Let the Planning Begin

Vacations are expensive.  I am officially booked on an Adventures by Disney tour of London and Paris. EEK! While super excited, I have realized and almost made peace with the fact that this is indeed going to be an expensive vacation.  I will be spending the next year of my life brown bagging lunches, passing on other trips, and trying to sell organs on the black market.  OK, it won't come to that extreme but you get where I'm coming from.  Since this trip is going to be such an investment, I want to make the most of it by chronicling the planning and emotions of the next year.  So here goes...


Why did I choose this trip?  

1. England is #1 on my bucket list.  I love British television, movies, authors, etc.  I often think that I should have been born into Jane Austen's England.  Although I will only be seeing London on this trip, the fact that any part of England was included on the itinerary helped to speed my decision to book. 
2. After traveling with Adventures by Disney earlier this year, I knew that I would be traveling with them again in the future.  Disney has been a huge part of my life.  I grew up going to the parks and eventually sailed with the cruise line.  ABD seemed like the next logical step.
3. I will be traveling with a great group of people.  It will be a unique experience since I will be meeting some of these folks for the first time in London.

How will I get through the large amount of time between now and the trip?

1. Period Dramas.  I will have marathon viewings of Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, Jane Eyre, Mansfield Park, etc.  
2. Travel Books.  I have already purchased travel guides for London, Paris, and Disneyland Paris.
3. Learning French.  While I know that I will never be fluent, I want to learn some basics that could be helpful on the trip.  I have found a couple of Podcasts that I am going to try out.
4. Over Thinking.  I over think everything.  I will, of course, over think this trip.  Every scenario will play out in my head like a overly long melodrama.

Vacations are expensive.  While that is extremely true, I hope that this vacation will also be rich with experiences that I will treasure the rest of my life.  We only have one life so might as well live it...