Tuesday 10 November 2026.
Highlights: Successfully catching my fast moving cats.
The day before a trip normally causes me at least some nervousness, even after completing 16 World trips that started when I was twelve, way back in 1986. Even now, after 871 days exploring 90 countries, I still get a little skittish.
On this trip, however, I feel more apprehensive than usual. I guess visiting the volatile Middle East for 2 weeks, this feeling is to be expected.
I originally started putting this trip together almost 4 years ago, and I did change it, including dropping a visit to Israel. Still, I couldn’t drop a visit to Jordan since I’ve wanted to visit the historic site of Petra ever since seeing it in the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade movie back in 1989. I guess it is now or never. I didn’t expect the ‘7-10 day’ (according to President Trump) Iran-USA War to still be unresolved. I hope it is finished and nothing bad occurs, especially since I’m taking my nephew Harry in this region with me.
The trip was also timed to allow for long-overdue bathroom renovations. I started thinking about this renovation back in 2023. The renovation then expanded to include a kitchen renovation, flooring change to floorboards, and a full repainting. All of these needed to occur before I could get to the bathroom renovation, which I was advised should go last. The renovation was further delayed to coincide with Harry’s University graduation world trip, given you have to vacate your property when the water is turned off.
Tomorrow I’ll start the Australian leg of this trip on the Indian Pacific, a 4-day, 4,352-kilometre train trip, followed by 6 days exploring Perth and the surrounding areas. I’ll be doing this leg with Harry’s sister and my niece Darby. This will be a good way to ease into my 52-day trip and, as I’m still in Australia for 10 days, make it easier to deal with the renovators if anything arises.
The world leg commences on Saturday 21 November and will cover 8 countries: Qatar, Jordan, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. I’ve managed to obtain premium award seats on all the long flights, starting with a 14-hour flight from Melbourne to Doha on Qatar Airways’ Qsuite (business class), which is apparently one of the best long-haul business products on the market.
Today I got the apartment ready for the renovation starting tomorrow. I had to ‘betray’ my unsuspecting cats, taking them to a cat resort we have used in the past. It’s been 6 hours, and I’m already missing them. It will be weird to have the whole bed to myself tonight.
Tomorrow is an early start with my sister playing chauffeur for Darby and me. Tomorrow, the adventure begins, and the unease should fall away in favour of the excitement of exploring new places and meeting new people.
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