See You Down Under!

So here I am, sat in Heathrow airport terminal 4 waiting to catch my flight. I'm a little emotional but I am ok. It was hard having so say goodbye to my parents, I feel a little like I may cry as I write this but then I remind myself I will look like a weirdo crying by myself in the middle of a huge airport.

I'm still not quite sure where the time has gone. It barely seems like yesterday I was sat in STA Nottingham planning and booking, now all of a sudden it's here.

I won't lie the last week has been hard. The goodbyes, the last minute bits to get, the stress it all made me really tired and yet I have been having completely disturbed sleep. Today though I woke up tired, I haven't felt stressed just a little sad to be leaving everything behind but that's what happens in life I suppose, we move to chapters new. Now I just want to get through the next 24hours of flying and transfers and get started and settled.

Thanks to everyone who sent me good luck messages, it has been a great support. See you all in Melbourne!

Follow My Adventure

"Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller"

 -Ibn Battuta

I know a lot of people reading this might be new to reading blogs so I thought I would give you a few ideas on the easiest ways to follow my adventures.

Instagram

 

Ok so Instagram comes first on the list because it happens to be my favourite form on social media. Pictures speak a thousand words and photography is a small passion of mine. My account @Japanesecherry is my my main account, I had opened a second but it is honestly a bit too much trying to run two accounts so I will be uploading all my adventures on my original account. Find a link to it in my sidebar or here

 Twitter

I have set up an official blog twitter (@ReluctantWlust) which will stay as an open profile. I still have my original twitter (@japanesecherry) but I am considering making that feed private so if you want my twitter updates or want to drop me a tweet to say hey follow me here. I'll share my blog posts, instagrams, other photos and tweets of what I am up to here. There is also a Widget in my sidebar to see my most recent tweets.

Bloglovin' 

Now this is probably the easiest way to follow any blog. Bloglovin for those who don't know is your one stop shop to follow all your favourite blogs. It puts all the posts in one feed by order of when they were posted once you have read the posts it will put them to the bottom of your feed until you have read everything. They have a handy app for iPhone and iPad too so you can keep up-to-date on the move. All you need to do is create and account and follow your favorite blogs. Find mine here or follow from the widget in my sidebar.

Pinterest

Follow Emily's board Blog: The Reluctant Wanderlust on Pinterest.

It's no secret to my close friends that I am obsessed with this site (even after 2 years) so I will be pinning each post to a blog specific board on Pinterest. To make it even more fun I have added a map to the board so I can tag where each post was written to each pin! This makes it just as much fun for me when I come back to read them that I have a world map tracking where I have been, double whammy! 

Google+

There is a link in the top of my sidebar if you use Google+ to add me to your circles. I'll be honest I am still pretty new to this one but all my posts will automatically share to google+ so if you have me in your circles you should be able to see them.

Email

Just type your email address into the 'Follow By Email' section in the sidebar and you should get my blog posts straight to your inbox.

         Or simply add my blog to your web explorer bookmarks and check back now and then. Do you use something different to follow your favourite blogs? If so let me know so I can look into it.

Less Than A Week To Go

"All glory comes from daring to begin"

I'm on the final days of my countdown till I go to Australia and I think the reality is starting to really sink in. I'm still really enthusiastic about my trip, don't get me wrong here, but the stress of time to sort things and get everything done before I go is becoming less and less and with it the stress becoming a little more.

I won't lie packing your life into a suitcase is hard. Especially when you are not really sure what you will and won't need all the time when you get there. I have to just remind myself that I can post home anything I do not need after the first few months. Add into it not just the fact that I will be travelling but looking for work while I am out there and having to take CV's and certificates with me add in all my normal paranoia (I'm naturally a fairly paranoid person) and I then start stressing myself out more. 

I know it will all be alright in the end, I just have to enjoy the journey with all it's ups and downs and remember not to get too stressed.

Instagrammers That Give Me Wanderlust

"You miss 100% of the shots you didn’t take."

- Wayne Gretzky

Instagram is definitely my favourite form of social media, whether is is because pictures speak a thousand words or that I don't notice so much negativity and moaning because the picture is used to draw you in to the comments, I love that this app has helped me develop my creative skills and get to know some fantastic people from all over the globe. (My feed is here)

London - Big Ben, South Kensington and The V&A 25-08-14

Day two in London consisted of a very lazy morning for me, enjoying having a massive marshmallow-like queen size bed all to myself before heading into the city for one last meander around London before my big trip. I started down in South Kensington at the V&A Museum because I have wanted to go for ages now taking in the exhibits and the architecture.

London - Columbia Road, The Shard and Tower Hill 24-08-14

Going to London this weekend was a great escape for me and a chance to see how I coped on my own in preparation for Australia, as well as hitting a few tourist spots and things on my bucket list. I met up with Emma and her friend Ellen from Instagram (check out their feeds here and here for incredible pretty pictures) on the Sunday for a wander down Columbia Road Flower Market which was wonderful and so busy making it interesting to try to get a good shot.

This is the time...

" This is the time for small pay checks and big memories" 

It's nearly two weeks to go until my trip and time seems to be spreading past me and slipping through my fingers. I am experiencing a complete swing in emotions from excitement all the way to panic and a small bout of annoyance when I found out my car needed some work doing, long story, my fault (Possibly).

