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Published: June 28th 2017
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Geo: -37.8167, 144.967
A week from today I will be airport bound with my Natalie.
This trip has been years in the making.
I remember sitting at my desk last year, staring wistfully out of the window thinking; 'about 300 working days to go.'
Now the countdown is all but over.
Tomorrow is my last day of work. I am taking 12 months of leave without pay, allowing me to return to this job at any time within that period.
All that remains between now and our Anzac Day departure, is to get the remainder of our affairs in order. I have sold my car, we have organised tenants to rent out our home. Furniture and possessions have been loaned to friends and family, or allocated a storage spot. Gym memberships, internet subscriptions & cable TV Cancelled. All binding tethers, commitments and routines are removed.
It's all ahead of us. We've so much already planned, and so much room for flexibility.
Our first stop is Singapore. Five nights, including a two night cruise to Kuala Lumpur. Universal Studios already booked.
Next up is Dubai. Three nights. A dunes tour is planned, along with a sunset dinner.
We arrive in London on May 3. Here we've booked
an initial 10 nights accommodation.
From here we are bound for the north of the UK on an 8 hour bus ride. We stay with family of mine for 2-3 weeks (in Durham), hopefully touring Scotland and the Lakes District.
We board our first major cruise on May 31 from Southampton. 13 Nights, including Iceland and the Fjords of Norway. Our plans include, the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, the Gullfoss waterfall (world's 8th largest), Alesund, the Path of the Trolls and the Great Atlantic Road.
We arrive back in Southampton on 13 June, when we have 6 nights free before we board our second cruise from Copenhagen. This is a further 12 nights, and takes us to; Germany, Visby (Gotland), Latvia, Estonia, St Petersberg in Russia, Finland and drops us in Stockholm.
From Stockholm comes our expedition to Svalbard, way up in the Arctic Circle. Here we have 6 nights of accommodation. Polar bears, sledding with Huskies, 24 hours of daylight, glaciers, arctic wildlife and utter wilderness. We are staying in the main settlement known as Longyearbyen. We have booked a four hour boat trip to the mysterious ghost town of Pyramidden (not connected by roads) hastily abandoned without explanation by the Russians
in 1998. From Svalbard, we fly back to Oslo.
That's about as far as we've planned so far, from Oslo the objective is to travel the Netherlands to stay with my family. Then it's about deciding what to do from here. Tackling the continent is the objective; Belgium to see some friends, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Croatia and Turkey all priorities. We meet a couple of friends of mine in Germany in August. There are infinite possibilities and opportunities.
In time, I hope to find work, probably based in the UK. I have a European passport, which enables me to work anywhere in the EU, but Natalie is restricted to UK employment with her ancestry visa. Our ability to find work will determine the length of our trip, whether we are able to continue to sustain ourselves financially.
I'm looking forward to a life changing year. I've no fears and no doubts that whatever happens will be for the best. I'm approaching this trip with an open mind. I have no set expectations or requirements, or time constraints of this journey. Whether we stay for months or years, the experiences, adventures and challenges before me, will bring the best out of me, bring much happiness and provide among the best memories of my life.
I will be maintaining this blog throughout my travels, including journals, maps, photos and updates. The best experiences can be made better by sharing them with good people, the people you care about, so I hope that I will be able to share my experiences with you.
Here's to a great year and a great trip!
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dan
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Awesome times ahead sir! Pyramidden sounds especially cool.Have you been to KL before? I loved that city. Take Nat for a cocktail at Skybar!