Since announcing my resignation, I wish I had an Australian dollar for every time someone asked me about my plan! It’s a natural question of course and one I would ask someone else in my position.
It’s not that I don’t have a plan. I just don’t have one that’s concrete. Set-in-stone.
Usually people look to me for answers. Several of my colleagues consider me to be one of the most thorough people they know. But this time, I can’t plot out everything. No matter how much research I’ve done (and believe me, I’ve put in more hours than I can count), reading, asking questions, and planning can only get you but so far.
My natural inclination — in life in general — is to research and organize. I can “go with the flow” sometimes, but it’s not my first preference.
However, with a trip this big, I can only plan but so much. I only want to plan but so much. When I started thinking about this adventure, I was sold on a RTW. But after a few weeks, the sheer number of decisions I would have to make were overwhelming. (Note: My respect for anyone who has planned a RTW. How did you do it?!) Selecting one place I really wanted to go seemed much more manageable.
So far I’ve selected a travel medical insurance policy, secured the Work & Holiday Visa, bought a one-way flight to Sydney, resigned from my job, started this site, opened an account with an Australian bank, scheduled and gone to most of my doctor appointments, and booked some hostel stays and bus passes for my first few weeks. What’s next? Decide the best way to see Queensland, get tickets to see a few AFL games, update my resume, purchase some new clothes, and sift through all of the research I have conducted and saved to help me plan things as I go.
And yes, I do have a general outline for the months ahead! I’ll arrive in Sydney in late May, where I’ll be for about a week before traveling to Melbourne, Adelaide, Ayers Rock, and Alice Springs, with lots of stops in between on the Oz Experience bus pass (let’s just hope I enjoy it more than Nomadic Matt did). By July 7 I’ll be back in Sydney for the last State of Origin match, and then it’s off to Brisbane to begin a trip up the coast of Queensland. I’m guessing I’ll head back to Sydney “for good” by late August or early September, where I’ll hopefully find a job to support myself at least through New Years. After that, it all depends on how I’m doing financially! If all is well, maybe I’ll stay and work in Sydney a bit longer. Head to Western Australia for a bit. And if I still have money, spend some time in New Zealand and South East Asia.
I thought I would be more scared not to know where I’ll be a year from now, let alone a few months into the future. But this is where I’m supposed to be right now. I know it. One of my brave friends encouraged me lately saying, “It’ll all come together, I know it. The universe demands it so! Jump and the net will appear!”
Me jumping at 12,000 feet in 2007
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I’d say you have a as good enough plan as possible considering the time frame you have to plan for. I mean, how detailed can you get when you have to plan for more than half a year. Depending on how important they are to you, just try to define specific time frames during which you want to cover what, and try to stick to them. Just like you did.
My brave girl!!!
I think you have plenty planned, winging it is the best was, I am mainly saying this to try and convince myself as this seems to be the way me and Kirsty are going.
Also I am very jealous of your sky dive.
When I first drafted this post I didn’t have as much planned out, so I had to update it before I posted O:-)
Are you two planning on a sky dive during your trip?!
Sounds like a blast! One thing that is obviously key is budgeting…have you ever tried Mint.com? It connects to your various cards and accounts and brings it all into one place automatically. You can track spending and make budgets. I’ve found it extremely helpful at home, but I can imagine it would be a useful planning tool for the road!
I created an account probably a year ago and then haven’t used it — oops O:-) Might be good to check into again. I’m pretty good at budgeting but need to sit down and review finances again before heading out.
It’s great you haven’t forgotten good old WA! (my home state)
Not at all! Four years ago a few travelers sang the praises of WA to me, and I’m eager to go there some time early next year before the end of my visa 🙂 Too bad you’ll probably be gone by then?