Hartington is dark and quiet once again and whilst many of us at the Hall had looked forward to a quieter time of year and a chance to regroup from a busy season one thing remains beyond doubt: the village of Hartington is pretty damn boring outside of the tourist season!
Having somehow survived two of these I thought I needed a distraction for those long nights, with money an obvious issue and socialising with villagers of little interest to me I decided to purchase the new football manager game and what an inspired decision it has proved to be!
Hours and days are now whizzing by and whilst I realise this sounds like a depressing outlook on living a life the reality of the situation is that I am done with this place and the whole country in fact, I am so ready to move on and live the rest of my life and in 8-9 months I can do exactly that. There will obviously be people and elements of this life which I will miss once I'm gone but I'm confident that those few really really good friends I've made here will be easy enough to stay in touch with.
In terms of the trip itself the hard work begins in the new year which is only 20 or so days away. The first order of business will be booking the initial flight to Rome and then I have a fairly sizeable list of things to do. This will probably be the last update of 2011 unless Luke adds anything so catch you in the new year.
Peace x
Saturday, 10 December 2011
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
First hostels booked
So after all the months of planning, preparation and a lot of talk, today I have booked the first bunch of hostels for Rome to Rio this morning. It may seem quite far in advance since it is still 10 months or so until we actually leave but seeing as Europe always seems so booked up I thought it best to sort that part of it out as soon as possible whilst I have my pick of the accommodation.
I've done so much research into the places I've booked and finding hostels in each place that are cheap, well located and have good reviews by other travellers was not easy but I'm pretty happy with what I've booked.
Making a financial commitment to the trip makes it seem all the more real once again and makes the excitement myself and Luke are feeling grow further. I have booked all the hostels in Italy, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and plan to do the hostels for Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey when we get paid the same time next month. The only place I could not book is Siena in Italy which strangely does not have any hostels, the plan for this is to wait and see if the budget hotel prices drop and book a spot at the camp site in Siena if not.
Next on the agenda after the hostels is booking the flight to Rome itself. It appears Easy jet lower prices around 9 months before the flights so this can also be done in January. In the meantime I will try to distract myself with surviving one final long winter in Hartington, though the way this year has gone it should fly by.
I've done so much research into the places I've booked and finding hostels in each place that are cheap, well located and have good reviews by other travellers was not easy but I'm pretty happy with what I've booked.
Making a financial commitment to the trip makes it seem all the more real once again and makes the excitement myself and Luke are feeling grow further. I have booked all the hostels in Italy, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and plan to do the hostels for Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey when we get paid the same time next month. The only place I could not book is Siena in Italy which strangely does not have any hostels, the plan for this is to wait and see if the budget hotel prices drop and book a spot at the camp site in Siena if not.
Next on the agenda after the hostels is booking the flight to Rome itself. It appears Easy jet lower prices around 9 months before the flights so this can also be done in January. In the meantime I will try to distract myself with surviving one final long winter in Hartington, though the way this year has gone it should fly by.
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Itinerary Complete!
Today I have finally completed the route we are going to take for Rome to Rio! It has taken me months to put this 740 day list together and now I can forget about that part for the next 341 days and focus on other aspects of the trip for a bit.
The size of it is mind boggling and I cannot even begin to think about anything else except arriving in Rome on September 3rd 2012 and we'll go from there!
The size of it is mind boggling and I cannot even begin to think about anything else except arriving in Rome on September 3rd 2012 and we'll go from there!
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Peru
The Peru part of the trip is now available to view under 'where we are going and when' that is all for now.
Saturday, 3 September 2011
one year to go
It's one year until Lucas and I hit the travelling trail, Its a long time but at least we can the whole 'this time next year we'll be in wherever' which is pretty cool. When in Amsterdam in July we discussed the idea of having a list of things we wished to attempt to do at least once in each country. After editing out the ones that seemed ridiculous or pointless I've narrowed it down to the following:
1. Play a 'best of 5' game of pool in each country - simple concept, find a pool table first to win 3 games wins the leg. We will keep an update of the score on the challenges page of the blog.
2. Sample a beer local to the country we're in - every country has its own beer, this one will be easy, a picture will be provided as evidence.
3. Watch a football match between 2 local teams - The rules of this are the football match can be anywhere providing it is between locals, this can range from the Milan derby to a kickabout on the street in Delhi or a beach in Rio.
4. Eat local food at a local restaurant - The rule for this is the restaurant must be owned by natives to the country we're in and the food must be a dish which originates from there.
5. Meet and greet and local - Make a local friend in each country, this cannot include touts/tour guides etc i.e people trying to sell us things!
6. Cook a local dish in each country - we'll be self catering a fair bit due to budget so making a dish local to the country we're in seems like a great idea.
1 year to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1. Play a 'best of 5' game of pool in each country - simple concept, find a pool table first to win 3 games wins the leg. We will keep an update of the score on the challenges page of the blog.
2. Sample a beer local to the country we're in - every country has its own beer, this one will be easy, a picture will be provided as evidence.
3. Watch a football match between 2 local teams - The rules of this are the football match can be anywhere providing it is between locals, this can range from the Milan derby to a kickabout on the street in Delhi or a beach in Rio.
4. Eat local food at a local restaurant - The rule for this is the restaurant must be owned by natives to the country we're in and the food must be a dish which originates from there.
