44. That’s the number of days I’ve been in Australia. And not one blog post to tell about it. Sorry ‘bout that… It’s just that I’ve been having so much fun here. I’ve seen and done so many things that I haven’t really had the time to write my experiences down. But now I’ll make an effort. But 41 days is a long time to cover so bare with me.

 

September 26th 2011, 6 a.m. Qantas flight QF002 from Bangkok lands in Sydney. On board, a Belgian guy who is about to make his lifelong dream come true. Me!

We get off the plane, go through customs, which went easy unlike what you see on TV, and meet the driver who will take us to the hostel. Once there we have to wait another 2 or 3 hours to check in, so we go for a walk around Sydney.

 

It’s not long before the first friendly Australian shows us the direction to the Opera House. We walk in said general direction, through the Royal Botanic Gardens, thinking that the Opera House can’t be far…and low and behold…we go around a corner and there she is…The Sydney Opera House. You’ve seen the pictures hundreds of times but once you’re there and you actually see it with your own eyes, then it hits you…I’m in Australia!!! Woohoo!

 

The rest of the week we would spend together with the group from Australian Backpackers. That’s the organisation who’s gonna help us sort out all the practical stuff and make us feel at home. And how do you make someone feel at home? Right, get them drunk. And that’s what we did the first night. Drink of choice…Goon. Say what now? Goon, it’s wine in a box. Tastes more like apple juice than wine, but it’s dirt cheap (11$ for 4l) and it will get the job done. Add a crazy English guy and a drinking game which makes absolutely no sense and you’ve got yourself a fun night you’ll never remember. Welcome to Australia!

On a sidenote, here are my first impressions of Sydney/Australia:

- Everything is sooooo expensive it’s ridiculous. Especially booze which sucks really bad. On top of that, they charge you for everything: laundry, internet, extra toppings on food,…

- ‘Ze Germans’ are everywhere. I don’t know what it is that makes Germans come over here more than other Europeans but they do…in big numbers. Sometimes when I’m shopping in the supermarket I could swear I’m in Germany.

- You spend a lot of time waiting in front of red lights. And when you’re finally able to cross the street you’d better hurry because it changes back to red in the blink of an eye.

- They really do say ‘mate’ and ‘no worries’ in every other sentence.

 

Let’s continue. The rest of the week we did a number of activities. We went to Bondi Beach, had a BBQ on the rooftop of the hostel, we went surfing for a day and we visited the Blue Mountains.

A picture is worth a thousand words so I won’t bore you with the description.

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the pictures you can find in the album AUSTRALIA – Sydney.

 

 

 

 

So we did some sightseeing by day and some partying by night. On Tuesday we went to the Trademark Hotel. It has a club where every Tuesday they hold a wet t-shirt contest, what a coincidence! Unfortunately I can’t recall any wet t-shirt contest that night, I wonder why…

On Thursday we went on a pub crawl (=kroegentocht). We started off in O’Malleys, an Irish pub. Then on to Soho. an R’n’B club where girls get free champagne. And our last stop, also my favourite, was the World Bar. This a really cool bar/club where every Thursday is indie night. So they have a band playing and after that there’s a party with more rock music and the good kind of dance music. Another thing I love about the World Bar are their teapots. They are…well…teapots which they fill up with your cocktail of choice. Accompanied by a couple of shot glasses. Since that night I go by the nickname ‘Teapot Tom’.

 

Well, so far for the first week. Are you still here? Good.

 

So after our little introduction week it was time to fly out of the nest and take care of our own business. First thing on our to-do list: find a new hostel. You would think that’s easy. Well it isn’t when there’s a big music festival and a huge rugby final going on in Sydney and everything is fully booked. Long story short, me and George (the crazy English guy, remember?) had to go to Newtown to find a hostel with room available. This place was…interesting. The residents were mostly middle aged and I heard two guys talking about coke, doing jobs for bosses and the Hell’s Angels. Yeah, I would describe this place as your ordinary crackhouse. So after 1 night I packed my bags and fled back to Sydney. Brave George stayed there for three, respect man.

 

This week I still hadn’t found a job so I filled it up with more partying (another great night at the World Bar), wandering around the Botanic Gardens feeding the Cockatoos, going to the Hard Rock Café, enjoying the Sydney skyline from across the harbour and visiting probably the smallest beach in the world.

