Trial Runs Can Be Good

One fringe benefit of our year-long travel plan is that we had multiple "trial runs" built-in without knowing it.  Trial runs provide ways to evaluate preparation without the expense of the full experience.

For instance, after we got a new, highly recommended suitcase/bag I took it on a business trip to evaluate if a bag like that would work for each of us on our big trip.  It is a great bag and worked wonderfully for my business trip but it wasn't going to be just right for each of us on our trip.  Having a chance to try it out first taught us a couple things.  First, we learned that it is a great bag.  Second, we learned that it would not work for long-term travel and consequently that we would not need to purchase more of these bags for the family.  We'll keep the bag for future, shorter trips but for our big trip we'd need something else.  We ended up deciding on backpacking backpacks.  I'll write more about them later.

On our trial run in California

Our itinerary has always included Southern California.  My parents live there and it has been almost a year since our last visit.  Mom and dad have an extra covered parking spot and offered to garage our car while we are gone.  Besides the benefit of seeing family and being able to drop off our car, this trip to California gave us a chance to try out our new gear and travel routine--and here is the important part--in a familiar setting.  We've been to California to visit my parents many times.  We feel somewhat comfortable on the roads.  Everyone speaks English.  We know where the grocery store and church are.  But it isn't home.  We got a chance to get used to living with and working with backpacks in a familiar setting.  We got a chance to establish/maintain some family routines despite being in different (non-home) locations and circumstances.

Our next stop is the Washington DC area.  We've never been there as a family.  Elaine and I have been there but not together.  Getting there and living there will take us one more step into the full-blown travel routine.  We will be able to "practice" airline travel while still in the US with our full compliment of backpacks.  It is still the US and people still speak English but it is not as familiar for us as California.  If we discover some deficiency in our plans or equipment arrangements we will be able to take care of it relatively easily.

After Washington DC we travel to Europe where things will be more difficult but because of our "trial runs" in California and DC I am confident that we will be OK.  My business trip helped us prepare for California which helped prepare us for DC which will help prepare us for Europe which will help prepare us for Asia.  At least that is the plan.