relief and fall back onto the bed and revel in a sense of achievement at completing such a strenous task.

All that is remaining now is making sure that the tickets and passport are in your bag when you leave the house.

But that is another story.

For now, i need a vacation from just planning and preparing for my vacation!