Rucksack shopping complete! Hurray!

Following lots of research, trawling through websites and a couple of false starts we ended up in the Kathmandu shop in Brighton. We were all measured up and, after a lot of trying on of loaded and some (very) uncomfortable packs, we are now the proud owners of 4 backpacks! It was a bit of a dash at the last minute to get there before the shop shut, having picked David up from the station and driven around Brighton in evening rush hour to get to the right place and also to then find a place to dump the car. The staff were so helpful and full of useful tips and really positive with the girls. Big thumbs up for them. 

David and I have this one! Its 65litres+10 - the advantage is that all the straps fold inside so that when the bags are at the mercy of airport baggage handlers and equipment there will be less chance of anything getting caught or damaged. Well, that's the theory anyway!  

The girls have a 30 litre pack each which can also use as day bags and carry ons. There was some "discussion" with Rowan about not having the same as her sister, but in the end they both have the same as long as we promise to customise hers!




We have also bought a number of other bits and pieces as recommended by various books, websites and seasoned travellers. Currently loving the One Bag website which preaches the benefits and practicalities of travelling long term with only carry on luggage and trying to plan to pack accordingly.


So far we have....

• 2 double mosquito nets with 2 point fixing
• 8 combination padlocks - inc. 2  cable for securing packs to train seats, cafe tables etc and 2 tsa locks which allow the US authorities to open packs without breaking locks
• 4 travel toothbrushes
• 4 mini hand gel
• 4 packs anti bacterial hand wipes
• 1 shaving oil
• 2 sporks
• 4 DEET insect repellent lotions
• 1 DEET insect repellent roll on
• 1 sewing kit
• 1 hanging wash bag
• 1 money pouch (skin colour as less obvious under clothes)
• 3 packable macs
• 2 inflatable travel pillows
• 1 travel washing line
• microfibre towels - 2 large, 2 medium, 1 small
• microfibre face flannel
• 1 dry bag for keeping valuables/documents dry and sand free!
• 2 waterproof bags for wet/dirty clothes 
• 4 organiser pouches -2 large, 2 medium - for better organisation within backpacks
• 2 1litre flexi water bottles - folds flat when empty and stands stable when full

Will we have room for any clothes? or anything else?!!!

Questions, questions, questions...

If we hear "How many days is it now?" one more time I think we both might explode! Rowan has been asking constantly over the last few days and despite several explanations she still doesn't quite "get it"!  Both girls are full of questions about where we will stay and whether it will be hot and how heavy will the rucksacks be and, and, and, and... I wish we knew !


Yesterday our other little car was towed away to be fixed up so that lovely Laura can use it while we are gone. It has been languishing unloved on the drive for too long and hopefully she can get some use out of it.

This marks another little milestone in our preparations. One less thing to think about, one more thing ticked off a very long list of "jobs to do" before we go.

We have given notice for the girls at school and David's replacement is due to start the handover after Easter.  Nicole is due to meet with her stand in next week.


The next big thing to be ticked off is travel vaccinations. Eeek! Not something any of us are looking forward to at all! We have had to download reems of information from MASTA (at a price - of course!) Currently it is looking like we will need anti malarials and yellow fever jabs but may not need meningitis.  This is starting to get urgent now as we will need time between injections.


Sophie at STA Travel continues to be fantastic and ever patient in our continuing quest to find the cheapest flights and it's looking like our major transits will be BA and Quantas - which will be a tad more civilized at first glance than the 2 rubber bands and crossed fingers which we are expecting from local Air Asia and Dragon Air flights while we are in Indonesia and the Far East. Starting to research flights between Pacific Islands while we are in Fiji but not coming up with much. Will keep searching!

Welcome to our blog!

So here is our blog. We have 2 and a half months to go before we jet off mid June 2011 until December 2011. There is so much to organise and so much to arrange, but I think we are actually going to travel the world, well some of it. Just the four of us, relying on each other and our wits with a backpack. How amazing!

We should start with the background.
The last  months have been tinged with sadness and regret. So many friends, relations and people we know have been touched by sad events. Whether this is an illness, a death or an unexpected event - it has affected us deeply. Much love to those who this concerns. Additionally, as a family, we are reaching some significant milestones - 10 years married, 25 years in the same employment and a 40th birthday - all within the next year.
We have done some deep thinking and come to the conclusion that there is a big wide world out there waiting for us to discover it. Life is not a rehearsal, this is it, grab it and enjoy every minute.