Getting Ready for Our Trip to South Africa and Beyond

The Ups and Downs of Getting Ready for Any Trip

There’s a particular kind of chaos that comes with getting ready for a big trip—the emotional kind. It’s not about packing cubes or which plug adapter works in Botswana. It’s that strange cocktail of excitement, nerves, wonder, and mild panic that brews somewhere between your carry-on and your conscience.

We’ve started that familiar pre-departure dance again. The lists multiply overnight, shoes get weighed in the name of “packing light,” and every drawer suddenly holds something “essential.” Still, underneath all the practical noise, there’s a hum of anticipation that makes even the mundane feel electric.

The Pre-Trip Tingles

It starts with the tiny spark: the tickets are booked, the itinerary is pencilled in, and you wake up thinking about elephants. South Africa. Just saying it out loud feels like an exhale after months of planning. I imagine Cape Town’s Table Mountain against the sky, the pulse of Petoria, and the endless wild hush of Kruger National Park.

Then there’s the childlike thrill—Goosebumps while tracing the route on a map, the realization that you’re about to step into a story you’ve only seen in documentaries. That’s the first emotion: wonder, pure and unfiltered.

Excitement Meets Anxiety (and They Don’t Pack Well Together)

The second emotion arrives uninvited—anxiety, that nosy neighbour of excitement. Have we got our meds properly sorted? Did I check the visa details for Eswatini correctly? And where did I put the outlet converter that worked perfectly in South America?

There’s also the unspoken tension between the person who loves adventure and the one who just wants a good night’s sleep. The older I get, the more those two negotiate. Adventure whispers, “You’ll only live once.” Comfort mutters, “But you’ll regret it if the bed is bad.”

The Sweet Spot: Anticipation

Anticipation might be the most delicious part of travel. It’s when you can still imagine everything going right. Before the delayed flights, the missed connections, the forgotten hat. In this stage, the possibilities stretch endlessly.

I find myself watching travel videos and reading old blog posts, not to gather information but to feel that flutter again—the reminder that the world is big, that my curiosity still outruns my comfort zone. That, at seventy-something, I’m still in motion.

The Sentimental Side of Departure

No one tells you how emotional leaving home gets as you age. Packing isn’t just clothes—it’s little pieces of comfort, bits of your life folded neatly into fabric. The familiar mug you won’t take, the plants you hope will survive, the quiet routine that will pause until you return.

And then there’s the goodbye, even when it’s temporary. Saying goodbye to the predictable. To your best friend who collects your mail. To your own bed, which suddenly looks like the most underrated luxury in the world.

Leaving means trust—that the world will be kind, and that home will still be here when you return.

The Freedom in the Unfinished

Before every trip, I make peace with what’s left undone: unanswered emails, unwritten drafts, the clutter on my nightstand that will undoubtedly greet me on return. There’s something liberating about walking away from your to-do list, boarding a plane, and trading productivity for perspective.

Because that’s the quiet secret of travel: it’s not an escape, it’s a recalibration. A way of checking your own pulse by changing the rhythm.

Packing the Intangibles

So yes, I’ll pack the mosquito spray and the wide-brimmed hat. But I’ll also pack patience, curiosity, and a sense of humour—because those are the things that rescue you when plans fall apart. I’ll carry gratitude, too—the kind that comes from knowing how rare and extraordinary it is to still be able to roam this world with wonder in your bones.

By the time my brother pulls up to the airport, I’ll have cycled through it all: excitement, nerves, gratitude, and that familiar lump in the throat that whispers, “You’re really doing this.”

And I’ll smile, because that’s the best part of travel—when the planning ends and the living begins.

Looking Beyond South Africa

After South Africa, we’ll drift toward Dubai’s glittering edges, then slow down again in Spain. It’s an itinerary that reads like a mood board—desert golds, ocean blues, and old-world stone. But the real journey is internal: moving from anticipation to presence, from planning to simply being.

That’s what I’m most ready for—the shift from “what if” to “here I am.”

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I thought I would use my own GPT Travel Season Scout to compare three destinations by season, weather, crowds, and price.

Then I expanded it to include our six major destinations as well as a summary of highlights. Here is what it came up with after a couple of refinements in my prompts:

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✦ Itinerary Highlights Summary

🟢 Cape Town (October):

• Ideal entry point with springtime scenery.

• Explore coastal drives, vineyards, and Table Mountain.

🟢 Safari (Early November):

• Go for private reserves or major parks with reliable access (e.g., Greater Kruger, Hwange, South Luangwa).

• Focus on wildlife while visibility is still decent, and crowds remain light.

🟢 Victoria Falls (Mid-November):

• Less dramatic water volume, but better viewpoints and access.

• Combine with river activities or cultural excursions.

🟢 Doha Stopover (Late November):

• Refreshing break between Africa and Europe.

• Ideal for 1–2 nights of light sightseeing and relaxation.

🟢 Madrid (Very Late November):

• Cozy urban finale with cool weather and minimal tourist traffic.

• Excellent for museums, historic walks, and food experiences.

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Seasonal Snapshot Table: October–November Itinerary

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