My flight to Bangalore (via Paris) is early Monday afternoon. There has been so much last-minute domestic work to get done before I depart, but I think I've finished the list.
These included:
So... what have I forgotten?
These included:
- Setting up automatic bank transfers & bill payments to make up for the fact my paycheck will be deposited and credit card & mortgage payments will all occur while I'm still on a plane somewhere between DC and Bangalore.
- I prepared & submitted our square dance calling billings to DC Lambda Squares and Chesapeake Squares for the month.
- I cleaned up my laptop since it will be travelling with me. I removed anything even vaguely risqué, encrypted anything resembling work or personal files and backed up the lot to the Internet so I can retrieve them again if necessary when I'm in India.
- Ditto for my Android tablet and mobile phone.
- I've chucked a lot of unnecessary papers from my clipboard. My trusty clipboard has been with me since early high school as my primary means of recording notes and managing tasks. I won't need my various square dance notes for this trip, or a lot of other domestic stuff. There's only a few sheets of work-related notes left, and a lot of fresh paper.
- I've cleaned out my wallet, taking only a select few items, including the euros and rupees I collected last week.
- I have submitted tax returns for
kent4str and myself (
cuyahogarvr's returns are vastly simpler and can be submitted by telephone).
- I have photocopied my passport & visa, the two credit cards I'm taking with me and two vital gov't-issued IDs. One copy goes with me in case I lose something, the other stays at home.
- I have cleaned out my toiletries kit, dumping a lot of items I won't need. Some items (like my anti-malarial meds) will travel with me as a carry-on, the rest of the toiletries will be stowed in checked baggage.
- Price tags have been removed from the eight Washington DC gift items I'm taking with me as presents to my Bangalore colleagues. Because of travel regs, I can't gift-wrap them before travelling so I'll have to think quickly once I'm in Bangalore about how to prepare them for presentation.
- I've nearly finished packing my suitcase. I'm taking clothes for about six days; I'm planning to have laundry done while I'm there. Nearly everything is office wear --dress pants, dress shoes, socks, a selection of nice shirts. On a last minute suggestion, I've also stuffed in five ties and two sport coats in case the office is more formal than I suspect. Once I'm done with my razor and beard trimmer Monday morning, my suitcase will be complete.
- I've dumped all of the unnecessary items from various pockets of my backpack into a large bowl sitting on my desk beside me as I type this. My tablet & power supply, camera & tripod, misc cables, earphones, a spare flash memory stick and the electrical adapters to deal with French and Indian electrical systems are packed. And a tonne o' business cards since I'm told it is customary to exchange cards with anyone to whom you are introduced.
- I have checked in for my flight and have printed my boarding pass.
So... what have I forgotten?