Travel Plans for 2007

I've been kicking around a few travel ideas for a while, including my often-thought-of REI Adventure trip to Europe or China, a ski trip, and visiting my parents more often.

I don't seen my parents much - usually just twice a year. My aunt and my grandmother live in the same area so in one fell swoop I can see everyone. That is convenient! So this year I am thinking of a few visits: one over Mother's Day weekend, and another weekend after Labor Day. It just so happens there is a triathlon in Grand Prairie, TX on Sept. 9th, so if I do that race I will take a few days before and after as well. And of course, figure out the whole bike shipping process.

As for the ski trip, my friends Bev and Ben are looking into Lake Tahoe in the middle of March. We would meet up with former coworker Dave, from way back in the Compaq days, and his family. One thing I do miss about Washington is the option of going to the snow for a day, but on the other hand it has been nearly two years and I see that I'm not missing it that much.

Finally, the mythical Europe trip. I have a friend getting married in Portugal on June 9th... and one of the REI trips (Prague to Budapest) is June 12 through June 20. The timing is good - I could arrive in Portugal a few days early, tour around a bit, attend the wedding, and make my way to Prague for the REI trip. The travel logistics will take extra work to iron out (round trip to Portugal and treat the REI trip as a side round trip), but it shouldn't be too bad.

My passport expires in June so the first step is to start the renewal process by the end of this week!