Plans Are Afoot ...
21st September, UK.
After thinking about it, thinking some more, and finally deciding to do it come what may, we've handed in our notice and are going to get a new outlook on life. I've been with my place of work for 13 years, Manda for 6 and a half, and it's not an easy thing to do, but if we don't do it now, we probably never will. What am I talking about? Well, buggering off for a year around the world.
On Saturday we got our flight tickets and the route is looking like this:
- London to San Francisco
- By bus to Los Angeles
- Los Angeles to Fiji
- Fiji to Cairns, Australia (via Auckland NZ)
- Months working our way around Australia
- Flight to New Zealand, North and South islands
- A jaunt (flight? Boat trip? Who knows ...) to Tasmania and back
- Leave Australia from Perth, flying in to Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Work our way through Thailand overland and on through to Singapore
- Leave Singapore, back to London ... then Swindon, Wiltshire and our old way of life but perhaps viewed from a different perspective
We leave on 8 December and will be spending Christmas Day in Fiji and New Year's Eve in Cairns. It'll be different, that's for sure - and I don't think we'll be getting a white Christmas, somehow.
So, there are a long list of things we both need to do before we go:
- Find a home for the dogs
- Sell our cars Make sure our respective houses are looked after (somebody to open the post, let us know of anything urgent)
- Get some insurance
And a tonne of other things that we'll find out along the way.
It's exciting and scary (if that's not too strong a word) at the same time. But hell, I'm looking forward to it! So, if you know me or Manda, and if we happen to be in your part of the world, drop us a line - we should meet up! And if you feel generous enough to put up a couple of unemployed (but very tidy, clean and respectful) travellers for a few nights we'd certainly appreciate it, as will the bank manager :)