pre-iceland to-do list
two weeks from today, i will already be in reykjavik. people keep asking me whether i'm excited about my impending trip, and i keep saying, "not yet."
not because i'm not looking forward to it, but because there are still a whole bunch of things i need to get done before i'll feel prepared enough to be excited. even though i booked my ticket back at the end of march, it feels like my departure has kind of snuck up on me out of the blue. i've been working steadily since april, so i haven't really had time to sit and ponder my holiday -- i finally caved and bought a guidebook just this past weekend and have, as of now, read the first three pages.
so, as someone who prefers to be organized and confirmed and planned and all-set as much as possible, i'm still in a bit of a pre-travel panic. here's my to-do list:
* call my credit-card companies to let them know i'll be in iceland.
* buy my travel (medical) insurance... and ensure that the insurance i normally buy covers iceland.
* go to the post office to purchase a "hold mail" service so my mailbox doesn't fill up while i'm gone. i'm not really sure why i bother -- the past two times i've requested (and paid for!) this service, it was not performed and i came home to full mailboxes, anyway. but i don't trust any of my neighbours to collect my mail for me while i'm gone and, with my luck, it would be a week where i suddenly get a huge volume of letters, bills, magazines and samples.
* figure out how i'm going to get to and from the airport in toronto.
* purchase my bus tickets (online) to get to and from the airport in reykjavik.
* print out maps of how to get to and from the studio apartment where i'll be staying.
* go to the bank to buy the traveller's cheques with which i will pay for said studio apartment... once i get the final price from the owner next wednesday or thursday. he prefers payment in USD, and the price i was originally quoted was the maximum possible price (he bases it on the exchange rate). when i checked with him a few weeks ago, the price had already dropped by $20.
* figure out what i'm going to wear to the wedding.
* figure out what i'm going to wear to the rehearsal dinner.
* figure out what i'm going to bring to wear on top of whatever i wear to the above events (i.e., i'll have to bring a second coat, since my bright green outdoorsy, weather-resistent jacket probably won't cut it).
* figure out what i'm going to pack, clothes-wise. the temperatures fluctuate in iceland, so it might be in the high-40s one day and high-60s the next.
* decide whether i want to hold out for the keen hiking boots that will be in stock in the next two weeks and buy those and bring those, or just work with the more casual, urban keen shoes i already own for the trip. they'd be fine for the city, but less so if i decide to take a day trip to a glacier or a fjord or a mountain.
* decide whether to bring YB's canon rebel with me, or whether i should just be satisfied with my point-and-shoot. i really want to bring the rebel, but i also don't want to have to worry about how i'm going to carry/manage more heavy stuff, especially if i opt for transit to get me to and from the airport here.
* find the electricity-converter kit i bought years ago and packed away somewhere when i moved out of hell house, so that i can plug in my battery charger and the adapter for whatever netbook i bring.
* BUY A NETBOOK. :-| i have no cell phone, and there's no phone in the apartment, so i'll need a way to communicate with people. internet cafés aren't too plentiful in reykjavik, and i'd rather not have to go looking for one if i need to check out tours, verify operating hours or just email home to say i arrived safely. and i don't want to bring along the brand new macbook pro that will arrive for me next week. so, i'm shopping for a cheap ($250 or less) and functional netbook to use for travel purposes. right now, i'm looking at this one... which i would call "lil red."
* if i buy a netbook, get it up and running and secure (virus-protection-wise, firewall-wise, etc.) before i head off.
* try not to panic and feel overwhelmed.
8 comments:
No need to panic, though if that picture shows your actual luggage, can I suggest you need to add a new suitcase to your to do list? :)
Do you know about the GO bus from York Mills/Yorkdale to terminal one at the airport? Only runs hourly, but easier -- especially with luggage -- than going via Kipling on the TTC, and still way cheaper than a taxi. If you don't find your electrical adapter, you can borrow mine. And that netbook looks good... some people complain it's a bit overloaded with random Samsung software, but that's easily fixed.
Bring the Rebel. (Almost sounds like a slogan you'd see on a t-shirt.). If your suitcase isn't totally stuffed, you can put it in there for ground transfers and just pull it out at the airport.
i do know about the GO bus, but i'd still have to take the subway to york mills... so, if i'm taking the subway anyway, why not just go to kipling and save the extra fare?
thanks for the converter offer! and the netbook approval. :-)
i'll most likely bring the rebel. i can't imagine going to culture night and NOT having it to snap pictures!
Well, the GO bus has room for luggage underneath, so it's a little more comfortable, and York Mills is a lot quieter than Bloor or St. George so the transfers are easier. I used it a bunch when I was up at Eglinton because from there it's faster. (I'm not sure that's true from your place, and if you're going to T3 it means a ride on the LINK train.) The once-an-hour thing is a pain, though, so I often ended up taking the TTC on the way home rather than waiting for the next GO bus.
yep: T3.
That is quite a list!! That is a hot netbook! That suitcase is the cat's meow!
I am a list maker too.
NEW MAC PRO???
yep. after waiting for a macbook refresh, i found out apple was discontinuing that line.
so, i sucked it up and got trix to order me a pro (with her education discount, which saved me about $150). it arrives next week sometime.
I'm in love with Lil Red already.
lil red was sold out (!) at the store i checked this morning.
the search will continue in the 'burbs tomorrow...
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