Exactly one month from now, I'll be overseas travelling to Europe for the first time!
This has been a three-week trip my friend and I have been talking about since last year; and booked flights and a Contiki for since February - so it's been a long wait. I feel I've been talking about it for so long now that it doesn't feel real that it will be happening so soon. But honestly, I'm still very excited.
If you're like me, waiting is the hardest thing to do. So how do you stay sane doing it? Here are the ways I've kept the excitement and my sanity for this trip in the days and weeks of patiently waiting...
Picture perfect.
Look at pretty photos of the locations you're going to. From the dreamy accommodation you've booked to the idyllic locations that you're bound to visit on your overseas adventures, let yourself get visually motivated. And then just plaster the photos everywhere - from your phone background to your computer screen. It becomes a constant reminder of what you're working for.
Don't overbook yourself
Sometimes you don't need to book it all at the same time. For one, that's a lot of money to spend at once. But keep the excitement going by not rushing into booking. And sometimes, the waiting could be worth it - like waiting to book my flights to Europe a little bit longer before the Brexit fall...
Swot up!
Learn about the places you're staying. Blogs are great because they have the inside knowledge about all the local hangs and vibes. And if you're staying somewhere that isn't English-native, maybe take the time to learn some useful phrases. Locals are more impressed at you trying to communicate than not learning the language at all. (This is especially true in France from what I've heard.)
Chat them up.
Talk to others who have travelled or visited the countries you're going to. They potentially know places and tricks you can use to make your trip easier. Also - people are bound to get less annoyed with you talking about your travel plans all the time if you turn to them as a source of wisdom, rather than the receiving end of your upcoming holiday brags.
To do.
Whether that's a list of things to pack, a list of people you're buying gifts for, or a list of things you need to sort before you leave, making lists will keep your mind busy. And hopefully - would make that travel chaos a little less chaotic.
Don't forget your roots.
You may have all this travel planned but don't forget the rest of life going on at home! You may feel like you're about to escape life - but at some point, you're going to return home and resume a sense of normality.
Till that flight - the month-long countdown begin!
