The important thing is that I'm back. I finally have something to write about. I will write about my latest adventure: I'm backpacking solo to Asia, OZ and NZ for just over two months.
I have decided that I'm not afraid anymore... Afraid of what? I hear you saying. Afraid of everything: loosing a job, spending the money I have saved for years, taking time out without a clear objective. So I have finally left all that aside and I have decided to go travelling. I have taken a three months sabbatical.
Wise people say that opportunities only show once and if you let them go you can't expect they will show again. So I saw my gap of opportunity and I grab it with both hands. I decided that since I had not stopped working ever since I finished university and all i had been doing in the past 12 years was work work and work, the time has come for a well deserved break.
The idea cooked in my head for a couple of months and everyone I told about this possibility thought it was a great idea. Once my mind was made, action took place. And here are the steps I have been following.
Step 1 - Quit my job!
Step 2 - Look for a flight. But where to start? There is so much choice and so many countries to visit. So I started by thinking on countries where I know people. Since I'm travelling on my own, it would be good to find some familiar faces along the way. Once I knew more or less where I wanted to go and the length of my trip, I was lucky enough to find a good deal to go to most places i wanted to visit, though it meant cutting my trip a bit short not to get into Christmas season. Being flexible is a big part of booking the trip, otherwise it can get very expensive.
As a result, I will be travelling to China (Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai), Hong Kong, Vietnam, Australia (Perth, Melbourne, Sydney), New Zealand (Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland) and Thailand (Bangkok). The trip starts on 5th October, back to the UK on 9th December, then another flight to Madrid on 17th December and back to London on 28th December.
Step 3 - Start contacting friends around the world to see if I could visit them and to get recommendations on what to see and do. Also start a Lonely Planet collection.
Step 4 - Figure out what visas I needed it. This step was easier than I thought. The hardest one to get (surprise, surprise) was China, and even this one was easier than what I expected. I only need visa for China, Australia (it's free and I did it via Internet) and Vietnam (I got a walk in visa online and I will get the stamp when I arrive). Having a Spanish passport is not so bad, as no visa is required for Hong Kong, New Zealand and Thailand.
Step 5 - The jabs. This is the part I liked the least, possibly because of my dislike to needles! But it was easier than i thought and faster. I got one in each arm and both arms were hurting for two days!
Step 6 - Pack my flat. Yes! I didn't mention it, but I'm actually moving out and therefore I need to pack everything to rent the flat out.... Do you know of anyone that would like to rent a lovely flat in Ashford Middlesex? Let me know if you do!
Step 7 - I'm new to the backpacking thing, so I didn't have a clue what to take. I started a list that I have passed around to a few experienced friends and they have completed it for me. I was surprised I got a lot of it right (all the reading I did was paying off), though i had forgotten some important items such as imodium and plasters. I need to do a bit of shopping to get everything on the list.
Step 8 - It's great to know what you are going to take, but even better if i have a place to put it all in! I don't have a backpack yet, though I'll be borrowing one today!
Step 9 - Staying connecting is important to me, so I'm taking my own little netbook so I can send regular updates on what's happening!
Step 10 - At the time of writing this update, I still need to finish Step 6, 7 and 8.... and much more. aaaaaaaaahh!!
I'm sure it will all get done, to what cost it's still to be seen! :-)
Stay tuned and follow my updates here!
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