Here I go again!

So, here I am- gate 34, terminal 3, London Heathrow Airport. I'm heading back to Thailand for one last adventure before I come home to England and finally submit to the fact that I am now a full fledged, cant argue it anymore, grown up. My flight, TG917, will take me directly to Bangkok, it will be a long ass 11 hours and 35 minutes in cattle class- theres not much I wouldn't do for a seat in business class!  

My plan always was to return to Thailand, but I hadn't thought it would be this soon, I have been home from my last trip for less than 3 months- 80 days to be exact.  When I came home on May 6th, my plan was to work hard, save hard and head back out to the Land of Smiles at the end of this year.. That all changed one morning when I woke up at 3am; for some reason I picked up my phone and clicked on the Facebook app... A few minutes earlier 'Phangan Animal Care', the animal welfare centre on Koh Phangan, had uploaded a poster advertising for a new member of support staff. This was perfect for me, a job that I have experience in, on my favorite island.  On my last visit to Thailand I spent a month volunteering at the animal welfare centre on Koh Lanta. At home I work as a freelance horse groom and pet sitter.  I applied for the job there and then.  A couple of weeks later I had an interview via Skype, 5 days later the job was mine!  That was three weeks ago, in those three weeks I have wrapped up my life in the UK, all of my possessions have been sold, given away or put into storage- much to the discust of a few members of my friends and family.

So here are the facts;

▪ I'm on a seriously tight budget- nothing new there.

▪ I will be gone for 6-12 months

▪ I'm slightly nervous, a little scared and still not entirely sure that I am doing the right thing- not much I can do about that now, unless I have a 'this plane doent have a left falangi!!' moment, I'm now on board the Beast to the East, and the doors are closed.

Dispite my tight budget, I have booked a nice hotel to stay in tomorrow night in Bangkok- no oven rooms on this trip- a line has to be drawn somewhere! I am hoping to get a ticket for the over night train to Surat Thani for the next day. I need to be on Koh Phangan by Monday, although that may not go to plan as Wednesday is the world famous Full Moon Party- 30000 people all trying to get to the island at once tends to make getting a ticket for the train/ bus/ boat a bit of an issue.

So I here I go, off an another adventure, I am flying with Thai Airways for the first time, so far the 'what to do in an emergency' video has been played three times and there's a not so confidence giving banging coming from underneath the aircraft... Did I mention I hate flying?!  One thing I love about this experience so far is the Thai people, Thai's as a whole are the most friendly, welcoming and accommodating breed of people I have ever dealt with, to step aboard an aircraft and be greated with the wai and a 'swadeekai' made me smile when I wasn't feeling great, it reminded me of why I'm here and why I'm doing what I am.

Here's to Thailand, my favourite place... Let see what you've got!

Quotes to travel by...

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with one, single step

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone

A little step my be the beginning of a great journey

A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships were built for

If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there

I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list

Collect memories, not things

Adventure is worthwhile

8 ways to save money whilst backpacking

•Eat at markets- local markets serve a cheap, fresh and tasty meal, for example in Thailand you can get a decent Thai dish, with rice and a fruit shake for under 70 baht, in a restaurant that would cost more than double.

•Stay in hostels- the idea of a beach bungalow my sound iddilic, but is it really? Hostels are the best places to meet people, and they are full to the brim with people just like you! Everyone there has one thing in common, we are travellers! I have met some amazing, weird and wonderful people in hostels, some of whom I'm sure will be my friends for life, and others who have given me brilliant story's to tell!

•Travel by bus- buses are cheaper than trains, simple.

•Stay a few days- moving around cost money, if you find somewhere you like why not stay for a few days, or a week.

•Musli for breakfast- you can buy a big pack of musli at a Thai supermarket for around 150 baht, it will last you well over a week. Add some yogurt or milk and a different fresh fruit each day and you have yourself a cheap, tasty breakfast!

•Go out early- if you want to party on the cheap, start early! In Thailand admission fees to clubs can be anything from 100 to 500 baht, but most place don't start charging until 10 or later. Get there just before the cut off time of free entry and save yourself some cash, it maybe a while before the party gets going but you'll have more cash in your wallet to enjoy it when it does.

•Eat local, not western- western dishes can be double the price of local. Eat local and save a wedge. Why come to Thailand to eat burger and chips anyway?!