I still have things to get but I know they are quite easy I just need to go get them.  I'm making packing lists, shopping lists and to do lists which feel me like they never end and then trying to narrow down those lists so that I try not to take more than I need to, especially since I know that I can buy anything I forget when I get out there.

My main saving grace has been the amazing support I have received from people excited for me. I'm almost past the point of talking about it because most people seem to want to hear every detail of what I have planned for the next year but I don't have that much planned. I want to go with the wind and see whee life takes me for once, I'm getting fed up of having every moment of my life planned and planning. Now I just want to get started, even if it scares me a little.

Australian Bucket List or 20 Things I Want To Do Down Under

"Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon"

- Paul Brant

I am a bit of a list writer now-a-days so writing a bucket list of things I want to do while in Australia was only natural really. I'll be honest I may have had a list like this prepared for while but since following some of the Australian Territories on Instagram my lust list is getting a bit bigger. Here are some of the things I want to do/see in Australia.

1. Climb the Sydney Harbour bridge
2. Swim and snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef
3. Hug a koala (yes seriously)
4. Try kangaroo & crocodile steaks
5. Visit Uluru
6. Watch the New Years Eve fireworks in Sydney
7. Surf at Bondi Beach or Byron Bay
8. Take in the sunset at Mindil Beach, Darwin
9. Visit Phillips Island for the penguin parade in Victoria
10. Photograph the Milky Way in the Outback
11. See the Aurora Australis (the southern version of the Aurora Borealis)
12. Visit the Whitehaven beach and the Whitsunday Islands
13. Watch sunrise or sunset at the Eureka Sky deck, Melbourne
14. Learn about the Aborigines 
15. Cage dive with a Great White Shark.
16. Swim with whale sharks at Ningaloo Marine Park reefs
17. Feed the dolphins at Monkey Mia (maybe swim with them too if they let me)
18. Skydive.
19. Drive the Great Ocean Road
20. Visit the Pink Lake near Esparance, WA

Music That Inspired My Adventure

"Respond to every call that excites your spirit" 

- Rumi

I love music. It has the ability to suit every mood we have, remind us of a memory when a certain song was playing, lift your mood when you are feeling low and bring people together. When I first started piecing together the plan for my adventure last December I found a lot of music made me imagine the beaches I would visit and people I would meet, food to be tasted and sunsets I would watch. 

Today's list is a playlist of a few of the songs that made me smile, dream, believe and finally adventure. I hope you enjoy

• LA Calling - Crystal Fighters
• La Da Dee - Cody Simpson
• Life's For The Living - Passenger
• Wake Me Up - Avicii
• On Top Of The World - Imagine Dragons
• Brand New Day - Kodaline
• Best Day Of My Life - American Authors
• Brave - Sara Bareilles
• Thunder - Passenger
• Dust - Eli Young Band

What makes you want to take an adventure?

4 Weeks To Go

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can"

- Arthur Ashe

Its four weeks to go until my adventure and I will admit I’ve been getting quite worried because I don’t feel like I have everything sorted. Today I managed to finally make some headway on this and have ordered myself a small, light sleeping bag from Go Outdoors, which I have just picked up, and have narrowed down a daysack to a nice Berghaus 25L daysack but I just need to take a look at it in Go Outdoors when I pick up my sleeping bag because it is currently on sale at Blacks in Nottingham.

I can’t believe how quick the days are passing now. Apprehension and nervousness has started to settle in but at the same time I know in my gut I have made the right choice to go out to Australia travelling. I think once I have tried packing my case this weekend I will know that I don’t need half of what my brain is telling me to take at the moment.

It was lovely as well today because I got to see a lot of my dad’s side of the family including my Aunt and Uncle who live in Spain; it was nice to have been able to see them before I go.

So the countdown is on! 4 weeks till take off!

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.

Life is short...

". . .life is short and the world is wide."

Simon Raven

I’m off to Corfu in 4 weeks for a mini adventure despite still thinking about what to do about a big adventure. I know where I want to go I’m just not sure I am brave enough to book it yet. I’m hoping getting away from my everyday life and actually getting some time to relax and think about what I want will help me decide.

I’ve been considering a working holiday for about 2 years now, I’ve never really mentioned it to anyone it has just floated about my mind popping to and from my thoughts every now and again. As I said in my first post I have always wanted to see the world and as I get older I see a working holiday as a great opportunity to do so. When I think working holiday I think of Australia. It is about as far from the UK as you can get and about as different I imagine as you can get, much better weather to start with.

I work as a hairstylist for a living and I have developed my career in my hometown to pretty much a level I can’t increase on without moving to London or living between London and home so I can start trying my hand photo shoots and fashion shows. There is obviously more to this story but it would take me a while to elaborate. I am hoping though that my profession will come in handy if I go to Australia as I think they are still lacking in skilled trades, at one point I think they would pretty much give hairdressers Visas as they had huge waiting lists for appointments.

I think that using somewhere like Australia as a base while I work and travel would hopefully give me the opportunity to explore the surrounding areas too such as New Zealand and the South Pacific all while knowing I can work to earn money to keep me going while I am out there. Unfortunately talking with my parents doesn’t help me because they just point out all that could go wrong and the money it will cost. I just wonder with all these people that do go out there every year if it would go wrong for me?

If you have been out yourself please get in touch and let me know how the experience went for you and what I should be looking out for.