Publish Date: Friday, December 5, 2008
Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Coordinates: 26° 07.2′ N 80° 06.55′ W
I’m intrigued by the whole concept of provisioning. Dave is handling all the spare parts, oil and other
items for mechanical and maintenance issues (a very big project). I’m responsible for food, first aid and other household items (i.e.laundry detergent to TP), plus any Christmas treats. We plan to be out of the U.S. for three months. The question is, “Which items do we need to bring with us, and which ones can we get while cruising?”
There is plenty of advice available on the subject. Some say fill up the freezer with meats (not seafood), vegetables, and fruit because the quality of these items in the out islands are poor and the cost high. Others focus on paper products, cleaning supplies, shampoo and medicines because these can be hard to find. Others say make sure to bring comfort foods, as travel can be stressful and it’s nice to have a touch of home.
However, I feel that part of the travel adventure is to try new things and find the local items. But maybe the reality is this is fun for a week’s vacation but gets tiring after a few months. So, I went the safe root and stocked up on the meats, vegetables and fruit. I bought 24 rolls of TP, extra Advil, and 4 boxes of Ayla’s favorite cookies etc. I’ll be interested to see what happens out there. Will we return with the freezer full of items we left with, or will we be glad to have them? I’ll let you know in three months. 🙂
An additional note of thanks to our dear friends, Tim and Veronica. They were kind enough to loan us one of their cars for over a week, while we ran all these errands each day; and then each evening, cooked wonderful meals for us to enjoy together. This week would not have been nearly as smooth or as much fun if it hadn’t been for the two of you. Thanks !