The last time I used my passport was on the way back from Shanghai in 2019 (see Recap! TPOL in Shanghai & Recap! Year Of The Monkey Trip Report). I needed it today, not for traveling, but to open a business account. I went to retrieve it from my safe and it was not there. I checked my closet, sock drawers, my travel jacket, and the freezer. I found nothing. I began to panic and wonder if somehow I had thrown it away. I tried to think of what else I could have used it for and why I may have moved it. Since I have not traveled anywhere in over a year, my panic turned into a panic attack. After flipping the house upside down, I went back to the safe. As it turned out, the safe has a shelf. On top of the shelf was my passport.
Losing a passport is the ultimate rookie mistake. That drama and the indefinite break from travel does not give me the confidence to take to the skies. I am going to have to review my Lesson from Travel and take baby trips to see how rusty I am before going back to the 10 country, 3 continent tours that I was accustomed to doing. Hopefully, it does not take long to get back into mid-season form.
Are you trepidatious to travel because it has been so long? Where are you having your travel pre-season?
