Journeys and Destinations… it’s all journey if you’re in the moment

Posted by on December 22, 2013

Tomorrow we are off on our big adventure. It hardly seems real – so much of our attention has been on preparing the house and classroom, managing paperwork, running errands, and fitting in last visits with friends and family. In fact, we have finished so many little jobs, and purged so much from the house, we’re actually quite happy with the state of things here, almost makes us want to stay (haha!)

We have also managed to pack pretty reasonably taking only half of our allowed check-in baggage. That will make our time in transit more manageable not having to truck a ton of luggage around with us. Alicia found an amazing  suitcase that holds a lot of stuff yet keeps everything accessible with some very clever features.

A few weeks ago I asked Carlen how he was thinking about being in Australia for a year and he said something like, “I don’t really think about being there, I just think of going there.” An interesting distinction that focuses on the journey more than the destination. And boy, do we have a journey ahead of us! almost 12 hours from Vancouver to Beijing, then another 12 hours from Beijing to Sydney. I’m rather looking forward to those flights. For each of those days there is nothing to do but “sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight”.

One more day to go and lots to do between now and then!

5 Responses to Journeys and Destinations… it’s all journey if you’re in the moment

  1. cteachrt

    Have a great trip and year of adventures! Good tip on using a travel agent. I found a great one for my trip planning who had lived in AU and NZ, so we were in good hands. Don’t forget you’ll lose a day in transit. Does than mean you won’t have a dec 25th this year? We lost dec 29, 2010, never to be seen again. Happy trails!

  2. milesmac

    Thanks again – we are spending Christmas with some friends and a fun uncle in Vancouver then continuing on the journey. I think December 27 will be the day we lose to vagaries of international time-keeping. Happy holidays!

  3. Saje

    Ooh, thank you for the tip on the luggage. It is now $98 on the site you linked with free shipping. To buy them over again, would you get the same ones?

    • milesmac

      Absolutely – we bought three for the trip over, and use just one for our travels around Australia. They’re great for organizing the three of us in one bag, and they have held up well so far!

      • Saje

        Awesome, thank you! I can’t yet imagine cramming my life in to three bags! I think that we’ll do one per person. I know, I know, we will regret packing so much stuff. I just can’t picture it yet!! (I’m Dave’s wife, he’s been emailing you about our exchange to Mudgee)

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