There is much to be done before taking a trip that might last forever. The lists I am using are extensive.
There are papers to prepare for the dogs that includes vet certificates, shot records, microchip address updates, new tags with an ambiguous descriptive address (This dog lives in the brown hippie van parked nearby) and all of the stuff using the new permanent address.
I sent in our old passports for renewal (so the due dates align) included new photos and a pretty hefty fee for expedited service. That was a stack of papers to be completed! While we are doing photos, we will also get international drivers licenses from AAA.
We also changed all the vehicle titles to the Clarkdale (permanent) mailing address. But of course, we hope to sell all of them except the van. We also got new drivers licenses with those addresses and transferred the custom plate to the van so she will now read “C GEN GO” for her big trip. We also needed to consolidate and simplify our auto insurance for the USA and begin shopping for the insurance for the various countries that we will be visiting.
The required immunizations for international travel are pretty extensive. We made the appointment with the Yavapai County international travel nurse and spent 3 hours learning about many of the things that could kill us or make us extremely ill. Then we were injected with at least 4 different concoctions to “protect” us and handed a batch of pills to take over the next week. Follow up appointments were booked and we made plans to return for more fun in one and four weeks.
But one of the FUN things we are doing in preparation for the trip is shown in these photos. I found a website of flashcards. They have been printed, clipped and taped through out the house. They serve as visual cues for the various common objects that we see each day. And they are fun to discover when we open a cabinet or drawer and see them there!
And since this took a long time to complete, I have decided to leave them up during the showings of the house. So, if you tour a house that has labels taped all over- know that they are doing it as a part of the readiness for the next chapter in their lives!
