" class="u-show">Preparations for a trip of a lifetime…
Where it all began.
Booking my first solo holiday back in February 2018 was a bit of a surprise to my family and friends let alone myself, but I knew for over a year at that point I had longed to visit Bali. From seeing the Indonesian island all over social media I knew once walking into Sta Travel in Belfast it wasn’t going to be a regret. Travel Agent Abii, made booking Bali so easy all I had to do was select the dates and prepare myself for an adventure of a lifetime, she took everything into her hands, organising flights, accommodation and transfers.
Once the holiday was booked, I told everyone! Not many people believed me because I was always the shy, quiet one in the family, the one that used to have to be peeled from the school gate in the mornings! So booking Bali was a major shock to a lot of people.
Early Preparations.
Preparing for Bali wasn’t too bad, getting the needed injections had to be the worst part of the process, because I really hate needles. I had to get just short of ten injections, three for Rabies, one Hepatitis A injection, one Typhoid injection and two Japanese Encephalitis injections. I didn’t have to get all the injections in one go they were spread over a period of months. From going to the local travel clinic to get the injections, they advised me on the best first aid kit to bring in case of an emergency, hoping never to need it, the nurse ordered it in and the first aid kit was waiting for me when I got my last Japanese Encephalitis injection.
When it came to packing I was advised by Abii to use a rucksack and not a suitcase because I would be travelling about a lot and depending on the accommodation I would have to walk around quite a bit and carrying a rucksack would be easier than hauling about a suitcase in 30-degree heat. From my Duke of Edinburgh days, I still had my valid Cotswold discount card that enabled me to buy an Osprey Transporter 130 Duffel Bag that in turn could be changed into a rucksack by changing the reversible straps. I already had a duffle bag from when I completed my canoeing expedition but I felt it was too small for two weeks of travelling, so I decided to treat myself to a new bag.
Instead of packing all my clothes loosely into the duffel bag, I purchased three packing cubes from Home of Millican, a Cumbrian company based at the foot of Skiddaw Mountain. These packing cubes meant that I could separate my clothes into daily wear, underwear etc. and wash stuff. For the likes of my chargers and headphones etc. I purchased the Home of Millican Utility Pouch which meant that if I needed my phone charger I wasn’t unpacking half my bag to find it.
For hand luggage purposes, I was keeping my main electricals, i.e. camera, lenses, Go Pro and laptop at hand, so I wanted a sturdy backpack that would complement my needs of easy access and protection. I came across an online company called Modernist Look which had a lovely backpack in their Smart Pro Series that also had an in-built charging port which would come in handy when travelling about. I ordered my backpack in a deep red that meant if it got lost I would easily find it again, don’t get me wrong the other three colours, black, blue and light grey where lovely but they weren’t the bright colour that I was looking for. With free shipping the backpack came in three days and it was a fantastic buy, with its easy access off up to 45 degrees opening the main pocket with its smart compartments inside, allowed me to pack everything I needed with ease and more. The Smart Pro backpack has many anti-theft designs which suited my protection factor very nicely, with its hidden zippers and pockets. Overall the little details of this backpack make it a great buy for travelling and I can’t wait to test it out over the next couple of weeks in Bali.
Final Preparations.
It’s now the upcoming few days before flying to Bali on Wednesday, the final few preparations I have on my list is too one pack my bags and double check I have everything that I need, print off my all my passes and vouchers for the trip ahead and collect my Indonesian Rupiah that I had ordered from M&S Bank.
Having already been given a Sta Travel Cashcard that I had previously loaded with money, I’ve always been a big believer of having extra money at hand just in case the cashcard stopped working for instance or got lost. Not having too much cash on me but enough in the case of an emergency. Money collected and put away into my little folder off information that I needed, next on my list was to print off the Itinerary and vouchers that was to be given to my tour guide on the otherside, the vouchers are proof that I am who I am and that I am on the Bali on a Shoestring trip. Everything printed, travel and gadget insurance double and triple checked, passport a thousand times over checked and my travel vaccination record card packed away into my folder was complete.
Before I started to pack my bags, I made sure that my laptop, camera and Go Pro where on charge so that when I reached Bali I wasn’t having to charge everything. Extra batteries and memory cards packed and ready to go also. Now it was time to pack the main bag, here’s hoping that everything I’ve got left out will fit. Three packing cubes at the ready I start filling them with clothes and necessities, the only things I didn’t pack into the cubes where my shorts and jumper (just in case the weather turns) because they would only fill one cube and probably burst it. Everything that was left out all fit perfectly within my duffel bag I had plenty of room left if I wanted to add in anymore stuff. My backpack for the plane was nice and neatly packed with my electricals nicely put away into the main compartment and all my details safely locked in another hidden compartment that could only be accessed if the bag was off my back. Both backs packed and left downstairs ready for the early morning drive to Dublin Airport in the morning.
Since it was only my mum, dad, brother and other half leaving me to the airport, I had to go say my goodbyes to my Nanny and extended family, even though I wasn’t away for long they still needed their goodbye hugs. Goodbyes said and done it was time to rest my head ready for my first Little Adventure in the morning.
