A friend emailed to say Footy, you've been running riot on Exploreoz ! Sadly that's true. When you're stuck at
home most days it's tempting to become a virtual identity.
But I was suddenly struck by the realization that I only have around 8 weeks before I'm off again. Now that's a long time, right ? Wrong.
This year I'm having a new clutch, radiator etc before venturing off into the great unknown. The satphone has to be connected, mods to the mapping setup etc etc etc
Will I have enough spares and water ? What about food ? (things are different for the solo traveller..too tired to
cook after driving 10 hours and setting up
camp). And where does it all go ? Packing and repacking etc.
What are my emergency plans? All up to date ? What if it rains, can I sleep in the car in a pinch, or have I packed too much.
What about the route, do I have the latest info on the weather? Have I rung and asked if there's any doubt about road conditions? Will I have to monitor web sites at the last minute ?
Now most people will have a bit of a hand from SWMBO (lets be honest, they do most of the important stuff like making sure that you take pillows...I spent one trip with my jacket as a pillow..never again)
But the solo traveller doesn't get a helping hand. My wife is busy working, and cant get time to come along. For example, I asked her to think about what sort of food shortcuts she knew about (I have a strange stomach and food tastes)
"Why don't you just take that canned rubbish that you usually eat !" argggh !!!
No wonder when we finally get on the road (thats around 2-3am for me, first days a long one) that we feel excited. Or is it just that we can finally relax from all the preparation.
Wait a minute. I didn't used to prepare and worry this much when I had the whole family along ?
The penny drops. They used to do most of the non vehicle preparation, the cooking, navigation etc. There were times back then when I wished that I was travelling on my own.
Be careful of what you wish for ...........