I have finally made a website, It's no mean feat when you have no IT skills like me! Have a look and check it out1 I will be posting updates of my travels on that sight mainly :)
www.pearlsandpassports.com
Friday, 11 January 2013
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
2013 is finally here, and will be the best year of my life!
I hope that you have all had an amazing Christmas 2012 and I wish you all the best for 2013. May your year be full of travel and exciting experiences!
This was the last Christmas that I will be spending at home before my sabbatical. Hopefully next Christmas will be spent on Bondi beach or watching glow worms on the South Island of New Zealand.
I had a lovely time with my family but it made me realise that although I love my family, friends and living in Liverpool I need something more in my life. Excitement and new experiences. Going home for Christmas I noticed how many people that I knew from school and when I was younger were in the same place as they were last year and the year before that. This may be happiness and contentment for most people but it's not for me. I have never been as happy as I was on my two trips abroad this year. I have never felt so alive and I have never felt so 'myself'.
2012 was a big year in my life, the year that I decided not to settle for second best in my life and the year when I discovered what makes me truly happy.
May 2013 be the year where I put the thoughts and ideas of 2012 in to action. Where my life changes immeasurably and where I feel unadulterated happiness when I wake up each morning, rather than dreading yet another 'ground hog day'.
2013 will be the best year of my life!
This was the last Christmas that I will be spending at home before my sabbatical. Hopefully next Christmas will be spent on Bondi beach or watching glow worms on the South Island of New Zealand.
I had a lovely time with my family but it made me realise that although I love my family, friends and living in Liverpool I need something more in my life. Excitement and new experiences. Going home for Christmas I noticed how many people that I knew from school and when I was younger were in the same place as they were last year and the year before that. This may be happiness and contentment for most people but it's not for me. I have never been as happy as I was on my two trips abroad this year. I have never felt so alive and I have never felt so 'myself'.
2012 was a big year in my life, the year that I decided not to settle for second best in my life and the year when I discovered what makes me truly happy.
May 2013 be the year where I put the thoughts and ideas of 2012 in to action. Where my life changes immeasurably and where I feel unadulterated happiness when I wake up each morning, rather than dreading yet another 'ground hog day'.
2013 will be the best year of my life!
Thursday, 27 December 2012
Two months until my round the world trip commences....
I am trying to 'wing it' as much as possible on my trip because it's going to be such a long and varied trip. The thing that I love most about travel is meeting new people from all around the world and if I have a very basic itinerary it will enable me to be more spontaneous and to travel where I like with who I like.
I have been researching different destinations and safety by reading various travel blogs, mainly from fellow solo female travellers who have done a trip of this scale before me! Reading the blogs has put my mind at rest because every blogger seemed to have the time of their life on their travels and many said that they felt safer in Asia than they ever have in a Western country! I have also bought the majority of my clothes and equipment for the trip which is alot harder than it sounds! I will no doubt lose a considerable amount of weight whilst on this trop so I have had to take this in to consideration when planning my travel outfits and bikinis. I also want to save some room in my backpack so I can buy some souveneirs in Asia.
Soooo, what have I been doing during the past few weeks apart from planning? I have been making the most of the time I have left in the UK by visting friends and trying to tie up loose ends. I have also been getting my travel vaccinations each week. I decided to buy the Japanese Encephalitis and Rabies vaccines alongside the free ones offeredg by my GP. They are costing £325 which is a large chunk of my travel budget but I decided that money doesn't mean anything If I'm not here due to a crazy tropical disease! I have also bought a kindle 3G with my Christmas money which has free internet access all around the world. It means that I can always email my family to say that I am ok whilst on the road.
It was hard thinking that this time next year I will be spending Christmas in Asia or Oceania! Will I be on Bondi beach, trekking through the rainforest or watching glow-worms in South Island New Zealand....No one knows! I had a lovely Christmas with my family, we even went for a curry on Christmas day!
Christmas Dinner!
I hope that you have all had a merry Christmas and I wish you all the best of luck for 2013. May all of your travel dreams come true!
Friday, 7 December 2012
I got granted a sabbatical!!!
Today I received the news that I had been anticipating for weeks, I have been granted a sabbatical from work! This means that I will have a job to go back to when I get home from travelling around Asia and Oceania!
