Buying the one way ticket to Paris where I start my trip has been the most nervous moment in preparation yet. The sick feeling in my stomach that grew and grew as I filled out the online booking form was seriously making me wonder if I was doing the right thing. Perhaps it was my subconscious trying to pull me back to my safety net, all I knew was that paying for the ticket was a defining moment.
By hitting the book now and pay button for my plane ticket I was changed. I went from a yeah I’ll travel guy talking the talk, into the guy that’s already passed immigration and is sitting in the departure lounge bopping away to his iPod waiting to board. While I longed to be that guy, I always found a reason to hold off on laying out the cash. I’d like to say I was holding out for the best priced ticket but honestly it scared the crap out of me.
I’d spent hours researching just which airline has the cheapest flight as well as the least likelihood of falling out of the sky. Which is a big thing when you live in Australia as the shortest flight I could find from Melbourne to Paris was approximately 24 hours long.
My search was then further hampered because of my location. While the majority of the world can search sites like Kayak, Expedia and so forth with no problems as they cater to your local currency, Australia has just the local version of Expedia and a hodge podge of other offerings. All which seem to say the same thing and not offer any great unique feature to get me to come back. The last option you have is to individually check with each airline to see what their best price is for that day, and that’s always a little time consuming.
Starting with the travel booking sites gave an idea on who flies the route from Melbourne to Paris. This allowed me to narrow my choice to 3-4 airlines that I could follow and monitor the pricing, waiting to pounce on the first deal I saw. I also checked that my top 3-4 chosen airlines had frequent flyer programs, ensuring I could get any bonus possible out of the ticket.
From there I monitored the sites until I could muster up the will to buy the ticket. It took me two weeks to finally go through the booking process, then another 15-30min staring at the final confirmation page before I became the owner of a one way plane ticket to Paris.
If anybody else is planning their travel and don’t have access to a friendly travel agent the best advice I can offer (especially if your from Australia) is to search everywhere to find who fly’s to your destination. Then check the airlines own website before looking at sites like Expedia. I noticed the price go up and down on their site while the airline site always reported the same price and at the cheapest rate.
Now that it’s all said and done, come the 24th of April 2010 I will be departing Melbourne Airport aboard a Singapore Airlines A380 bound for Paris. Looking back I can’t help but feel a little silly for being scared but hey, were all human and the unfamiliar is always daunting.
All images for this post were contributed by Daniel from Canvas of Light. Be sure to check out his blog or follow him around on twitter like I do.
That feeling is very familiar to me, as I did exactly the same thing 10 months ago. I always mentionned to everyone: “I’m leaving soon, I’ll be going on a rtw trip” but the day I actually decided to buy my ticket, it was like finalizing it, putting a deadline. It was no more bullshit boasting, it’s for real. For moments I was terrified of what I had done (I had a very well paid job, stable life, etc..).
But hey, in 7 months on the road, not one second I regretted pressing that “Pay” button. Nothing can replace what I have lived all this time.
I hope your travel will be as enlightening as it is for me! Enjoy your last days, April will come VERY fast 🙂
Cheers!
And thanks a lot for the photos and the link back!
.-= Daniel N.´s last blog ..Notre Dame de Paris =-.
Hey Daniel. Thanks again for the photos, love the Eiffel Tower shot. I know I’ve talked about how each step makes the trip that much more final but buying the ticket was the final step.
Now I’m just left with making sure I have some clothes to take with me and its lookout Paris here I come. Oh and don’t remind me April is getting here way to quickly.
Yay Chris!!! I am so jealous of you but so happy for you at the same time. I can’t wait to about every bit of your journey. I know it’s easier said than done but just follow your heart no matter how hard it is. It’s the hard things that are worth fighting for.
C’est la vie!
.-= Monica´s last blog ..How To Volunteer Abroad Responsibly =-.
Hi Monica. I’ve got a while to go before I catch up to your travel record so don’t be too jealous now.
