Being spontaneous and packing light is something I do well. Not only have I honed in on my skills over the years, but so has my daughter, The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird.
Last week, before The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird left for school, she asked me if we were going anywhere for spring break.
I was like, “I don’t know, would you like me to see if I can get free tickets somewhere {by cashing in my credit card miles}?”
“Yes, please” she said.
An hour later I sent her a text message while she was at school:
Mavis: I can get free tickets to Washington D.C., Hawaii or XXX. There were no free tickets available for anywhere in Europe. Not even Sweden, can you believe it?
Mavis: Do you want to go to XXX?
The Girl: But I don’t speak XXX…. Hmmm. Maybe.
Mavis: Who cares! We’ll just get a book and point to stuff if we can’t figure it out.
The Girl: Umm. Okay.
And that was that.
After a quick call to the Handsome Husband asking him if he wanted to come along on a little last-minute adventure {okay, so maybe it was a courtesy call because I only had enough points for 2 free tickets} he said no, that he and Monkey Boy would rather sit at home in their underoos, eating Doritos and playing video games all spring break rather than going on an adventure. I quickly booked the tickets and ordered 2 travel guides off Amazon.com. And then went about my day.
Fast forward a few days and well, here we are. Packing. For a trip. To a foreign country. Where we don’t speak the language.
Did I mention we have not had time research this trip at all?
When Gustaf {my hottie of a UPS man} delivered the guide books, we only opened them long enough to find a recommendation for a centrally located hotel.
I mean with chickens, gardening, BLOGGING, and loads of homework for The Girl, who has time for research? Isn’t that what the plane ride is for?
UPDATE
I started writing this post right before we left. Before heading out the door I went on-line to print out our boarding passes to CHINA {yes China!} only to discover you NEED A VISA to enter China. Hole.Lee.Crap. Who knew? So I quickly called the people who issue expedited visas only to find out the fastest you can get one is within 24 hours of supplying documents.
We had to cancel the trip.
You want to know what The Girl said? “Oh well, I was a little worried about the food and language barrier anyway.”
So I called the airlines to see if we could cancel our free tickets to China and go somewhere else instead.
Luckily, 2 tickets to ______ had just been released, and so with just a few hours notice, we are now on our way to ______! Wahoooo!
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did”
~Mark Twain
*Check back tomorrow for a super awesome giveaway! Trust me, you’ll want to enter!
Lori McK says
Wow! I would to be able to do this! Have so much fun!!!!!!!
Kari A. says
This would be so awesome right about now! Have an excellent adventure, wherever you are going!
Carin says
Have a great trip!
Heather S. says
How exciting! Just think of the memories and the experiences you are creating! So glad you were still able to go somewhere. Can’t wait to see your posts 🙂
You Can Call Me Jane says
Goodness, woman. You never cease to amaze me. Have a wonderful time with your Bird Girl and be safe!
Desi says
Wow, how awesome is that! Have fun on your trip!
Stephanie says
is that a heart/star shaped cucumber mold??!!??
Mavis says
Yes. 🙂 I found it on ebay. It costs $87 + shipping from Japan. LOL. Plus, it comes with free fertilizer.
Stephanie says
I was searching all over amazon for the molds, but the only thing I could find was the super expensive one from Japan 🙁 I’d love to see some pictures if they turn out!
Krista says
I hate traveling, but dude…you’re my hero! What an awesome mom you are and I hope you and your kiddo have a total blast making memories wherever it is you’re going!
Sarah says
Have a great time Mavis and Bird Girl!
LaToya says
My husband said “who goes to China on the spur of the moment?” – LOL! Can’t wait to hear where you ended up and how it went. Have a blast, girl!
Helen in Meridian says
I am amazed at your packing skill. When mom, sis and I went on an Alaskan Cruise and to the Worlds Fair in Vancouver (that long ago) we packed like 1st class on the Titanic. Five fancy dresses for dinner, and then felt guilty the two nights we wore things we had appeared in before. I now laugh at that extreme. Had lunch with 15 classmates this week. One friend had just come back from 3 weeks in Italy. She took 3 pair of undies for 3 weeks, and just washed them each night. Amazing. Since I see you go commando again in your packing, you don’t even have to rinse them out. ha ha. Have a joyous week.
nancy says
yep, i did know about the visa requirements but only because my co-worker’s husband is headed to china to speak at a conference next month….guess research is required for foreign countries prior to boarding the plane. HA! who knew?
have a great trip.
Jaimi says
FYI – Chinese visas are only required if you leave Hong Kong. If you fly into HK and stay there for the duration, no visa required. However, if you plan on leaving HK to main China, then coming back, then going onto another part of China, then you would require a multi entry visa as it is then considered entering China twice. 🙂