Getting organised

You know what, getting ready for a lengthy time away is a lot easier when you're twenty compared to when you're in your fifties! I guess this is our second 'OE' or as we call it here in Aotearoa, our 'overseas experience'. Back in our late teens and twenties Gordon and I both had adventures overseas. He tripped overland from Kathmandu to London before cycle touring around the British Isles. I spent my time working on the ski fields of California and Colorado. Back then we threw a few things in a bag and hopped on a plane. These days, it's proving not so simple. We have a house to rent, insurances to pay, bikes and bodies to prepare, and expenses that need to be minimized through canceling subscriptions and putting things on hold. Oh, and then there's kids, parents and work to think about as well! 

The other thing we have to put some thought and preparation into is Gordon's medications. He is on quite a few different long term medications and we can only take a three month supply with us. This is not a bad thing because we have to carry them on the bike, but we do have to think about how we make sure we have sufficient supply once the initial three month period is up. We have managed to connect with a primary physician in Oregon and we hope he will be able to do a virtual consult with us and prescribe through to one of the bigger pharmacies. That's Plan A. Hopefully we won't need a Plan B.

We also have to carry a list of his medications and diagnoses for crossing borders so we can justify the medications. I'm sure it will be fine but we've never had to figure all this out before and it's impressive how much time it takes to sort it all out.

It will all be worth it once we are on that plane.