Our trip to South Africa is still more than three months away, but I love the anticipation of a trip. It is often the best part. Starting lists is a way of stretching out the excitement.
I normally do travel lists and daily to dos in my regular ringed planner, keeping everything in one place. However, I throw my planner pages away after I have finished them, meaning I lose my memories unless I archive them somehow. Just as my chequebook stubs used to be a lovely ‘journal’ of what I did each month, my planning and reminders for trips serve as more of a scrapbook and journal than an actual journal would.
I am using an A5 notebook which is slim, light and has a strong leather cover with an elastic closure. It will contain:
- lists (see below)
- a page for each day with space for notes on food, weather and appointments
- places to paste in receipts small mementoes such as stickers
The different lists would be
Before the trip
- Presents (I buy these during the year as I find them so I need to remember what and where they are)
- Cat Supplies (we have a live-in cat sitter so we stock up on food and sand beforehand)
- Packing lists
During the trip
- Buy (my favourite South African beauty products, snacks, clothing brands)
- Eat
- Visit
- Do
- Blog
After the trip
- Laundry
- Post
- Gifts to my Swedish family
Because I am so far away from my home country, it is impossible to take weekend trips there (it’s a two-day trip just to get there) or order things online. This means I take great delight in making lists of all the good things I want to eat and buy, and all the loved ones I want to see.
Because I will be working while I am away, I will be taking a ringed planner as normal for bookings and lessons. This will probably be a pocket size with small rings so it will take up less space than the one I use every day.
You will note that, after my summer hair disaster, Potion 9 is top of the list. There is nothing anywhere that matches it and I have never seen it in South Africa. I am determined to not forget it again!
I love a list too. Lists of lists here at GillyTowers!
I am so jealous ! South AFrica is such a wonderful place- I hope you share everything (well almost, lol) – I am excited for you to be able to go and pray your trip is amazing. What are you hoping to do above all, I wonder? AND I have never been, but it seems like maybe you have? Thanks for sharing, I’ll look forward to following along for the trip. 😉
I am South African, so for me it will be firstly visiting my family (who all live there still), and also eating my favourite food, buying my favourite products and visiting my favourite places. I love hearing people who sound like me and using local slang without worrying that people have no clue what I am talking about. But most of all it will be seeing my loved ones, particularly my bonus mom, who is turning 90 next year.
It will also be mid-winter in Sweden but mid-summer in South Africa so I am looking forward to heat, sun, white beaches and lots of swims!
Very cool! I do hope I get there someday…I am infatuated with SOuth Africa.
I hope you do! There is something from Africa that gets so deep into your soul. Perhaps because Africa is the cradle of man.
YES YES, yup! 😉
I also dedicate a notebook for each trip we take and keep it with some memorabilia that I gather while there. I also tend to make lists although mine are just completely jumbled and random. I should also start a list because we will be flying soon to Gran Canaria!… Thank you for the reminder!