Yesterday marked just 14 days left in England until I swap the life I know to embark on my dream trip.
But who’s counting, right?
Am I excited? Yes. Am I nervous? Hell yes!
Every time I talk about Australia, I say that it still feels like an imaginary place to me. I’ve never been there before and I have absolutely no idea what it’s going to be like.
In my head, I have known that I’m going there for a while but actually doing it… That’s the bit that makes me a little jittery.
Preperations
The preparations for my trip have been slow and steady but now it’s all becoming a bit too real that I’m actually going. It was only a short while ago that I made the decision to change the course of my life and start making plans to travel the world.
That time honestly feels like five minutes ago.
Since leaving university, I have had two jobs that have enhanced my editing career, saved frantically and as of late, spent pretty much everyday looking at my countdown app on my phone (just a tad nerdy, I know).
But now, I don’t have much left to do. My flights, visa, insurance and first week’s stay package are booked and paid for. All together, all of this has cost me roughly £2,000 which I don’t think is a bad start.
Kathmandu Hybrid 50L bag
My brand new Kathmandu bag is sitting under my bed waiting for me to start frantically packing and my passport is stowed away safe ready for the airport.
Surely I can fit my entire life into a 50L bag? This could get interesting.
As for money, I’ve officially saved £5,000 for the trip (after the expenses mentioned above). I spent a lot of time worrying whether this would be enough but it’s still better than what I started with. Plus I have plans to work and save whilst I am travelling so I’ve stopped stressing about it so much.
I know what you’re thinking…I’m a bit too organised for my own good and something is bound to go wrong (fingers crossed it won’t).
I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I want my trip to be. I haven’t booked anything past the first week because I just don’t know what I will end up doing.
I didn’t want to try and plan everything down to the last detail. To me, that’s not what travelling is about.
All I know is that Sydney awaits my arrival and the rest of Australia will come after that (hopefully in a really cool camper van).
But I will definitely say that things have progressed quickly and I don’t think it will hit me properly until I stop working. (A totally alien, but nonetheless, exciting concept to me).
Quitting my jobs
As I write this, I have already quit my second job and now have just one day left in my full-time role.
I will then spend the next 10 days preparing to live out of a bag for the next 12 months.
Lifestyle change or what?
All I can possibly hope for is that, no matter where I end up, my trip will be everything I want it to be and more. I see it as a chance to grow as a person and have experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life.
I keep daydreaming about being at the airport and how I will feel when I actually step onto the plane but… for some reason I don’t know whether I will be excited, sad, anxious or just plain bricking it.
Maybe it’s best not to know and just go with it. After all, I might feel all of those at once! (I hope not, I’ll be a shaky wreck).
If anyone would like any information on prices, insurance etc; I’d be happy to offer advice.
Watch this space for more updates as my departure date draws closer!
Are you preparing for a trip? Been to Sydney before? Any travel tips/questions are always welcome!
Photo credit: PressReleaseFinder, 2010. Source link here