•Improvise- there are many gadgets on the market designed to make backpacking a little easier, but before you spend your hard earned, and saved, cash ask yourself if you actual need any of them. For example, why spend £5 on a 'peg less washing line' when a piece of string will do just as well? £5 may not seem allot when your at home, but once you are on the road, £5 is a couple of nights accommodation.

A thank you to my ex-boyfriend!

It's been one month since I left home, on a mission to get a new perspective and patch up my broken heart. I can honestly say that deciding to come on this trip was the best dession that I have ever made.   Within a week of arriving in Thailand I began to forget the shit things that happened in the months before, I began to think about him less and less, until I stopped thinking about him at all.  Now the only time I think about him is when I think about how lucky I am to be here, doing what I'm doing... Partying, meeting all these amazing crazy people, experiencing things I never would of had the chance had we not broken up.  In a way, I owe him nothing, but in another way, I owe him everything.  By turning out to be the selfish, hurtful prick that he did, he gave me a second chance to get out there and make the most of my life.  I was almost one of those 'settled down' people, the people who have found the person and place that they will spend the rest of their lives with.  I realise now that I'm way to young, curious and ambisous for that.  I need to go do, I need to go see! ...and now I have the chance, I'm doing it, I can do it, and I'm actually good at it!

Thank you ex-boyfriend, for been the biggest disappointment of my life. 

My 'non- travel' Bucket List

This trip, my Jam Plan, has made me realize that there is so much more to life than what I had seen before.. I has made me want to better myself, learn and experience new things and see as much of the world as possible.  Before this trip, I had become comfortable with who and where I was, now I feel that I would be wasting my life if I didn't do more..

I already added lots to my Travel Bucket List..So here is my bucket list of things not directly related travel......

Ride a push bike
I haven't ridden a bike since I was about 12 years old, I use my car to get me everywhere, even to the local shop.  When I get home I want to buy a bike so that I can use the car less... It will help me to get fit, save money, and the planet! 


Learn a language
I feel that its quite irritant to only speak one language.. especially English, as lots of nationalities learn English as their second language, just because i was born in England, and therefore speak English, why should i assume that that is enough to get by? ...Maybe I'll learn French?

learn to play guitar
Something Ive wanted to do for a long time, and have never gotten round to doing... Now is the time!

Couch Surf

Get a Degree

Learn to Snow Board

Why Thailand???

1) I have been before, if you have ever been to The Land of Smiles, you will under stand that it's not the kind of place that you can ever visit just once, it draws you in with it's beauty, it's culture and it's wonderful people, it takes a piece of your heart and holds it hostage so that you have no choice but to return to reclaim it.

2) I am running away, I recently broke up with my boyfriend, well, he broke up with me. It's been a hard time and I'm basically running away for the hurt and the memory's that surround my daily life at home.

3) I'm lost. I'm not sure where I'm going, or where I want to go. I'm hoping that getting some distance and a new perspective will help me decide what I want to do with my life.

4) I want to prove that I can do it. I want to prove, not just to others but to myself, that I can do this, that I can stand on my own two feet, that I can get myself from one side of the world to the other, and not just survive but have fun, live and learn along the way.

My Packing List!

''When packing, lay out all of the clothes, and all of the money that you think you'll need...take out half of the clothes, and add double the money''

This may look like quite a long list but I can easily fit all of this into a 35litre backpack, allot of these items are small and light weight.  There is no reason that you can't take everything you need, you just have to be sensible about things...don't take anything you wouldn't use at home.  You wont need as many items of clothing as you think...take things you can pair up with multiple other items, eg; a black vest top will go with anything.


Clothes

• Socks, 1 pair- easy to wash, 1 pair is plenty, you'll be in flip-flops most of the time anyway.
• Pants, 3 pairs- easy to wash and dry, no need to take more.
• Shirt, 1- to prevent sunburn, cover up when in religious areas and to stop your backpack rubbing your shoulders.
• Vest top, 2
• Shorts, 2 pairs
• leggings, 1 pair- for the planes and trains
• Hoody, 1- for the planes and trains
• Bikini, 2- also doubles up as underware!
• Hat, 1
• Sun glasses, 1 pair- Take a cheap pair, they'll probably get lost or broken and you can buy new ones for less than a quid.
• Flip-flops, 1 pair
• Trainers, 1 pair- for planes, trains and dirty places! 

