Unprepared
Usually… seriously, not even “usually”… ALL the time… when I’m getting ready to travel, I spend every single spare second I have researching absolutely everything there is to see and do. Tourist attractions, art, museums, temples, popular neighbourhoods, historical streets, shopping, recommended restaurants, food tours, ghost tours, walking tours, history… you name it, I research it.
I want to experience it. All of it.
I literally do not want to miss a thing. I shouldn't say "literally" cuz that word makes me crazy. Literally is soooooo commonly used for emphasis. I emphatically do not want to miss anything.
Better? Maybe.
Normally, by now, I’ve installed a countdown on both my social media and my blog… and I can barely contain my anticipation… waiting for the moment I finally board that plane.
Not this time.
Not even close.
Ya... this summer was beyond busy for me... and I don’t think I could have predicted just how emotionally and physically exhausting it would be. In addition to that, I spent the last two weeks in my hometown dealing with the dreaded process of preparing my parents’ home for sale. Two weeks of sorting, packing, selling, garage sales, cleaning, clearing out decades of belongings and doing a thousand things I'd rather not do. Throw in a lot of tears, stress and family turmoil... and I can confidently say it was probably one of the worst two weeks of my life.
Suddenly... I was back in Banff... hauling everything out of my car and up into my studio apartment, trying to put my life back together in 48 hours before I flew to South Korea. Tying up loose ends, unpacking, packing, cleaning... and somehow preparing to leave the country for a month.
It didn't leave a lot of time for "excitment."
Nor did it leave any time for "planning."
Back in the spring, when I first started contemplating where to go this fall, it was a toss-up between Asia... and the Caribbean. Asia was the obvious adventure trip... right? Countries I’d never visited, cultures I wanted to experience, incredible history, fascinating cities and, of course, Japan. Seriously... with all the hype surrounding Japan these days, how could anyone NOT want to go? When everyone seems to be traveling there, you start wondering whether you're missing out.
But the Caribbean islands were calling to me for an entirely different reason.
Rest. Relaxation.
I think what I really needed was a holiday.
An actual holiday.
The kind where you do absolutely nothing.
Now... I’m not exactly a beach person. I hate the beach.
Don't get me wrong... I love the idea of a beach. The turquoise water, the white sand, the sea shells, the palm trees...
It all sounds so dreamy... until I actually get there and remember that I hate sand.
And I don’t swim in any water where sharks live.
You can tell me a million times, until you’re blue in the face, that the chances of being attacked by a shark are practically nonexistent. I don’t care. No. Knee-deep is my limit unless I have buffers surrounding me that guarantee they'll be eaten first. Like when I'm snorkelling.
Selfish? Sure.
Smart? Absolutely.
But what I was really could have dealt with was a little cabana somewhere... and a hammock. Maybe not a hammock, come to think of it. I like the idea of hammocks... but I always seem to flip myself over in them. Maybe just a lovely, comfortable bed, a gentle breeze, a place to read, write, reflect... and just be still.
No itinerary. No alarm clock. No pressure to see absolutely everything.
Just peace.
But now that I’ve booked myself a month-long adventure through Asia, which is already starting to feel more like it's going to be a full-time job rather than a vacation, I can’t help wondering if I made the wrong choice.
Maybe I should have booked the Caribbean.
Yes, I know...
First-world problems.
Anyway, there are certain things I ALWAYS do before travelling. Things that, after visiting as many countries as I have, I know are important.
TO DO LIST
📍Pack properly.
Did I pack properly? No.
📍Sort out an Asian eSIM.
Did I sort out my eSIM? Not really.
📍Get local currency.
Did I get any local currency? No.
📍Research how to get from the airport to my accommodation, knowing full well I’d be arriving after dark.
Did I do that? No.
📍Download offline maps.
Did I download offline maps? No.
Did I do even the most basic research on the city I was flying into? Of course not.
Seoul, South Korea Seoul, South Korea Seoul, South Korea
For this trip, I was quite possibly the world’s most disorganized and unprepared traveller. I packed at the very last minute, which meant I made some ridiculously stupid decisions. The first became painfully obvious the moment I stepped outside into the chilly Seoul air.
I should have brought a winter jacket.
Good move, Jo.
Some lovely friends from Edinburgh had come to visit me the night before my departure and were kind enough to drive me to the airport the following day. I’m sure they were watching me frantically trying to get my travel life together and thinking, "What an absolute disaster."
