The time is near at hand!

There was a time when the waiting period for this trip was measured in years. Over the 12-months I've counted the months. More recently I've been counting the weeks and now I'm counting the days! (15-left, to be precise).

While I have a down moment I want to take some time to share a few simple and (fairly) common sense trave-tips to keep in mind as we approach departure and make our final preparations.

1. It's 8:21pm. Do you know where your passport is? If you haven't seen your passport recently, go take it out of it's save storage place, dust it off, have a laugh at the no-doubt terrible photo, and check the expiration date. So long as your passport is exactly where you thought it was, and it's valid (for at least 6-months beyond our anticipated return date) you can stick it back in it's save place and forget about it for the next couple of weeks. On the day of our departure your passport will your single most important posession. The second most important thing on the day of departure is 
2. Money and a way to get more. I never leave for a trip without a hundred dollars or so in (preferably small-denomination) US currency. Exchanging hard currency generally gets you the worst exchange rate so this money isn't meant to fund your trip but you'll want to have some around in case of an emergency (or a sudden pang of patriotism strikes). ATM's abound in the UK and as long as your plastic has a VISA, MASTERCARD, or AMEX logo on it you shouldn't have a problem withdrawing money abroad. If you don't travel frequently notify your primary bank that you'll be spending money overseas to avoid the posiblilty of an annoying and time consuming "security hold" put on your account by a bank looking our for your best interestes.
3. Make sure you have your essential travel documents. In the age of e-tickes and voucherless confirmations the list of "must have" travel documents is very short. In addion to your passport and moolah, the only things that you must make sure you have before you leave for the airport are perscription drugs, vaccination confirmations (not-relavant for our trip), and proof of onward travel (a copy of your ticket showing that "yes, I'm entering Scotland, but I'm not staying forever, see, here's my ticket." Other good thing to have include proof of travel insurance (or domestic coverage that is valid oversees, and itinerary print outs (D-Lux of ME are you going to email out a final draft before departure?). 
4. After steps 1, 2, and 3 are taken care of, you'll need to make sure you've packed golf equipment (clubs, balls) and appropriate clothes. Don't stress too much about packing. Realize on the way to the airport that you forgot to pack your umbrella? Guess what, they sell umbrella's in Scotland (no sht). Sure you may shell out a bit more money if you pick up a golf umbrella at St Andrews, but on the bright side, you now have a golf umbrella from St Andrews! I've said it before and I'll say it again "pack half as much stuff and bring twice as much money as you think you'll need." Assuming you've taken care of the above things I have only two more suggestions for easing the hassle that is the travel part of traveling. 
5. Hurry up and wait. Go to the airport with more time than you think you'll need. Sitting around waiting at the airport isn't particularly fun but it's a hell of a lot better than trying to run through a crowded airport with all your things in tow praying for a mechanical delay so that you don't miss your flight to Europe. Think they'll hold the plane for you? Unlikely. Take my advice and go an extra half hour earlier than you think is necessary. 
6. My final piece of advice is not unrelated to the last suggestion. It is, quite simply, be patient. Travel is exhausting. It's a series of tests to patience and endurance. It's cramped stuffy seats with recirculated air bad food and noisy babies you can't block out even with top-knotch noise-canceling technology. At the end of all the flights its long customs lines, people bumping into you, speaking languages (or accents) you don't understand, and a whole heaping of chaos. If you feel your patience running thin close your eyes, take a deep breath, think about where we're going and what we are accomplishing, exhale, and relax. 

Watch out Scotland, here we come. 

-DLux of DC