I'M GOING TO AUSTRALIA!

Anyone who knows me will know that I've wanted to go to Australia FOREVER. I always knew that I would end up going one day but I was a bit worried about spending all of my savings on a 2 week holiday without a wage to fall back on when I got home. When I finished uni, I got a job at New Look pretty much straight away so I had to put my plans on hold for a while. I honestly thought there was no way I would ever be allowed 3 weeks off work, but I saw a lot of my friends being allowed time off for various things so I thought I might as well ask. Turns out January (when I wanted to go) is the quietest month of the year so my manager authorised it and within the hour I was in STA Travel booking the trip of a lifetime.

Like a lot of people my age, I have the biggest desire to travel the world and to see and experience as many places as possible. Australia has always been at the very top of my travel bucket list. I'm very much like my dad in the sense that I'm quite adventurous and have no problem stepping out of my comfort zone, even if things are a bit scary at first. This time last year I was absolutely petrified at the thought of travelling to the other side of the world on my own, which is why I couldn't quite bring myself to booking it. Twelve months later, I really feel like I've grown as a person and I finally have the confidence to pursue something I've wanted to do for years. I didn't even realise until a few months ago that my dad travelled when he was younger too (and has been to the Great Barrier Reef!) so it's no wonder I've caught the travelling bug!

As I'm only allowed a limited time off work, I've decided to go to Australia with the tour company Contiki on their 14 day 'Beaches and Reefs' tour. I first heard of Contiki last year when my housemate's sister travelled to Oz with them, and for first time travellers it really is ideal! I will be travelling along the east coast of Australia from Sydney to Cairns with approx 50 other people aged 18-35, the majority of which will be solo travellers just like me! A lot of people I've spoken to can't believe I'm going it alone but now I'm used to the idea, it just seems so normal! Why put your life on hold because other people don't want to/can't go with you? Solo travel is so common these days so I really recommend taking the plunge and just doing it if it's something you've always wanted to do. It's so liberating and at the end of the day, we make our own way in this world so it's up to us to go out there and live life the way we want to live it.

As you can imagine, I'm pretty gutted that I'll be landing in Sydney 3 days after the famous Opera House/Harbour Bridge NYE firework display (something I've ALWAYS wanted to see and I'm sure is on a lot of people's bucket lists). But after weeks of deliberating I just couldn't justify spending an extra £1,000 to see a glorified fireworks display (yep, NYE is such a joke). Instead, I'm actually flying on New Year's Day and will arrive in Sydney on the 3rd January, ready to start the tour on the 4th. It's my 22nd on the 8th January too so I'll be spending my birthday stroking kangaroo's and holding a koala at a wildlife sanctuary before heading out to the Gold Coast's party hot spot, Surfers Paradise. HOW EXCITING!

If anyone wants to check out the itinerary I'm doing, I'll link it here. The whole experience is going to be amazing but I'm most excited about climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, doing a skydive, eating a kangaroo (soz Roo), learning to surf and hot air ballooning. I'm actually really excited about the flight too... all 21 hours of it eek! I love flying anyway but I'm so excited to be flying with Qantas and Emirates, I can't even imagine how lovely those planes are! Let the journey commence...