In 3 days we leave on our 6-month trip through Asia, Australia and New Zealand. A part of me doesn’t believe this is really happening. We’re taking 6 months off to travel! And almost nothing is really planned and booked yet, because we want to keep our traveling as flexible as possible. Am I really doing this???
Another part of me has already packed, has gone through her (reeeeeally long) shopping list for the trip, has done all the admin work necessary to be able to leave home for 6 months, has got all the recommended vaccinations, has cleaned out the apartment for our subtenants… and is now staring at the huge backpack that she can barely lift off the ground, let alone carry on her back for a few hours…
Although I’ve already travelled quite a bit in different parts of the world, it was never for more than 3 consecutive weeks or so, so the whole thing of travelling for several months and living out of my backpack is new to me. I find it super exciting and can’t wait for it to start, but again, a part of me is wondering what the **** I am doing and why I want to be away from home, friends, family and a very comfortable life in Switzerland for that long. And then I realize that in 4 days I’ll be exploring Kuala Lumpur and in about 10 days I’ll be in Borneo, which until recently was to me just a spot on the map like so many others, sounding like wild jungles but with no other association. Pure excitement just at the thought of what’s coming in the next few weeks!
And lots of questions, some more serious, such as how it will all be, how much I’ll miss home and everyone here, how well you can process your travel memories if you’re travelling for that long… And some less serious but still needing an answer, such as how much sun cream is enough, did I pack my backpack in the best way for weight distribution and for having easy access to my things, do I have enough mosquito repellant with me, how many big spiders will I see on this trip and will I not get a heart attack just at the sight of them ? ???
Oh well, one’s comfort zone can always change and adapt, and speaking from experience, I think that all the exciting things I’ll see will make me forget about sun cream, and the weight of the backpack, and any ugly spiders around. Or almost, anyway 😉
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