My first two days in London

First things first, what an awesome couple of days! 

After travelling for 26 hours straight, I finally arrived at Heathrow airport. Long story short, after walking around in circles trying to find the underground station and then two tube rides later, I made it to the Hostel. After some good English snags on the barby (very aussie), I passed out in my room and woke up in the morning to realise I was sharing the room with three French girls! ...  All in all, first impressions of the Hostel life was a great one.

Packing for Backpacking in the European Summer

Having done all the hard stuff - getting a visa, bookings for flights, accommodation and the tour - I thought the easiest part would be packing the bag. Oh how I was wrong!

To start with, packing your bag means that the trip is definitely real and is hurtling toward you whether you are ready or not.  Obviously this is so exciting but can also be quite overwhelming!  

So without further ado, this will be my life for the foreseeable future:

The main items I am taking are:

   - Osprey Porter 65 litre backpack $180

   - Osprey Quasar 30 litre daypack $75

   - 2 x travel shirts, 2 x long sleeve shirt (skivvy), 2 x t-shirts, 1 long sleeve dress shirt.

   - 3 x shorts, 2 x long pants, 1 swimming shorts

   - Kathmandu fleece $70 and Kathmandu rain jacket $140.

Other items of interest are an exercise powerband which I will 'attempt' to use to keep fit, a sleeping sack for warmth but cheaper and smaller than a sleeping bag, and a saucepan/bowl/cup in case I am at a campsite or dodgy hostel.

All up it weighs about 12kg.

If you are travelling overseas yourself and are backpacking around the place, I recommend the following video link which has helped me greatly: https://youtu.be/XmxaA_BSWMU. The link to part 2 is in the video information.

This is me looking like a crazy tourist - UK and Europe better watch out, that's all I can say :)

Remember to always follow your dreams and love life along the way.  Next post will be from London!

Cheers,

Scott.

P.S   This is my first blog post from my iPad which is all I will have abroad.  Hopefully it turns out ok.

Let's go on a trip

This blog is unique in that fact that we will go on a journey together. I am writing this from the very start of the journey and you will be able to join me on resigning from work, booking the trip, getting abroad, and then the best things I do in each country.

My background
I am an Australian male aged 20 and have just finished university in financial planning and finance.

I have been working at an accounting firm for the 3 years while I was studying and had a secure and definite future there. However, I always knew that the world is bigger than where you grew up! I always had dreams of seeing the world and the incredible places around this planet and then working in one of the thriving cities around the world.

What's the plan
I have just resigned from work and are in the process of getting my Tier 5 Youth Mobility visa so that I can work in the UK for 2 years.

I leave solo in April 2015 and have a couple days in London before hopping on a Topdeck tour for a month. This tour will take me to 13 countries in 28 days. After that, the world is my oyster!

So stick around, subscribe to my journey, participate, ask questions, whatever you want to do. But especially, follow your dreams and love life!

Applying for the Tier 5 Youth Mobility UK working visa

Before I did anything else with my travel preparations, I began the process of applying for the Tier 5 Youth Mobility working visa.  From online research and talking to other travelers, I knew the application process could take some time and can be quite confusing.

This post will hopefully help everyone else who wants to apply for the UK youth working visa.  If you have any questions, please leave comments and I will answer them for you.

Quote for you to travel by

This quote doesn't need an explanation.  If you ever find yourself stuck in a rut or bound by your individual circumstances, remember this post.

"It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves - in find themselves." Andre Gide.

Want to go travelling?

Current work is one of the biggest factors which can deter you from your dreams of travelling. Whether you are worried about money, job security, or letting clients and workmates down, don't let this stop you in your tracks.

In life it is so easy to be zoomed right in on a situation, rather than seeing the big picture. It is important in whatever you are doing to consciously remind yourself to look at the situation as a whole and to stop micro-analyzing things.