I suppose it's time to fill you in on my little big adventure. I've been tweeting a little bit about it Ever since I was young I've always wanted to travel the world. My Parents have travelled the world, and I inherited their love for it. I have a huge Bucket list of everywhere I want to go and before I settle into a career I've decided I best get cracking on it. I wish I could do more than I'm doing but funds are very stretched already and I'm working as much as possible to gather all the cash I can as I know I really will need every single penny!
At 7pm on New Years Eve, I'll be armed with my backpack and camera ready to go! I'll be arriving on New Years Day in Phuket. As I'm doing this on my own I decided to do a few Contiki Tours. A few friends have done them and have nothing but good things to say. I start off doing the Thai-Island-Hopper-West tour (Phuket, Koh Phi Phi and Krabi) which will probably be the most relaxing and the most hectic party portion of my trip, which is great as I'll have tons of energy! There's so many optional extra's, so you're never short on things to do and things to see or if you want to take it easy you can park yourself on one of the picturesque beaches! It's a 9 day round trip which is perfect time to see the sights of some of the Thai Islands!
Bangkok
I fly from Phuket to Bangkok and have a few days to rest and explore the Capital on my own before starting the Big Indochina Adventure. With the Big Indochina Adventure you get to travel around Thailand, Through Laos and on to Cambodia and last but not least Vietnam. I honestly can't wait for this part of my trip. It's going to be one hell of a life experience and I'm taking the "Yolo" approach and doing as much as the optional activities as possible! From Bangkok you get a Sleeper Train to Chiang Mai which looks like so much fun after a few days we then make our way to the Laos Border.
Bangkok
I fly from Phuket to Bangkok and have a few days to rest and explore the Capital on my own before starting the Big Indochina Adventure. With the Big Indochina Adventure you get to travel around Thailand, Through Laos and on to Cambodia and last but not least Vietnam. I honestly can't wait for this part of my trip. It's going to be one hell of a life experience and I'm taking the "Yolo" approach and doing as much as the optional activities as possible! From Bangkok you get a Sleeper Train to Chiang Mai which looks like so much fun after a few days we then make our way to the Laos Border.
Laos
I've always really wanted to visit Laos. Maybe because I've heard it's less touristy than Thailand? I'm a sucker for good scenery and from reading the description on the tour this will probably be my favourite part. Travelling down the Mekong River in the middle of January is not something I'd ever thought I'd be doing earlier in the year, but it's funny how life can turn and do a 360! With the Contiki Tour I'll still be on my own, but I'll feel a hell of a lot safer, as well as making friends with people from all over the world! The Itinerary is jam packed too, so you really do get value for money and will see a lot of the country you mightn't necessarily see otherwise.
Cambodia
Next stop is Siem Reap in Cambodia with finishing this leg of the journey watching the Sunrise over Angkor Wat Temples. This is part of the tour that I really want to see. It's going to be surreal. After breakfast you have the chance to see some Social Work in the area, an area I've always been interested in, so I'm always really looking forward to that! After a free afternoon it's back on a Plane to Vietnam. I only recently changed my tour from the Asian Adventure to the Big Indochina Adventure as Vietnam is something I've always wanted to see, especially after learning about the Vietnam War in School.
Vietnam
I know it's an insane amount of money,but I work hard and have a little saved up as well as sacrificing a lot of socialising to save every penny! Life really is too short to not do things that will enrich your life and give you a sense of freedom and independence! It's something I need to do before I (finally) settle into a career and won't have the chance to take a few months off and travel the world! Vietnam definitely looks the most interested part of the trip especially for a History Nerd like myself. I also can't wait to try a Vietnamese cooking Class and have a Thermal Mud Bath! It took me a while to decide what to do, but I'm so glad I've decided to go!
I know it's an insane amount of money,but I work hard and have a little saved up as well as sacrificing a lot of socialising to save every penny! Life really is too short to not do things that will enrich your life and give you a sense of freedom and independence! It's something I need to do before I (finally) settle into a career and won't have the chance to take a few months off and travel the world! Vietnam definitely looks the most interested part of the trip especially for a History Nerd like myself. I also can't wait to try a Vietnamese cooking Class and have a Thermal Mud Bath! It took me a while to decide what to do, but I'm so glad I've decided to go!
Sydney
From Vietnam I'm off to Australia. A good friend of mine recently moved there so I'm visiting her! Sydney has always been somewhere I'd like to go! Although it really is a long way from home, I'll have a friendly face meeting me at the airport and won't feel so homesick(which I'm sure I will be feeling at this time!) I don't have a rock solid plan as I want to get in as much as possible as I don't know when I'll get back! I can't wait to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge, it's something I've always wanted to do! My Plan at the moment is to fly to Alice Springs and do the Rock Tour before I get up to Cairns to start my main tour!
Cairns
The Tour I'm most leaning towards is Beaches and Reefs starting off in Cairns and working our way down to Sydney! I'm 100% going to The Great Barrier Reef on a day tour. I'm a water baby and will be in heaven doing a little dive! This tour both looks mental and relaxing and it's really appealing to me! The only problem is I want to see Melbourne during my stay in Australia, but the tour doesn't cover it! So I'm going to have to work around that. The problem with Australia is that it's just so vast, so if any of you live out there, please let me know what to do and what to see, preferably on the East coast!
Auckland
At the moment there's a huge question mark over New Zealand as funds are already really stretched, but I'm taking it month by month and hopefully I'll be able to afford it! New Zealand wasn't somewhere I was overly keen on until I began my research and I became obsessed. I'd be doing the Northern Choice Contiki Tour which start in Auckland and finishes in Wellington. I know there's a lot more to see of New Zealand, but I'm clearly pushed for both cash and time and I found this was the best option. I love all the activities offered and would to experience everything I possibly can! Although the selling point of this tour for me was the "Hobbiton" experience! As I'm a bit of a "The Lord of The Rings" fan! New Zealand looks so unbelievably beautiful is definitely somewhere I'm dying to see!
If anyone has any travel tips, please let me know!
If anyone has any travel tips, please let me know!
