The Repatriation Countdown Checklist

On By StevenIn International Travel - Europe

I’m less than thirty weeks from the end of my stay here, less than 200 days from moving back to the United States.  I’ve watched many of my fellow expatriate bloggers go through the process of leaving, and every time one of us approaches the end, there’s a sort of checklist that we go through.  Been to Oktoberfest?  Check.  Taken the usual picture of Neuschwanstein?  Check.  Had a beer on the Zugspitze?  Seen Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate?  Visited Prague?  Check, check, check.

I’m no different.  There’s a slew of things that I feel compelled to finish before I go.  I still have a few Category One stations left to visit.   I have a bunch of cities and countries that I want to see before I leave.    Moving back to the US won’t stop me from visiting and traveling around Europe, but it will slow it down a great deal.

Even so, the Countdown Checklist mode has set in for me too.   I just got back from Hamburg, and between now and my departure in October,  I’m going to take trips to Dresden, Leipzig, Heidelberg (#hbergmeetup!), Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Berlin again, and Furth im Wald to see a giant robot dragon!

I’m also doing some extreme padding of my “countries I’ve visited” resume before I go.  Here’s the places I’ve got solid plans to visit:

  • Brussels, Belgium
  • Bruges, Belgium
  • Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
  • Keukenhof for the Tulip Festival, just outside of Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Helsinki, Finland
  • Stockholm, Sweden
  • Oslo, Norway
  • Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Krakow, Poland and Auschwitz
  • Budapest, Hungary
  • Vienna, Austria (again)
  • Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Vaduz, Liechtenstein

…and that’s all before mid-summer!

For those of you who have moved back home, did you have a Repatriation Countdown Checklist?  Tell me about it in comments.

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13 thoughts on “The Repatriation Countdown Checklist”

  1. bunny42

    Ooo ooo ooo!! Heidelberg! Don’t forget to take a picture for me of the Gate to the Old Bridge. I was born in Heidelberg and have several views of the gate in different media. I’d love to have one of your excellent photographs to add to my collection. Thank you, kind sir.

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    1. I’d be happy to do a pic of that. Can you link me to a picture of what you’re referring to? (and thank you for the compliment about my picture snappin’ skillz.)

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  2. Let me know when you pass through Berlin 🙂

    As I’m not under any particular time constraint, my hit list for Europe is pretty passive. I do have one very odd hit list that I will complete on April 14th. But I’ll blog about that, then. 🙂

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    1. I look forward to your April 14th blog post- you have piqued my curiosity.

      I’ll be in Berlin on May 17th, briefly, and then again sometime in July. On May 17th, I’m primarily there to hit three Category One stations and to see this band: http://youtu.be/l9udowK_x5U

      You should come!

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  4. Yay #hbergmeetup!

    Giant robot dragon? Why have I never heard of this thing?!

    I loved Stockholm. Vaduz isn’t too exciting though – I suppose it’s one of those places you go to just so you can say you have. Also, beware… Liechtenstein is expensive!!

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    1. The more I read about Vaduz, the more I realize that it’s not worth going there unless you’re already in the vicinity. Most of the city is, apparently, restaurants, hotels, and tourist shops. Maybe I can just swing by there next time I have to go to Zurich for work.

      …and yeah, giant robot dragon! http://drachenstich.de/

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  7. Brian

    I visited Rothenburg ob der Tauber last summer and it was totally awesome. There is a ton to see there in my opinion. You can take a Nightwatchman’s Tour, see the Plönlein, the criminal museum and a bunch more. Have fun on your trips.

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