The Palit Plan

Those of you who are close to me know that in many ways my family's motto seems to be "the plan is to have no plan." This perpetual gray area, if you will, has become the norm for the four of us and naturally lends itself to a lifestyle in which spontaneity is anything but just that -- rather, it is to be expected. For years I have battled with this last-minute, haphazard planning (if you can call it planning), but I now believe I have reached a point in my life where I recognize the futility in fighting it and have finally embraced it.

That said, I booked my airline tickets to India last night. I will be leaving DTW on Christmas Eve, returning January 9th (staying for 2 weeks), and I couldn't be more excited. The one catch is, however, that I'll be making this trek for the first time in 11 years...alone. My sister is already abroad and in typical Palit fashion, my parents just sprung on me that they will be jetting off to the subcontinent on the 12th. November 12th. That leaves me as the only one of four immediate Palit family members in the U.S. for Thanksgiving and sans the necessary immunizations and an Indian Visa I need with less than 2 months to go. However, if I've learned anything from the aforementioned "Palit Plan," it is to never underestimate. Although I tend to be a black and white, type "A" traveler, my Mom and Dad are true jet-setters and would never put me in a remotely dangerous situation. Believe me, these people wear safety goggles when they change light bulbs. But, that doesn't mean I'm not slightly anxious and intimidated at the thought of getting around Mumbai Airport at 3:30 am, hauling my luggage to the Domestic Terminal for my flight into Calcutta. I mean, this is same person who was thrilled not even a year ago when I rode a public bus in Chicago and almost peed my pants with excitement every time we rode the Metro in NYC this past September. Oy.

In the end, I'm slightly nervous about the long flight times and being by myself but I'm bursting with excitement at the thought of seeing my family again, experiencing Bombay, and perhaps becoming a little more travel savvy. Hmm...I guess this isn't a bad segue into my European Adventure planned for Summer 2005. *wink.