Final "Plans" for our trip to Greece and Egypt

Travel is a wonder drug like no other. If you aren't feeling alive, pack your bags, leave town, and determine what comes next as you move along.

Well, its been two years since our last international adventure and when Kristine found out that she had a month off in between graduating from Northeastern and starting her job at Deloitte, it was kind of a no-brainer that we had to plan another adventure. I use the word "plan" loosely, as we decided on a destination and purchased our tickets about two weeks ago and with 24 hours until we're on the road to fly out of JFK, all we know is that we're getting to Athens Friday morning (9/14) and leaving from Cairo two weeks later on 9/28. No hotels have been booked, no itinerary has been decided and nothing is set in stone. It's not quite the same as our last trip because we have our return flights booked this time around, but I'll admit that I'm a bit apprehensive re-acclimating to the uncertainty that was so addicting on our last trip. About a week ago, we purchased travel books on Greece and Egypt. I've read the book on Greece, and Kristine will be the expert on all things Egypt. We have also had the good fortune of connecting with several people who have travelled to these destinations in the past and have appreciated their insights on the best things to see to help us cram as many incredible experiences as possible into the next two weeks. At one point, we were hoping to fit a side-trip to Istanbul into the itinerary, but once we purchased the books and started listing places we wanted to see, that idea sounded more and more unrealistic. In the last few days however, news of unrest in Egypt might end up shortening our stay there and giving us a chance to check out Istanbul or some other place after all.

After our experience lugging around a backpack and duffle bag each the last go round (although more often than not, I was the designated carrier of both duffle bags, especially while sprinting to a train station or airport), the goal is to fit our needs for the next two weeks into one backpack apiece. I'm only planning to pack my computer, phone, camera, chargers, 2 pants, 2 shorts, 2 t-shirts, 1 polo, 1 button down and something relatively water-resistant in case of rain. I'll be interested to see what Kristine tries to cram into her backpack. We'll see how that goes when we pack later tonight. Both Kristine and I have commented that it doesn't seem real yet that we're going, but I know that I'm starting to get very excited just by writing this. In preparing for this trip, I was reminded of the above quote by Chris Guillebeau, whose blog (http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/) I found shortly after returning from our last trip in an effort to satisfy my newfound addiction to adventure. He has since been inspirational to me not only on travel, but also on entrepreneurship and living a remarkable (and unconventional life). Hitting the road in t-minus 21 hours!