We have a plan ...

So, this is the very first post.

When we decided to make this journey last Autumn it all seemed fairly simple - get a passport, leave work, get on a train, and well - go !

Since that day, the last 4 months has been an avalanche of guide books, magzines, browsing websites - all of which seem to have served the same basic purpose - to overwhelm us with a whole world of travel possibilities.

Our final intended route should give us plenty of opportunity for seeing a diverse range of the natural & cultural wonders of the world - the criteria for selection being to get us well and truly off the beaten track, to places you can't easily reach on a fortnights leave from work.

• Leg 1 - Asia - 1 May 2007 to 19 September
• Leg 2 - Australasia - 19 September to 21 November
• Leg 3 - Hawaii, Central & South America - 21 November to 3 March
• Leg 4 - USA & Canada - 3 March to 7 May 2008

Pre-trip preparations are well underway, and for those of you thinking about similar endeavours consists of roughly the following areas

• passports, visas etc.
• vaccinations - LOTS of vaccinations
• flights - a round-the-world (RTW) package has so many rules, route changes are innevitable
• money - making sure you have enough & getting bank accounts web accessible
• house - tenant, bills, insurance etc, etc ...
• last dental checkup (yes Mum) - a month before d-day
• tax return etc.
• kit - enjoy shopping for new gear ... it may be the last time you can afford it for a while
• leaving parties - I recommend at least 3 !

I'll be putting in place the final arrangements over the next few weeks - in the meantime Mel is finishing her MBA so we can both leave with (relatively) clear consciences ...

Before my next post, why not check out the degrees on confluence project in my top 5 links ...