Shortly after my now husband (Joey) and I met in 2005, he won a prize for hitting a sales goal - credit for a trip. We could go anywhere we wanted and we just needed to book it through a particular travel agent. I was really excited and asked him where he wanted to go. He told me that I had free reign and shocked me when he told me that he hadn't been on vacation in 10 years. TEN YEARS? Are you freaking kidding me? Even as an attorney with billable hour requirements, I always make time for vacations. I truly thought he was nuts and then I got worried. Would this mean he would spend the entire trip on email? Making phone calls? Stressing about missing work/business? And we had only been dating like 6 months at the time, so I was a little frazzled.
I booked a long weekend in Jamaica at a gorgeous resort in San Souci. I was hoping that the short time frame and the ridiculously beautiful resort would make it all worth it for him. Happily, he acquired the travel bug on that trip and has never looked back.
He planned our nearly two week honeymoon in the Greek islands with a winery tour/tasting and side trips to remote islands. For my 40th birthday, he planned a two week trip to Italy that included one of the most amazing meals I have ever had in my life in Florence, gorgeous hotels and amazing private tours. And most recently, we picked up a car in Germany and toured the German and French countrysides, ending with a few day in Paris.
So, last October, on a random Saturday afternoon, we hit up a local restaurant and the conversation about travel in 2017 started. Joey suggested we go to Milan, Italy and then branch out from there to other locations, like Cuomo. That's sounds great, right? Oddly, by the end of the conversation, we had decided to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. No, we weren't drunk and no, neither of us exactly remember what was said during the conversation that got us here. But here we are. We were booked within 3 weeks for an 8 day climb and 4 day safari.
Did I mention I didn't own hiking boots? That I hadn't camped overnight in like 15 years? That we had no idea what we are doing? That I am not a "roughing it" kind of girl? Yep. That's all true and yet we made the leap and booked the trip.
Thus began my reading everything I could about the trip and what to expect and what I needed to pack. And you know what, I couldn't find one full site that helped me with all of my questions. So, I thought it would be great if I did a blog. (Plus it would allow people to read about my trip without me posting incessantly on FB.) And ... I'm starting this and we haven't left yet. Nope. We leave on August 4, so I am less than two weeks out, sitting on my comfy couch typing this. So you are asking, why start it now? Wouldn't you want to give out the advice once you return? My "hobby" since November has been researching this trip and spending quality time buying items online (you're welcome, REI and Amazon) and I feel like I have nothing to do. So, here I am. And besides, this way you get to see the process of preparing for the trip followed by the benefit of a recap after we return.
So welcome to the journey. And here is the link to the Wikipedia article we looked at that day when deciding where to go.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kilimanjaro
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