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Spencer and Cath's backpacking adventure from London to Brisbane via Europe, Asia and America

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Welcome to our website! In July 2004 Spencer and Cath will spend a year backpacking their way from London to Brisbane via Europe, Asia and America.

From the Great Wall of China to swiming with dolphins this site conveys our thoughts and experiences in the months leading up to, during and after our big trip. We hope you stick with us through our journey and would be delighted if you Leave us a message or better still make a donation!

Wenesday 31st March 2004

Going from 8 degree clouds in London to the oppressive 30+ degree heat of Brisbane can be a shock to the system and a real test of your fitness.

If we are honest with ourselves our fitness levels are not up to scratch, especially light of our forthcoming big trip. Therefore we have decided to use this holiday in Australia as the catalyst for a concerted drive to get fit. Over the last couple of days we have started walking through the country roads of Woombye, where we are currently staying with Cath's family. The steep gradients of the hills provide a tough challenge to our bodies but this is more than compensated by the fantastic views of the lush countryside, interspersed with pineapple fields, palm trees and assorted flora.

Today is the 6 month anniversary of our engagement and to celebrate we went to the scene of the proposal Mooloolaba Beach. For over 3 hours we sunbathed, walked on the beach and attempted to bodysurf over the choppy waters of the pacific ocean.

The sunkissed beach was full of congenial locals of all ages, sizes and surfing abilities and for those 3 hours we forgot all about the pressures of the London rat race. More importantly, for the first time since we decided to emigrate we got a taste of what our new life in Australia will be like and we absolutely loved it!

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Monday 29th March 2004

We have arrived in OZ!

We did however experience a slight technical hitch during transit. Having completed the Heathrow to Kuala Lumpar, via Penang leg, we strode purposefully up to the flight transfers counter, eager to secure our connecting flight to Australia. To our despair we were told that our flight, which was due to depart in less than 3 hours, had been rescheduled to the next day. It also emerged that these changes were made 10 days ago by Malaysian Airlines and that Travelbag, the online travel company with whom we booked the flights had neglected to inform us of this change.

Every now and then when travelling you will be faced with adveristy. When you find yourself in this situation you can either tackle it head on or let it overwhelm you. Here we were over 5000 miles from home, with nowhere to stay for the 19 hours that we had to wait before our rescheduled flight. Thankfully having travelled this route before we quickly realised that this reschedule meant that we were entitled to a free over night stop in a local hotel. After passing through immigration we visited the transit accommodation counter and after explaining our predicament were duly issued a hotel and meal coupon and provided free transportation to the Concorde Inn Sepang.

Staying in the 3 star hotel was probably a blessing in disguise as it enabled us to get a good nights sleep in a comfortable bed and enjoy 2 great meals from the sumptious and varied buffet. It is a shame though that Travelbag's incompetence tainted our enjoyment and preparation for this experience.

After this setback the flight to Brisbane went off without a hitch and we arrived at the airport after 7pm. Within an hour we had collected our luggage, passed through customs and more importantly, I got my visa stamped in my passport!

As we reached our destination of Woombye, an hour out of Brisbane we went to bed exhausted, but safe in the knowledge that our big trip is now definitely on!

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Saturday 27th March 2004

We leave for Australia today and are so excited!

The last few days of high winds, rain and cold weather have hit home how far removed the climate in London is from Brisbane and we are looking forward to experiencing sunnier days and longer, lighter nights over the next 3 weeks. All that stands before us is the 24 hours that we are about to spend in transit.

Despite reputedly being the safest, and undoubtedly quickest, form of commercial travel, I find flying to be a bit of a bind. Maybe its because, unlike with trains or cars, there are no scenic views to speak of, or perhaps it is because of the cramped conditions inside the plane, but I have never really enjoyed flying.

Having a low boredom threshold doesn't really help either, but luckily amenities on planes have improved over the last 10 years, and with the introduction of computer games and a wide range of decent films shown on personal screens, coupled with playing cards, newspapers and magazines there should be enough to keep us occupied. If we do find ourselves succumbing to boredom or restlessness we won't have to search too far for solace.

Australia will be only hours away.

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Wednesday 24th March 2004

It was around May last year when we first conceived the idea of embarking upon our big trip, before migrating to Australia. In that time we have worked hard to turn this dream into a reality.

Over the course of the last 10 months we have achieved alot, devising the itinerary for our journey through America, Europe and Asia, as well as booking a variety of flights, accommodation and visas and purchasing our backpacks and other travel accessories.

However right from the start the whole trip was always contingent on me being granted a de facto spouse visa to live in Australia and having had my application approved in January, this holiday signifies the attainment of this major milestone. Once my passport is stamped at Brisbane airport my visa will be officially validated, enabling me to start a new life in Australia.

The last 10 months have flown by in a blur and even now, with our suitcases packed and us ready to go, we have to pinch ourselves to take stock of how much we have achieved and more poignantly how much we have to look forward to in the years ahead.

Come Monday, when we are lying on a beach in the Sunshine Coast, perhaps it will start to sink in.

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Thursday 18th March 2004

I am all packed and ready for Australia!