 

Sydney is one of the most expensive cities in the world so after two weeks of partying and enjoying the sights it was really getting time to find a job. I stumbled across an advertisement for a ‘data entry’ job. I knew that I would have to sit behind a desk from 9 to 5 for the next 3 months but it would pay 24$ per hour. For a backpacker that’s a lot. And it would provide me some security. So I decided to go for it. I sent my resume and not long after that I got a call to go on a job interview. I pretty much nailed it and got the job straight away. I could start on Monday.

 

Once I had the job I knew I couldn’t stay in hostels much longer. It’s expensive, it’s a pain in the ass to cook something in the communal kitchen and you constantly need to extend your stay. So I knew an appartment was the way to go. After 2 days of running across Sydney I found the perfect place. Or at least as close to mediocre perfection I could find. It’s a 10 minute walk from my job. It has a pool, gym and sauna (that’s out of order btw). And it’s relatively cheap. The only downside is I have to share a room with 3 other people. But hey, that’s the same as staying in a hostel.

 

After the first week of work I was already glad it was weekend. On friday we went to the casino where I lost 50$ in 5 min playing roulette.

Sunday we went to the Belgian Beer Café, where you can get in their hall of fame if you drink every beer on the menu. Guess what I’m gonna do?

Afterwards we went to watch the rugby worldcup final in Darling Harbour with an amazing fireworks afterwards.

 

The next week I worked another 2 days and then it was time for a well deserved holiday. I was going on a 5 day surfcamp. First we spent 2 days at Crescent Head, then 3 days at Spot X and the last day we drove to Byron Bay. I can’t really say much about this trip other than that it was bloody awesome! I had the time of my life. Surfing by day, partying my ass off by night (this one time at surfcamp when I woke up in a bra…true story). And I met some amazing people. It brings a smile to my face just thinking about it again.

 

Going back to work was hard. But it wasn’t for long. After 3 days the week was already over and I could enjoy the weekend. And I did. I went to Manly Beach and rented a surfboard so I could work on my skillz. Unfortunately they’re still not very impressive.

Manly Beach on the other hand is. I like it much more than Bondi. And there’s more to see here. Shelly Beach for example. It’s a very small beach enclosed by a beautiful bay and you can BBQ there. I would love to go there once with a few burgers, cold beers and stay there around sunset. Must be amazing.

 

Anyhow, that’s about how my life has been up until now in the land down under. I hope you enjoyed reading about it, I know I enjoyed living it.

 

See you next time boys and girls and props for getting this far.

Ok, I know this is long overdue but everything has been so busy the past few weeks that I haven’t had much time to write a decent report of what happened since my first week in Thailand.

So here it is and I’ll try my best to keep it short.

 

On Tuesday I left Bangkok and took the night train up north to Chiang Mai. It’s a cool city, much smaller and more laidback than crazy Bangkok.

In Chiang Mai I decided it was time for some adventure. Cause I had been told, by the French girl I met on the train back from Ayuttayah, that white water rafting is awesome there.

And it absolutely was. Because of the rain season the waterlevel was really high and the rapids very violent. We even had to skip a 2 km long stretch of the river because the rapids were too dangerous there. In total we did we did about 8 kms of rafting.

At night I went to the famous night market. That’s a big market held at night in the streets of Chiang Mai, filled with little stalls that sell everything and nothing. From antiques, to fake rolex watches, to sunglasses, to handcrafted souvenirs,… If you look around a bit you can find some real bargains.

 

The next day I went to a place called Patara Elephant farm. That’s a farm where they breed elephants and you can be the owner of one of their elephants for one day. As an owner you have to learn how to communicate with and take care of the elephants. You get to feed your very own elephant, wash it and the coolest thing ever, you get to ride it…bareback! We rode on the elephants to a waterfall up in the mountains and there we swam with the elephants! Seriously, this was an amazing day that I’ll never forget. If you go to Chiang Mai and you do only one thing, let it be this one, you won’t regret it!

After a couple of days in Chiang Mai I returned to Bangkok to have some more fun with Jim and Anné. We had dinner in a Mexican restaurant where we drank a LOT of margaritas and afterwards we went dancing in the club Demo. A worthy goodbye from the nightlife in Bangkok.

