6/5 All Packed and Ready to Fly!!!

It takes me a couple of weeks to pack because I work to make sure I take everything I need for a long trip, but that I don't take stuff I don't need.  So for the past couple of weeks, I have been adding and removing stuff from the two bags I will be taking with me:  an expandable carry-on that I will check as baggage and a smaller carry-on that will carry my laptop, prescription meds in their weekly containers, and documents that I will likely need to show someone when I go through screening at the departing airport and customs at Heathrow. 

The big day for leaving is Monday, and I plan to stay an entire six weeks in England and Wales.  I have spent quite a bit of time on previous visits to England, but I have never been to Wales, so am dedicating time to that place on this trip.

One improvement I plan to make on this blog is to take more photos of the inside of the hotel rooms I stay in, as well as the food I will be eating.  The latter is really intended to show that some British food is a lot better than its reputation.  This is most likely due to the focus on good cooking in the last decade and the introduction of many different kinds of ethnic and regional food.  

I have arranged for secure storage for my motorhome during the time I will be gone.  Before I put it in storage, however, I will have to flush out my grey and black water tanks and add a bit of chlorox to each so neither will smell when I get back.  I also need to empty my refrigerator and freezer, plus remove some items that might be damaged by the summer heat while I am gone.  These things will go to my son's house which will be a lot cooler than this "tin can" of an RV.  The refrigerator and freezer stuff will not keep, so they will have to eat it or keep it frozen while I am gone.   

One of the things I am looking forward to on this trip is flying premium economy on an A-380 double-decker plane.  As I get older, sitting in coach for many hours, as this flight will be, are just too uncomfortable, so the upgrade is expensive but really necessary.  I will try to take some photos to show what that class, which is only available on international flights looks like.  

Another thing I did for this trip is to reserve a hotel in London that is just across the street next to Paddington Station.  This means I can come in via the Paddington Express train and just walk across the street without having to struggle with two suitcases up and down stairs in a Tube station or pay for a British black cab to take me to my hotel. Plus, being right next to Paddington station will mean a lot of fast food restaurants will be handy, even one of my favorite Pret a Manger carryout places!  

So, just a very few days to go!