More Checklists

What is #CancerRoadTrip and how did it come to be? Read this post to get the backstory! 

 

Ok. I am confident I’ll make a safe landing. (Sort of!). Things to be done:

List House: This should be done this week. I’m waiting on an appraisal; the (minor) repairs should be done in the next several days; I need to buy a warranty that can be transferred to the new owner. I am listing on Zillow, and plan to cooperate with the local realtors. Everything that I don’t give away can go into storage. I hope one of the local wine stores will buy whatever is left of my wine cellar.

 

Princess Chanel: Plans are to send her to her new home next weekend. I want to spend as much time with her this week as I can. She is my only family. I will miss her, but this is a good move for her. She needs friends and more activity than I’m currently providing. And she prefers comfort over adventure.

 

 

Health on the Road: This is going to be challenging but it is an absolute priority. As part of my own anticancer lifestyle, I’m a flexitarian (mostly vegetarian with some fish and occasional chicken) who cares about the source of my food (otherwise, adventuresome and a total foodie). I don’t do fast food.

The routine I’ve set up is geared towards health. I typically have a matcha latte with almond milk (for all the health benefits of matcha) in the morning and try to get some turmeric into my diet daily. I also meditate and do some basic yoga. I think the key will be to set up a health-first schedule, and stick with it!

I also plan to try to stay somewhere with a kitchen. I love to cook and this gives me control over what goes into my body.  (With cancer, you become very aware of such things!). And as a bonus, it will give me a chance to check out the local farmer’s markets.

Oncology Visits: I’ll get blood work done before I leave (please let it be ok because there’s no turning back on #CancerRoadTrip!) and I’ll talk to my oncologist about getting blood tests on the road. If I can’t, oh well. I’m sick of living in 6 month increments anyway! If I feel the tumors growing again, I’ll figure out what to do at that point.

The medical care in Reno/Tahoe is fairly middle of the road. If my cancer transforms, or comes raging back again, I will go to an area with outstanding lymphoma care and transfer my health insurance to that location. Please let me have a bit more time in remission!

I also need to take along some asthma meds.  I order them through the Canadian pharmacy (for about $60 versus over $300 through my health insurance!) and they deliver anywhere. The problem will be one of timing since it can take weeks before it ships, but a post office drop box can solve that. I’ll probably need one for other mail anyway.

Camera: I think I’ve decided on a GoPro to start. I’m not an avid photographer (yet) and I think the reality of the GoPro film experience should work well for #CancerRoadTrip. Did you know that you can mount you GoPro on a drone! Too cool! Now I need to research drones!

Read about my GoPro purchase experience here.

Layered Clothing: Once I leave, I’m officially #HomelessWithCancer, so I need to have a fairly flexible wardrobe. If I go to  Australia/NewZealand after Hawaii, I’ll need winter clothes. How to pack for so many eventualities? Or do I just stay in the same hemisphere for at least 6 months?

Electronics: My MacBook Air is obviously coming with me, as is my phone. I am setting up a cloud based backup for all my data. I’m going to have to look into sim cards when traveling overseas for affordable cell coverage. Do I keep my US plan? Questions abound.

Travel Purse and Computer Bag: While I have tons of handbags (part of my external obesity is I’m a bit of a leather junky), I want something with RFID protection and something sturdy. Also something that can really get knocked around a bit. I think I’ve decided on a Travelon. I’ll also need a small carryon bag where I can put my computer, camera and some basic items. My current luggage is on it’s last legs, and I want to put some serious thought into what I buy. I need as much space and organization as possible.

Vaccinations: This one makes me a bit nervous. I am very hesitant to put anything foreign in my body. Depending on the vaccination requirements and my health, this may or may not be a limiting factor. I can get vaccines done in Hawaii once I figure out my next step.

 

Travel Insurance: A necessity. Stay tuned as I check this out. I’ll share my findings.

 

Legal and Financial: In addition to settling legal matters, I need to  get a privacy policy put together for the site (per the terms one of my affiliate relationships) and set up basic book keeping accounts (ugh!). I also want to coordinate my credit cards to max out my travel benefits. Once I reveled in such details. These days, after chemo et al, my mind doesn’t work in a linear fashion and I find this endlessly tedious.  But when the going gets tough…I’ll figure it out.

 

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