 

The next day I had to catch my flight to Australia. It’s strange, I felt like I had spent ages in Thailand when in fact I had only been there for two weeks. And even though I wasn’t going home but to Australia, a bloody amazing place, I felt like I was going to miss Thailand.

A lot of people have been asking me what I’ve been up to this past week and I keep telling them the same stories seperately, so I thought it would be easier if I would write it down here so anyone who’s interested can read it.

 

Day #1 – 8/9/2011

I took the train to Brussels airport. From there I flew to London and then on to Bangkok. Everything went smooth.

 

Day #2 – 9/9/2011

I arrived in Bangkok thinking I would have to head into the city on my own and find my cousin Anné’s appartment by myself. So I was pleased to see Jim, Anné’s boyfriend, waiting for me at the airport with a big sign with my name on it.

 

After dropping off my stuff at Anné’s appartment, which is beautiful by the way, me and Jim went to have some drinks and dinner in downtown Bangkok. He gave me some great pointers on how to spot a ladyboy. Watch for the adams apple, the bending degree of the arms, the hip-waist ratio, the voice if you get close enough and last but not least…the tits. If a Thai woman has big plastic boobs, she’s probably a dude.

 

We then went back to the appartment  to wake up Anné from her nap (that girl is working way too hard). We went to this bar where you can buy a “fuck-bucket”, which is a small bucket filled with an alcoholic beverage of your choice and you all drink from it through straws. Needless to say we had a lot of fun.

 

Day #3 – 10/9/2011

We decided to go play tourist in Bangkok. So we went to the grand palace (=koninklijk paleis), the temple of the emerald buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) and Wat Pho (the temple of the huge reclining buddha). These were all really beautiful and impressive sights to see.

 

Afterwards we went on a boatride on the canals in Bangkok. This was really cool to do and it seemed like you weren’t even in Bangkok anymore. The city looks so different from the river.

At night we went for dinner at ‘Long Table’, a trendy restaurant which apparently has the longest table in whole Asia! But even more impressive was the view you had on Bangkok since this restaurant is located high up in a tower.

 

After dinner we went dancing in a club called Demo. Really cool music and atmosphere. Unfortunately the club closed at 2 am. Because in Thailand everything actually has to close at 12 am. Nobody does that though and usually either no one cares to enforce this law or the police are paid off. But since the new prime minister is in office they seem to uphold this law more strictly. We went searching for another club, but that one was closing too. It also depends alot in what area you are. Like in some streets everything will close at 2 am and in some other places you can party till the sun comes up. It’s pretty random.

 

Day #4 – 11/9/2011

Today was a very chill day. I slept in and went swimming in the pool with Jim in the afternoon. This pool here is really cool. It’s on the 7th floor so you have a nice view over Bangkok while you’re swimming. And we took a sauna too. Yeah, life can be good sometimes.

 

At night we watched an American Football game. The Kansas City Chiefs (who we were rooting for) against the Buffalo Bills. Apparently the Chiefs played their worst game in like years and lost bigtime. So that kinda sucked but it was fun after all.

 

Day #5 – 12/9/2011

I was supposed to leave Bangkok and go to Ko Samet today but I slept way too long so I wasn’t going to make it there in time. So I went to explore Bangkok on my own a bit while Jim and Anné were at work. I went to one of the billion shopping malls here in Bangkok. MBK in particular. When you want cheap knock-off shit, this is the place to go.

 

At night we went for dinner in “Cabbages and Condoms”. This is a really cool restaurant. It is owned by the goverment and the revenues are used to raise awareness about AIDS and safe sex. So everywhere you look there’s condoms. You even get one after dinner!

 

Day #6 – 13/9/2011

Today I got up early and left for Ko Samet. It’s a small island not that far from Bangkok so it only took me about 3 or 4 hours to get there. Once on the island I went looking for a place to stay. I had read in Lonely Planet that there’s a pretty cool backpacker vibe at Naga Bungalows so that’s where I decided to stay. The rooms were pretty cheap. 350 Baht or about 9 euros for a basic room with a fan, a bed and a private bathroom. After I installed myself I went for a quick swim. The water was awesome.

