The Intangible Pre-Travel Checklist

There are plenty of lists out there on how to pack for a trip – what to take in terms of clothes, jewelry, shoes, toiletries, etc.  But what about the countless intangible things you have to take care of before you can put your feet up and relax?  Those nagging, pesky little issues that you think you’ve squared away until your plane takes off and you say to yourself, “Wait – do I have enough money in my checking account?”  Well, I’ve made a list of all the little things I have to do before jetting off to my next destination.   It may come in handy for you too!

If you want to relax, take care of these things first!

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Close Encounters of the Octopus Kind

I love octopuses – or is it octopi?  They’re so smart, I can’t bring myself to eat them.  I was snorkeling off the coast of San Pedro in Belize in very shallow water, when I spotted some movement – my first octopus sighting!  Quick as a whistle, it darted into a reef and changed color, turning white to blend in with the coral.

Can you spot the octopus? It’s that white thing in the center, with two little eyes peeking out.

Then, much to my amazement, it latched on to a conch shell and started pulling it over itself, until only two beady eyes remained.

If you look very carefully, you’ll see the eyes.

Mr. Octopus is not pleased. I think by this point he had pulled a second shell onto himself.

We stared at each other for a few minutes in a tense standoff, and then I let the octopus be.  I went back to my kayak – it took me about ten tries to climb over the side and get inside the damn thing!  Especially because the person I was with decided to take pictures instead of help me.

Why don’t you put down the camera and help me?