This might surprise the less organised amongst you who tend to leave the packing of your suitcase to the last minute, but there is a method to my madness. Whenever I travel abroad I always like to pack my suitcase at least a week in advance of departure to ensure that I don't forget anything. It always amazes me the amount of people that do and to my mind there really is no excuse, they only have themselves to blame.

The other reason for packing early is that it allows me to envisage certain scenarios of the holiday ahead, after all the items you take with you relate directly to the nature of your vacation.

Today as I packed my swimming trunks, sunglasses and suntan lotion, my mind wandered to sunny afternoons ahead on the beaches of the sunshine coast. My excitement grew to fever pitch, especially when I looked out of the window at the menacing black clouds that were approaching. With 70 mph winds forecasted in London over the next couple of days, the packing of my suitcase temporarily took me to a place I would definitely rather be.

Luckily for us we only have to wait 10 days before we get there.

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Monday 15th March 2004

Cath and I, decided to take a trip to Harrods yesterday. The only problem for us was that when we got there it was closed.

As we stood at the doorway deciding on an alternative destination I noticed a group of American tourists approaching with excited looks on their face. It seemed clear to me that they had built themselves up to visiting Harrods on their trip to London and I felt genuinely sorry for them when their faces dropped from one of excitement to that of forlorn disappointment.

Although this was a minor inconvenience for us, as we quickly decided to visit Covent Garden and Leicester Square, I realised that this could have been a major one for those tourists, especially if they had to fly home or move to another destination tomorrow. However all of us had only ourselves to blame for not checking the opening times before we left home. We all failed to do the proper research.

Herein lies a lesson to all travellers and one in which I can speak from experience. Several years ago I visited San Francisco as part of a mini tour to 7 cities in America. I went there for 3 days with the expressed intention of visiting Alcatraz. However when I got to the Alcatraz booking office I was informed that there was a 4 day wait until the first available visit. Subsequently I missed out, purely because I did not bother to do the proper research.

Luckily for me we will be visiting San Francisco on the America leg of our big trip and so I will get the chance to see it then. However if it was not for this journey my oversight might have resulted in me missing out on one of the most famous tourist attractions in the USA. Something I could have been regretting for the rest of my life.

I just hope that those American tourists don't find themselves in this position in 10, 15, 20 years time.

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Friday 12th March 2004

Having been so focused on organising our big trip over the last couple of weeks, our Easter holiday to Australia has crept up on us rather unnoticed.

It is however, only 2 weeks away now!

The holiday to Australia serves many purposes. The main purpose of which will be to get my visa stamped and therefore validated in my passport and to provide Cath with an opportunity to see her family one last time before we start our big trip in July. Our time in Brisbane will also be spent looking at wedding venues and putting the feelers out on the housing market for when we settle there in 2006. This trip also allows us to transport some of our possession and moreover after 3 months of experiencing another bitterly cold London winter, we are looking forward to catching some sun!

Although traveling to Australia is pricey at the best of times, and the money spent here could be used to finance our big trip, this holiday is something that we have and want to do. As the preparations are all but complete for our big trip we are looking forward to being able to sit back in the Brisbane sun and contemplate the many adventures that lie ahead on our big trip.

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Sunday 7th March 2004

We have made a couple of adjustments to the Europe leg of our big trip.

Due to the high costs of accommodation and a dearth of sightseeing attractions we have decided to drop Luxembourg and Hamburg from our schedule and replace them with Liechtenstein and San Marino, with the latter being pencilled in as a day trip from Florence, whilst the former will be a day trip from Innsbruck.

On reflection these changes are probably for the best, as not only will we save money on the cost of long distance travel, but also we won't have to fork out for more expensive accommodation.

Furthermore the time that had been earmarked to spend in Luxembourg and Hamburg can now be allocated to prolong our stay in other destinations. In turn this will provide us with more flexibility for rest days in our schedule.

After 3 to 4 months of being on the road, constantly moving from place to place, this is something whose importance can not be overestimated.

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Thursday 4th March 2004

We found a pretty good deal on the Hostelworld website for a room in Paris today, securing a double ensuite room at the Hotel Belfort for only 49 euros a night. What makes this deal so good is that the hotel is situated in the centre of Paris, includes a free continental breakfast and provides storage facilities for our backpacks on the day that we check out.

The booking of this room means that we now have the first 8 days accommodation sorted for the European leg of our journey and the first 7 days for the American leg. With only the Asian leg left to organise the arrangements for our big trip are taking shape nicely.

With less than 4 months to go until we leave, our excitement is growing by the day!

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Monday 1st March 2004

Travelling from A to B is a phrase that has long been banded around, but in todays Metro I read about a man who is taking this literally!

Paul Parry, a 24 year old man from London, is soon to embark upon a 6,000 mile journey that will see him cycle from A, a small fishing village in Norway, to Bee, a hamlet in the B province of Seward County, Nebraska. He plans to cover about 100 miles a day during his big trip and will camp at night.

Having never cycled more than 150 miles before, this journey represents a real personal challenge, but its all for a good cause as Paul will be raising money for both Victim Support and the Red Cross. During his adventure he hopes to persuade locals and hitchhikers to share the experience with him by riding pillion on his tandem bicycle in return for a charitable donation. Further information about his route, on how to donate money to his designated charities, or even organise your own pillion slot can be found on his website.

We wish Paul the best of luck on his journey and will be following it with interest.

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