 

At night I went looking for a cool bar. But it’s rainy season and it was a weekday so there weren’t a lot of people on the island. I started talking with 2 girls and a guy who arrived here on the same boat as me. The girls, Alex and her friend (whose name I can’t remember) were from New York. And the guy was either from France or England. I can’t really remember. They were pretty cool, we ended up talking a couple of hours until the bar closed. They went for a midnight swim, but I had my passport, my camera, my money,… in my pockets so I decided it wasn’t the best idea to leave my clothes on the beach. So I headed to another bar. There I started talking with Marcus, a guy from Germany who had spent a year in Australia like I am about to do, so he gave me a lot of useful tips.

 

Day #7 – 14/9/2011

I woke up pretty early and a wee bit hung over I must say. So my priorities were: water and breakfast. Once that was taken care of I went out and rented a motorcycle to explore the island a bit. There are a couple of beaches south on the island who are pretty remote so the easiest way to get to them is by motorcycle. I had a lot of fun driving around the island. It wasn’t always that easy though, there are lot of dirtroads with big potholes so at times I had to be really careful. But I managed to keep myself and the bike in one piece.

 

In the afternoon I decided I would lay on the beach and soak up the sun. The weather was beautiful, warm and sunny. And I got a Thai massage on the beach. Don’t worry, a regular one, not the happy ending kind. That was awesome, getting a massage while you hear the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. I can’t think of anything more relaxing.

 

So after my massage I saw Alex, her friend and the French/British/whatever guy sitting. I joined them and we talked for a little bit. I went back to my room to take a shower and look for some place to eat. My cousin Kathleen who had also visited Ko Samet a few weeks earlier said I should check out Nanu’s kitchen. Apparently the food there is really good. But the restaurant was a couple of beaches down so I started walking. And I took the main roads inland, which turned out to be a big mistake. After a while I started to get really lost up until the point where I was walking on a hill through the forest with no light.

Eventually I came across some locals who I said I was close. Anyway, after a while I finally found the beach…but no restaurant. So I walked back to the previous beach where I did see a restaurant thinking that this could be Nanu’s kitchen perhaps. I asked some people and they told me Nanu’s kitchen was on the next beach but it was closed. So I had walked all this way, getting lost in the process of it and still couldn’t eat at Nanu’s kitchen. That sucked. So I ended up eating at the restaurant that was open. And when I walked back to my room at Naga I followed the beach. You know what? Turns out it’s not that far at all and easily accessible. I could’ve kicked myself!

 

I eventually got back at my beach and saw Alex, her friend and the guy playing pool. I ended up playing with them. Alex and that guy teamed up and me and Alex’ friend. Of course we won cause we’re awesome. After that we walked along the beach until we found a cool bar with a lot of people. There was a pole there about 2m up in the air where two people would sit on and knock each other off. Hilarious to watch.

 

All of us went swimming there. I was smart enough to leave everything valuabale in my room this time. It was awesome and still pretty warm.

We ended up ditching the French/British/whatever guy cause Alex apparently didn’t like him that much. They went back to their room cause Alex’ friend was freezing. We exchanged email addresses so I could let them know if I ever went back to New York, and said goodbye.

I wasn’t tired at all so I went to Naga bar. Marcus, the German guy was sitting there so I drank a few beers with them. He told me some more about Australia.

 

We ended up talking with a girl, Phailin, who is actually from Perth in Australia. She and her sister are originally from Thailand and were there on a holiday. I taught her sister some salsa moves but I was getting drunk at the time and I had forgotten most of what I had learned so let’s say these weren’t my finest dancing moves.

It was getting pretty late, Naga bar was closing and apparently Phailin and I were practically the only ones left in the bar. Neither of us were tired yet so we went for a walk on the beach. We still wanted a drink so we searched for a bar that was still open. A reggae bar was pretty much the only thing left so we had a few drinks there and kept on talking. It was really fun but when it was like 4 am I think, we decided to call it a day.

 

Day #8 – 15/9/2011

Today I left Ko Samet and returned to Bangkok which took really long. I was first planning on going straight to Ayuttayah but I was too tired and I arrived too late in Bangkok. So I stayed with Anné instead.

 

Day #9 – 16/9/2011

I went to Ayuttayah today. It’s the old capital of Thailand and has a lot of temples. Most are ruins but still nice to visit. But after a while you get a feeling it’s pretty much all the same, once you’ve seen one you’ve kinda seen them all. I rented a bicycle to get around the city which was fun. I almost got lost though, I wanted to visit one more temple that was a little further away but after a while I didn’t know where I was anymore. Luckily I found my way back in time so it’s all good.

