Pre-flight Checklist: The Waiting Game

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Two days until departure. This is the point in the travel planning process where we are overwhelmed with that "what in the hell were we thinking?" feeling. 25 days together as a family, practically joined at the hip, playing Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (and Ships) in countries where we don't speak the language? And with the value of the US dollar being at a historic low?

Despite all that, we can't help being excited. The girls finished the school year today and seem like they are ready for an adventure. Ready or not, here it comes.

While we are generally pretty laid back travelers that shy away from any kind of rigid itinerary or schedule, this trip has required a bit more planning and forethought than usual for us. It now has become a series of scheduled events that provide me with a steady flow of issues that are critically important but over which I have absolutely no control. First up on that list: trusting US Airways - recently profiled in USA Today as having the worst customer satisfaction of all domestic airlines - to get us to Barcelona on time. We have 10.5 hours between our scheduled arrival in Barcelona and the time the cruise departs. That should be plenty of time, right?

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