Goodbye

Goodbye People!

My 16hr flight departs at 12.15pm TODAY & is with Etihad, who are apparently about to take over the world - in the airline industry. (Sorry Sarah, they do look good though... even if they're not Australian)
After my stop off in Dubai, is another 8hr flight to London  :s

If you don't hear from me in awhile, it's because I'm trekking somewhere with expensive or no internet access. So be patient & keep an eye on my blog as this will be my most consistent up-to-date form of keeping in touch.


Hope you all have a good yr in Australia - I know I'll have a GREAT/AWESOME time in Europe :)

Chow darlings... (heehee) xo

Last/Final Note

Depending on how busy I'll be, or the type of internet access I have, I'm planning to keep a twice weekly update on my/this blog. So keep checking for new stuff & feel free to keep the comments & poll voting coming.

If you're unsure on how to comment, there is a 'Commenting' post in the Blog Archive on the right (beneath the polls)  or under Labels =====>

You can use these (archive & label links) to find any posts you may have: missed, want to see again, or need information off of.

At the bottom of the page is also a 2010 calendar I have created which will enable you to see every scheduled event.

At the top of the page under the Title, is also a series of tabs so far labelled: Home; and Contact. Me. These will link you to separate 'pages'.

The main events however (including pics, polls & exciting stuff) will be posted on the main page 'home'.


PHOTOS:

I am using Picasa for my main photo storage. To stop any of the creepy stalkers stealing my piccys, I've protected them with a secret link. I will email you the link for each album (or post it on Facebook) & if I don't have your email, feel free to scab it off mum & dad  :)

Official Flight Times

I've officially booked and fully paid for my return flights to England. I am flying with Etihad Airways.

Here are my times for arrivals and departures:

ARRIVALS

Thurs 13th May (12.15pm)    -  Depart from Brisbane.

        (11.10pm-2.35am)    - Arrive in Abu Dhabi. 3.25hr stopover. [5.10am-8.35am (14th) Bris. Time]

Fri 14th May    (7.20am)     - Arrive in London. [5.20pm Bris. Time]

RETURN:

Sat 20th Nov (1.50pm)               - Depart from London. [11.50pm Bris. Time]

Sun 21st Nov (0.45am-10.25am)    - Arrive in Abu Dhabi. 9 & half hr stopover. [6.45am-4.25pm Bris. Time]

Mon 22nd Nov (9am)                 - Arrive home in Brisbane!

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  :)

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)