Opening my passport, lifting it to my face so I can take in the distinctive smell of pilgrimage, is one of the first rights of travel for me. I rifle through its pages, remembering past adventures, deciphering the smudged stamps of Lebanon, Turkey, Morocco, Switzerland and Portugal. Yesterday, over the phone, I heard myself say that travel is a gift. And it is. There are things that come to my life in no other way and I am always particularly thankful — and especially today, the day before our epic flight, that I am well enough, wealthy enough, free enough and open enough to experience God’s grace through language and culture and food and land and people, that are not in my immediate neighbourhood.
People ask a lot of questions about preparation for a month’s journey overseas so I thought I would mention just a few key things we do in readiness.
For clothing, I take 4 outfits that coordinate well. Whether it’s 33 days or 7, I take the same amount. We handwash our underclothes and wear everything else over and over and over again. One pair of shoes do and this time it’s a summer pair of canvas Keen slip-ons — quick dry, sporty, comfy.
I love the zipped net cubes for packing and usually take 1 large and 2 small — the large holds my bulkier clothes, the 2 smaller ones I use for underclothes, toiletries and the necessary Canadian chocolates I distribute among our new European friends. My pack weighs 14 lb and I carry an REI day bag that crunches into a fist-sized ball and will transfer my plane activities (knitting, sketching, painting, Kindle reading, audiobooks and iPhone music) into it once we clear security. I carry a small black case that contains all our travel documents so they are at easy, hands-free access through security, plane/train boarding, and upon our arrival at the hotel.
Because travel by plane can be dehydrating I don’t drink any alcohol or caffeinated drinks before or during the flight. I buy a disposable water bottle to refill for a few days at a time then buy a new one and refill, because I find it difficult to get the more permanent ones clean enough and I have been known to unintentionally scatter bought ones about, only to remember them halfway between cities.
Gord does an amazing amount of research in the months preceding our trip. He uses Rick Steves Guidebooks for accommodation and transportation suggestions as well as The Man in Seat 61 for train info. These guidebooks allow us to travel independently, and take in city tours occasionally, and we like that freedom. We look for eateries that don’t offer English menus — a good indication that they’re frequented by locals. Better local food, greater opportunity for local interaction and a chance to try out my conversation skills. I use a phrase book when it’s available and when it isn’t I muddle my way through with careful gestures, warmth and kindness. If I come home without the memory of a spontaneous kiss from one lovely soul, the trip has been a waste. I have yet to be disappointed.
Eating well before the trip is another important means of preparation as is getting enough rest and taking the last days leading up to that long flight slow and easy. The 10 hour to fly from Vancouver to Amsterdam — our route this time around — isn’t a walk in the park. During the flight, I try to sit for 2 hours max, then stand or walk a bit, stretching my legs and neck. I take extra vitamins and eat healthy snacks to give my immune system a boost so I can weather the jet lag, time change and stresses of travel. As we get close, I freshen up (a high-yield practice!) as we prepare to navigate our way through the airport to our hotel by public transit.
Our goal in preparation is to mitigate the downside of travel so as to maximize our time away.
May you be encouraged to pack a simple bag, book your flights and leap into the adventure of a lifetime! Until then, we welcome you along.
“I thank you for this, my God; I am a traveler and stranger in the world, like so many of your people before me.” St Columba