 

In the evening I took the train back to Bangkok and got talking with a French girl. She was kind of in a similar situation. Working in IT, grew tired of her job, left to go travelling and didn’t really know what to do afterwards. It was fun talking with her, it would’ve been a boring 1,5h trainride otherwise.

 

At night I went for a swim with Jim en Anné and then we got some street food. Really good.

I can’t really talk about what we did afterwards cause we made a pact to never mention it again. What I can say is that it was crazy!

 

Day #10 – 17/9/2011

Me, Jim and Anné went to the Tiger Temple close to Ranchanaburi. You can get your picture taken there with a lot of tigers. The place is touristy as hell and the tigers look like they are drugged out of their minds but the pictures you get to take are priceless. So I definetely was dealing with mixed emotions. Of course it’s exciting to see a tiger up close. An animal that could rip your head off when you encouter it in the wild. But I also felt like a bad person. Because of me going there I am enabling them to keep those tigers in poor conditions.

 

At night we first went out to the Sky Bar at the Lebua hotel. This is the bar where they shot parts of the Hangover 2. And the view you have from the top is absolutely breathtaking. It’s on the 64th floor and one of the highest rooftop bars in Bangkok I think. Not only the height but also the price is high. One beer costs over 300 Baht, that’s more than 7 euros! So we had just one beer, took some photos and left.

 

After that we went to Khao San Road. Notorious for the many backpackers that roam the street and the party atmosphere. We drank a fuck bucket on the street and then went to Gazebo, a cool bar/club. In the bar you can sit on couches in a really chill environment. We had a hookah (=waterpijp) and cocktails there. Then we went dancing in the club area. It was a really fun night and when we got out of the club it was already light out. Oopsie.

 

 

So this is pretty much what happened during my first week in Thailand. I’ll try to post regular updates but it’ll be hard to keep up this level of detail. We’ll see.

Today, June 30th 2011, is my 25th birthday. And a very special one at that. Because today marks the beginning of my -what I like to call- “living for today year”.

 

This next year I really want to live life to the fullest. I want to live up to my full potential and truly enjoy all the things this life has to offer. Without fear, doubts or holding back. Full speed ahead, hard and fast!

 

And by the looks of it this is going to be one hell of a year. I’ll be able to see my favourite band Pennywise perform TWICE in less than one month time. I’ll get to hang out with my cousin in Thailand. I’ll spend a year in Australia where I’ll go surfing, skydiving, and if I’m up for it, bungee jumping and maybe even getting a tattoo. And since I’m there, Tasmania and New Zealand are also on my wishlist of places to visit. I hope to attend a lot of great parties and dance my ass off at every single one of them. I hope to meet a lot of like-minded people and be able to call them my friend by the time we part our ways.

 

This year will be a year of endless possibilities and I intend to explore them all! 25, show me what you got!

In exactly 100 days from now I am leaving…for a year…to Australia (and Thailand, and possibly Tasmania and New Zealand)!!! WAHOOOOOOO!!!!

 

I have a whole range of emotions running through my body right now. From ecstaticly jumping up and down to almost shitting my pants, and everything in between.

Only 100 days…it’s insane. This crazy little dream I have went from “maybe someday” to “someday” to “in a couple of years” to “next year” to “in a couple of months” to “in exactly 100 days”! But it’s finally getting closer…fast!

So maybe now is a good time to review my list of to-do’s. What I’ve already taken care of and what I still need to do before I leave.

 

Done

• International passport: check!
• International driver’s license: check!
• Working Holiday Visa: check!
• Plane ticket: check!
• Travel insurance: check!
• Business cards to promote my blog: check!
• Buy a backpack where I can securely store my camera and other technology stuff in: check!

 

To-do

• Get vaccinated. Wouldn’t want to get hepatitis or some other icky disease in Thailand. That would kinda suck.
• Buy a netbook so I can upload stories and photos while on the road.
• Change my cell phone subscription to pre-paid. That way I don’t have to pay a monthly fee and I get to keep my phone number.
• Buy a decent guide book. Lonely Planet, Rough Guides or…? Paper or e-book? Haven’t decided yet.
• Learn how to wash my clothes. Yeah, I know, don’t laugh.
• Let certain government services (unemployment, health care,…) know I will leave the country for a year.

