Every so often, I have to travel for work, to teach or do some research. It’s great.  I love travelling and I’m aware of the huge privilege it is to see new things and places, to talk to new people.

The part of travelling I relish least, though, is the preparation.  I stress about making sure I have everything I need – passport, money, camera, charger, laptop, notebook, pens, binoculars – the list goes on, before I’ve even thought about clothes or fitting it all into hand luggage for an airline that allows you about eight ounces of gear in a bag no larger than a matchbox.

Everything about preparing to travel makes me nervous.  I worry I’ll forget something.  I worry I’ll miss the plane.  I worry that there won’t be anywhere for me to stay, that the computer will have eaten my talk, that I’ll arrive on the wrong day or that I’ll lose my passport.  I love it – but it’s also a nightmare.

Jesus once sent his disciples off on a journey, one of the most important of their lives.  Their job was to show people what Jesus was about, teaching and healing as they went.  Jesus’ instructions as they set off were clear: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.  Wear sandals, but not an extra shirt.”

Now that’s travelling light.  But the journey was a success.  People heard about Jesus and they liked what they heard.  Not long afterwards, five thousand men, along with thousands of women and children gathered to hear him teach.

The thing about the disciples’ journey was not that they had the right kit, but that they knew what they were doing. Perhaps the next time I go on a trip I should focus on that. And pack in the worry.

This picture was taken on the road towards Walden, Colorado, through the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge on one of the best journeys I ever took: my first visit to the University of Wyoming in Laramie WY.