Solo | footstepping..

My first few months in the United Kingdom..

I arrived in London with no plans. However, I was lucky enough that my cousin, Tarlia, had also just arrived and had kindly booked me into a hostel with her for a couple of nights.

For about a week I hostel-hopped whilst checking out some housing options and setting up my bank account. I was having no luck with the house search (via houseshare.co.uk and gumtree.co.uk) until one of the girls (Aussie) I met on the tour (through Portugal and Spain) got in contact with me and said I could crash at her place until I found somewhere. This proved perfect as Chloe was actually leaving London and moving back to Australia, so after a week dossing on her couch she told me I could take over her room and it was only £380 a month including bills!!! I had somewhere to live!

Continue reading “My first few months in the United Kingdom..”

First stop, Europe and a little Africa..!!

Goodbyes are never easy and I had my family there to bid me farewell, I had a two-year visa but no real idea of when I would be back.

After a mammoth flight, I landed in Lisbon, Portugal (Adelaide-Melbourne-Hong Kong-Istanbul-Lisbon). It was a solid 25 hours on a plane.

I was doing a ‘Top Deck’ through Spain and Portugal for two weeks as a ‘welcome to Europe’ for myself.

What I saw of Portugal was beautiful. We went from Lisbon to Porto which was stunning. A boat ride down the Douro River was ideal and a great way to see the sights.

Continue reading “First stop, Europe and a little Africa..!!”

In preparation of my move overseas..

Within a week of returning from India I gave my boss notice and signed up with various agencies to start some temp work (higher hourly rate and experience in other companies). So I could save to move overseas. To the UK it was, solo all the way.

For my UK visa, I applied online and booked a day trip to Melbourne (from Adelaide) for my biometrics. The visa cost £208 (roughly $370 AUD) and was simple enough to follow. I applied for the Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme which allows Australians to work in the UK for 24 consecutive months, allowing you to exit and enter the countries as much as you like in the meantime. There are a few rules such as: you must be between 18 and 31 years old, have £1,890 (roughly $3,250) in your bank account, and you must apply for the visa outside of the UK. For an ‘Ultimate Reference Guide on the Youth Mobility Scheme’ please click here to see how Chris from ‘The Aussie Nomad’ explains it in great detail. Continue reading “In preparation of my move overseas..”

A day of wandering in Singapore..

I had a full day in Singapore on my way home from India and wow could you notice the difference. Coming from India to one of the world’s most ‘cleanest’ cities was a bit of a shock for me, I missed the chaos of India already.

Singapore was nice for a day – I walked around, a lot, and noticed pretty much all the shops were the same just in different shopping complexes. I did go on the Singapore Flyer which gave me a good view of the city and ate some yummy food. Continue reading “A day of wandering in Singapore..”

My first trip alone, but I was never alone..

For my 21^st birthday I decided to go to India but I could not tell you why India. I don’t know myself but it proved life changing and I still hold India close to my heart.

As it was my first overseas trip going ‘solo’, I booked a ‘basix’ tour with Intrepid Travel. Because it was ‘basix’ it meant all our means of transport was by the local transport, no air conditioned buses. Amazing. This was a highlight and made for some of my favourite memories. We travelled by cycle rickshaw, motor rickshaw, local buses, trains, overnight trains and a few taxis.

I flew into Delhi and had a couple of days before my tour started. I was alone and in India. I finally got the courage to leave my hotel room on the first day to change some money and head to Connaught Place. Continue reading “My first trip alone, but I was never alone..”