Time to really start preparing for the trip

One week from yesterday we'll be leaving San Francisco, one week from today we'll be landing in Krakow, and one week from tomorrow we'll be venturing out for our first tourist morning in Poland. I checked the weather forecast for Krakow and Zakopane and it looks like it might be chilly and rainy. No worries. I already wrote down my waterproof jacket and warm woolly under-jacket on my list of things to pack.

Weeks ago, after we made all the arrangements with the travel agent, we sort of put the trip on the back burner for a bit. Now it's time to bring it to the front.

We interviewed a pet-sitter to stay with the cats. She loved Grendel and Grendel loved her back. She tried to love Ellie and she remained calm when Ellie tried to bite her. The cats will be cozy at home and having someone pop in every other day to feed and water them is a lot cheaper than boarding them. She's also been a vet's assistant and volunteers for wildlife rescue, so she knows animals well.

I bought a travel backpack and I've been meaning to do a test pack to see how much fits in it, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

This morning I bought lots of cat food and kitty litter, plus Advantage flea control and a new toy for the cats. I also bought a bunch of small, details-type stuff at Target. I can't decide what to do about shampoo and conditioner. Do I bring full-size bottles of my favorite brand to last me the whole trip? Or do I bring a handful of travel-size bottles and toss and buy new as I go along? I freaked out a little at Target thinking about potentially dingy hotel rooms and sleeping and eating on trains and bought mini-packs of Chlorox wipes, hand sanitizer, and antiseptic wetnaps. I think I tossed some Shout stain-remover cloths in the basket, too. This is all stuff I rarely use at home, let alone travel with. And none of it was on my list except the wetnaps. Rats! I forgot toothpaste. I'll be making at least one more trip to Target once I decide on the shampoo situation, so toothpaste goes on the list for next time.

My next task for the near future is looking up the luggage and checked-baggage restrictions for our airlines. I should probably do that before I test pack.