This will require wine!
There were so many things to organize. Packing was the very last and least of our concerns. Things that had to get done included many long lists. If you know me you know I love a good list and love scratching off items even more. Yes, I am a nerd. Things we had to do included:
Changing phone plans to a minimum fee package in order to retain our phone numbers
Putting car insurance on a fire and theft plan.
Shots! Shots shots shots shots! But less fun than the song. We already had plenty of shots from prior travels including Hep A and Hep B. I got a typhoid booster, Rabies (series of 3), and Japanese Encephalitis (series of 2).
MEDS FOR DAYS – So we both have amazing doctors that made sure we would be covered for whatever we might need – strep throat, travelers diarrhea (because it’s not a real holiday without almost shitting the bed), pain killers, stuff for ear infections, eye infections, malaria pills… the list goes on, and on. We are basically traveling with a small pharmacy. We needed 250 malaria pills each… you get the idea.
We also had complete physicals, eye exams and dental appointments prior to leaving to make sure all of our health stuff was up to date and good to go.
Oh, yes, and we rented out our condo, so we boxed up our home after our last day of work and moved over the weekend and then flew out on the Thursday. Thank you to my parents who love having all our boxes in their basement. We also have amazing friends helping us out. My wonderful friend Justine is looking after our mail (Redirecting was pointless and expensive). Our friend Alex is helping to look after our home and manage anything that comes up.
Andre bought a new pack. I was lent one by a friend, which saved me a good chunk of change – thank you Laurise! I love to take photos and my old G12 was in rough shape from many holidays and beaches so I purchased a new camera.
Then came the packing. How to fit a year into a bag? I’ll let you know when I figure it out. I’m not high maintenance, but one pack isn’t a lot. After several culls I ended up with 2 pairs of jeans, 2 cardigans, 4 summer dresses, 1 skirt, 3 pairs of shorts, 2 workout bottoms, 1 pair of light pants, 1 pair of leggings, 3 light sweaters, 11 tanks/tees, 2 sports bras, 3 regular bras, 10 pairs of undies, 4 sockettes, 1 hoodie, 3 swim bottoms and 4 tops, 1 one-piece (my first ever since I was a child),1 pair of wedges, ballet converse, Birkenstocks (I’m not ready to talk about that yet), 2 pairs of thongs (flip flops), and 2 pairs of compression socks (In my old age my ankles and feet now become unrecognizable as human body parts after flights), and toiletries/meds, a travel towel, sarong, and hammock. Now a hammock may not seem like a necessity for many people, but after a lot of traveling with a hammock junkie, it is now like crack to me. I gots to have it. I also took my laptop, camera gear, and other electronics and cords in my carry on. My checked bag weighed about 35 pounds but I couldn’t cut any more out. I may live to regret that decision…
And finally, figure out how to work my website! This will be a learn as I go thing. I have been preached to about the importance of Instagram and stories, so I will do my best with that too, but at the end of the day, I want this to be fun and not a job. This is for our family and friends and us, and anyone else who happens to follow along for the fun. xx