Its an exciting time for sure. Too exciting as I’ll research travel all night then not be able to sleep.
It seems strange that you guys have such skimpy booking options considering how often Australians travel.
But hey that is amazing! Once you buy the ticket you are really committed which is both scary and awesome. Here’s to the start of adventures!
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..What is your Biggest Travel Disappointment? =-.
Hey Stephanie. There are a few offerings but some just cater to students and the rest seem to just be the same thing over and over again. As there is no way to just hop on a cheap airline and fly the entire way, I just found it easier to monitor the airline sites themselves.
yes fully committed now, the ticket is all paid for.
Good for you man! It definitely can be difficult to pull the trigger. Now it’s real.
.-= Keith´s last blog ..4 Ways to Escape the Tourist Bubble =-.
Thanks Keith, its very real now. My mums given up trying to convince me to stay now that I’ve paid for the ticket 🙂
WOOHOO! Congrats, Chris! I totally hear ya on the lack of booking options too. Being on an island kinda sucks sometimes.
.-= Candice´s last blog ..One Night Out in Halifax, Or Why Newfoundlanders Are Spoiled =-.
hehe thx Candice. Its a big bloody island I’m on but still so far away from everything. Both a good and bad thing all in one.
Wooot, congrats Chris!! Awesome!! And I totally hear ya about the lack of travel options…sometimes it sucks being stuck on a beautiful island. 😉
.-= Candice´s last blog ..One Night Out in Halifax, Or Why Newfoundlanders Are Spoiled =-.
I can totally relate. The day I booked my ticket I wanted to vomit. You move from saying you’re going to do it, to actually doing it.
I received an email with a seat sale to Mexico and I knew I would never get a cheaper flight. One catch – it had to be booked that day. It forced me to take the plunge and was a defining moment in my travel planning.
.-= ayngelina´s last blog ..Saving for Long Term Travel =-.
Hey Ayngelina. Oh yeah the whole vomit idea did cross my mind at one stage too. Oh talk about pressure test to book your ticket that day. Totally glad you did thought I bet.
Congratulations, Chris, on taking that first giant leap! You’ll look back on this moment years from now and wonder what took you so long … 🙂
.-= Suzi´s last blog ..Mar 1, March Event: Stockton =-.
Thanks Suzy. I can tell after a month or so I’ll be like you idiot why haven’t you been travelling for years this is awesome.
Exactly! 😉
.-= Suzi´s last blog ..Mar 1, March Event: Stockton =-.
Great post and I’m glad you hit that “buy ticket” button. I’m about to do the same to Italy for May and there is something about it that makes you nervous. You are excited but at the same time have no idea what you are doing.
.-= Suzy´s last blog ..Where are you going? The Baptism of a Distant Grandmother in Fulda, Germany =-.
hehe me too Suzy me too. How long are you in italy for?
Buying the ticket is all exciting then your all OMG am I really doing this. Two great emotions then collide and the aftermath is a smile and your credit card debited a few dollars 🙂
Ah, mate – with you all the way on this one.
When we booked our RTW ticket (technically one way to Oz really, given the 12 month limit on the ticket) we had to have a phone call (Thom was in work) and I almost bought it, then Thom got home and we talked about it some more and the next day I did it.
For each ‘big’ purchase; RTW ticket, hotel rooms in New York and San Francisco and no doubt when we hire the car for the US and campers for NZ and Oz we have to go:
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh”
As we click on ‘submit’
It’s just too scary otherwise!
Welcome to the club, you are *actually* going now, it’s real!
.-= sean´s last blog ..Another milestone passed on the road to RTW! =-.
Hey Sean. So very true. The small purchases you don’t worry about, the big ones however are in a league of their own. I’m hoping it gets easier with time.
Yes I’m so going and i wish it would get here so many things I want to see and do now.
It’s truly happening! Soooo bloody exciting. Go Chris, Goooo!!!
.-= Nomadic Chick´s last blog ..Duty or Desire =-.