 

I have a feeling I’m forgetting a million things, so if you can think of anything I really need to do before I leave post a comment and you could possibly prevent me from boarding a plane naked. Putting on clothes:check!

It’s official, the date has been set! On September 8th 2011 at exactly 19h20 I will board a plane to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine, going on a working holiday to Australia…for a year!

 

From Brussels I will fly to London for a short stop and then it’s on to Bangkok, Thailand where I will spend a little over two weeks. I’ll be visiting my American cousin and travelling around the country.

Then on September 25th I’ll catch a plane that will take me from Bangkok to Sydney, Australia. I’ll set foot on Australian soil before the crack of dawn (5h15) on September 26th.

 

It almost seems surreal to me, finally having a specific date to look forward to. For years I have been dreaming about this trip. For years I’ve been telling people that I would be going to Australia some day. But until now that’s just all it ever was, a dream. All I had to do was stop talking about it, never undertake any further steps and the dream would remain a dream. But by finally booking a plane ticket, the wheels have been set in motion. This dream is becoming a reality!

Eilean Donan Castle on the road to the Isle of Skye.

Make out a list of the things you would risk if you knew you never could fail.

- Nothing to Lose, Pennywise

As you’ve probably already noticed, I find a great deal of inspiration in the music and lyrics of Pennywise. They write songs that inspire me to live my life to the fullest without fear or holding back.

So when I first heard this song, the sentence, “Make out a list of the things you would risk if you knew you never could fail”, immediately caught my ear. Because it’s such good advice. People often don’t do things because they are afraid that they’ll fail. But what if you knew from the start that you would NOT fail? I bet a lot of people would live their lives differently.

That made me take a step back and think about what I would do, knowing I could not fail. So I present to you: my bucket list. This is still a work in progress. I’ll probably add a lot of things over time and hopefully I can cross off an equal amount as well. And not all of the things on the list were planned out, whenever I experience something cool I’ll add it to the list.

 

• Go to New York (2009)
• Go on a working holiday to Australia (2011 – 2012)
  • Live and work in Sydney for 4 months
  • Go surfing
  • Go scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef
  • Go skydiving
  • Go on a sailing trip to the Whitsunday islands
  • Visit Melbourne
  • See the Twelve Apostles
  • Visit Wilsons Promontory
  • See the Foo Fighters live
  • Visit the Blue Mountains
  • Visit Jervis Bay
  • Visit Byron Bay
  • Visit Surfers Paradise
  • Visit Brisbane
  • Visit Fraser Island
  • Visit Airlie Beach
  • Visit Cairns
• Learn how to surf (May 2011)
• Go skydiving (2007 & 2009)
• Get a tattoo
• Learn how to dance salsa (2008, 2009 and 2011)
• Learn how to play the electric guitar
• Take improv classes (2010)
• Go snowboarding (Many years since 2004)
• Stagedive at a Pennywise concert (28/01/2011)
• Meet Jim Lindberg, the former singer of Pennywise (22/04/2011)
• Shake hands with Zoli Téglás and Fletcher Dragge of Pennywise (4/8/2011)
• Become a travel guide with KrisKras
• Go up in a hot air balloon (I think it was 2008)
• Be on TV (Technically I was seen on Belgian national television for two whole seconds! Woohoo! See if you can spot me by clicking the link. I’ll give you a clue: 1:48 – 1:49)
• Be on the radio (2006)
• Capture the moment in an award winning photo
• Go bungee jumping
• Be an extra in a movie
• Attend a film premiere at a filmfestival (2009)
• Complete a coast to coast road trip across America
• Win the lottery
• Party till the sun comes up (Many, many times)
• Go to a baseball game (2007)
• Shoot a rifle (2007)
• See Pennywise perform live (First time in 2003)
• Go to Barcelona (Been a few times, last time I recall was in 2003)
• See the running of the bulls in Pamplona (2003)
• Meet Roos Van Acker (2006)
• Meet the Heideroosjes (2003)
• Go to Paris (2004)
• Meet ‘t Hof Van Commerce (2006)
• See the Grand Canyon (1995)
• Go to Los Angeles (1995)
• Go to London (Been a couple of times)
• Party in London (2004)
• Play in a poker tournament (2011)
• Go to San Francisco (1995)
• Go to Las Vegas (1995)
• Go to Amsterdam (2008)
• Go white water rafting (1996 and 2011)
• Go to an American Football game
• Get a surprise party on my birthday *hint, hint, wink, wink* (July 8th 2011)
• Let my beard grow for at least 2 months
• Go to Scotland (2010)
• Go to Montpellier (2010)
• Kiss my dream girl
• Go to Porto (May 2011)
• Go to Thailand (September 2011)
• Go to New Zealand
• See the Northern Lights
• Pet a tiger (September 2011)
• Learn Spanish
• Write a novel in English and get it published

