Brave...

"To travel is worth any cost or sacrifice." 

- Elizabeth Gilbert

Sometimes I'm not sure that I know what I have really gone and done. I've been called brave by a few people for booking this trip, I don't feel brave though. I'm not sure I really feel much about this trip yet, I suppose it hadn't really sunk in and I don't think it will until either my last day of work or I am actually sat on the plane (or possibly when I am actually there?).

I'm still daydreaming about all the fantastic places I am going to visit and all the places I can visit if I can get myself set up with a job and feel happy in Australia. I'm looking forward to meeting all the people I am going to meet; I hear the Aussies are really friendly so I’m not worried there. I think the only thing I'm not looking forward to is leaving my family behind as they have generally been my partners in crime on holidays but most of them have said they will come out and visit me if I end up settling somewhere for a while.

To me I think the bravest thing I have done is quit my job (and tell my grandparents, I can’t tell you how nervous I was to tell them) especially knowing how tough it is on the job market in the UK at the moment it could be difficult to find something when I come back, though I will worry about that later.

On the countdown to my flight now. 7 weeks to go!

To do...

"I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list."

- Susan Sontag

At home I have a to do list. Normally for me this involves running around doing things for other people, tiding (because there is always something to tidy), errands or doing fun things with friends. Most of my weekend time is taken up and then, back to work. The to-do lists I'm writing now are a little different. They are more like a Bucket Lists. Places to visit, things to experience, places I want to eat (Thanks Instagram), basically fun lists all round. So here is one to get me started

1. Have fun
2. Eat local dishes
3. Learn local slang
4. Do something you have never done before
5. Learn to be a local
6 Get wonderfully lost
7. Speak your mind
8. Never stop dreaming
9. Step off the beaten track once in a while
10. Make memories

REAL

"We travel not to escape life, but so life does not escape us"

I handed in my notice last Thursday at work which was quite a scary thing to do for me. I have worked for the same firm doing hairstyling for 12 years, which for any hairstylist is a long time. Telling my work for me suddenly made things more real. Its strange how one move can make everything different. I feel like because I haven't been able to tell people or talk about it openly I have been hiding a facet of my personality for so long and its so freeing to be able to finally get excited about it. It is the biggest thing I have done in my life so far. 

Its crazy to think that in only 8 weeks I will be boarding a plane to Australia. Years of daydreaming and saving and its finally coming round. 

Fly Me To...

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."

- Saint Augustine

I have my ticket! I have my first month’s itinerary and now I have my visa confirmed! I can’t even begin to describe how I feel right now because I don’t think I know myself. I booked the start of my journey through STA Travel and I can say I have had a really pleasant experience with them getting it all booked. Joseph who helped book my ticket helped me find flights that were suited to me, I have opted for a flight with a return bookable within a year just in case I don’t enjoy my experience and want to come home. I think this option is best for me with my fears over going out on my own. Luckily for me when I went in they had got offers on for that week and I got discount on my flights and the tour I booked.

I have booked the ‘South to North’ tour which is actually run by G Adventures, a travel company that I have been looking at for other adventures in the future, did someone say Day of the Dead in Mexico? My tour starts in Melbourne and goes all the way through the centre finishing up in Darwin taking in some national parks, wine tasting, the great ocean road, Uluru (Ayers Rock) and some crocodile spotting over 18 days. Again lucky to score £300 off my tour as it was on offer the week I went in.

I have insurance for while I am out there to cover all sorts of things. I decided to go for the most comprehensive cover, while it is a lot of money when you break it down per day it works out at only £1.35 a day and covers all expenses I may be presented with, though Joseph did advise me if I can avoid it never to call an ambulance if I could get there myself apparently it costs the Aussies 500$AUS just to call one out, Yikes.

I booked a few days in Melbourne to start off with so I can do some exploring, hopefully make a few friends at the hostel when I get there and get over my jet lag so when my tour starts I can be ready for all the early morning and late nights. I am going to book a few days in a hostel at Darwin too so that when I get there I can set up my bank account and tax numbers etc. ready to find work. I’m still not sure whether I will do it as a working holiday, I figure I will see how much I like the country and how easy it is to find work and if I struggle I will just travel down the east coast to Sydney where I catch my flight back from.

Nerves are really settled in as I write this, the reluctant part of me screaming with all the “what if this goes wrong?” again, I am just hoping when I get there throwing myself into it all will help. I haven’t really had much change happen in my life since I started work. I’ve always had a stable income, friends to hang out with and things to keep me distracted at the weekends (normally more work) so the idea of being as free as the wind is a little daunting.

If you have been travelling in Australia please feel free to leave me advice or suggestions of places I must visit. It’s always handy to get others opinions I think.