PPPPPPP....

... which, as I am sure you know, stands for "Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance" (according to the scary looking Marine PT instructors at my school, anyway....)

Scary Marine PT Instructor

This entry is a supplementary to the whirl-wind summary of how I got to where I am, but focusing on the specific planning which has gone on in the last eighteen months which I am sure will be vital to my success.

In no particularly order, a collection of early decisions and thoughts which I think helped.

- As soon as the decision was clear to go to Bulgaria I have started learning the language. Not only has this helped me no end in terms of being able to communicate with potential sellers, it also means that in the village I have bought I am able to be a little more polite and understand some of what is being said when they are talking to me. Even if you are looking to move to an area where English is widely spoken I would recommend highly that you learn the local language.

- After researching container hire and other methods of moving myself over there I decided quite early to drive. I bought my vehicle almost immediately so that I could use it for the year, get to know it's problems and make sure it would not let me down on the long drive over. I also bought a trailer and some cheap straps to secure the load in it. I was able to make use of the truck/trailer and straps when I moved unexpectedly in the UK and found that while the vehicles were fine, the straps were not fit for purpose. I have now bought some heavy duty straps and, while moving a friend, have proved to myself these are definitely suitable.

Thomas the Tank - my truck

The trailer

Truck and Trailer being used to move me

- I have created multiple lists including when we were house hunting, to ensure we didn't double view or forget which houses we had seen. I have also got a list of "things to buy" and a list of "things to think about before I go". It is important to add things to a list (when you are as dopy as I am at least) because it is so easy to forget something. At this stage I have nearly bought everything I need (including the heavy duty jump start kit for the truck, a heavy duty pump in case of flats, first aid kit, roof box, bike rack bars and packing material) but I am adding new things to the list every day. For example the brooms in Bulgaria are rubbish, as are most of the gardening implements, so I am making a list now of tools to take. I will mainly buy heads, not bother with the handles as I need to save space.

An example of what counts as a broom in Bulgaria

- I am starting to plan my route already, even though I have eight months to go. So far this has involved researching other people and the routes they have taken and has helped me to decide on the rough direction of travel; there are a number of different routes one can take and I have chosen to go south through Italy and via a ferry to Greece. This is due to wanting to see Italy (I've never been) and also wanting to avoid Romania (I have read a LOT of nasty things about trips through there recently).

- I have bought a camper van for my parents to drive over with me. This is to provide a little extra space as Thomas and the trailer do not quite have enough room for everything. I am thinking I picked my vehicle precipitously now, however, and am considering selling the one I bought and getting a Left Hand Drive one instead. This is an example of where I didn't plan enough in my consideration of which vehicle to buy. This is in contrast with my purchase of Thomas whereby I spent several months researching trucks until I picked the one I wanted.

Pea Air the Camper Van (from advert)