Column: Preparing with the F Word

My pre-journey jitters are growing by day, but my progress with packing seems never-ending. I have six days before I head to the Bahamas and eight days before I depart and excitedly wish everyone “Bon Voyage, here we go.”

How does one prepare for a 105-day trip to not one, but 11 different countries? Sandy, a good friend of mine, always told me that preparing for any trip requires much use of the F word — flexibility.

I’ve had to pack lightly for everything from beautiful beaches in Singapore to the muggy climate of the Amazon to a night sleeping on China’s Great Wall.

Not only have I been forced to become incredibly flexible, but so has everyone helping me prepare.

The pharmacy knows me as the Ashley girl who spells her name with an “E” and needs a five-month supply of pretty much everything over-the-counter and not over-the-counter.

My parents have enjoyed Googling which international cell phone plan will be most advantageous in, again, not one, but 11 foreign countries. The stack of Amazon.com order boxes, filled with everything from overnight bags to textbooks, has grown at an impressive rate.

Although the preparations have made me anxious about how much there is to be done — the independent travel trips, the just-in-case list of medical supplies, the perfect outfits for a night out in Hong Kong — I have come to find that flexibility really is the secret. Preparing for travel may take time and homework, but some things are best done spontaneously.

Talking to past Semester at Sea students, I have been told students’ most memorable experiences were traveling through cities, soaking in culture and speaking with locals.

Of course, all plans must be taken with caution, but I have come to believe that the best traveler has enough spontaneity so that a perfectly-planned outfit, travel group and extra, just-in-case pack of accessories don’t get in the way of the actual
experience.

As I am signing up for trips at the first few ports, including an Amazon overnight and a rhythm music workshop in Brazil, I have left at least one full day in each port for a lot of F-ing around (flexibility, of course).

With love, from home in Denver, Colo., and only eight days before I set sail.

— espitzer@indiana.edu