Before the trip

You’d think I was traveling to a far-off land without convenience stores.  When I pack for a trip I try to take everything my family could possibly need.  When the kids were 3 & 7 we spent a winter in Germany where ordinary over-the-counter medications were by prescription only.  I think it warped me forever.  So now I always take along a couple of Ibuprofen, a couple of Benadryl, a couple of chewable Pepto Bismols…  At least I don’t carry the whole bottle of each like I did for Germany. 

Another packing issue I hope I’ve conquered is forgetting things because I’m rushing around at the last minute.  Other people often report having nightmares about finding themselves naked in public, or trying to take a final in a class you never got around to attending, or walking across a floor that’s more like quicksand… My nightmare that pops up to haunt me is that I’m late for the plane and haven’t started packing yet.  So to forestall that nightmare, I pull out everything I’m taking 2 days before we leave, and put a sticky note on the suitcase as to what’s still to be packed (like my toothbrush). 

And here’s the packing tip of the day.  Take along “disposable” reading material like magazines and paperback books you can pass along to others once you’ve read them.  That frees up suitcase space for new books and souvenirs.

Hello world!

Welcome to my first attempt at blogging…. I am a travel and children’s writer living in Georgia.  I chose the name “The Go Gene” (without spaces unfortunately because of the hosting site’s requirements) because my Mom used to say she and I had the “go” gene.  Neither of us was happy to sit at home for too long. 

 So, Mom, this site’s named in memory of you and of the way you made long car trips interesting, the way you taught us to travel on a shoestring, and the way you took every opportunity to see the world.