800 great British pounds down and I haven’t even stepped on the plane! But that wasn’t all…

I was a month away and hadn’t even begun to think about anything.  Oh boy had I made a mistake. So, I am here to tell you from experience, that planning, and logistics is a skill that needs to be improved and developed over time. Good Job I had my mother to support me through this process of preparation otherwise I would have quite happily landed on the other side of the world without a single pair of knickers.

So, before you even get to the airport get sorted, lots of paperwork is required to stay safe and get entry to wherever! I wasn’t aware of all this clutter that you must gather in a little plastic wallet that tucks neatly in the back of your rucksack (Tip: split copies up so if one bag goes missing you still have ID). You can also never mentally prepare yourself on the amount of money you will need to spend on being safe! My primary cost of ‘keeping safe’ was of course and I’m sure you all guessed it… Travel insurance. Now I know what you are thinking it costs a tenner to cover you in Spain for a week so surely it can’t be that much. Well considering I decided to consciously not book a return flight, was undecided on where I was going i.e., the world… and no idea when back and wanted adventure! Most insurance companies wouldn’t even speak a singular word down the phone. So, as a Gen Z, I turned to TikTok. This is where I found The True Traveller Travel Insurance | Backpackers & Adventurers | True Traveller® an independent company supporting crazy people like you and I who don’t know what they want to do or where to go with their lives. I highly recommend this company as they are extremely easy and reliable. I chose the worldwide travel insurance excluding America and Canada which allowed my costs to reduce by around £200. In total I let them minus my bank by £681 pounds. Now for a year’s worth of staying safe I would say that’s spot on.

The big 800 claimed in the title was the cost of my health vaccinations. What a bizarre way to spend £800 in 10 seconds. This consisted of 3 visits to a private practice where they jabbed both my arms too many times. I used the Regent Street Clinic Private Travel Clinics UK-Walk In Clinic-Regent Street Clinic™   who provided me with a comprehensive and reliable service and even though I had left it extremely late they were able to squeeze me in and accommodate my unorganised chaos. I got every jab that was available with their expertise knowledge as I wasn’t sure where I was going to end up and knowing my luck, I won’t have a smooth ride. I was assured by the advice given and those words echo in my mind that its always better to be safe than sorry.

My one piece of advice before getting on the plane is plan well ahead. I know everyone says it, however this is something I totally underestimated.  To be honest I wish I had planned at least a couple of more weeks to prepare myself mentally and physically.  Don’t get me wrong I was so excited to be going away I just hadn’t prepared for the suddenness of it actually becoming real…

Also don’t forget to say a meaningful goodbye, because you will miss home, you will have down days (even if you are on the other side of the world, you can’t escape them) but keep your head held high, breathe, trust your instincts, let new people into your life and you will have the adventure of a lifetime.

Stay tuned while I arrive in New Delhi, India, a city well known for a riot of noise, spice, and colour.

Your independent girl, Ella.