This is amazing news and such a bonus in this economic climate. One less worry off my mind!
I was initially rejected for the sabbatical but I appealed and had a hearing. It just proves that you need to fight for the things that you want in life, even if you come across hurdles you can still attain what you want if you try!
This is amazing news and such a bonus in this economic climate. One less worry off my mind!
I was initially rejected for the sabbatical but I appealed and had a hearing. It just proves that you need to fight for the things that you want in life, even if you come across hurdles you can still attain what you want if you try!
Monday, 3 December 2012
My new American Apparel le sac dress!
I have been searching high and low for versatile items to pack for my round the world trip. I have invested in quite a few items from the crag hoppers nosilife range, they are impregnated in mosquito repellent that lasts for the life of the clothes! They are also really light, dry really fast and have built in SPF 50 so I don't need to worry about burning in the sun.
What really perplexed me was the search for the perfect travel dress. I tend to wear a lot of vintage dresses and vintage style dresses which tend to have a lot of material (so are not suitable for travelling :( ) I have found the perfect travel dress that is light, crease free and versatile so it can be worn in the evening, day or even as a skirt.
The American apparel Le Sac dress!!!
I have also bought some spare straps to change the look of the dress without taking up too much space in my bag.
Check out the many ways in which it can be worn. Now I just need to decide what else to pack. It's so hard trying to pack light for a year of travel! I want to buy some clothes when I get out there though, as souvenirs!
What really perplexed me was the search for the perfect travel dress. I tend to wear a lot of vintage dresses and vintage style dresses which tend to have a lot of material (so are not suitable for travelling :( ) I have found the perfect travel dress that is light, crease free and versatile so it can be worn in the evening, day or even as a skirt.
The American apparel Le Sac dress!!!
I have also bought some spare straps to change the look of the dress without taking up too much space in my bag.
Check out the many ways in which it can be worn. Now I just need to decide what else to pack. It's so hard trying to pack light for a year of travel! I want to buy some clothes when I get out there though, as souvenirs!
Monday, 26 November 2012
I have bought my backpack!
I have finally bought my backpack, one of the most important items for my round the world trip!
After reading various travel blogs and advice from friends who have travelled I decided to buy the osprey kestrel 68. I have only heard good things from osprey and the bag is really light with loads of cool features such as pockets on the hip belts and it sits away from the back to avoid getting the dressed sweaty back!
I was torn between the osprey exos 58 and this bag. I decided on this one because the straps and hip belts have more padding and it has a handy sleeping bag compartment at the bottom of the bag so I don't have to search through my backpack to find things!
I bought it for £130 from Cotswold in Liverpool. They guy was really helpful when I bought it and I tried a few bags to compare how they felt with weight in. I initially tried the s/m but I could immediately feel the difference when I tried the m/l bag on. It felt so much lighter! I also tried a berghaus to compare but I felt like I was going to topple over! It's well worth spending more for a decent, well designed backpack!
I will leave you with some photos of me looking very pleased with my purchase :)
After reading various travel blogs and advice from friends who have travelled I decided to buy the osprey kestrel 68. I have only heard good things from osprey and the bag is really light with loads of cool features such as pockets on the hip belts and it sits away from the back to avoid getting the dressed sweaty back!
I was torn between the osprey exos 58 and this bag. I decided on this one because the straps and hip belts have more padding and it has a handy sleeping bag compartment at the bottom of the bag so I don't have to search through my backpack to find things!
I bought it for £130 from Cotswold in Liverpool. They guy was really helpful when I bought it and I tried a few bags to compare how they felt with weight in. I initially tried the s/m but I could immediately feel the difference when I tried the m/l bag on. It felt so much lighter! I also tried a berghaus to compare but I felt like I was going to topple over! It's well worth spending more for a decent, well designed backpack!
I will leave you with some photos of me looking very pleased with my purchase :)
Monday, 19 November 2012
Missing Munich
The post travel blues really do suck. I realised yesterday that I'm a lot happier when I'm travelling than when I'm static at home. I crave new social interactions and I love learning about different cultures, histories and languages. Travel enables me to do all 4 everyday!
Ah well, only 14 more weeks until I set off on my big trip. My next task is to learn basic Arabic...
Ah well, only 14 more weeks until I set off on my big trip. My next task is to learn basic Arabic...
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