As I write this it is overcast and rainy outside my window.  It is 77 degrees with a cool breeze which is unusual this time of year.  From what I see on the Website for Costa Rica the weather is about the same as here but it rains in the afternoon and evening.  So the weather for my trip will be the same as what I am used to here in Florida.

Continuing with my prep for my first trip out of the country I decided to make a list so I don’t forget anything.  I don’t know about you but my worst nightmare would be flying into the country only to find that you forgot your passport.

Luckily the workshop that I signed up for is sending out emails to help guide us along the way.  So here is where I am at.  The workshop is signed up for.  My flights are booked.  I don’t like to fly so I found a nonstop flight out of Orlando, Florida to Costa Rica and booked it round trip.  I still haven’t heard if you have to check your electronics or if you can carry them on.  It doesn’t matter my tickets will allow 1 checked bag.

Okay now that is workshop booked, passport received and flight booked.  What is the next thing on the list?  Vaccinations!!!  Oh no I don’t like shots either.  After looking at the list I see I have had all the vaccinations except for Hepatitis A and Typhoid.  I noticed that the word recommends was in the sentence.  Since I have a few medical problems which are all well controlled I thought I was home free.

Not so fast it said check with your doctor.  Since I just had a great checkup a few days earlier I figured she would say you don’t need it. Wrong.  But here is the kicker, the Hep A is a 2 part shot six months  apart.  Not good since I only have 4 months before I will be leaving.  So she said you can go with only the first shot just don’t drink the water. Where have I heard that before?  She explained it isn’t that the water is unsafe I just wasn’t used to it.  So better be safe that sorry.

So off I went to the Health Department to get my shots.  They weren’t cheap and since it was for traveling abroad they weren’t covered by my health insurance.  I won’t quote prices because it could be cheaper or more expensive depending on where you live.

After getting the shots I asked the nurse if there would be any reactions.  Boy was she wrong.  Since I had both on the same day I don’t know which one I reacted to.  I won’t describe my reactions lets just say I almost went to the ER.  I don’t want to scare anyone just be aware.  I don’t normally get reactions to any shots so this was a first for me.

As I go through the list I will let you know how I am doing so you can compile a list of your own for when you travel.  Remember this is a first for me so I am doing this by trial and error.

Till next time happy traveling.

Peggy Sue

The next step on my journey into travel and travel writing was to take a short trip. It wasn’t totally on my own. I have to admit I was still a little unsure of myself.

So I took a trip to Melbourne, Florida.  My sister-in-law lives there and I figured she could show me around. They do have some pretty sites that most people don’t even know about.

I packed up my car and from where I live it is about a three hour drive. I take the back roads and it is a very nice drive. However, I didn’t stop to take pictures on the drive there.

While I was there she took me to the College.  They have a beautiful botanical garden on their campus.  It is so peaceful and cool when you walk in.  The students go there to have their lunch or to study.

 A lot of the locals go there for their morning walk.  I’m not talking about for a work out just a leisurely walk among the beautiful foliage.

Another place we went was a park on the water.  The locals go there to photograph the sunset.  The view was spectacular.  They set up their cameras, took out their folding chairs and just waited for the show to begin.  The best shows are the ones provided by nature.

I plan on going back when a rocket is going into space.  She doesn’t live to far from the space center.  There is a little park that is always full when a rocket is being launched.

Stay tuned for my next destination.

It is time to get started and let you know what I have learned so far.  So the first thing I decided to do was get a passport.  After all if you are going to travel abroad you will need a passport at some time.

Actually it is quite easy or so I thought.  So I googled getting a passport and this is what I found out.  You need a certified copy of your birth certificate.  I knew my parents gave me my birth certificate when I got married.  I pulled it out of my family records file and what did I find?  My birth certificate but not a certified copy.

I went on line again and since I knew I was born in Saginaw, Michigan I went to their records site and was able to get a certified copy for I believe it was $10.00 plus express shipping.  Everything going great or so I thought. They sent it UPS and after 2 weeks and no birth certificate.  I called UPS oh we’re sorry it seems to be lost.  I live in Oxford, Florida and they found it in Del Rey Beach just hanging out since the computer system didn’t know what to do with it.

Really!  Well news flash a real person could look at the address and send it to the correct place.  Finally 2 days later a real person delivered it to me on a Saturday.  I guess they didn’t want to make me wait until Monday.

It was so cute my great-granddaughter who was 1 year old brought it to me.  However, I had to pay with a kiss.

Next step was to go and fill out the application.  You can do this at the Post Office but I opted for Dept. of Motor vehicles in the Villages.  They took my picture and also figured out my parents age at the time of my birth.  So helpful since they passed away about 6 years ago.  They charged me $30.00 for the picture and filling out the application. The US Government charged $110.00 for the passport.  They smiled and said it should take about 6 to 8 weeks to get the passport.  Good thing I hadn’t scheduled an out of the country trip.

I actually got it in 4 weeks and since they used priority mail by the US post office they didn’t lose it.  So now you know how to get a passport if you don’t already have one.

Good luck with that.

I have picked out my first trip abroad.  Since I am also a travel writer and photographer,  I decided to look into some trips for travel writers.  I found a travel writers workshop in July of this year.  It will be held in Costa Rica.  Yes, I am taking a big step out of my comfort zone.

I decided on a workshop for a couple of reasons.  I would only be traveling to Costa Rica by myself.  Once there I would be part of a group.  It will be a structured trip with support for my first trip abroad.  It will be a one week trip with side trips scheduled for us.

There will also be classes on writing travel articles.  This is a learning trip.  But traveling in a group for your first trip abroad will not be so scary I hope.

The trip is paid for and my flight is booked.  Now I will go down the list to get ready for my trip.  First on my list is to take a refresher course in Spanish.  I took 3 years in High School.  I hate to think how many years ago that was.  What I am finding out is that I remember a lot more than I thought I would.  Some of that is living and working in Miami, Florida for 50 years.

The next thing on the list is to make sure your passport is current and active.  Since I just received mine it is.  What most people don’t realize like a credit card it isn’t valid unless it is signed.  You can’t sign it when you get there.  Make sure you sign it when you receive it.

I will keep you posted on how I am handling my first trip abroad.

Stay tuned!!

Peggy Sue