It’s been a couple of weeks since I mentioned it and I’m sure you’re all… not even vaguely moved by my lack of updates, but I thought, what the hell, I’m going to write you another one anyway!

My departure from NZ is looming over me, it’s getting more and more exciting by the day and I’m really going to need to get my arse into gear to be ready when the time comes to pack up and fly out again.  Thanks to all those of you who are now following these posts, it’s keeping me on track with the gruelling task of planning my tiresome journey…  I overdid it at the end there didn’t I, I almost had you. But I can’t deny it, I LOVE planning my travels and I love writing about it almost as much.  It’s nearly as exciting for me as the journey itself.  The fact that so many of you have taken an interest in reading about it is a wonderful added bonus, so thank you for your time and support.

Piecing together each new chapter of the story ahead, big or small, is basically what I live for.  For every 3 week project, followed by a month on the road there will be gaps and details that aren’t included in a package, and those tiny hidden gems are sometimes my favourite parts to work through – finding that one singular night of accommodation when I arrive in a country, making sure it meets all of my criteria for arriving, staying and departing, pulling up page after page of similar options to make sure I’ve got the best value deal I possibly can within my price range and comparing all options, details, details, details – this is definitely my guilty pleasure.

If you’ve been following these posts from the beginning then you’ll be starting to get the idea by now, each post will tell you about the next country on the itinerary and ask your advice for the parts that remain unplanned, and for every country you’ve helped me to organise so far, I’ll give you a quick recap of how preparations are going before moving on to the next country on the agenda.

You can visit The Road So Far or Pinmaps to see where I’ve already been, but this is where you’ll find the plan for the journey ahead.

So far you’ve given me a few things to think about for Fiji and I’ve had some great feedback to help me with my revisit to Australia.  I’ve included Pingbacks to all of the incredible bloggers who have written inspiring posts to help me with my decisions.

Fiji Recap

I’ll be spending one month in Fiji, my first week Island hopping through the Yasawa and Mamanuca Islands (where Blue Lagoon and Castaway were filmed), before getting stuck into a 3 week construction volunteer project on the main Island of Viti Levu.  Christmas will be spent with the locals and other volunteers in Levuku, a town on the eastern coast of the Fijian island of Ovalau, just a stone’s throw from the main island.

Have I made any progress since my last post? Abso-freaking-lutely!

Websites I’ve found useful in organising Fiji so far:

For Island Hopping

For Accommodation

For Volunteering

For Transport

And last but not at all least, for Fiji inspiration:

Photographer, Globetrotter, Foodie and fellow blogger, Jensenchua

And an inspiring Lonely Planet article from Paul Clammer

Certainly looks like progress to me!

 

Australia Recap

A pretty simple plan for Australia – turn up, bring beer, see some sights! Maybe even a little work along the way if anybody will let me come and play in the countryside.  I have some great ideas for the time I’ll be spending there, but I’ve booked everything I intend to deal with in advance, the rest will be as much of a surprise to me as a friend request from the Pope.  Apart from watching the fireworks at the Harbour Bridge and seeing something at the Opera House in Sydney, and taking a trip on the Kuranda rail in Cairns, my plan is to cruise along at leisure and see where the mood takes me.

I still haven’t figured out how to get from Cairns to Darwin, either quickly or enjoyably during the wet season – suggestions are more than welcome!

Websites I’ve used:

For Accommodation

For Travel

And for inspiration:

Fraser Island inspiration from fellow bloggers Cruzbox Adventures

The inspiring scenery in Clare and Deans Blog has given me a must do for Cairns.

 

So if Fiji is all organised and Australia is intentionally unorganised, where does that leave me?

This next part is a bucket list item I’ve been waiting to tick off for some time now and I’m excited to have found a volunteer project working with animals which doesn’t negatively impact on their natural development.

Onwards, to dance in the jungle with King Louie and Baloo…