So the last 2 weeks have been pretty intense; suddenly I have a job offer in the Alps in France which I have taken and then I have to quit my jobs over here and get prepared for 9 months of travelling. I thought I had till April to plan all this and not a mere 3 weeks but this blog will update you on all the things I forget to pack.
My travel timeline looks like this so far:
20-28th December - Denmark to spend christmas with my family
29th December - 28th March - Being an au pair in La Rosiere France
28th March - 1st April - Quick pack for Asia
1st April - 29th April - Cambodia English Teaching
30th April to 16th May - Vietnam Childcare
16th May to 20th May - Days off in Hanoi Vietnam
20th May to 9th June - Bali English Teaching
9th June to 16th June - Days off in Bali
16th June to 7th July - Maldives Coral Reef and Island Management
8th July to 21st July - Vietnam with my Family visiting
This is all the plans that I have booked so far yet I still have many ideas of plans that I could do when I am away such as a potential month in Thailand or a few weeks in Australia? However I am just going to take each day as it comes and see how the financial situation goes.
So that brings me to the big one. How the hell do I afford this. I am self funding so I am going to get no help from my family or am taking out a travel loan I am simply going with what is in my bank account (which is quite scary if I am honest.) But I am budgeting around 10 grand for a 9 month trip which is inclusive of flights, accommodation, food and daily expenses. I managed to survive interailing around Europe for just over a grand for a month so I am hopeful that places such as Asia will be cheaper than that so I am hopefully going to survive on 10-15 pounds a day once I am out there. I have got some of this money by up until recently working 3 jobs which was extremely tiring and sometimes I would work well over 12 hours a day but I know when I will be travelling (leaving in 3 weeks today!) that it will be worth it and I will forget all the long shifts it took to get there. Also I have had a job for many many years so I have savings which is good. Also when I am in France I will be working so I will be getting paid for being there which is exciting, paid to stay in the mountains and a snowy ski resort. But I think the most expensive part of my trip is the flights out and back from Asia which was my first thing I bought to commence my trip, I decided to go for the cheaper but very long winded route to get to Cambodia (going both via Finland and Thailand) but overall it was like 200 pounds cheaper than alternative faster routes. I think doing this trip will most likely test my budgeting (do I really need zizzis when I have food at home.. although that answer will always be yes) but I think interailing has taught me a lot about saving and I am hoping this trip works out financially as I have worked so hard for it.
But I guess if you follow this blog you will see how I do.
Rosie
