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If you ask me 50 times why I have decided to do this, I would probably give you 50 different answers. I grew
up in a small town in Scotland called Bo'ness and ever since I can remember, I always had a desire to be somewhere else.
It's not that Bo'ness is a bad place, on the contrary, it can be great at times. I spent the first seventeen
years of my life there and since then have had six years in Edinburgh, three years in Bristol, six months in Sheffield, one
year in Haddington and finally, eighteen months in Newcastle.
Does anyone detect a pattern emerging here?
That makes me 29 years old and if i'm honest, i'm a transient, a gypsy, nomadic or whatever. The problem
is that a large part of me really does want to settle down somewhere and make a life in the one place. The problem is that
I don't know where that place is yet.
I've given up a comfortable life as an executive in the packaging industry with all the executive perks and
am about to dive headfirst into the unknown. The hope is that I will find the place where I want to remain or at the very
least, extinguish this wanderlust that has me in it's grip. Either way, i'm going to have a great time with my travels and
you are very welcome to come along for the ride.
The idea of the website is to keep me focused on actively searching out new experiences. It's very easy when
you don't have to be anywhere on any given day to let that day pass you by. I hope that by having people access this site
that it will give me the momentum to do things I wouldn't normally do and spur me on a bit to challenge myself. It will also
make a great diary for when I return.
The Finer Details....
I will be travelling on a one world explorer ticket, which comes from The One World Alliance which is a group of partner
airlines including BA, Qantas, and Cathay Pacific among others. The ticket allows me to take a maximum of twenty flight segments
as long as I travel in a continuous east or westwards direction. I have to book all flight segments in advance although these
flights are date changeable at no extra charge. Currently I think I've booked twelve flights in all but I can add extra flights
to the itinerary for around £40 each. Part of the reason for not taking all flights available to me is that I want to spend
a good amount of time travelling overland. I think that you can miss some fine moments in the secure warmth of an aircraft
cabin. I've deliberately dropped 6 US internal flights since I'm going to take the Greyhound buses. For more info on the ticket
go to http://oneworldalliance.com
Vaccinations
So far I've been vaccinated against typhoid, polio, tetanus, diptheria, hepatitis A and B. I have a natural immunity
to tuberculosis so didn't need that one. I've decided not to have a japanese encephalitis innoculation (mosquito - borne)
since it's £90 and the best method of prevention is to avoid bites i.e use repellent, nets and cover up in mosquito infested
areas. I've also foregone the rabies injection since it's also £90 and avoidance is the best precaution. Any dog or monkey
heading for me at more than 2 miles an hour will be quickly dispatched with a swift kick to the chops. I haven't figured out
my anti bat strategy yet.
As for anti malarial tablets, I haven't quite decided on those yet, although I think that avoidance is again the best
option.
Best not mention Dengue fever, tick born ecephalitis, bilharzia (??), amoebic dysentery, SARS, Giardia, HIV/AIDS, worms
etc.
Happy Days eh?
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