“It’s only 7 more days until we leave for Dublin!” said a very excited Hamish this morning, “OMGW Mum!” (Oh My Gosh Wow…apparently). However, he’s right – next Friday night we fly from Melbourne and start our 7 week trip. Hamish and I are heading to Dublin, but Rod is on official school business and will spend a few days in Heidenheim, Germany, before meeting us in Ireland. We will part ways in Dubai.

This trip has been in the planning stage all year. We’ve booked and paid for bits and pieces each month – so at this stage, there’s not much else to do! I’ve purchased many of our winter strength clothing online from a store in the UK (Cotswold Outdoors), which amazingly, has been a very affordable option for quality brands at highly discounted prices. Boots, jackets, pants, thermals – you name it, I’ve probably bought it from CO!

Not surprisingly (if you know me well), I’ve basically been packing mine and Hamish’s bag all year. This time, he and I are sharing a mid-sized suitcase – I am only taking two pairs of shoes! Gasp! Last trip an entire post was devoted to the shoe debate…live and learn. Hamish suggested I pack his Christmas stocking, “Otherwise how will he (Santa) find me?” We are also sharing a carry on sized suitcase for the last week of our trip which will be in Singapore and Malaysia.

Rod typically, is not packed. I forced him to do a practice pack a few weeks ago to ensure he had enough clothing and that his bag was going to be under the weight limit. It is. You wouldn’t want to get to the day before to find these things out! (He’s always grateful of my suggestions). Each of our suitcases weigh a massive 13 kg – not bad for 3 people travelling for 7 weeks!

Jess: Just a quick note about Jess: she’s not coming on this trip. She’ll have the important job of airport drop-off/pick-up, babysitting my car, continuing her relentless job hunting and finding new digs for 2020. She recently graduated from Deakin Uni with a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Teaching, following the family trade into secondary education.