For the past 6 months I’ve been working on a dairy farm in a little rural place called Blighty in NSW. Since leaving Northern Ireland in January 2012 this is the longest I’ve ever stayed in one place, and to be honest it’s not the most exciting of locations.

But for once it hasn’t been about travelling, but instead, about working. It’s been a chance to really build up the funds, and for the first time in my life, I actually have some proper money saved! Which is probably a good idea considering I’ll be travelling around Australia for the next few months with no plans of getting a job for a very long time!

So now the count down is seriously on. Less than 1 week to go, only 4 more shifts left at work. To say I’m excited is an understatement! I can’t wait to say goodbye to the mundane, day-to-day routine that many jobs bring. No more alarms going off at 3am, no more living for the weekend, those days are soon to be over.

Instead, Chris and I will be living out of our campervan, just taking each day as it comes, unsure of what will be around the next corner. I can’t actually wait! The feeling I have right now, it takes me back to when I was in Northern Ireland, waiting to go to New Zealand for the first time. The anticipation of not knowing what’s coming next, not knowing what I’ll see, the experiences I’ll have, or the people I’ll meet along the way.

And it just feels so right. For me, travelling is about really living your life, opening your eyes and seeing the world around you, not wasting your time away just wishing you could do these things. I love opening myself up to new opportunities and experiences, and then months down the line you look back on the things you’ve done and you just think ‘wow’, I can’t believe I did all that.

Sometimes I’ll have doubts. I’ll think, ‘am I being stupid? Should I be back home in a sensible job with a sensible house?’ But I know that wouldn’t feel right. And in the end that’s all it comes down to. Your gut feeling and what makes you happy.

For the next few months I have plenty of ideas but no set plans, and I think this is going to be the best way to tackle Australia. The country’s so big, there’s so much out there, and I don’t really know what’s ahead of me. So I’m just going to see how things pan out and go with my feelings. So this upcoming road trip could take a couple of months or it could take a year, who knows and that’s part of the fun.

With my blog I really hope to keep it more current and up to date, sharing my experiences as I go. So if anyone’s interested in backpacking through Australia feel free to follow me! I’ll also be trying to make a few decent road trip videos.

This is it! One week today I’ll be happily unemployed and living in my van. Bring it on!