Trip of a lifetime kicks off

Our trip of a lifetime has begun – starting with the first of four flights: Brisbane to Sydney. Why Sydney? It meant we could fly First Class on Qantas all the way to London Heathrow. The alternative – via Singapore – would have meant an older A330 in Business Class, for the same price. So Sydney it was, and a chance to experience the Qantas International First Lounge (massage included!).

"Our trip doesn't start until Qantas First Class Lounge contact me to book my massage" said Jimmy Monday night. 

We were contacted Tuesday to schedule our massages. Originally booked for 2:00pm, I realised boarding was at 2:15pm – too tight for comfort. We got them changed to 1:00pm (Jimmy first up of course) and 1:30pm instead.

Saying goodbye

Daisy and Annie weren’t sure what to make of the suitcases. In 2019, Molly totally freaked out when the bags came out – this time, it was calmer. We realised we hadn’t really been away from Annie for any long stretch... though there was that time I spent eight weeks in hospital and didn’t come home at all. Ros was barely home either, with Sally stepping in to look after our fur babies.

Off to the airport

Sally dropped us off (and is staying at our place to look after the girls – incredibly lucky to have her). I mistakenly thought we could check in through the Business Class lounge at Brisbane, but nope – we were redirected to the International Transfers counter. There was a moment of confusion with our boarding passes – I had four, Ros had three – because I had two different seat numbers for the Sydney–London legs via Singapore. All cleared up eventually.

Usually, we leave with three bags – this time, we’re starting with three. Scenic advised we’d need three sets of cold-weather gear for the 23-day cruise portion, including lots of zodiac outings. Fitting it all meant a last-minute trip to buy another suitcase.

Our biggest luggage hurdle will be the Seville–Lisbon flight – just 23kg per bag unless we want to fork out $100 per extra kilo. Two bags were bang-on: 22.3kg and 22.2kg. The third squeaked in at 18.8kg.

Security & lounge time

Through security (no bag checks for once – a miracle considering the tech I carry!), and into the lounge for breakfast and a moment to breathe. Ahead of us: 38 hours to Malaga, via Sydney, Singapore, and London. No overnight stops. Will I regret that?

A smooth first flight – mostly

Brisbane to Sydney was on time and uneventful. Except for two memorable moments:

• I gave Ros a heartfelt letter and a new-age ‘mix tape’ (playlist on my phone via headphones, playing as she read the letter on the plane). It touched on how far we’ve come after everything these past few years. She cried – and honesty, so did I when I wrote the letter. Being so incredibly grateful for being able to get on this plane and do this journey and how remarkable it is in itself.
• I went to move a meatball on my breakfast panini and got sauce on my finger. Instinctively, I went to lick it off – completely forgetting I still had my mask on. Result: a big red splat on my white mask. Classic.

Final Thoughts

It’s real now. We’re on our way. Bags checked, memories already being made. Europe 2025 – here we come.