The Final Countdown: 24 Hours to Go

We are now just 24 hours away from departing on this new adventure. Our bags are about 95% packed; the remaining toiletry items will go in tomorrow morning. With a 1:15 pm pickup time for our ride to Long Beach, there will be plenty of time for any last-minute packing.

We’ll be leaving with three large, heavy suitcases, two wheeled carry-ons, wine carrier, carry-on tote, my backpack, and Debbie’s large purse. The luggage situation is so much easier when we can simply drive to the ship. And since our flight home from Sydney will be in Business Class, those extra-heavy bags won’t be an issue at all.

As always, there’s a long list of things to take care of before leaving home for two months. A few of those include seeking approval from our post office manager for a mail hold beyond their standard 30-day limit, prepping our large yard for minimal maintenance while we’re gone, contacting our alarm company, and leaving last-minute instructions for our caretaker daughter.

Just before we walk out the door, I’ll turn off the water main to the house and switch the water heater to pilot. Our landscaping is on timers and on a separate shutoff—one less thing to worry about as we head off to sea. 🚢