Gearing Up!

Eddie and I have spent the month leading up to our departure preparing for everything! And here’s how we’ve done it!

Boots’ Checklist:

• Travel Documents

• Travel insurance

• Phone providers

• Global Banking

• Luggage

• Packing List

• Sort out University Enrolment

• Donate everything you won’t be taking!

• Spend as much time with Family and Friends as possible!

Travel Documents, Insurance and Bank Changes

Remember your passport… obviously. 

When it came to choosing travel insurance we did a LOT of research. It was hard to gauge an accurate cost because we didn’t have return flights. 

We were quoted just for the first few countries we were visiting, prices were taxing.

Our best option was to go with our bank's travel insurance plans; cheap, comprehensive and accommodated parts of our itinerary.

Edward had been using a global bank since he first came to Australia and had automatic travel insurance attached with his account, however the bank was UK based and I was not an eligible candidate.

I signed on with one of the many global banks that would give me conditional insurance in exchange for a cute pink card with bows on it.

Now we both had no worries about international transaction fees, travel insurance and easy access to our money.

Phone Providers

Again, a lot of research went into picking a phone provider. For a while we thought eSims were the way to go and my Instagram algorithm was flooded with ads and deals. 

It wasn’t until we spoke to people and read reviews of multiple eSims that we discovered their low success rate and little bang for buck.

We decided the cheapest option would be purchasing in-country data plans and operating off accommodation WIFI. 

Of course we will learn what we prefer in the long run but this seems like the best system for us at the moment.

Luggage

I can already hear Eddie mumbling profanities as I write this. 

I am a sentimental person, everything I own has its own name and story attached, I find it makes mundanity a little more whimsical. So picking out a suitcase was a big decision! This case would be accompanying me around the world, holding all my worldly possessions and carrying our memories.

• Side note: We chose suitcases over backpacks for physical comfort and packing space. We wanted as little luggage as we could so we decided on 1 big suitcase each and 1 carry-on bag which is what most airlines accept anyway.

I may or may not have dragged my Mum and Eddie on a 2 hour suitcase hunt (yes I did try out every single suitcase it needed to feel right!). I will never live that shopping trip down.

 But I found the perfect girl to pack my life into and would like to introduce Delphine to our travel fleet!

Packing List

I love, love, LOVE packing! 

...Eddie hates, hates, HATES packing! 

...We work!

I love packing my life into a neat space. I know everything in my suitcase, what I’ve brought, where it’s placed, it makes my things more special and of course I get quite attached to my belongings this way.

Packing for an unknown adventure with varying seasons, weather conditions, activities and events makes things a little more complicated.

I’ve followed the rule of 4’s and 2’s: 4 of the same ‘every day’ pieces and 2 ‘specific’ pieces.

Inside Delphine:

• 4 Winter Bottoms

• 4 Winter Tops

• 4 Summer Bottoms

• 4 Summer Tops

• 4 pairs of shoes (Runners, Sneakers, Flip Flops & Heels)

• 2 Dresses  

• 2 Warmie Coats

• 2 Jumpers  

• Undergarments

• First Aid Kit (Ibuprofen, Antihistamines, Band-Aids, Electrolytes) 

• Toiletries (Teeth Care, Nail Care, Hygiene products, Hair Care, Makeup)

• 2x Travel Towels

  
  

• All the stuff Eddie couldn't fit in his suitcase

Delphine’s Features:

To give us peace of mind we have purchased air tags for our luggage (mine’s named bug) which will make our journeys a lot easier especially if our luggage is sent to another country. 

We have passport protector sleeves, luggage tags and practically every other pedantic thing I could think of.                          

Inside Barbie (Carry On):

• Passport & Cards (ID, Credit)

• Headphone Case & Charger

• Laptop Case & Charger

• E-reader & Charger

• Phone Charger

• Pen for Immigration Documents

• Hat & Sunglasses

• Change of Clothes (Incase luggage gets lost)

Donate Everything you won’t be taking!

I hosted a ‘shop my closet’ night with my friends where they could take any clothes, bags or jewelry that I hadn’t packed! A super fun cocktail night idea btw!

Without a return date, I knew the things I'd left behind would turn into dust collectors and I would rather my possessions be used and enjoyed. 

So I parted with the majority of my closet, accessories and books as they made their way to new owners.

That’s it! That’s my comprehensive list of pre-adventure necessities that will hopefully ensure a smooth, kind of stress free journey.

My last day in Australia!

I began my last day on the water with Daria (my bff) as she dragged me along to an early morning row. Then we sat down to brunch with my mummy and had one last gossip before running to the donations bin and donating the last of my things. The three of us then packed up my room and made the last minute additions to my suitcase. My brother cooked us our last dinner as a parting gift and we spent the night surrounded by family.

Our flights leaves at 10.30 tomorrow morning, departing to Port Vila, Vanuatu!