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Writer's pictureCaitlin Go

Lead Up to the Big Trip: Vaccines, Packing Lists, and an Ever-Growing Spreadsheet

Today, we are exactly one month out from our departing flight. The countdown is on.


Many people have asked us, “what goes into planning a year-long trip?”. For us, it’s one chunky spreadsheet, many evenings spent discussing a million different decisions, and a bunch of appointments.


We have made the decision to take this trip with only 40L carry on backpacks. Ooh boy, was this a biggie. The only true source of disagreement in our planning phase. Neither of us are particularly stylish to begin with, so only having a small amount of clothing is not an issue. In fact, it's not what we're taking from home that was the issue at all. Putting it simply, I am like a dragon; I like to hoard treasures. The idea of going a whole year without buying many souvenirs was a source of great contention. Jerry is very “the memories are the souvenirs, we don’t want clutter, blah-blah-blah”. Have we finished that discussion? Hardly. Check back in in a few months to see if I have caved and started shipping souvenirs back to NZ…


Choosing to travel carry on only is one thing. Choosing to take a backpack is a whole other ball game. Jerry and I were initially on opposing teams.


Backpack:

Pros: Works with any terrain. More likely to squish into dimensions of different airlines.

Cons: You have to wear it. Sweaty back, plus sore shoulders if the bag is too full. I don’t love looking like a turtle. If you have a daypack, you end up wearing it on the front like a fake pregnancy belly.


Roller case:

Pros: Sleek, stylish. Easy to pack neatly into compartments, and therefore easier to live out of when on the road. Hard shell protects the contents better than fabric.

Cons: Inflexible. Doesn’t work well on cobblestones, dirt roads, snow, grass…


We put our preferences to the test when we visited Canada at Christmas last year.


Here’s a photo of Jerry in Niagara. He comfortably walked over the snow plow piles.


By comparison, here’s me, struggling.


Lesson learnt. I rewatch that video whenever I feel myself wavering, and go back to my backpack.


One year’s worth of living in a carry on backpack is quite a feat of packing. Both Jerry and I feel confident as minimalist packers, but this has tested both of us. If you want to hear more about our packing lists, we’ll be doing a pre-trip post about what we are bringing.

Caitlin standing with her full backpack open in front of her. Jerry's backpack is in the foreground, equally full.
Practice packing...again...

For a taster:


Things we are bringing:

  • A lot of black clothes.

  • 10 pairs of underwear. It’s the one thing neither of us can go minimalist on.

  • A new GoPro. This is our most exciting item; expect lots of photos and videos.


Things we are not:

  • A winter coat.

  • A third pair of shoes.

  • Anything super nice or formal. Get used to seeing us looking like backpackers…At least the views will look nice!


We’ve also just had all the appointments we can think of. Jerry’s just visited the dentist, he has new glasses, we’ve both had our hair cut, and shout out to our fav Dr. Yee, who has seen us many times as we plan how to manage our regular medications, as well as travel ones.


The main to-do in this category has been vaccination. Rabies, typhoid, hep a, yellow fever, tetanus booster…The doctor laughed when I pulled out my printed research and asked about Japanese Encephalitis, so maybe I was a wee bit overprepared. We’ll take being a pincushion if it reduces the risk of getting seriously sick on the road.


So, where are we at now? We’ve got a rough itinerary (that’s a lie, it’s quite specific), some flights booked, and a lot of free-cancellation accommodation. Our first stop is Frankfurt, Germany. We’ll then head to Strasbourg, France, where we will join my mum and our wonderful family friends, Sarah and Steve, for a self-made tour of the European Christmas Markets.

Caitlin stands in front of a Christmas Market stall
Dreaming of markets like the ones we visited in 2018

All that stands in between us and the start of our trip is packing up all of our worldly possessions, a 16h 15m flight to New York, and then another 7h 45m flight to Frankfurt immediately after. Easy, right?


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1 Comment


Jessie Go
Jessie Go
Dec 06, 2023

The Great Adventure!🌈

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