Blog crazy

Websites the allow you to blog are usually free, easy and quick - which means there are tons of them out there! They're an amazing way to document something or share an experience with the world, which is perfect when it comes to travelling. This again means there is hundreds of travel blogs out there. I've been looking at a few to get inspiration and adivce for our trip but some of them are just a really good read! They also show what amazing things people are doing every day. It makes you want to shut down the computer, jump on the next plane and join them!

Here's my top 10 - (apart from mine obviously!)

1. http://www.meandfrenchie.com/ - love this, really simple but effective

2. http://www.tiredofit.ca/ - this guy is travelling by bike, really cool map follower and extras

3. http://roniweiss.com/roni-on-location/  - this is more commercial but still cool

4. http://curingwanderlust.com/ - this has really cool pictures and advice

5. travel-rants.com - raises important issues and makes you think about travelling differently

6. http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/blogs/perrinpost - loads of great advice on here

7. http://thecoolhunter.co.uk/travel - hotels waaaaay out of our price range, but it's nice to dream!

8. lonelyplanet.com/blogs/travel_blog - the ultimate backpackers blog

9. travelistic.com - so inventive - video travel blogs!

10. escapeblog.com - handy hints of the do's and don't's in countries

 HX

Working for a Bed

One of my latest challanges has been counting out the pennies (and it is pennies not pounds!) to work out how much money I have, how much I need and how I will get it.
As I was about to consider trying to be an exotic dancer ( no joke) in south london,  han came across this amazing website.....

http://www.helpx.net/index.asp

The basics of it mean that you pay 20 euros for a 2 year subscription which allows you to see a list of people and families willing to give you free accomadation and meals in return for work. usually at their home, 4 hours a day....it covers australia, new zealand, europe, canada and the USA. an amzing idea and also very practical.
There is a range of families, cities, types of accomadation and types of work. one of my personal favourites was helping a man (tanned and built if you must know in his picture) clean his boat in sydney harbour - i think i could stretch to cleaning a boat in the permenant sun and boat shoes!

A perfect way to save money and see the area from a local perspective and no sharing a youth hostel with 10 smelly gap year boys. time to put away the exotic dancer application i think.......

HX

The Book List

So as reseach for the trip ahead I've taken to sitting in the unusually warm sunshine and getting lost in books. Here's my favourites. There's a lot of travel books out there, but these have brilliant tips and are actually light hearted and funny to read -

1. Blue List - my ultimate favourite.

2. The Big Trip

3. First Time Around The World

4. The Gap Year Book

I'm looking foward to reading more books on the places we're actually going but these all have amazing helpful hints even if they don't go into too much detail.

HX

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step

5 months, 21 weeks, 149 days, 3,583 hours, 49 minutes and about 10 seconds until i get on a plane at heathrow to Australia with my travelling friend Han. That doesn't seem like a long time at all. 21 weeks!! CRAZY!
I have wanted to do this trip for as long as I can remember - before the youtube sensation that was 'Gap yah' and before taking a year off was seen as a clever addition to your CV. I don't want to go travelling in order to appear cool in freshers at uni (I've done uni and considering I did a law degree I don't think I was 'cool') and I don't need to add anything to my CV because I don't think I'll be applying for a job anytime soon.....
I want to travel to satify every romantic picture I have in my head about it. To feel completley free, adventerous and alive. And maybe fit some sunbathing in along the way!
There have been some great travllers - Christopher Colombus found the great USA, James Cook with New Zealand and interestingly Thomas Cook put together the concept of package holidays (joy) from his love of travelling and exploring for pleasure.
I hope to follow in some of these greats footsteps (although I'm sure I porbably won't discover a continent a long the way). Which leads to where my exploring takes me - Australia, Thailand, South America, Costa Rica, North America.....so far. I think that's enough to be getting on with at the moment!
Time for the checklist -

1. decide where to go - check
2. who to go with - check
3. book flights - check
4. boring essentials - insurance, jabs, equipment - nope
5. fun stuff - bikinis, hats, sunnies, tanning oil, cute travel wardrobe - mood board created. shopping to follow
6. buy case - to do
7. pack - will take a very long time.

Still soooo much to do and plan and really I like to think the adventure has already started. As with going out the getting ready is half the fun!

HX