Our departure is imminent and I am still not packed as my mind is flitting about what to take. Accomodation is only booked for the first six days of our intended three week trip and so it is somewhat of an unknown entity what to include. I seem to be prioritising the entertainment: podcasts, playlists and programmes for when we are in transit rather than the necessities of clothes, so my backpack is still empty. Travelling light has always been a rule in our family – hand luggage only whether it’s a week away in France or a two week tour of the U.S. East coast so whatever doesn’t fit in, stays behind. It is no different this time so it shouldn’t be too difficult to pack.
As I contemplate which items of clothing to take, I find my thoughts wandering back to when we last took time off work to go travelling. Just over twenty years ago (April 1999), we packed up our car and left the hustle and bustle of everyday home/work life to travel around Europe. My husband had taken a six month sabbatical from work and I was on maternity leave.
In our reliable family-sized vehicle, we set off with our two daughters (aged 4 and 2) and our recently born son (just three weeks old). Despite trying all the recommended remedies to encourage an early birth, the baby was overdue and had to be induced, so our planned departure back then was not without an element of uncertainty!
It was an exciting European adventure, which involved a combination of planned destinations as well as spontaneous and impromptu travelling to unknown parts. We covered various countries, including France, Spain, Portugal, Germany and the Czech Republic. There were some nights when we were safely tucked up in a comfortable hotel bed and knew what we were going to be doing the following day and other days when we didn’t know where we were going to sleep or what the next 24 hours had in store for us.
All in all, those six months are etched in our family memories (although I know child 4 will be reading this and feeling left out as she wasn’t born at the time!) and despite people thinking that we were mad travelling with a young child, a toddler and a newborn, it was an amazing experience not to be missed and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is in a position to consider taking time out from their day to day life.
And so now twenty years on, we are off again. In theory, packing should be easier this time; with no young children in tow, my husband and I only need to think of ourselves. Really I need to stop scrolling through the plethora of podcasts and abundance of books to download and instead I need to actually fill my backpack so that I have something to wear on my travels. I know that once we have set off and I remember something I have forgotten, I’ll feel a momentary annoyance, but this will soon pass because as long as I have my passport, I’ll be fine.
Let Luce! 