MKNonline Blog

Another year, another adventure. To continue to live up to the series name, I’ve worked nine months straight with only one half day and a few holidays off. So I’m due for a trip to the other side of the world, no matter how ill-timed.

As a creature of habit, there are a few things I always do to get ready for any trip, long or short, far away or close by.

1) I get a new book. I can’t travel without a new book to read, whether I end up reading it or not. It just doesn’t feel like a trip without one. Long car rides or plane rides or waiting for long car rides or plane rides are ideal situations to whip out a paperback and keep myself occupied. Also great for when I feel anti-social, which is almost always. Also great for dining by yourself without looking like a total fool. One thing I like to do is whenever I travel abroad, I try to get at least one book on the region/country/culture I’m visiting. This time, it’s In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson and Vagabonding by Rolf Potts. Clearly, I’m still working through my travel bug this year…

2) Pack the night before/morning of. To pack any sooner only means that the anguish I feel at realizing I forgot my toothbrush is that much more agonizing. And no, I’m still going to forget it…

3) I don’t sleep. This isn’t typically by choice. For someone who lives such a boring life, work and personal deadlines always find their way to the days leading up to a trip. This also explains #2.

4) Tell everyone. Because I truly believe they care, even if they tell me differently. Why do you think I have this blog?

5) Get a Moleskine. This is one of those irrational purchases because I fall for the marketing that I’ll look hipster and feel like Hemingway if I have one. But for an overpriced stack of paper, they do make me feel pretty hipster and like Hemingway. And they travel amazingly well and are great for sketching, notes, doodling, and capturing random memories, lists, and experiences. It’s not like I can whip out my laptop everywhere.