Hey Jeannie I know right. No stopping me now, well I do have the visa app to come back but they got my finger prints on monday so should just be a matter of time now.
Congratulations Chris! I know exactly how you feel. When I actually bought my ticket to move to London it made all the planning before seem finally real. It’s nerveracking waiting but you know it’s going to be worth it.
.-= Joya´s last blog ..My 3 Best Kept Travel Secrets =-.
How exciting! I’m dying to buy my ticket to either Bangkok or Hong Kong. Congrats on your purchase. I know what you mean about the butterflies. I’m pretty good until I’ve bought my ticket, then I completely lose my patience and want to go asap- which is why I wait until a month before my trip to buy one! haha
.-= SpunkyGirl´s last blog ..5 Reasons to Visit Canada’s Capital =-.
Hey Pam. I’m yet to visit Bankgok but I loved Hong Kong. Next time I want to go back and see a bit more of it as last time I was such a mindless tourist.
Your right about wanting to go after buying the ticket. I’m now spending even more time up late at night planning and thinking travel.
Thanks heaps Joya. I’m even dreaming travel now. Last night was my trip from australia to paris.
Lets just say I hope the plane flight doesn’t pan out like my dream. As I really don’t want to be the guy that has to land the plane after the pilot got drunk on jelly shots haha
Hey Chris! Awesome that you bought your one way ticket! 🙂
An even better/sicker feeling is the morning you wake up to go to the airport. The first time I did it (USA to Australia!) my biggest thought was “holy shit, let’s do this!” and also “holy shit! I’m going to vomit!” 🙂
Looking forward to more.
Cheers!
Karol
.-= Karol Gajda´s last blog ..Fits and Starts (or How I Lost 5,000 Words Of Content And Busted Ass To Rewrite It!) =-.
Hey Karol. oh mate I will so have those feelings down pat. Add in the frantic mother who wants to see me off at the airport. I’m going to be in for one hell of a ride 🙂
dude congratulations on the first big step!
I’ve been to Paris 3 or 4 times already and it amazes me every time. Best advice is to shop at the markets for your lunches & meals. Best meal in the world is a fresh baguette & some cheese.
.-= Adam´s last blog ..#MusicMonday: Songs from Around the World =-.
Hey Adam. I can see myself eating a lot of baguette’s and cheese 🙂 Any other useful tips to survive Paris since you’ve been so many times?
eat lots! hang out in the latin quarter – it’s where all the cool people will be. crepes & cheap food are there.
also, watch out for pesky pickpockets at notre dame.
and try and meet a french girl. 🙂
.-= Adam´s last blog ..Wombat Wednesday: Australia =-.
Right, french girl got it 🙂
Congrats man! I’m hoping you had the sense to NOT buy any travel insurance on the way over. That way you get on the plane whether you like it or not.
Paris, huh? Fantastic city. Just stay away from the Absynthe Bars and make a B-Line for Southern Europe my friend. Paris will suck your cash flow dry in a heart beat!
The edge is inching closer…
Hey Garrett. I don’t have any travel insurance full stop at the moment 🙂 prob should get that sorted.
Yes while I’d love to spend a bit of time in Paris I think it will be a quick visit to say hi. I’ll come back when I’m working in London and can afford it.
Congrats! I can’t wait for that day when I purchase a one way ticket anywhere. Enjoy your final count down to Paris.
Great post except your typical humanist assumption here, “Looking back I can’t help but feel a little silly for being scared but hey, were all human and the unfamiliar is always daunting.” No Aussie Nomad we aren’t all human. Some of us are monkeys, well at least one of us -er um one of me, that is I am a…well you get the point.
.-= Cornelius Aesop´s last blog ..New Brew Tuesday: Warsteiner Lemon =-.
Now Cornelius don’t go and get all politically correct on me, I’m just catering to the masses.
hmm fun fact did you know my sister owns a popcorn machine named Cornelius also. Not sure if you should be scared or elated 🙂