Delaying...?

Due to recent changes of heart over the locked-in pub job, I have started to reconsider the whole order of my trip.

Having no set-in-stone job and accommodation, I will NOT have enough money to survive for the few months lead-up to my contiki tour :(

It has been suggested that maybe I should leave later in the year (April/May/June) so that I can jump straight into touring and visiting relatives. Then decide 'after' the touring whether I want to settle in the UK with a job?

This would not only give me more time to save up money before I depart, but also potentially save money in accommodation expenses.

I still have a month or so before I need to start booking things.

So... Question of the Week:

Do you like this idea of putting the touring at the start of my Eurotrip? If so (remembering my Contiki Tour is in June): When would you choose to leave for overseas?

Leave a comment and/or vote in the poll   ====>

Thanks guys  :)

Final Note on Navigating My Blog Page

Just thought I'd give you all a quick run down on where & what everything is/does on this page for all those not-so-techno-friendly people.      :)

Right Side Bar:

"My Recent Europe Pics" - A small sideshow of my most recent pics.

"My Euro Pics & Albums" - Link/s that will take you to all of the online albums containing all of my pics.

"My Current Time" - The exact/current time of my residence. E.g. While still accessing my blog in Aus. the time will be Aus. time. Once in the UK the time will automatically convert into the relevant UK time. The same applies for every other country visited in Europe, etc, etc.

"UK Weather" - Obviously... the current weather in the UK.

"Polls" - A series of polls will be listed with the most recent at the top. 2-3 days after the polls have been closed (time up for voting) they will be removed so there is room for new ones. Most of them allow you to vote for more than one option, & the outcome may very well be used during my trip. (See "Polls!" post Sept. 09 for e.g.).

"Blog Archive" - A hierarchy derived from the year then month to find old posts no longer viewable on the main page. The main page has been set up so only 3 posts (3 most recent) will be viewable at a time (keeps the page small & simple).

"Labels" - For those not keen on the "Archive" option to go back & view older &/or missed posts, the "Labels" section can be used. Each post is given labels (e.g. a blog involving arrival/departure will be labelled: arrival, departure, flights, travel, transport, etc). This is more useful for those who know specifically what post they're looking for.

"About Me" - A boring link to an unfinished profile.

"Followers" - These picture icons represent people who have made or have an existing account with google & have "joined" my blog page. This allows them to be identified (shows name/follower) when leaving comments (instead of anonymous & haveing to type in your name every time).

"Recent Comments" - A list of the last 5 comments posted anywhere on the blog.

"My Travel Links" - A list of links to other websites I have used in organizing my trip/travel. In a random post &/or poll might ask if a certain package is a good idea - the link to the website promoting the package will most likely be found here. Also other random sites I constantly use such as: STA Travel, Topdeck, Travel Buddies, etc.

"Favourite Links" - A list of links to sites I use often or like to promote such as: work, dad's photography, etc.

Main Strip:

"Countdown" - A Countdown timer until I depart for: UK, Contiki, etc.

"2010 Europe Calendar" - A calendar that you can browse to see my itinerary over the year (arrival & departure dates, start & finish of tours, etc).

Work...

'Technically' I'll b a 'British Citizen' ("shine ur shoes gov'nor?") during this entire trip.

I have found a $500 package that will get me a guaranteed live-in job in a pub for a minimum of 3 months (perfect). However, money is tight & being a 'British Citizen' means I can pick up any ol' job off the street. ("off" the streets - not "on" or "working" the streets lol).

The UK 'apparently' love employing Aussies, but their economy is quite bad...

So - Question of the Week:

What would YOU recommend?

Do I fork out the $500, guaranteeing a job placement of 3 months, accommodation, 1 meal per day, & bank account set up? But securing myself into a 3 month contract in a job I may not enjoy at all...

Or do I risk the UK economy & try to find something better? (having to find my own way regarding: accommodation, bank accounts, etc)

I know the answer may sound obvious, but I'm in a position where every dollar/pound counts.

So please comment &/or vote in the poll   ============>

& help me decide a suitable job situation for the first 3-4 working months of my holiday  :)

Cash On Hand

Recently, I noticed that a lot of places in Europe accept cash only (manly for cheap accommodation, food & transport).

This then makes me wonder how I go about getting 'cash' in all of the relevant currencies? Am I to be constantly running around desperately trying to find a bank branch I can use to take out & convert my money?

I understand that I can probably get away with using my card/s for most of it (taking advantage of the automatic currency conversion + charge). But understandably, it seems, I will need cash on hand for a lot of simpler/basic transactions.

