Getting Excited

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Current Location

At the moment I am in my bedroom typing out the first of many blog entries to come. I am currently living in my parent's house in Prince George, BC Canada. I've lived in Prince George my entire life excluding the year I lived in Vancouver for my studies. I have lived with my parents my entire life excluding the four consecutive years I lived on my own when I was seventeen to twenty-one years old. I am now twenty-three.

What's Next

In one week I am flying to Melbourne, Australia. This is the starting point of my grand journey across this planet.

My plan is simple; work my way around the world.

That may just sound simply insane to you, so you can imagine the degree of my apprehension.

Research and Preparations

Everything began when a Facebook post linked to the blog thisamericangirl.com appeared on my news feed. I proceeded to read all of Camille's blogs in a matter of hours. The minute I was done I drove to the book store. I got the most amazing guide book called The Big Year by The Lonely Planet. Camille's blog and this guide book have been so incredibly helpful in every aspect of my planning.

After researching for about a day I decided that working as an au pair is a perfect fit for me for the introduction to my world travels. I will soon find out if I am correct as it only took me about two days of skypeing with families to attain a position in Melbourne. The website I used was aupairworld.net. This site is amazing and so easy and safe to use. It allows families and au pairs to connect worldwide allowing for opportunities wherever you may be travelling.

After I obtained my position in Melbourne I proceeded to seek out a working holiday visa. It's a very simple process; you go to border.gov.au and follow the prompts. I was accepted in a matter of hours. The visa is authenticated in Melbourne, if necessary, through the same site. No stamps needed. If proof of visa is asked for in Melbourne the required documents are clearly listed in your visa requirements. Generally they include passport photos, a certified copy of your passport and birth certificate and a bank statement that shows you have enough money to support yourself in the country and, if needed, purchase a flight out.

Once all my paperwork was in order it was time to start researching what equipment I would need for my travels. For the first while I will be living in a city so all I really needed to get was a universal adapter with surge protection. The one I purchased was from Eagle Creek and very fairly priced. The next and most important investment was my new home for the next few years; my backpack. After researching, shopping and looking into numerous travel blogs I found my dream bag. I purchased the Osprey Aurora AG 65L in rain forest green. I really wanted a camouflage pack but that was very hard to find. My day pack and carry on is a mossy oak camouflage pack so I suppose that will suffice. I also purchased an airporter bag, from Osprey, that slips over the entire bag when checking it in as luggage so that none of the straps and buckles are damaged. From what I've read this bag will greatly increase the life of my backpack. The great thing about Osprey is that they have a multi-national lifetime warranty; so if my pack is damaged beyond repair, I can order a new one and pick it up in any number of countries around the world.

With all my provisions in order it was time to quit my jobs and sell all my stuff. I had way too much stuff. I advertised a garage sale on Facebook and Kijiji and I sold almost everything I own. I even sold my beloved Dodge Dakota pickup. I kept some possessions for when/if I return. These include all my firearms, my tool set, all my camping and fishing gear and some winter clothes. These things mean more to me than they ever could to anyone else.

Current Philosophy

I use the word current as I expect my mind-set to be ever changing throughout this trip. I truly have no idea what to expect and that thrills me. My life up until now has been so comfortable and predictable and I am very ready to change that. Despite me being a very organized person and having a good majority of my trip planned, I am not going to hesitate to go out of my comfort zone. The notion that everything will happen as it is naturally meant to without intervention on my part is very foreign to me. Soon enough everything will be very foreign to me and I am accepting that with open arms. It all seems very surreal to me at the moment but I know that as I am boarding that plane reality will set in instantly. I am so excited and so nervous. I am excited to meet new people, see new things and form new memories. I am nervous to leave everything I know behind.

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Comments

[Tiff]

Good luck and safe travels! Looking forward to your blog posts to come!