It doesn’t seem to matter how well or how far in advance I have planned for my overseas holiday, there are still things I need to do at the last minute! Just when I thought it would be a case of ‘now all you need to do is pack your bags’, I find something else that needs my attention.

I’ve suddenly found that the clothes I thought would be suitable don’t quite fit or aren’t right for the weather where I’m travelling. So now I have to head out to the shops to buy new clothes that are comfortable and more suited to the climate… and here’s hoping that the ‘right season’ is actually available on racks and shelves where I’m shopping.

I’ve also realised that the photos and videos I took on my last holiday still haven’t been downloaded. So farewell to an hour or two at the computer downloading and saving files to the hard disc or the ‘cloud’. Time can really get away from you!

If, like me, you have prescribed medication you’ll know how important it is to ensure you have enough to last you for the entire trip. Trying to get a prescription filled in foreign country can be so difficult, however even knowing this, I still can’t seem to organise myself in advance! Another thing I always seem to leave to the last minute are the required inoculations.

There there’s the passport. Most destinations require you to have at least six months remaining on your passport for entry. I checked mine recently, just to be sure I was in the clear. However, I also remembered that some countries have additional visa requirements.

I also want to ensure that my family and friends know where to find me, so I’ve registered on the Australian foreign affairs website, Smartraveller, and I’m yet to drop off a spare set of keys to my neighbours or family, just in case there are any issues at the house.

There’s also arranging for the mail to be collected; cancelling the paper delivery; setting up the bills to be paid while we are away; advising our various financial institutions that we’re going overseas (to avoid the awful experience of having our cards refused) and getting foreign currency.

All of these administrative tasks take a generous amount of time – far more than I planned for this time (or any other time, for that matter). In spite of having checklists already made up detailing all of these things, I don’t seem to be able to start early enough. Will I ever learn?!

With our overseas adventure drawing nearer, and with these things all addressed, perhaps now I can think about that packing…