Compact Unplugged

In my last post, I wrote about my recent vacation. Like most Filofax users, I couldn’t have prepared for my trip without the use of my trusty planner.

Since my husband and I got married, we had planned to take a big trip come our fifth anniversary. We didn’t have an official honeymoon—yes, we went away, but we didn’t get on a plane like most newlyweds do, we didn’t go to some place tropical like many do, and we didn’t visit a place a had never been before. We went hiking and apple picking in Upstate New York, just like we do every year. It was beautiful and we had a lovely time, but it wasn’t the same. Having had just paid for a wedding and buying a condo only months before, we felt it was better to celebrate our nuptials with a small trip and save the big one for later. Besides, it gave us something to look forward to.

We knew we wanted to celebrate our fifth anniversary with a trip to the Caribbean, but we didn’t know where specifically. We each briefly looked into places, but we always seem to come back to Turks and Caicos. However, by the time we officially had decided where we wanted to go, it was three weeks before we were due to leave. We always have so much going on every fall, October specifically. We were so busy, right up until the minute we left for the airport. Therefore, there wasn’t much time to plan and prepare every detail of our trip.

Being a big planning person, I’m almost ashamed to admit, I turned everything over to a travel agent. (I am not really ashamed; the person we used was excellent. I’m just making a point here—it’s very unlike me to hand over all planning to a third-party.) I told her where we wanted to go, how much we wanted to spend, and what dates we wanted to travel. It was up to her to give us a few options from which to choose. In the end, the choice was easily made.

My point is this: I didn’t use my Compact all the much for planning our trip. (I know!) I did keep some lists in there:

• Travel agent’s name and contact information 
• Contact information for Club Med Turkoise 
• Contact information for the car service to and from the airport 
• Company and contact information for the credit cards we brought with us 
• List of items to pack in my suitcase 
• List of items to pack in my carry-on 

Other than that, my Compact remained pretty quiet throughout the entire endeavor, though he traveled in my carry-on bag where he served the purpose of showing me our flight information (mainly the flight number) when needed.

It was a lovely vacation for him as well even though he rarely saw the light of day. Upon our arrival, he was promptly put into the room’s safe, along with cash, cell phones, passports, and the like. There he was safe from thieves, humidity, sunburn, sand, and the salty sea water. He did make an appearance every evening so that I could record the day’s activities. It was a quiet time for him, but he didn’t mind, seeing as he needed a rest just as much as we did.

I regret not having taken a few pictures of him basking in the Caribbean sunlight, enjoying a mojito or two. But keeping him locked up prevented any possible unruly behavior he may have learned from big brother Malden. It was unfair of me to punish him for his brother’s mistakes, but sometimes that’s the only way to teach a much-needed lesson. Seeing as he behaved as a good planner should, I promise to allow him more freedom on our next trip.

I believe my compact has forgiven me, however. He is currently working overtime to help me plan, prepare, and organize for Christmas. But that’s another post for a future date…