Experienced traveler?

Before I left for India 2.5 years ago, on my first trip overseas, I was very nervous. I didn't know what to expect about India, about the long flight, about the food, about the water, about jet-lag, about anything. But in hindsight I think what caused me the most stress wasn't all those unknowns but one other big unknown. I didn't know how I would react to any of those unknowns. What if I became so stir-crazy on the plane that I was desperate to get off? What if I got a blood clot in my leg (Thanks, fear-mongering pharmaceutical commercials) on the flight? What if I was hungry all the time because there was nothing I could eat? What if I mistakenly drank the water and became desperately ill (Thanks, co-workers who have traveled to India and done just that)? My fear of the unknown was really a lack of trust in my own ability to handle and effectively react to different circumstances. I'm not worried about those things anymore.

Before I gave birth to my second child, Sam, I remember talking to friends and relatives and saying things like, "I'm not so nervous about this baby because I've experienced so much with the first baby, Mia. I know I haven't experienced everything, but I think I'll be able to handle the differences with this baby all right." When Sam finally made his appearance, I was shocked to find that there was nothing different about this baby than the first one. Thankfully both my babies were healthy and had no serious problems, so there was literally nothing new for me to learn. Not only had I experienced a lot with Mia, but in fact, I'd experienced everything. The new baby didn't bring any surprises, even though I thought he might, and I felt like I was prepared to handle them if he did.

That's kind of how I feel with this trip. I've traveled to Asia before (OK, not to Thailand, so obviously there will be differences). But I've dealt with the long flight, the food issue, the water issue, and the jet-lag. I don't know what to expect about Thailand in particular, but I have the confidence that I can successfully travel to foreign countries, and I feel prepared to handle the differences.

• Tomorrow I start packing.
• Monday I confirm that the corporate apartments I'm staying in can book an interpreter/driver to take me around on some sight-seeing adventures on Saturday and Sunday.
• Tuesday evening, I want to be completely finished packing. Someone told me to try to be done packing 24 hours before your flight. I think that's great advice. It's never ever happened for me, but I'm optimistic. There's a first time for everything.
• Wednesday is for the last-minute "Oh man! I forgot!" moments
• And Thursday at 220p EST (= Friday 120a in Bangkok), wheels up.