They were thoughtful enough to send me off with some snacks for the flight. A couple of chocolate bars and some chips.
Now, I normally travel with just a small backpack. Carry-on only.
Always.
But this time I decided to treat myself to a little rolling suitcase. I’m getting older, I love to shop, and to be honest, dragging a heavy backpack around for a month isn’t exactly my idea of a fabulous holiday anymore.
Unfortunately, when I arrived at the airport, I discovered that my lovely little rolly-poly was slightly too large for WestJet’s carry-on dimensions.
So I had to check it.
With all my chocolate bars and chips inside. And my computer cord. And my phone charging cord.
For a 12-hour flight...
IDIOT.
Normally, I do not sleep well on airplanes. But apparently being emotionally exhausted, physically drained and slightly hungover is the perfect recipe for sleeping at 35,000 feet.
I passed right out. And I mean PASSED OUT.
I slept for approximately eight or nine hours of the 12-hour flight.
That has NEVER happened to me.
Very rare.
I even slept through both dinner and breakfast service.
Perhaps that was a blessing in disguise.
Although any potential calorie deficit was immediately cancelled out when I collected my luggage in Seoul, opened my suitcase and proceeded to devour an enormous Dairy Milk chocolate bar.
I don't know if there’s anything more frustrating than trying to figure out an eSIM in a foreign country. Perhaps slightly more annoying is trying to figure out an eSIM when your phone has a variety of old eSIMs installed, none of which you’ve ever figured out how to delete.
Which one is Canada?
Which one is my business number?
Which one is the new one?
Am I about to accidentally turn on international roaming and receive a phone bill that costs more than my entire holiday?
STRESS...
Somehow, I managed to get my phone connected to the internet. Whether I’d successfully activated my new eSIM or accidentally turned on one of my Canadian phone lines remains a mystery.
I decided that was a problem for another day...
Seoul, South Korea Seoul, South Korea Seoul, South Korea
By the time I passed through passport control, collected my luggage and made it through the airport, I was tired... and seriously considering taking the easy way out and getting a taxi directly to my accommodation. But then I reminded myself that I am not filthy rich... and I got in line for the airport bus. A very kind woman helped me figure out which bus I needed, and told me where to catch it... and off I went into the darkness and chilliness of Seoul.
At least I could follow the bus route on Google Maps and figure out where to get off.
Or so I thought.
I hadn’t bothered to research was that Google Maps isn’t particularly useful for navigating South Korea. Apparently, everyone here uses an app called Naver Maps.
Which, naturally... I had not downloaded.
Of course not.
So there I was, standing on a street in Seoul, in the dark, in a city I’d never visited, trying to figure out where on earth my accommodation was. Google Maps was NOT helpful. I only had myself to blame... and I wondered whether I’d be wandering the streets of Seoul all night with my little rolling red suitcase, looking for a bed.
But somehow, I found it. Yay!
The entry code worked.
The room code worked.
And just like that, I was safely inside.
Success!
My room is very tiny, and the bathroom is shared... but honestly, it’s all I need.
Although I do wish the walls were a little thicker.
Some nut in the room next to me started laughing hysterically in the middle of the night, for what felt like an hour or more. Not a little giggle here and there. Full-blown, uncontrollable laughter.
Now, I’m all for people having a good time, but at some point, enough is enough.
So I started coughing.
Loudly.
Repeatedly.
If I could hear her... she could surely hear me.
And wouldn’t you know it?
She stopped.
Hmmmm...
I think she got the message.
So here I am.
In Seoul, South Korea.
Completely unprepared, slightly overwhelmed, probably still exhausted and wondering whether I should have spent the next month lying in a hammock somewhere in the Caribbean.
But I’m here.
And despite everything, there’s still that familiar little spark of excitement starting to creep back in...
Seoul, South Korea Seoul, South Korea Seoul, South Korea
Because there’s an entire city outside my little single room door that I’ve never explored. Streets I’ve never walked, history I haven’t discovered, food I haven’t tried and experiences I don’t even know exist yet.
And maybe that’s exactly what I need.
Maybe this trip won’t be about ticking every single attraction off a carefully researched list.
Maybe, for once, I’ll just figure it out as I go.
But first, I need a shower.
And then I’m heading out into the streets of Seoul.
Because apparently... before I can begin my great Asian adventure... I need to buy myself a bloody winter jacket.
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