Having a plane ticket sitting in my metaphorical pocket during the bleak time of the year provides valuable daydream insurance. When everything around me is a gray frigid slush, I can console myself with thoughts of lush jungles, sun baked temples, and palm lined beaches knowing that someday soon I will be there. Aside from a few of the more obvious necessities (vaccines, language lessons, visas, etc) I try not to think about my travel plans too much before hand. I will page idly through my travel guide, studying maps and reading blurbs about attractions and local customs. I will spend happy hours obsessively comparing the species range maps in my field guides to current online information about secretive nocturnal creatures knowing full well that the chances of spotting this animal is remote at best. This keeps me entertained enough to leaven my darker moods
It would of course be possible to have the entire itinerary set months in advance, but I find planning that rigorously only causes me to worry when events inevitably deviate from THE PLAN. It is on the whole, much more enjoyable and easier for me to be adaptable to current situations. While following a loose plan. This also allows me the luxury of going about my life more or less as normal with only the occasional stray thought that I will be in Asia in X amount of days , at least until it's nearly time to go.
One unexpected disruption of my original itinerary came in the form of the novel coronavirus. The airline first changed my returning flight to the day after my connection and then decided that I wouldn't mind a two day layover in Shanghai. Fortunately I was able to cancel and re-book with another airline without any penalty. minor alterations to my plans, and only having to explain the impossibility of time travel to a few booking agents. I will now leaving a day earlier, be spending a night in Japan, and will never come within a thousand miles of the Chinese border.
It is genuinely surprising to me how many people act as though I'm going towards my death every time I leave the country. The scope of this has only increased since the recent outbreak. Everyone seems to believe that the second my plane touches down I somehow will abandon all reason and succumb to an irrepressible urge to lick all of the livestock. I cannot seem to successfully communicate that the world beyond our borders isn't one giant crime riddled plague village or that I am a much more cautious and deliberate traveler than I appear. I think part of this misconception is born of watching broadcasters hyperventilate the news. My experience has always been that the world at large is much kinder than people give it credit for. In the case of Cambodia, I read the official advisories from the U.S. State Department, which are usually slightly over cautious. They were mostly about bag- snatching.
I'll be fine.
As far as health issues, My doctor has no concerns as long as I take common sense precautions, don't go scuba diving or participate in any extreme sports. He was even kind enough to -on my request- write a note detailing my respiratory issues and specifying that they are non-contagious. This way I don't have to worry about being quarantined by coughing near a border patrol agent who is a big fan of House M.D. .
As departure time looms ever closer, I have the last remaining practicalities to take care of. My rent and bills are paid, The bank knows I'll be away. Mail delivery has been paused and my pets are all safely housed. I merely need to fold laundry, pack and make sure that all perishable items in my fridge have either been eaten or discarded so that I don't come home a month later to unexpected new pets. I leave for the airport tomorrow.
I've got this!
One unexpected disruption of my original itinerary came in the form of the novel coronavirus. The airline first changed my returning flight to the day after my connection and then decided that I wouldn't mind a two day layover in Shanghai. Fortunately I was able to cancel and re-book with another airline without any penalty. minor alterations to my plans, and only having to explain the impossibility of time travel to a few booking agents. I will now leaving a day earlier, be spending a night in Japan, and will never come within a thousand miles of the Chinese border.
It is genuinely surprising to me how many people act as though I'm going towards my death every time I leave the country. The scope of this has only increased since the recent outbreak. Everyone seems to believe that the second my plane touches down I somehow will abandon all reason and succumb to an irrepressible urge to lick all of the livestock. I cannot seem to successfully communicate that the world beyond our borders isn't one giant crime riddled plague village or that I am a much more cautious and deliberate traveler than I appear. I think part of this misconception is born of watching broadcasters hyperventilate the news. My experience has always been that the world at large is much kinder than people give it credit for. In the case of Cambodia, I read the official advisories from the U.S. State Department, which are usually slightly over cautious. They were mostly about bag- snatching.
I'll be fine.
As far as health issues, My doctor has no concerns as long as I take common sense precautions, don't go scuba diving or participate in any extreme sports. He was even kind enough to -on my request- write a note detailing my respiratory issues and specifying that they are non-contagious. This way I don't have to worry about being quarantined by coughing near a border patrol agent who is a big fan of House M.D. .
As departure time looms ever closer, I have the last remaining practicalities to take care of. My rent and bills are paid, The bank knows I'll be away. Mail delivery has been paused and my pets are all safely housed. I merely need to fold laundry, pack and make sure that all perishable items in my fridge have either been eaten or discarded so that I don't come home a month later to unexpected new pets. I leave for the airport tomorrow.
I've got this!
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