travelling abroad for the first time in 25 years

[matzoball]

dad was in the army, so i travelled a lot as a child - the last place i lived was Berlin when i was 8 just before the wall came down.

 

boyfriend has persuaded me to go back as he has never been abroad before and loves all the stories my dad and i tell him about when we lived there. there is a big concert on the saturday that we will be there and goes on from 1 in the afternoon til dawn called the e-tropolis festival. i've bought really strong earplugs for that and made sure i know where all the exits and beer halls are!- and it've told him not to leave my side!

 

i have been fine since we made the decision in november to go at the end of june - three weeks from now. but since i paid the flights 2 days ago i have started to get more and more stressed. he's left all the planning to me like he did when we went to london when i was on the plinth. he only wants to turn up at the airport and carry the bags - his words.

 

i am so stressed worrying about everything like making the plane on time and how we are going to travel from the airport to the hotel without getting lost not to mention the fact that we are going to something which usually would have me running for the hills due to the loud music(industrial ebm) and possible huge amounts of people attending. have spoken to him and the mother who always has to get her bit in and i've been told i am being too sensitive. again. it's ruined the whole trip for me and i haven't even gone yet! i haven't travelled so far away in such a long time and i remember how much i hated it when i was little. do any of you have any tips for travelling?

 

 

[Mumble]

Hi, I'm going to watch this tread carefully for tips too. I'm going away on two trips later this year. I've never been abroad except on school trips and I'm terrified of flying. I'm in a bit of a different situation in that I'll have a carer with me, but maybe some of the things I'm doing might help you:

• Visual timetable - I'm making and adding to a timetable showing what will happen each day, transport methods and where we will sleep. I've got images off Google Images of the actual places and that's helping me feel more settled
• A travel file (with timetable in it) - with sections for travel documents, tickets, accommodation, timetables etc. (I like being Monica level organised so this is fun!!)
• Taking a few small 'home' things so there's a little familiarity
• See GP for medication (if needed) to help with short term anxiety issues - it's not a solution but I think it can be very useful in the short term if it gets you through particular hurdles, i.e. getting on the plane.

[matzoball]

Hi, I'm going to watch this tread carefully for tips too. I'm going away on two trips later this year. I've never been abroad except on school trips and I'm terrified of flying. I'm in a bit of a different situation in that I'll have a carer with me, but maybe some of the things I'm doing might help you:

• Visual timetable - I'm making and adding to a timetable showing what will happen each day, transport methods and where we will sleep. I've got images off Google Images of the actual places and that's helping me feel more settled
• A travel file (with timetable in it) - with sections for travel documents, tickets, accommodation, timetables etc. (I like being Monica level organised so this is fun!!)
• Taking a few small 'home' things so there's a little familiarity
• See GP for medication (if needed) to help with short term anxiety issues - it's not a solution but I think it can be very useful in the short term if it gets you through particular hurdles, i.e. getting on the plane.

 

i really like the visual timetable idea! i'll be doing that tonight

 

i think it might be good to talk about beta blockers with my gp as well - never thought about that!

 

i have a wee chococat organiser with all my berlin stuff in it like yours - will be adding the timetable to it as well hehe

 

adam is my home thing - he's like a massive bearded teddy bear hahaha

 

thanks for the great suggestions mumble - if i come up with stuff when i am over there i will take some notes and mail you with them if you haven't gone on your trips! where are you off to if you don't mind me asking?

[Mumble]

i have a wee chococat organiser

I read that as 'chocolate' organiser Now there's an idea, eat chocolate in vast enough quantities not to care about anything else!!

 

[baranigirl]

Why can he not be involved in the planning too? Thats not nice leaving it all to you as it stresses you so much! I do all the planning for us as DP gets too stressed about it, yet he needs it to be planned!

 

When he took DD3 to Ireland to visit his Dad in March I planned everything from booking the ferry to rebooking another ferry 8 hours before they were originally meant to leave as the original ferry got cancelled! Meant they had to leave 8 hours earlier than planned, but as everything else had been meticulously planned they had nothing to worry about except to get in the car and go to a different ferry port.

 

Pack bags a few days before and write a list of things packed so you can tick them off when re packing to come home

 

write a list of the last minute things that need to be packed and tick those off as you put them in your case on the morning

 

print off details of numbers / adresses and contacts for all of the travel arrangements and people you might need to contact in an emergency

 

get currency / travellers cheques ordered a week or so before you go unless you need Euros. they can be collected at a Post Office anytime.

 

Check passports a few weeks before you leave for being in date etc.

 

Fill up car with fuel night before and put bags in car ready to go or leave in the hallway to go in during the morning

 

I didn't write him an agenda for this trip as he was building a garage with his Dad so he was busy all the time, but he was ill a few days into arriving and I am certain that was tied to the stress of the ferry being cancelled and the trip almost not happening

[matzoball]

I read that as 'chocolate' organiser Now there's an idea, eat chocolate in vast enough quantities not to care about anything else!!

 

that's what i call organisation!

[matzoball]

Why can he not be involved in the planning too? Thats not nice leaving it all to you as it stresses you so much! I do all the planning for us as DP gets too stressed about it, yet he needs it to be planned!

 

When he took DD3 to Ireland to visit his Dad in March I planned everything from booking the ferry to rebooking another ferry 8 hours before they were originally meant to leave as the original ferry got cancelled! Meant they had to leave 8 hours earlier than planned, but as everything else had been meticulously planned they had nothing to worry about except to get in the car and go to a different ferry port.

 

Pack bags a few days before and write a list of things packed so you can tick them off when re packing to come home

 

write a list of the last minute things that need to be packed and tick those off as you put them in your case on the morning

 

print off details of numbers / adresses and contacts for all of the travel arrangements and people you might need to contact in an emergency

 

get currency / travellers cheques ordered a week or so before you go unless you need Euros. they can be collected at a Post Office anytime.

 

Check passports a few weeks before you leave for being in date etc.

 

Fill up car with fuel night before and put bags in car ready to go or leave in the hallway to go in during the morning

 

I didn't write him an agenda for this trip as he was building a garage with his Dad so he was busy all the time, but he was ill a few days into arriving and I am certain that was tied to the stress of the ferry being cancelled and the trip almost not happening

 

these are all really really great tips! actually a little worried i didn't think of any of this stuff before! thanks

[matzoball]

That's me all packed, travel planner sorted, scanned all my docs (passport, bank stuff, emergency numbers, boarding passes) and stored them online, gave my itinerary to everyone important, registered for the health card - now I just have to get on the plane on Thursday!

 

Thanks for all your help!

 

Viel Spaß!

[Tally]

Hope you have a great time!

[matzoball]

Hope you have a great time!

 

Thanks Gonna put pics up on tumblr when i get back