A Little Less Conversation
Saturday, July 03, 2010
You don't realise just how much is involved with going overseas for a year. Not only do you need to plan (to some degree) your trip, but there is work to be finalised, an apartment to be packed, and millions of little nuances that need to be taken care of.
I'm an avid list maker and hate keeping things in my head - I have to write everything down on paper/spreadsheets. For the trip, I have a spreadsheet that is my lifeline. It has a heap of different tabs - i.e. itinerary and costs; but most importantly is my 'Trip Prep' tab. It has listed everything I need to do before I leave down to the most finite grain (e.g. all of the companies I need to contact to re-direct my mail or cancel accounts with). This might sound excessive but I go stir crazy if these things aren't documented.
This week has been an expensive one as I've tried to tie up some of those nuances. First of all, I booked the storage shed where I'll store all my furniture. It's on the small side, so I have my fingers crossed on moving day that everything will fit. I also booked a removalist and carpet cleaner (and am tossing up about getting a cleaner to help me ready the apartment for final inspection as I won't have a lot of time between the removalists and the inspection).
Next, I booked my travel insurance. Given my unpleasant experience last year (that was fortunately covered under the company's travel insurance), I'm not taking any short cuts for this. I considered numerous policies but everything kept coming back to CoverMore as the leading insurance provider. I also made sure the policy had a $0 excess and included ski and snowboard cover (knowing me, I'll break my leg on the first day of skiing in Whistler!) It is hard to see the money you've been saving over the past 18 months drain from you bank account so quickly though ...
Apart from that, I also had my car serviced (in preparation for the drive to QLD); had a check-up at the dentist; booked an appointment with the travel doctor; and finalised the paperwork for my LOA with HR. I even packed a couple of boxes and bought some Christmas presents - very organised!
I'm an avid list maker and hate keeping things in my head - I have to write everything down on paper/spreadsheets. For the trip, I have a spreadsheet that is my lifeline. It has a heap of different tabs - i.e. itinerary and costs; but most importantly is my 'Trip Prep' tab. It has listed everything I need to do before I leave down to the most finite grain (e.g. all of the companies I need to contact to re-direct my mail or cancel accounts with). This might sound excessive but I go stir crazy if these things aren't documented.
This week has been an expensive one as I've tried to tie up some of those nuances. First of all, I booked the storage shed where I'll store all my furniture. It's on the small side, so I have my fingers crossed on moving day that everything will fit. I also booked a removalist and carpet cleaner (and am tossing up about getting a cleaner to help me ready the apartment for final inspection as I won't have a lot of time between the removalists and the inspection).
Next, I booked my travel insurance. Given my unpleasant experience last year (that was fortunately covered under the company's travel insurance), I'm not taking any short cuts for this. I considered numerous policies but everything kept coming back to CoverMore as the leading insurance provider. I also made sure the policy had a $0 excess and included ski and snowboard cover (knowing me, I'll break my leg on the first day of skiing in Whistler!) It is hard to see the money you've been saving over the past 18 months drain from you bank account so quickly though ...
Apart from that, I also had my car serviced (in preparation for the drive to QLD); had a check-up at the dentist; booked an appointment with the travel doctor; and finalised the paperwork for my LOA with HR. I even packed a couple of boxes and bought some Christmas presents - very organised!
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