take the holiday!!! it’s worth it

The week before any trip can be stressful, but this one will go down in history!!  By the end of the week, I lost 5 lbs, forgot how to sleep and aged quite a few years.

Want to know the secret to my new unplanned diet?  And how to add several grey hairs and go through life like a zombie for a week?  Simple!!!  Mark your husband down as a Criminal on his Entry Visa – 5 days before you leave the country.  After you complete this, the stress will take over and your body will do the work;).

YES Guys, this totally happened, and I can assure you that Nick is Not a Criminal.  I mean he has a need for speed but murder, theft, or any other criminal- ey things…not this guy;).

We booked our tickets and started planning for this trip in May.  I’m pretty organized so I had booked the major things we needed like our Motorhome, the first night’s hotel stay and the next few nights of camping BUT that’s all I wanted to have in order.  A big part of living on the road is stopping when you want and discovering new places.  Needless to say, I hadn’t spent a lot of time researching our trip and wasn’t aware that we needed an entry visa.

It’s been a while since we’ve been on a big trip (Thanks Covid;) and it wasn’t until about 2 weeks before we left that the need for a Visa popped into my mind, so I contacted our travel agent, and she gave me all the requirements.  Everything online told me that it was super easy, like really easy – download an app, answer 4 questions and scan your passport.  That’s it – All done!!  A $20 per person money maker!

I do all the things – challenge was that I decided to do it at a busy time, I didn’t have my reading glasses on – Yes – I totally need these lately;( and I had kids asking me a million things.  I guess also because everything I read told me it wasn’t a big deal – I didn’t take it seriously.  This is a lesson for everyone!!  You hear the words Entry Visa – Lock your kids up, go to a quiet space and grab a magnify glass and set yourself up for success!

My Visa, as well as the kids came back instantly with a big stamp of approval but where was Nick’s?  I went back and looked and that’s when I noticed – Do you have a history of criminal activity? Right beside it, A huge glaring X……That I put there!!!  I think a pound melted off instantly and 10 grey hairs popped through. 

I was distraught, Nick came downstairs to see what was going on and I told him that Australia now thinks that you’re a criminal!!!  You know what his reaction was?  Laughter, he started laughing and thought it was so funny!!  If you don’t know Nick, then let me tell you that there is no one in this world that can handle stress better than he can!!  He’s built for it but that doesn’t mean it comes easy, he has spent a lot of time working on himself to get to this point.  If this experience has taught me anything it’s that I have A LOT of work left to do!!

When Nick started laughing (which honestly is the best reaction – how lucky am I to have such a great partner) I wanted to throw the phone at him.  Could he not see that I just made such a huge mistake, and our entire trip was in jeopardy?  It really was! 

Short Story – If we couldn’t get into Oz, our back up plan was either go to New Zealand, or to reschedule for the same time next year BUT we would lose so much money on rescheduling fees and deposits – Both were decent options, but I can’t tell you how much I felt like we needed this trip.  We’ve been going so hard for 9 years since Nick started Versys and this is the first time we could leave with No Stress (thanks to the best team in the Biz!!!).

The week was a roller coaster – so many emotions (from me, okay – Nick was just trying to navigate the crazy Cheryl train;) and we just happened to have an appointment with our councillor, Jill, on Thursday.  An hour with her and life was figured out and I felt like a new person.  We decided that NZ would be the new plan and when I got home, I was going to work on booking a couple things. 

In the meantime, while the insane week was trekking along, I had reached out to our Aussie friend Craig to let him know that we might not be making it!!  Craig and Nick met on a Contiki Tour of Europe and when Nick and I visited Oz 17 years ago, we met up with him, ate at the Sizzler and I knew instantly that we’d always be friends.  Craig is a very talented Lawyer (for the last 20 years;);) on the Gold Coast and he instantly offered to help, and I am absolutely positive that he is the reason that our Visa Approval came through Friday morning!!!!!  He’s getting the biggggggeeesssttt hug – Soon Craig, soon!!!

We got the green light, guess what, I haven’t done a thing all week and my list is long BUT who cares, I can do this!!!  Out of the fog, soooo dramatic right;). I did get the list done and we made it to the airport despite the snowstorm and our flight was only delayed a half hour!!! 

Finally, I Iet out a breath of relief when we got on our long flight from Vancouver and relaxed into the 14-hour leg of the journey.   The kids absolutely LOVED the flights and did really well!!

We are here and are honestly so in love with this Country and Travelling again.  Next post I’ll make sure to fill you in on seeing Kangaroos for the first time, the rouge Koala that was discovered at the sanctuary we were visiting, who peed in a bottle on a public bus (I know, cringy but desperation) and why it’s important to protect your French fries while on a patio!!!!

Thanks to everyone that always supports us, we see you and appreciate you!!!!

Big hugs from The Willards!!!