The day before we leave

New Norfolk, Australia

This time tomorrow we will be getting off a plane in Melbourne and transferring to our flight to Christchurch.

We only have a short layover in Melbourne to clear through security and customs (aka Border Force), who are currently participating in strike action. Hooray?

Our connecting flight was rescheduled several months ago to give us less time to clear through the bureaucracy, but when we questioned it, the airline told us that it will be fine and they wouldn’t have put us on that flight if it wasn’t going to give us enough time in Melbourne. We’ll be checked all the way through in Hobart, and they said they’ll have staff in Melbourne to help us.

And today when I queried their text message telling us to get to the airport three hours before the flight because of the strike (how does one get to Melbourne before we’ve even left Hobart, I wondered), they said we didn’t have to worry about a thing because our flights are outside the strike hours and we’ll already be checked in. “You have my word for it,” said the guy in the call centre. (I made a note of his name.)

So I’m trying to send this to the back of my mind and concentrate on the fact that we’re going on holidays! To New Zealand! Finally! Even though I know I won’t fully relax until we’re on the plane.

So tonight we pack and we cross things off lists. (I have lots of lists. I love lists. I love crossing things off lists. Then I love looking at my crossed of lists and wondering if I left anything off the lists….)

Juniordwarf, who will be referred to as Kramstable from now on, is also writing a travel blog, so we’re both sitting on the couch taking selfies and writing our pre-departure posts.

The next thing to do is to make sure all my devices are charged and that I have chargers and cables. This is a process involving my label maker and ziplock bags, which was recommended by a friend who has travelled a lot.

Then it might be beer o’clock.