Finishing Touches!

Hello All!

Just thought I'd update you on the final preparations for Operation Christina-and-Claire-do-Oz!

• I went on The Australian YHA site (www.yha.com.au) and drew up an itinerary on their interactive map of all the hostels on our bus route, which mostly work out at about a tenner a night, which is ace, and they all have internet access and look really nice. I also got contact numbers and directions to them, so the site was really helpful.
• Claire and I went to STA Travel yesterday to book our Oz Experience Bus Pass (www.ozexperience.com.au) which takes us on a round trip from Sydney through Byron Bay, Brisbane, and many more places up to Cairns, then gives us a flight to Darwin taking us back down through the outback towns of Katherine, Daly Waters, Alice Springs, Yulara, and through Adelaide, Melbourne and Canberra on our way back to Sydney. STA have been the backbone of our planning so far, so if your thinking of travelling with adventure in mind check out their site (www.statravel.co.uk)

So everything's sorted now! We've got our flights, visas, coach tickets, VIP and YHA discount cards, travel insurance; so all that needs to be done now is the saving for spending money! Here comes the difficult bit eh! As some of you know already though I've taken on a second job to pay for this trip so we just gotta work hard now to reap the benefits in January!

ps. Claire has her own site, so check out her point of view at(www.clairesadventures.blogspot.com)

Also, check out what Martin 'Mofo' Scott is doing already on his round the world tour, at (www.marttimo.blogspot.com)

Cheerio!

Future Plans!

Hey all!

Just thought I'd let you in on all the places I intend to go before I'm befuddled with bills and mortgages and credit cards and what not!

• January to April 2005 - Australia by way of Japan, flying into Sydney and traveling up the east coast to Cairns by coach, then an internal flight to Darwin, back down the middle over the Stuart Highway through Adelaide, Melbourne and Canberra and back to Sydney. On the way back we have a couple of days for sightseeing in Japan, in Osaka and Kyoto.
• June to September 2005 - After spending 8-9wks working in an American Children's Camp we have a few weeks to explore the USA, hopefully to meet up with some people from the San Diego course and to travel up to Idaho to see my fair family!
• Summer 2006 - During the first summer of university I hope to spend some time in Europe and see some cities, hopefully Prague, Paris, Berlin, Venice, Barcelona and Amsterdam.

Other places I really want to see are Thailand, Nepal, Egypt and South America. When I'm gonna do this is yet to be seen! If you love travelling too and wanna create your own adventure check out www.intrepidtravel.com they have some wicked tours in the most far-off places!

The Globetrotter's Aspirations!

Hey All!

Just thought I'd give you the low-down on what this Blogspot is all about.

• This site is for all my friends and family to keep track of my planning and travelling while i'm home or away. You can also feel free to comment on any of my entries (only no one is to be nasty!) and offer any feedback, advice or goodwill you can muster!
• This site is also for me, so I can keep a record of all my ventures and have something to show for them!

Maybe I should tell you why I have decided to make travelling my main aim in life. I think I first got the travelling bug in 1996 when I went on a week-long primary school trip to Switzerland (bless Mr Nuttall and co for their bravery!). It was my first trip away from my parents and my first time on a plane and I loved it. Despite my undying adoration for my childhood camping holidays to Scarborough, South Wales and Devon (which i'm pretty sure are where I'll be going when i've bills to pay and mouths to feed!), I've never looked back since.

I've been on family holidays since Switzerland, to Tenerife, Lanzarote, France, Fuerteventura, Kefalonia and Ibiza (where I contracted Salmonella D - a true life experience!), but my REAL travelling started in July 2003, when I won a college competition to go to San Diego. Then in February 2004, I went again with college to the African country of The Gambia, which truly opened my eyes to the different cultures which inhabit our world.

I set up this website because my friend Claire and I are going on the trip of a lifetime come January - three whole months on our own in the blazing sun of Australia. The website is so my family and friends can track my antics on the online journal and keep an eye on me!

Anyway, the only thing we've done by way of planning is book our flight, which takes us to Osaka, Japan on January 7th, arriving in Sydney, Australia on January 9th. We arrive back in the UK on April 6th, in time for my Mum's 40th party! We'll keep you posted on further developments as they happen.

See ya later!

Getting Started on my Blogspot

Here is my online journal people!

Hopefully once I've sorted it all out I'll be able to let you know how my plans materialise, how I'm doing on my travels, and future plans for the Globetrotter!
Feel free to comment on my posts, I'd love to hear some feedback or advice or whatever during the course of my planning and my travels.

See ya later, Christina! x