Preparation

Preparation Carb: Pie

Since all my flights and accommodations were booked, I moved on to what I’m calling the Preparation stage. There is still a lot of itinerary booking to do, such as dinners or tours or ski equipment, but enough is done that I feel good moving on to other travel preparations.

10 vaccines, 11 days, 12 shots. I went for my annual checkup this week and started the conversation about my travel plans. My PCP at One Medical steered me to their travel questionnaire in the app for a nurse to review and recommend vaccines or other medication needed. She also started me off with 4 vaccinations - 2 in each arm. Since Tuesday, I was given a Z-pack prescription, received another 5 vaccines, with 3 more shots scheduled for the upcoming week. Fortunately I’m not afraid of needles and my arms haven’t been too sore. All worth it to have super-immunity for a while - no Flu, Covid, Typhoid, Hep A, Hep B, Rabies, Japanese Encephalitis, Chikungunya, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis, or Polio for me!

I also loaded up on OTC medications when I went to pickup my Z-pack prescription: Advil, Tylenol, Dramamine, Imodium, and Dulcolax, plus Bandaids, Neosporin, alcohol swabs, and insect repellent. 81 days with lots of new cuisines means I need to be prepared for anything!

Paperwork. The world is a crazy place and we never know what’s going to happen (sorta the theme of this trip), so I spent time doing responsible things: buying travel insurance and registering for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) with the State Department. To be honest, I don’t love registering my travel plans with the State Department but, g-d forbid something happens, the US Embassies know I’m there.

Autumn Cleaning. Thanks to some amazing birthday gifts, I’ve had to do some apartment reorganization, forcing me to go through things in advance of the trip. I love a reorganization when I push myself to get rid of stuff I don’t need and make room for new things. I’m not big on tchotchkes but I’m sure I’ll pick up some souvenirs along the way. Plus, going through my clothes is helpful packing preparation for figuring out what I will bring along. It can be hard to let things go but, as Marie Kondo recommends, I take a picture for memories then put it in the giveaway bag.

Speaking of my birthday, I hosted a big 40th birthday party last weekend. To me, the night was magical. 76 of my family and friends gathered together for eating, drinking, and dancing! I also spent Thanksgiving celebrating at the Sagittarius birthdays in our family with turkey and pie. A great send off before my trip.