Packing Fails and Checklist Protocols

I'm not even to yet Italy, and I already know I've forgotten numerous things (some more essential than others). Total rookie move on my part, and it annoys me. 

When people do highly stressful tasks where operational failure isn't an option, they follow routine checklist every.single.time. Think of pilots. Even if they've flown tens of thousands of hours, they always go through several checklists before take-off. During an emergency, they follow a checklist. No matter how experienced you are at something, you'll never be perfect 100% of the time. 

When it comes to packing, I've created my own form of the checklist. First, I have doubles of many things so that certain essentials never leave my suitcase. Think glasses, makeup, chargers, and world plugs. Other items, such as medicine, running shoes or my computer that I can't have duplicates of fall under the checklist protocol. So I put little reminders in place so that I can't forget them: laptop case next to my backpack, empty medicine bottle on top of my bag, empty shoe bag in my suitcase, etc. Keeping all these things consistent helps me avoid forgetting anything.  The same goes at a hotel; you put everything in the exact same place, every single time, so you minimize the risk of leaving something behind.

I also take time and only focus on packing. And that's where things went wrong today. I'd run out of time and found myself multitasking. I took a conference call, tried to put away laundry, clean the apartment and pack all at the same time. Instead of focusing on packing and doing that well, I probably did none of the above well.  

What annoys me the most is that the things I forgot, I reminded myself to grab them moments before walking out the door. I just happened to make the mental note in the middle of the call instead of going to do it right away or writing it down. 

Oh yeah, and I just realized I never watered my plants! Ugh. At least I took the trash out..... 

Vacation Envy

This post might sound absolutely ridiculous because I travel basically non-stop. What people don't know is that I rarely get to be a tourist. I spend most of my time in parking lots and hotels. I don't spend time visiting museums, eating at restaurants or seeing iconic landmarks. A race counts as a cultural experience if I manage to make it to a supermarket. So yes, I've visited all the continents except Antarctica, Yet, I rarely get a taste of the local culture. Instead, I judge these experiences based on hotel buffet, access to coffee and race transfers. 

I'm home this weekend and loving it. Please realize that the weather still leaves much to be desired but that's Belgium. 

On my Instagram feed, I'm seeing loads of photos of friends taking weekend trips skiing, to the beach or a jaunt to a city for a foodie trip. And I'm jealous. Typically, I go on one good 10-day vacation and a few weekend trips a year, but last year proved challenging, particularly due to the foot surgery, and basically none of that happened. 

Now this year, the Roommate and I are passing ships in a storm (the closest I'll get to seeing him is potentially on TV during Strade today) and I get a bit lonely and jealous. I want to go for a long weekend somewhere and having a good dining companion. So instead of complaining or wallowing, I'm going to pull out the calendar and figure out ways to maximize. It probably won't happen until late May and after the Tour of California, but a great little vacation is in my future. Maybe a convertible rental car and somewhere along CA Route 1? A wine tasting adventure? A jaunt to Cabo to go fishing?? Ahhhh, the options!!!