Well, Departure Day is almost here. It feels so unreal. I’m so ready to leave, but at the same time, I’m not. I’ve been having second thoughts, even though I am so excited about this trip. It’s funny, months and months ago, I couldn’t wait to go, and now that it’s finally here, I want to stay home…I guess that’s all just part of the pre-departure anxiety. I also started having anxieties about the flights…I love airplanes but I can be a jittery flier if I haven’t flown in a long time.

I will miss my family, friends, co-workers, choirs, jobs and all the familiar people, animals, places, foods, rituals and objects that define my life. For the next 4 months, I will meet new people, try new things and develop new routines. It will be an amazing experience, I just know it!!!

On Tuesday my mother and I did what I like to call “packing practice.” We got together all the stuff I’m taking and proceeded to do a test run of fitting everything into my nice large suitcase from an L. L. Bean luggage set (it has my initials on it in yellow letters). Unfortunately all of my stuff wouldn’t fit into that one big, as big as it was. We discovered that the bag is deceptively big…it has a large frame, but the interior isn’t very deep. So I found another large bag that I had used on the Spain trip. We attempted to fit my stuff into that bag and the large L.L. Bean one, and it was very tight. So I had 2 large-framed bags filled to the brim, with no breathing space whatsoever. It didn’t look good at all…and it’s not like I had an exorbitant amount stuff either.

My mother and I watched videos on YouTube, trying to figure out the best way to pack a suitcase. We also looked at luggage sets for sale on QVC and HSN. It was a challenge.

My mother was determined to pack all of my stuff into one large bag (the one I took to Spain) and a smaller bag from the L.L. Bean set. Initially I wanted to take only one bag to avoid having to pay those ridiculous baggage fees, but I was just like, what the heck? 2 bags it is…

So yesterday morning she spent a lot of time packing everything, and she did it! It’s a beautiful packing job! Plus I have room left over incase I accumulate stuff in Denmark (which I’m not planning to do excessively). I have the best mother in the world, really! The best family, actually. They have all been so supportive of my trip, helping me out along the way, and for that I am really grateful (and lucky)!!

I am a bit of an airplane geek, and so part of the fun of my trip is the process of getting there! I booked my air reservations way back in April (seems like an eternity ago). I will be flying with SAS Scandinavian Airlines, and I booked my reservations directly through their website.

I’ve never flown with SAS before, so it’ll be very interesting. I’m looking forward to the personal entertainment screens. Apparently there’s an option to view the take-off and landing from the pilot’s perspective on the screen via tiny cameras placed outside of the plane!

I also went with SAS because I wanted as few flights as possible. Fewer flights = less chance of delays, lost baggage, missed connections, etc. SAS is one of 3 airlines that offer direct flights from the US to Copenhagen. Delta and Continental are the other two. I ultimately didn’t choose Delta because although they use roomy 767s on the flight, the fare was expensive (over $2000) and instead of personal screens there are overhead monitors above every other seat. Continental had a good price, but they use the skinny 757 for the route, with no personal screens. The idea of sitting in a 757 for 8 hours wasn’t exactly appealing. Scandinavian also had a good price and their on-board offerings are amazing for the price. An Airbus A330, personal entertainment screens, etc. So I went with them!

So my itinerary is Raleigh-Durham to Washington-Dulles on a United 737-300 (SAS and United are part of the Star Alliance) and then Washington-Dulles > Copenhagen on a SAS A330-300.

For the return journey in December, I will be on another SAS A330-300 to Newark and then on a Continental 737-300 back to RDU. Continental is not part of the Star Alliance, so I guess airlines don’t always connect you with other airlines only from their alliance. Either way, I’m excited!!