Pre Trip Panic

This post is a little bit of writing therapy for myself. You have been warned.

For me, getting ready for a trip and planning it is half the fun. My everyday self is pretty much in love with charts, plans and lists of all sorts. As you can probably imagine, my travel self is almost obsessed with them. I pour over maps and research places. I plan for efficiency. I plan for the fact that something could go wrong. I plan for leaving time free of a plan. I plan the buget. All of that is thrilling to me! But as I get closer and closer to departure for any trip, I go into a pre-trip panic of sorts.

Deep down inside I know what is left on the to do list and the packing list. I know how many days are left to accomplish those things. I know there are areas of my trip that I am not as familiar with as I could be. I lose my map I bought and can’t stop thinking about it. (Wait, did I take to the ER? Is it in a bag somewhere from that night?!)

For me, it’s like a rollercoaster. I am the type that freaks on in line, but not on the ride. Once on the ride, there is nothing more than I can do. That is when I relax and enjoy it to the fullest. We are 6 days from departure for an international trip. Here I am, standing in line, freaking out. But I can only think about one thing right now.

Excuse me while I dig through all of my tote bags…