Getting closer...
Every day things get more real - we've just passed the "two months to go" mark, and are starting to think about really boring practical things - like how much can you fit in a rucksack, where to get travel insurance (we tried lots of different places, but the cheapest by miles was Insure and Go who offered a really good deal with the insurance for the girls included for free - so 12 months worldwide insurance, with luggage cover, has cost us just under £500. Lots and lots of other insurance didn't believe that backpackers could be over 35, or charged quite a bit for the girls, or offered pretty poor cover.
We've also just picked up our Australian visa's - because we are going to stay there for longer than 3 months we couldn't get the ETA (a kind of electronic visa) sorted, so had to get them the old-fashioned way (it involved a queue at Australia House before opening hours, to be at the front of the queue) - it brings back memories of our last round the world trip, when we queued up for visa's to Jordan (small embassy in Holland Park, for a very expensive pretty stamp), India (long, long queue, with quite a bit of chaos and lots of administration - very similar to India itself) and Australia (same process, same brightly coloured sticker in the passport).
Facing the man at the window, behind thick 'bank counter' glass made me a bit nervous. It was a bit like walking through customs - although you know you've done nothing wrong, the walk makes you feel as if you have. Well, the visa window was the same - although I knew there would be no problem, I still felt nervous knowing that the assistant could NOT issue a visa - and bang would go the roaming-campervan experience! But of course, nothing of the sort happened, we got lovely visas issued quickly, and we're one step closer to travel.
We've also just picked up our Australian visa's - because we are going to stay there for longer than 3 months we couldn't get the ETA (a kind of electronic visa) sorted, so had to get them the old-fashioned way (it involved a queue at Australia House before opening hours, to be at the front of the queue) - it brings back memories of our last round the world trip, when we queued up for visa's to Jordan (small embassy in Holland Park, for a very expensive pretty stamp), India (long, long queue, with quite a bit of chaos and lots of administration - very similar to India itself) and Australia (same process, same brightly coloured sticker in the passport).
Facing the man at the window, behind thick 'bank counter' glass made me a bit nervous. It was a bit like walking through customs - although you know you've done nothing wrong, the walk makes you feel as if you have. Well, the visa window was the same - although I knew there would be no problem, I still felt nervous knowing that the assistant could NOT issue a visa - and bang would go the roaming-campervan experience! But of course, nothing of the sort happened, we got lovely visas issued quickly, and we're one step closer to travel.