5. Meet and greet and local - Make a local friend in each country, this cannot include touts/tour guides etc i.e people trying to sell us things!
6. Cook a local dish in each country - we'll be self catering a fair bit due to budget so making a dish local to the country we're in seems like a great idea.
1 year to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, 11 July 2011
Where were you while we were getting high?
Last week represented a first trip away for me and Luke since making the decision to travel together next year. The destination was Amsterdam for a short 4 day break, a familiar destination for both of us, it is the 6th time I have been and despite claiming I will not go again I always seem to get lured back.
The trip was a good few days break from England and Hartington in particular, we actually did more than I thought we would, a day trip to Haarlem and a visit to the Amsterdam Arena provided decent little side trips. We also went on a canal cruise which was better than expected. The weather turned out better than expected as well and we found a nice little out the way Czech bar where we soaked up the last of the evening sun and had a few pints.
I can't speak for Luke but I'm fairly sure I won't be going away again between now and Rome to Rio despite recent talk of another trip I think the bigger picture has to be looked at.
Before I went away I got as far as sorting out the itineraries for Colombia and Ecuador so these are now on the itinerary page. We have also come up with a concept known only as 'the challenges' at present, more on this will be announced in the near future.
The trip was a good few days break from England and Hartington in particular, we actually did more than I thought we would, a day trip to Haarlem and a visit to the Amsterdam Arena provided decent little side trips. We also went on a canal cruise which was better than expected. The weather turned out better than expected as well and we found a nice little out the way Czech bar where we soaked up the last of the evening sun and had a few pints.
I can't speak for Luke but I'm fairly sure I won't be going away again between now and Rome to Rio despite recent talk of another trip I think the bigger picture has to be looked at.
Before I went away I got as far as sorting out the itineraries for Colombia and Ecuador so these are now on the itinerary page. We have also come up with a concept known only as 'the challenges' at present, more on this will be announced in the near future.
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
New Features and pages
I've been expanding the blog a bit recently, most importantly Luke is now quite rightly an author on the blog, check out his first entry. So this is now a proper 2 person operation. You can also follow us by email, the link for this is at the bottom of the home page. I have also constructed another page entitled 'tales from the road' this is simply for trip statistics, memorable events and other bits and pieces which don't really qualify for the day to day diary part of the blog.
I have also completed the itinerary up to the halfway point. I'm going to be working on the South America itinerary during my time off work which starts at the end of this week. Luke also mentioned we'll be in Amsterdam for a few days next month, I fully expect this to be my only trip abroad before Rome to Rio, after this it is full speed ahead in terms of saving and planning.
In terms of preparation we are coming up to one year to go which will signify the point when we can begin to gather prices for flights and hostels and everything may just start to seem real. For now I'll just get back to watching Wimbledon and look forward to 'the Dam' whilst dreaming of more distant lands.
Ciao for now.
I have also completed the itinerary up to the halfway point. I'm going to be working on the South America itinerary during my time off work which starts at the end of this week. Luke also mentioned we'll be in Amsterdam for a few days next month, I fully expect this to be my only trip abroad before Rome to Rio, after this it is full speed ahead in terms of saving and planning.
In terms of preparation we are coming up to one year to go which will signify the point when we can begin to gather prices for flights and hostels and everything may just start to seem real. For now I'll just get back to watching Wimbledon and look forward to 'the Dam' whilst dreaming of more distant lands.
Ciao for now.
Thursday, 3 March 2011
The countdown continues (very slowly)
It seems like a good time to update the blog, another milestone was passed with the end of February, both financial and also in terms of time, there are now under 18 months to go until I leave Hartington, Derby and the UK in search of the dream once again. If anybody has actually read any of this you may hopefully be beginning to think that maybe I am not completely full of shit and have some intention of actually going on this trip.
The update is to let you know I'm still on track, in terms of planning nothing has happened, what more can I do at present, I know where I'm going but its still way too early to book anything, I'm doing research all the time, getting bits of useful information here and there, I'm also counting my blessings that I didn't include any of North Africa in my tour though no doubt some war will cause chaos to my plans before departure, actually thats an awful thing to say.
There is another reason for my random blabbering however, I am actually doing a little travelling a bit closer to home in April, I am staying a 7 different hostels in the peak district over a 9 day period, I wanted to get out of Hartington for a week and this gives me a chance to do so and the best part is I won't be spending any money on accommodation and very little on transportation as I will be walking to most of the hostels. It is a little adventure which should keep me occupied for a bit anyway. I will post an account of the adventure on here, its not Rome to Rio but travelling is travelling!
The update is to let you know I'm still on track, in terms of planning nothing has happened, what more can I do at present, I know where I'm going but its still way too early to book anything, I'm doing research all the time, getting bits of useful information here and there, I'm also counting my blessings that I didn't include any of North Africa in my tour though no doubt some war will cause chaos to my plans before departure, actually thats an awful thing to say.
There is another reason for my random blabbering however, I am actually doing a little travelling a bit closer to home in April, I am staying a 7 different hostels in the peak district over a 9 day period, I wanted to get out of Hartington for a week and this gives me a chance to do so and the best part is I won't be spending any money on accommodation and very little on transportation as I will be walking to most of the hostels. It is a little adventure which should keep me occupied for a bit anyway. I will post an account of the adventure on here, its not Rome to Rio but travelling is travelling!
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