As I begin to research the flights available and hotels that we can stay in, I am turning into a spoiled brat. I am looking for any advice or just a quick slap across the face telling me to grow up and just handle it. I mean I was in the army, I don't need to be a princess, right?
Anyway, if you know me, you know that I have a love/hate relationship with traveling. I love to go and see new places and experience new things, especially new cultures. However, I hate flying and I don't like crowded places. Those are just two things I hate about traveling, my list of anxieties will bore you.
So, I'm planning one of the biggest trips of our lives. We are going to fly halfway around the world to meet our new daughter. This involves so much stress and anxiety, but the reason we are going is so worth it. Still looking for the thing that just zaps you to a new place in seconds that one of my blogging buddies wants to invent:) So here is the princess wanting to take Japan air instead of our local carrier and to stay in 5 star resorts while in the Philippines. Am I crazy? Taking JAL involves: flying to Chicago, staying the night there, catching the plane to Manila. Just reverse for the same trip home. I just love their airplanes and I miss Japan? I don't know what my excuse is, I just want to do it. In our hotel I want 24 hour room service and Internet in my room. Although when we are Palawan it looks like we will be lucky to have electricity 24 hours a day. Everything I read tells me to bring a flashlight.
So, I don't know what I'm looking for here. A slap across the face to bring me back to my middle class reality, a "you go for it girl, you deserve it", an offer to pay for my extravagances. You tell me what you think and what you would do. Any and all advice always taken.
10 comments:
Need more info: Are the boys going with you? Will your cell phones work there? How will you communicate with anyone (including the boys) that stay in the states? How long will you be there? How will you guys eat and how will you feed Shella May if you don't have room service? How would you feel about compromising? Fly cheaper and stay nicer? Or the opposite? Think it through all the way, but remember that you will only do this once. You want it to be a (good) memorable experience. It doesn't sound to me like you are trying to be a princess. It sounds to me like you are trying to make this journey comfortable. And I know that you are a pretty thrifty person so I don't think you would be considering this if the cost was so outrageous that you'd be paying for it for 10 years.
After hearing this first-hand, reading it and knowing you Julie, I say do it. I think getting a hotel with 24hr room service is a good idea. You won't know the schedule your new daughter will need, also you and Ryan ( jet lag). There will be new foods to adjust to--some may be green! I think that if you consider how important of a time this is and how you don't want to worry about the basics. You will see that having nice accomodations at your disposal will allow you all to be relaxed and ready to focus on the event at hand-- a new daughter!
BE COMFORTABLE. You totally deserve it, and will want it. If I could do it over again, I would have gotten in a day earlier than we did and stayed at Intercon the whole time. The room service is VITAL if you don't like crowds. We ordered lots of room service because we were so overwhelmed with the crowds and culture shock. Plus, I think you'll find that the prices are much cheaper there than in the states, which helps the pocketbook.
Still working on the patent for that magic machine :)
Go for nice hotels...I loved the fact we had in room internet and could do room service whenever we wanted. We are thrifty people who travel on a budget but for this trip, we didn't hold back to an extent. No, we didn't stay in the presidential suite but we stayed at a very nice hotel and we spent money on the things we wanted. This is a once in a lifetime trip...don't go broke paying for it but be comfortable as Rachel said...spend money on the extras to make you more comfortable and enjoy the trip. Someone gave me good advice....don't be so worried about all the details that you don't enjoy yourself.
Good questions Amy. The boys are going to stay at home with my dad and step mom. I don't think our cell phones will work and I'm not willing to pay extra for them to work there. We are planning on bringing a laptop (hence the internet access needed) to Skype with the boys. I hate restaurants and crowds and she won't be used to them,so I think room service is the way to go. Thanks for thinking I need to be comfortable and not a princess. I've heard jetlag is horrible,so we have that against us also. Don't worry we'll save some money to come visit you sometime:)
Heather, I have been eating my veggies lately, you would be proud. I like the idea of not worrying about the basics, I think that is where my princess thoughts come from. Thanks for the support and I'm looking forward to you teaching me all that girl stuff.
Rachel, so disappointed that you haven't created the transport machine yet. Your experiences are the reason I want to be a princess. You sounded so sick the entire trip and I am going to be there right with you I think. I don't do well with lack of sleep or changes in my schedule. Philippine Day was too much for me, how am I going to survive?
Tammy, I'm going with your hotel recommendation. I love the idea of room service 24 hours a day and only about $20. I'm so nervous about meeting Shella May and everything else, so I don't want to add any anxieties to my trip. Thanks for taking the trip first and trying things out:)
I don't see selfishness, I see you wanting to make this a special, memorable experience for your little girl. You guys have worked hard saving and waiting for this day. I think you deserve to splurge and make it magical!
I love JAL. Maybe it's the endless supply of matcha... All other things equal, I would go with JAL anyday. As you probably know, we're budget travelers, and I like 'to get my hands dirty.' But, we've also been to the Philippines several times, and I'm pretty comfortable getting around there. So, if your gut says that your comfort level is Princess --princess it up! Anyway, I've been to Puerto Princesa a couple of times and stayed each time for about a week or more at one of those usual Lonely Planet recommended hostels. Electricity was 24h as was the hot water (small water heater but it worked)even at the cheapies. Also, the 1 hr flight there from Manila was painless, the most painful parts really being the Cebu Pacific games :-)
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