The Statue of Liberty.

One final thing I like to draw motivation from are quotes. They’re little pieces of wisdom that can offer a quick fix in times of despair. Put them on your desk, in your wallet or on your mirror and you’ll be immediately reminded why you’re still working to save money for the journey ahead.

 

Below are some of my personal favourites. Some are travel related, some are about life in general and some are lyrics from songs that I like.

 

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover

- Mark Twain

 

Every man dies, not every man really lives.

- William Wallace

 

A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.

– Lao Tzu

 

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.

– Marcel Proust

 

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.
- St. Augustine

 

For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.
- Robert Louis Stevenson

 

Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with their song still in them.

- Henry David Thoreau

 

When one realizes that his life is worthless he either commits suicide or travels.
- Edward Dahlberg

 

A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.

– George Moore

 

The traveller sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.

– G. K. Chesterton

 

Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travellers don’t know where they’re going.

– Paul Theroux

 

I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.

– Rosalia de Castro

 

We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfilment.

– Hilaire Belloc

 

Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.

– Michael Palin

 

Make voyages! Attempt them… there’s nothing else.

– Tennessee Williams

 

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

– Lao Tzu

 

We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.

– Anais Nin

 

What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.

- William Least Heat Moon

 

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

- Helen Keller

 

The man who goes alone can start today, but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready.

- Henry David Thoreau

 

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.

– Mark Twain

 

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.

– Lin Yutang

 

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.

– Alan Keightley

 

I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.

– Mary Anne Radmacher Hershey

 

The tragedy of life is not so much what we suffer, but rather what we miss.

- Thomas Carlyle

 

The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.

- George Bernard Shaw

 

The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.

- Walter Bagehot

 

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.

- Elbert Hubbard

 

Always do what you are afraid to do.

- Ralp Waldo Emerson

 

The question is not who is going to let me, it’s who is going to stop me.

- Ayn Rand

 

If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.

- Robert Fritz

 

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.

- John Quincy Adams

 

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

- Albert Einstein

 

Do something wonderful, people may imitate it.

- Albert Schweitzer

 

Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.

- Sir Cecil Beaton

 

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.

- Henry David Thoreau

 

Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true.

- Ralp Waldo Emerson

 

Take time to find what you may dream. It’s all right there within your grasp just beyond what you can see.

- Living For Today, Pennywise

 

There’s nothing to fear but fear itself. Who knows when the end is near.

- Living For Today, Pennywise

 

Can’t hang on to what’s in my past. Full speed ahead hard and fast.

- Every Single Day, Pennywise

 

Take time and seize the day. Cause after today’s gone you’ll never have the chance again. So try.

- Try, Pennywise

 

Did you live like a dream come true or did you just survive? Did you do all you could do?

- Date With Destiny, Pennywise

 

What would you do with just one more hour? Live that hour out everyday like it was your last. You’ll live much better that way.

- Date With Destiny, Pennywise

 

Might be a dream, instead it means nothing. It could be everything you wanted it to be.

- Might Be a Dream, Pennywise

 

Is it a crime to want things better for yourself? How you wanna live is up to you.

- It’s Up To You, Pennywise

 

You can spend your whole life waiting, trying to find something to do. But don’t wait ’til it’s too late, no one will have pity on you.

- Nothing To Lose, Pennywise

 

It’s right there if you want it, reach out and take it in your hand.

- Nothing To Lose, Pennywise

 

And when your life is a prison and doubt is your burden and jail. Make out a list of the things you would risk if you knew you never could fail.

- Nothing To Lose, Pennywise

 

And when your life starts flashing before your eyes. Your one regret will be the things you never tried. Now you can only lose.

- Nothing To Lose, Pennywise