Final Countdown to the first flight

As I’m writing this blog I’ve got one eye on the calendar. The countdown to the start of my Churchill Fellowship is almost into single digits. My excitement is building for the first leg of my trip – flying to Melbourne. An adventure to a country I’ve never seen before. A flight longer than I’ve ever done before.

The list of things that I need to do before I leave are running through my mind. Writing this blog being one of them.

  • Flights, check ✅
  • Medical insurance, check ✅
  • Wheelchair insurance, check ✅
  • Prescriptions ordered/collected, check ✅
  • Interviews booked, check ✅
  • Hotels booked (first week), check ✅

 

Feels like I’m ready to go!

The last month or so have felt relatively stress free. Most of my work reaching out to people I hope to interview for my research started back in July when I found out I had been awarded the Fellowship. The last month has been contacting people to confirm they are still available (and willing) to be interviewed for the research when I get there.

My itinerary is pretty packed with plenty of interviews and projects to visit. The plan is to meet people from a range of backgrounds related to disabled innovation. From disabled innovators themselves to the systems that support them to make social change.

I’ll be trying to keep my trip as visible as possible. I’m hoping to share who I’m meeting and what I’m doing. You’ll be able to keep up with me on Instagram here and Polarsteps here.

It’s finally time for me to throw everything in my bag and think how to keep myself occupied on the 22 hour direct flight to Melbourne. Lucky I have a Kindle!

Edit: thrilled that I have been invited on my second day in Melbourne to give a keynote speech at a MedTechVic symposium which I’m excited about. Now I have something else to keep me occupied on the flight over!