Planning

The Final Hours

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T minus 1 hour.
I’m a last minute packer. I try to pack ahead of time, but no matter what I always seem to be in a rush and throwing things together up until the last second. This was no exception. I hate the feeling I have leading up to the moment I get to the airport and make my way through security. With lists running through my head of what I needed to bring, I always feel unsure I’ve remembered everything. Then I always remind myself, if I have my passport and my credit card, it’s all good, everything will work out, and I just have to let it go because inevitably, I probably will forgot something!

“I’m sorry, your seat cannot be processed at this time, please speak to a customer service representative” The automated machine flashed. Ummmm ok what?!….I had my flight booked months ago, what was this for? What a great start to my trip! I went to talk to someone and got all that sorted out. Besides not getting a seat assigned right away, I was on my way. No big deal.

I didn’t get my seat until right before boarding, but it ended up being prime real estate for me. I scored a window seat right near the back of the plane, but because of the arrangement of seats and the way it narrowed towards the back there was a gap between the seat the the window for the last few rows, which meant extra leg room! Being 6′ isn’t usually the most comfortable on airplanes. After an edible airplane dinner and a movie I was able to doze off a bit… 8.5 hours later I landed in London for a 2.5 hour layover that turned into 4 hours with a delay. By the time I boarded my connecting flight I was exhausted. I passed right out after finding my seat, before we even took off. I must have not been asleep for long because by the time I woke up we were only just taking off. I was so out of it though, I think there was some drool action about to happen and that’s what woke me up. This flight was only 2 short hours and we flew through sunset and into darkness. I didn’t score a window seat on this flight but the kind couple next to me ducked out of the way for me to snap a quick photo.

I arrived in Barcelona to finally meet up with Megan, who didn’t look like her chipper self after getting sick on the journey here. It was 9:30pm in Barcelona by the time we reunited and we were ready to make the trek to our hotel…

2 continents. 3 countries. 6 weeks.
2 friends.

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16 months ago I started thinking about it. 8 months ago I started talking about it. 6 months ago I told people I was going. 3 months ago I booked my flight. 3 days from today we fly to Barcelona to start our trip. It’s really happening! It still hasn’t really sunk in for me yet though and I don’t think it will until I’m on the plane or actually in Spain. I’ve been so busy working that I haven’t even had time to get that excited about it yet. A part of me still doesn’t even believe it’s happening. It’s crazy and awesome! Okay I’m getting excited now…

Why Spain, Portugal, and Morocco?
Well it’s a different story for each of us but somehow our plans collided, and now we’re in this together. For me, the idea started when I wanted to visit my oldest sis, her husband and their five beautiful children. They were living in Portugal at the time so they could learn Portuguese before moving to Angola to be missionaries. I wanted to visit them over there, but unfortunately, the timing wasn’t right and it didn’t work out for me to go while they were still there, but Portugal remained on my travel list. The idea of going to Spain and Morocco as well wasn’t even mine originally…another of my sisters had mentioned how cool it would be to do a trip to those three countries. The thought lingered in the back of my mind and as time passed I thought about it more and more. I started telling people I was thinking about planning a trip over there, and then I started telling people I was going. Sometime after discussing my travel ideas, Megan shared her interest in going to Spain. She didn’t even know I was planning on going to Portugal and Morocco as well at the time, but when she found out, she was totally on board. Once I started telling people I was going, there was no backing out so I bought my ticket! I can’t believe that was over 3 months ago. Time has flown by and now we are leaving in 3 days!

Here’s to another adventure!

kez

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A CUP OF TRAVEL

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“I do believe it’s time for another adventure…”

Whether they fill up our pinterest boards, are written on t-shirts, or even tattooed on bodies (side note: neither Kez or I have tattoos) travel quotes can be found anywhere. But that’s the beauty of them, is that they appeal to a wide variety of people, reminding us of our favourite adventures or getting us excited on the next one.

While I have my fair share of travel quotes I love, the one above is a particular favourite. A gift from my aunt, this quote is screenprinted on a pillow that sits on one of the couches in my living room and serves as a daily reminder of the urge to always see more of the world. It reminds me that time is something we have so much of, yet so little of. That while I’ve been fortunate to explore other countries before, there is so much more to see. That truly, there is no better time then now to take an adventure.

The timing was perfect, I had just completed six years of design school alongside four years of working in the design field. With hardly any slowing down, I was constantly busy, tuned into my computer (these blog posts get to be an exception) getting antsy and ready for a change. My mind had wandered to a few different ideas, from oversea internships to volunteering. While I haven’t completely shut out those ideas for the future, I knew I needed to take a trip that truly meant exploring, enjoying different cultures, and maybe even a siesta or two.

For me, Spain has always intrigued me, a country filled with so much history, passion, and curiosity. Originally I had hoped to do a semester overseas in Spain four years ago at my first university, but plans and life had changed that decision. Now, with more life changes happening, it was time to make my way over there.

Luckily, travel talks with Kezia started to put the plans in motion. Both creative minds, it seemed like a great fit to make this happen. With multiple conversations over cups of tea, we decided to do it.  Here we are, three months after booking our plane tickets and three days until we leave, we’ve added Portugal and Morocco into the mix, dreamed of the sights we want to see, the tapas we want to devour, and the incredible people we are going to meet.

let’s do this.

meg

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