A-Z of Travel Preparation- Last Bit

And so as we enter the final weeks of work before retirement and with more than one eye on the start of our travels, we conclude our alphabet of all of those things to remember and to put into place before we go.

U is for the Unknown. We are pretty organised people and consider ourselves to be pretty thorough, but there’s bound to be something we’ve forgotten. Something will crop up: either something we haven’t covered at home, something we haven’t organised for the trip, some little, or maybe big, detail we’ve omitted. It’s almost interesting to see what that something turns out to be.

V is for Visas, and for Vaccinations. As far as visas are concerned in the five countries of our first trip, there appears to be two we don’t need, one we can only get at the border, and two we can obtain on line, in advance. The only doubt is how far ahead we can apply, especially as our entry into Cambodia, for example, is over two months after we leave the UK. Our vaccinations are, we think, up to date, maybe short of a booster or two, but our appointment next week should clarify.

W is for Wills. We’ve actually rewritten our Wills specifically for this trip, just to make sure everything is up to date and all documentation is orderly, including allowing for the fact that travelling like this increases, ever so slightly, well, you know. Having acted as sole executor for Phil’s Dad’s estate last year, we’ve learned a lot about ensuring everything is in order, including telling your executors where everything is!

X  is for X-Ray at the airport. We are happy with security at most airports we have flown from but I (Michaela) must remember to take off my travel watch before I go through the scanner!! It’s something that I regularly forget resulting in alarms ringing and a firm frisk from a rather stern looking security guard while Phil normally passes through unnoticed.

Y is for Yes!!! As in, yeeeeesssss!!! We really are on the threshold of living our dream, and it feels absolutely euphoric. Loving travel as much as we do, the thought of being free to travel the world together is our absolute dream come true. We are now so ready for our adventures to begin. 

Finally Z. Z can only be for Zen. We’re just going to have to hope that anything we’ve forgotten works itself out, that everything else will fall into place simply because we want it to, that we are able to overcome whatever surprises come our way. 

And after all, what would the point of travel be if it wasn’t for surprises?