In nine days, I fly out again.
Rome has been on the mind since the second I left India (an experience I have yet to blog about,) so when I was invited to return to India, I naturally booked a flight to Italy on the way back.
Remembering how bad India sucked in regard to finances, my first priority for Italy would be to prevent that mistake from happening again. I'm flying cheap (which includes a layover in Moscow, for example) but remembering how expensive food and checked luggage can be, and factoring those costs into the flight purchase. I did not book the very cheapest flights, because a 34-hour layover doesn't interest me, but I found a medium I was happy with.
The next step, of course, would be to get a second job to eliminate as much financial stress as possible. My only regret in this, in hindsight, is scheduling myself 70 hours a week right up until the day I leave. Next time around, I will take at least 7 days working only one job, just to lower my scheduling stress and allow me time for exercise and meal prep (two very crucial tasks for pre-vacation weight loss.)
I'm better off this time around in regard to the Indian wedding. I ordered clothing online and it is now waiting for me in Indore. That will save me a ton of money and also stress over shopping while there. All that is needed is a trip to the tailor as soon as I land and I'll be good.
Last trip, I hated all the photos I was in. I'm determined to look my best at all times while abroad, so I've taken great care to construct or purchase clothing that can survive India's heat while still being adorable. If only I could find makeup that wouldn't melt...
In regard to budgeting, I'm much smarter this time. You're gonna need an airport transfer and a hotel between flights. And a storage unit. I need wedding clothes. The tailor will cost me money. I'm going to get hungry at the airport. I'm going to underestimate some journey on foot and be required to take an uber. Someone in India will charge more than they advertised. You're gonna want to buy a ton of fabric while you're there. And a suitcase. So I budgeted a 10% cushion on my expenses to account for the weirdness.
Italy is another can of worms entirely. As recommended by a friend, I will be taking the avenue of workaway.info. What this means is that I will be "volunteering" at different places in exchange for room and board. This is a fantastic idea, but it seems I began the process too close to my arrival date and am getting anxious about the delayed responses from potential hosts. What cities will I end up in? When will I need to shift from one spot to another? LUGGAGE IS A PAIN! Will I have enough money to comfortably fill the gaps in work with stays in hostels? I will have enough money to stay in a hostel every night for my entire stay if need be, but I really really don't want it to get that tight.
Besides, I have a pilgrimage to perform. I don't know the when or where, but it will happen for some amount of time at some point this summer. Because everyone needs to just walk down the backbone of Italy for a few days or weeks. I am very excited to work on my photography and explore a million ancient villages as well as serve in the temple and get to know some amazing Italian cooking! India will be another wild ride, with another wedding as well as plans to watch the sunrise over the Taj Mahal, but Italy...oh Italy is very near to the heart!
The last 24 hours have been very hard on the nerves as my stay in Italy is less-than-solidified. As I went to purchase my Indian visa today (which, I knew from the get-go this time around, costs a good chunk of money,) my passport proved missing. I had also thrown away my old suitcase two weeks ago, so you can imagine the sheer panic as I was powerless at work for 7 hours. But to my good fortune, I found the passport! Now, after being physically ill from stress, the concern over Italian lodging is minimal. I so have this!
