For those of you who have been out of the country before, you probably know (or don't know) that you need a visa to gain entry into certain countries. My father and I applied for our visa's earlier this year so we would be able to get into India. Let me just say this for those of you who have not done it before, there is a LOT of paperwork to fill out and send off to the Indian government in order to get permission to come to their country. And it's not even just sending passports back and forth, and getting your passport photos retaken and updated. It can be increasingly frustrating also.

Multiple times, I have had to send and resend paperwork that I thought had been cleared with Travisa, the visa processing company. I send all my paperwork in, at least what I think is all my paperwork, and then they shoot me an email a few days later saying there is a problem with my transaction and that it cannot be completed. Those emails can tend to give you a mini heart attack, especially when you automatically assume that you're not going to be able to go because they "couldn't process the paperwork".

Getting ready for the journey as it nears closer and closer, especially in acquiring granted permission to be able to go on my trip itself, makes me realize that there is more than just buying your plane ticket and hopping on a plane to where you want to go. This will be the only time I have ever been out of the country to a not-so-touristy destination. And quite a destination it is.

More on that later!