So my question to YOU is: If you where in my position, how much money would you take out in the converted currency, & how far in advance would you do it?

Would you wait until you get into the country?

Or would you wait until you actually needed it (hoping an appropriate bank is nearby)?

So leave a comment & vote in the poll to help me out  =====>

Thanx   :)

Luggage?

Ok so here's the deal,


I'm stayin in a pub/motel/hotel for 3-4months while I work. In between that I am venturing to: my great aunt & uncle's place (stay for a week?), a 3-5day tour of Ireland (maybe?), a 3-4day tour of south-west England (Stone Henge, Roman Baths, King Arthur, etc), & a week trip to Pamplona Spain for 'Running with the Bulls'.

After that I am doing a 38 days contiki tour where the luggage is kept on the bus or in your room, & can be whatever type of luggage you want so long as it fits the dimensions required & has no external steel frames.

So my question to you is: What type of luggage would you choose?

Suitcase: Apparently hard to use the wheels on cobble stone streets & there will be a lot of carryin your luggage up stairs. I never really got used to the wheels anyway so I've always been a suitcase carrier (I'm buff remember lol). You can fit more in and is easier to organize/find stuff. It probably more durable and easier to lock for security.

Backpack: The most common choice, however... Hard to organize & pack due to less room (& I like being organized & am not the most efficient packer [space-wise]). Also the size concerns me as I would need a decent sized one for a 10 month holiday & I believe my arms are stronger than my back. Due the size and weight I can envision quite easily, myself tipping backwards A LOT lol. So I'd probably end up carrying it by hand anyway. But nevertheless, a backpack is the more efficient & popular option as it is more compact & easier to lug around.

Duffle Bag: The middle option between a suitcase & a backpack. Slightly smaller & therefore lighter but easy to organize. Also another carry by hand option ('muscles' heehee). The only pitfall for a duffle bag is that it is easier for any fragiles to break when thrown in with everyone elses 20kg luggage under the bus. Also it may in fact turn out to be heavier & has no wheel option for any smooth grounds where it could be used.

It's a hard one but I'm trusting you guys will know what to do. So please comment &/or vote in the poll ===>

to help me out  :)

Airlines...?

Based on prices, I have narrowed my selection of suitable Airlines down to 7 options: Singapore, Thai, Malaysia, Air New Zealand, Royal Brunei, Cathay Pacific, & British Airways. (See Poll on left)  ====>

Most of these airlines are foreign to me but I have been told that there's nothing wrong with them - which makes my decision that much harder.

So my question to you is:

Which airline would you fly with based on - comfort (for a 30+hr flight), unwanted scary meals (grasshopper with a side of raw fish eyeballs), space (I'm claustrophobic & don't wanna have to climb over or have to share half my seat with a fat sweaty person who I'll most definitely get stuck next to), service (how nice they are), and anything else you can think of to weigh up pros & cons of an airline.

So remember - my happiness during my flight/s may very well depend on which airline you recommend.

(I personally like the blue & green one on the top right)

Polls!!!

Hey guys,

In the left column, is a poll which I will be changing every month or so.

Basically (apart from being extremely fun - I don't get out much) I will put up polls to get your opinion & to help make decisions.

Eg. at the moment, a 'which airline?' poll is up as I can't seem to pick between the one's listed.

Upcoming ones might be:

- What type of luggage should I take?

- What do you think *insert foreign word here* means?

- Amsterdam... There's a brownie on the table - should I eat it?

- If an experienced con-artist/pickpocket in Rome throws a baby at me, assuming I'll catch it so my hands will be occupied leaving them free to empty my pockets - should I still bother to catch the baby...?

So please vote in the polls - the outcome of my trip may depend on it lol.

"Chow..." (with accent)

COMMENTING!

Ok. So this is going to be my main form of communication with most of you back in QLD (haha). So here's a rundown of how you can leave comments. You can also email me at the given address below (if you don't quite get how the commenting works lol).

Email: sjw21@tpg.com.au

Note: To leave a comment on a post, click on the 'comments' along the bottom of any post (next to the time posted). Type your msg & choose your 'identity' either 'Anonymous' (& put your name in the msg so I no who you are) or 'Name/URL' & just type your name in, then 'continue'.

I've set the page up so you don't have to subscribe or have an account to view or comment. So feel free to test it out & have a play around (I can always delete it if you stuff it up lol)

(Took me awhile to work it out so I hope this helps)

Test

Random test pic of a forest lol