Where dreams are made…

They say that one of a Sagittarius’ traits is a love of travel. And while I’ve always loved the concept of travel, and indulged a little here and there, the dreams of big overseas adventures have remained just that, dreams.

There’s lots of reasons for that, and none of them particularly interesting; life has just simply gotten in the way. I could say that I got married young and had a baby straight away. I could put it down to the fact that my baby, who isn’t such a baby anymore, doesn’t really like travel. I could say that money has been tight and we’ve had to prioritise other things.

But the reality is that lots of people seem to still be able to make it happen, despite facing all of the above and more. So I guess it’s just never been the right time, the right priority, the right something.

The dream has remained though. And after hearing my plots and plans for the millionth time earlier this year, Husband told me to just do it. To stop worrying about Poss, and him, and all the other million reasons not to go, and just go.

So, I’m doing it. In less than two weeks, I’ll be in New York with my Mum. Just the two of us taking on the big city, the concrete jungle, the place where dreams are made. According to the song anyway.

It’s Mum’s birthday, and it’s a big one with a zero in it, so it seems like as good a reason as any for us to go. Instead of a party, she’s opted for a holiday, and I’m lucky enough to be holding her suitcase (and dragging my own).

It will be the longest I’ve been away from husband, since, well, forever… And Poss… I just can’t really think about it. We’ll be apart for just under two weeks, which seems ridiculously long, but also like it will go in the blink of an eye.

Excitement is tinged with doubt, joy is threatening to be overshadowed with anxiety. I know they’ll be fine, of course they’ll be fine – they are more than fine every time I go away for work, but it’s not like I’m in Sydney for the night. New York is a long, long way away.

So I’ll be just over here, practicing my deep breathing, baking things for the freezer, writing a million lists and trying to think of every single possible thing that might go wrong, and solving for it before I go.

And hoping that all the stress, preparation, mummy guilt and anxiety are all worth it, because these travel dreams just won’t go away; how will I know if I don’t take the chance?

Have you ever done a big trip away from your family? What tips can you share to ease the anxiety? Was it worth it?