Before we get stuck in, a little backstory

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Simon: 29 September 2007

So where to start? I guess the most obvious question to ask is why?
Short answer - lots of reasons. Long answer, well, read a few more entires I suppose.

For the idea - I totally blame STA travel. My subconscious mind was bathed in cycles of the same advert over and over again - sometimes even when I was paying attention. "Rock Star Ticket" the dam thing proclaimed - "behave like a twat on 5 continents ". Need less to say, it warranted investigating further.

This idea percolated, as these things do, but did not dissapate in strength or in it's need for attension. The premise is simple: to take risks and experience change, or to stay in a stable enviroment.

I came to the conclusion that the time is right for something drastic, something deliberately unstable and, something quite possibly irresponsible. New Challenges await on the far horizon, and now is a good time for a short, sharp, sideways shift before the need to do more responsible things takes hold again

Chasing the lead provided by STA hooked Sandra and I up with a decent travel agent. After this, it was only a couple of meetings later and we had signed on for two "Global Explorer" tickets: 5 stops, 12 months, and a large number of miles being the terms of the deal.

The basic plan we have is
Indochina (December January)
Northern India (February March)
Europe (April - September)
Africa (October November)

Staying behind in New Zealand are many family and friends who we hope will enjoy following us on our travels through power of the interweb. I'd also like to thank Hudson Street for providing Sponsorship for the grant tour - long may she always be tenanted!!

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