Hidden Tokens...

Ok so I'm liking the idea to incorporate everyone into this 'hidden token' thingy in my Topdeck Tour.

I'm thinking that in 'every' photo from my Topdeck tour, I will hide at least one persons token item.

Do you like this idea?

Now here comes the fun part... If you want to be part of this then leave me ideas of what you want to be hidden for you.

E.g. Emily = Tinkerbell, Gillian & Collin = something Scottish, jet skiing, WD40, or cats? (lol), Dad = photography, Sarah = something Aussie, etc, etc.

If for example Emily chooses Tinkerbell, within random photos posted up, there might be a Tinkerbell in it somewhere. E.g. a pendant, on clothing, on a poster in the background, the name of a store, a book, etc, etc. Some may be blatantly obvious like a shirt with Tinkerbell's huge head on it. Others might be a little more cryptic like a bell with 'tinker' engraved on it,  or there might even possibly be a chocolate or lolly named after it? Etc, etc.

So leave a comment or mention to me sometime of what you would like to have hidden to represent you over there with me  :)  To make it easier, you can pick a specific item (toy, etc.) instead of anything and everything that might represent the 'theme'.

Topdeck Tour!

I've been calling this my "Contiki Tour" purely because 'Contiki Tours' was the first tour group I looked at and it had a catchy name lol.

But the tour I've now officially booked and paid for is with Topdeck (like the chocolate... mmm...)

???

It's a 36 day tour through western Europe and stretches as east as Turkey. It covers 18 countries. I mostly chose this trip because it also includes 4 days among the Greek Islands!

Just over $5,000 - missed all the early-bird specials by a few weeks  :(

QUESTION:

I'm wanting to incorporate something into all of my photo's during this trip for all of you back home. Sort of like a 'Where's Wally' but with something else besides Wally. Lol.

I'm stuck for ideas so:  "What do you think?"

Leave comments or vote in the poll  =======>

on your ideas of what to hide in all of my Topdeck Tour pics.

Here's some ideas I've had so far...

- A plush toy of somekind?

- Something Australian?

- Maybe a different Australian thing in every photo?

- A piece of clothing like a belt or scarf?

Let me know your ideas...

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  :)

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).