Blog post 1 - Day 0
The trip of a lifetime is fast approaching, and for the most part, that is super exciting. On the other hand, its quite scary. I have around a month of work left and it feels like I still have so much left to do before the big day that I set off on this next adventure. This post will go into the details of what I still have left to do. I'll update as I go.
Packing
Let me start this by saying in the last few years I have been very lucky to travel a lot with work. Locations include: Australia, New Zealand, UAE, South Africa, France, Germany along with personal holidays. While I have spent a lot of time out of the country "travelling", this feels like something totally new.
Setting off for 6-months (maybe longer) of continuous travel across various landscapes and climates is something very new. So, what to pack... Well the answer to that is as little as possible. Temperates will range from 30+ to single figures so packing a variety of clothes suitable for all weathers is important, while staying minimal enough to fit into my 40L bag that I'll be carrying on my back place to place.I'll be honest and say this is the least of my worries at the moment, as will all my trips this'll be left to the last minute and hope for the best. I mean they have clothes shops in South America right...
Follow Up: As anticipated I did indeed leave this to the last minute, but more last minute that I would have liked. I have now moved out of my house in Witney, a place I called home for Just under 6 years. Packing up my room, where I have accummliated all of my belongings over that length of time was always a task I did not look forward to. So much so that I only started packing on the morning of my move out day. Sound stressful? Yes, It was! So much so that I had a dream the night before, where my sister arrived to move me out and I hadn't finished, in the dream she was very angry at me, which caused me to wake up from this nightmare, but not too far from the reality of the situation.
Selling
This is probably my biggest concern at the moment. What do I do with all of my stuff. There are a few things to consider here: value, size, sellability, and will I ever need/want it again.
I could make arguments for keeping a lot of my things and for the most part the money that I make from any of it would be unsubstantial, or a long way off what I paid orginally. For these cases it makes sense to keep them right, if they have value when I come back, better to keep than to replace down the line.
My car, that's the headache. I will be selling my car, but when.. trying to figure out a date when I no longer need it, but with enough time to sell it. I hope to not need the money from the sale to fund this trip but the longer it sits the less it worth. Current thinkinig is that I will list my car early, with a sale date agreed for my last week here. If that fails, then I might have to flog it for less money to a quick car buying website.
Update:I attempted to sell very little as, well... a busy life and lack of caring took precident.
I did however manage to sell my Car and Bike for at the price I wanted to. So, overall I would consider this a success.
Passport
My passport will expire while I'm away, or at least within the 6 months cut-off. I have some work trips coming up which I need my passport for.
My work were very generous to pay for my passport, as I was travelling for work in the period where I would be without one. This allowed me to go to London, have the appointment which grants a new passport in a matter of days. Problem solved.
Travel vaccinations
There are two groups of people in life when it comes to admin. There's the responsible type and theres the fast and loose. I increasingly find myself in the later when it comes to personal admin. I like the idea of "winging it" and see how I end up. I've always managed to get myself out of tricky situations.
The concern is Yellow Fever, some countries do not allow you to enter without a valid vaccination card (depending on where you are coming from). Apparently, there is a national shortage of these in the UK at the moment, and christ they cost a lot. I will get it, and others before I go, but the temptation to just wait and get them in Colombia is growing.
Update: Despite my best efforts, my dear friend Tati convinced me to get all the vaccinations I can prior to going to South America. When I say convinced me, what I really mean is that I couldn't bare the thought of her at my funeral, after dying of some horrible mosquito-borne disease, standing there all in black with her last words to me being "I told you so".
PLanning
The question of "where are you going?", "how long are you going to each place for?" are the type of questions I get asked the most. My response often surprises people. I have no idea.
My loose plan can be visualised by thinking of a backwards J. Start in Colombia and follow the Andes down the western side of the continent before reaching Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. From there my plan is to head north, following the eastern side of the Andes for a short while before splitting off to visit Paraguay and Uruguay via Argentina's Captial; Buenos Aires. Heading further north into Brazil, I really have no idea where I will get to in Brazil, but the reality is, that my trip will end here.
Update: I still have no idea where, when or how I am going anywhere. This is how I want it to be and time will only tell if it the right thing. Wish me luck.
Credits:
Created with images by Galyna Andrushko - "Llama" • Pixel-Shot - "Asian man with moving boxes on color background" • siewwy84 - "Modern fashion women clothes hang on stanless steel hangers rack at department store." • hamzeh - "Top View, International Passports, citizenship by Investment, Nationality, Malta, Citizens of Kitts and Nevis, Portugal, Cyprus, Dominica, Montenegro, Saint Lucia, Grenada" • Treecha - "A doctor or scientist in the COVID-19 medical vaccine research and development laboratory holds a syringe with a liquid vaccine to study and analyze antibody samples for the patient. " • LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS - "Selective focus of colorful push pins and strings on world map"