Does anyone actually get packed and organized days before they are due to leave on a trip? Somehow each time I vow I will plan more efficiently and then I find myself scrambling at the last minute to get everything finished.

I think in the days when travel agents did all the bookings and presented you with a neat itinerary, bundles of tickets, and all you had to do was be where they told you to be at the right time, life was simpler.

This time I booked most of this trip for myself through a number of different internet sites, itinerary chaos....