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The Discombobulation of Long-Distance Holidays
I'm a Terrible Traveler!
Discombobulation (a beautiful, onomatopoeic word!) sums up how I've felt for the past week. When you are out of kilter with your usual routine, and your sleep and digestive patterns are mixed up, coping with everyday life can become a struggle. Little things you usually take for granted become trip hazards.
I'm a detail person. I'm supremely organised whenever undertaking a long journey (in this case, from southern England to South Australia), and I like to think of every little thing I might need. This process typically starts weeks before we set off: I buy new handbags, water bottles and clothes and make sure I have included footwear for every eventuality.
Once we arrive, I can easily spend the first few days worrying that I haven't got everything. And this is when I'm going to a place with access to shops. What would I be like if I went somewhere remote, where it mattered if I didn't have enough clean socks or ran out of shampoo? In short, I would be hopeless. I'm not much of an adventurer! Unlike my son, who only needs a compact rucksack with a few changes of clothes, and doesn't fret if he's forgotten something (he begs or borrows it from the rest of us!)
We have all thrown ourselves wholeheartedly into our first week away. It's only for a…
