Day 1 - Passports, Shots, and Suitcases

December 2018 Christmas Holiday 

My father-in-law and I sit across from each other on our back patio. We face the pool -- watching the caustic patterns of water cascade across the walls as we take in the sunset. He's summoned me here for a meeting... a pow-wow. 

He doesn't waste any time and starts, "We don't get to spend enough quality time with your children. Maybe a few hours here and there over the course of holidays. I want to change all that. I want to get to know them better."

Does he want to move in with us for awhile? I can't figure out where this conversation is headed, so I nod for him to continue.

He says,"I want to take you and the kids on a trip. Maybe to Switzerland, Germany, or South Africa."

At the time, I'm in the middle of writing my thesis and preparing to speak at a conference. My mind is certainly not in vacation planning mode -- especially to any of the aforementioned epic destinations. But, I try to always keep my options open and over the next few weeks, David (my father-in-law) started sending information about several excursions. I was sold on the idea by February and we considered looking at the prices for tickets. 

This trip is not for the financially faint-hearted. As an economy class passenger, the flights alone total $4,000 for three people. In addition, we paid to select our own seats (I didn't want to be stuck mid row in the back for a 14 hour flight). Alas, we made the decision to move forward.  

There are many steps to a trip of this magnitude. First of all, I had to secure approval from their dad. Paul has never taken the kids out of the country himself, so my request was uncharted territory. Obviously our divorce means that we often don't see things eye to eye; however, he seemed to be willing to let the children go (even if I endured some of his jabs regarding child support). 

Another thing one must consider when you're taking children to another country-- the policies of the country you're visiting. South Africa has some of the most stringent policies on bringing children in as a "single" parent. You either produce a death certificate along with documentation for both children (birth certificates and passports) or you create a form which includes all of the details along with the notarized signature of the absent parent. I must also bring along any court orders that denote whether the children can travel out of the country and on what terms.

Of course, before going anywhere, the kids need passports -- so my ex signed a release that allows me to procure passports. That was probably the easiest part of the process. By April, the passport books arrived for both children. By then I am in the middle of preparing my thesis defense so that I could graduate in May. 

Other than purchasing the tickets, passports, and creating notarized "official" forms, I leave all the details up to David. Closing in on the end of May, David pulls together hotel information and excursions for each day: 

I assume this will be nothing like my experience in India two years ago (see: achangingindia.blogspot.com). There are the obvious differences in culture, population concentration, landscape, etc. I mean, it's an entirely new continent to visit. 

July 30, 2019

There are a lot of details I finally address the very last week -- 

On the advice of my sis-in-law, I visited a travel clinic. I had no idea these existed. They review current safety, climate, disease, and bug-related illness information of the country you're visiting and advise/administer vaccinations and pills based on their recommendations. Note: Do not opt for their stupid first-aid kit. It's a rip off.  

We also pay a visit to the Seminole County Health Department -- for a Typhoid vaccination. Those aren't cheap either. It's 110 dollars for each of us, plus a prescription for Malaria pills.

There are also the sporadic texts from concerned relatives: "Did you get international medical insurance?" "Did you hear a jaguar mauled someone in South Africa?" "What are you going to eat?" "DEET or no DEET? What's safe?" 

What to pack?  

As we approach the last 24 hours before our departure, I realize that my 13-year-old only owns half shirts and tight pants. <shrug> So, I let her know that first off, her wardrobe would not be acceptable out of the country. We found some quality breathable khakis for safari and I invested in a couple SPF proof shirts for us to share. Likewise, my 10-year-old lives in soccer shorts and was in need of long-sleeved options for cooler days. 

July 31  - Let the Travel Begin

After packing two LARGE suitcases, I opt to throw the rest of what's left into a carry-on sized bag. 25 percent of my bag is full of snacks -- as I am still attempting to stay healthy on this trip. After eating pretty clean since May, "foreign substances" such as bread, rice, potatoes etc -- aren't processing like they used to. There is also the off-chance that there won't be food options when I'm hungry, so I like to be prepared.

With TSA Pre-Check - we glided straight through customs and were one of the first groups boarded onto the plane to Dubai. We're seated close to the back of the plane -- surrounded by some very unhappy travelers (they seemed like really unhappy people in general) and no matter what the flight attendants tried to do, they were never satisfied. Room for carry-ons is in short supply. An older man fainted right in front of me on his way to the bathroom. An entire family row of 3 gave their spots for an elderly relative who wanted to lie down across their 4 reserved seats -- so the women sat in the aisle on the floor. Even though it was not quite the longest flight I've been on (the record flight for me is Delhi, India to Newark, NJ) it definitely felt the LONGEST. It didn't help that Landon woke me up every half hour to ask what time it was. 

We have a 2 hour wait we land in Dubai. There's just enough time to pick up McDonalds on our way to the gate. Not only do the kids know what they want, I can use Apple Pay, which makes utilizing McDonalds for lunch a really easy option. 

side note: It's intriguing to observe the passengers -- (who decides to go where). It's the airport, so of course, you see every walk of life -- especially in a major travel hub like Dubai. The majority of passengers leaving Orlando heading to Dubai were Indian and Arabic.  The vast majority of passengers heading to Johannesburg are of other descent -- African and quite a few Aussies.