Toiletries

• Shampoo & Conditioner- if you can fit them in, its cheaper to buy at home, shampoo doubles as shower gel
• Leave in conditioner- sun, humidity and salt water is a nightmare for your hair!
• Baby wipes- always handy
• Deodorant
• Tooth brush
• Tooth brush case- to keep it clean!
• Tooth paste
• Lip balm- get one with SPF
• Moisturizer- to use as after-sun
• Sun screen
• Hair brush

1st Aid Kit

• Spray on plaster
• Alcohol wipes
• Imodium
• Ibuprofen
• Antibacterial cream
• Tweezers
• Multivitamins
• Nail file
• Safety pins
• Plasters

Electrical

• Camera- try a shockproof/ waterproof one, which will take video and stills
• Memory cards- for your camera
• Cell phone- make sure its unlocked, buy a Thai sim at the airport in Bangkok
• Mp3 player/ Ipod- load it with some new tunes, stuff you don't usually listen to, try something new!
• Head phones- take a spare pair to
• Chargers for phone, ipod, netbook etc
• Plug adaptors
• Laptop/ Netbook- only if you keep a blog or want to upload pics often, otherwise leave it at home

 Other Stuff

• Backpack- Obviously! 
• Day pack- this can also be your hand luggage 
• Sleeping bag- for overnight trains, or grotty hostels!
• Money belt- to hide your passport and cash in
• Wallet- get one that you can clip onto your belt
• Bin bags- for wet/ dirty clothes
• Zip lock bags- for liquids, shampoo just loves to explode all over your bag at 30,000ft!
• Compression sack- for clothes, this will save lots of room
• Sewing kit
• Ball of string- you'll be surprised how handy this will be!
• Lighter- even if you don't smoke
• Washing line
• Note book and pen
• Paddocks
• Chain- for chaining up your bag if you need to leave it anywhere, say, while you go on a day trek
• Swiss army knife
• Whistle- for safety, and party's! 
• Spork- I can not recommend this enough! 
• Torch- get a wind up one
• Cable ties- to make your backpack hard for thieves to get into, remember to keep your knife handy to cut them off
• An alarmed door wedge- great for safety and piece of mind

Documents and practical stuff

• Passport, plus a couple of photocopies
• Visa
• Travel insurance documents
• Money cards
• Emergency phone numbers
• Guide book

Space saving tips

• Use compression sacks for clothes and sleeping bags
• Take things that can be used for more than one purpose, for example; use shampoo as shower gel, Bikini tops and bottoms can be worn as underwear, take a Swiss army knife that has a knife, nail file, tweezers and scissors instead of all these items separately.

My Travel Bucket List (Updated)

So here it is, My Travel Bucket List.  This is by no means a comprehensive list, no doubt I'll add to it many times in the future...

In no particular order...

Take a TELF Course
I think teaching English as a foreign language is a great way to travel and earn at the same time

Volunteer in Africa
Maybe with children, or aminals

Work in Oz, with racehorses
Some of the best racehorses in the world are bred down under, I'd jump at the chance to work on an Aussie Thoroughbred stud.

Angkor Wat at sunrise, March 2012

Visit the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia   DONE!
Historical, wondrous and enlightening...and where Tomb Raider was filmed!

Full Moon Party, Koh Phangan, Thailand   DONE! (March 2013)
I guess you can't really class yourself as a seasoned backpacker until you've seen at least one!

Get married in Vegas
Spontaneous, fun, no fuss..right up my street!

See the Northern Lights do their thing in Iceland
I'm a warm climates kinda girl, but I'd defiantly make an exception to see the Northern Lights, maybe take a dip in the Blue lagoon while I'm there!

Learn how to Surf 
Dream BIG!

Learn how to drive an Elephant in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Theres a three day course you can take, and apparently you even get a certificate to prove you can drive one and the end of the course, I think that's just about the coolest certificate anyone could ever hold, beats a PHD anyday, in my opinion!

Travel solo DONE! (THAILAND March- May 2013)
Just me, my backpack and my iPod...Challenging, scarey and liberating!
Climb a mountain
Maybe Kilimanjaro?

Party in Ibiza (BOOKED! JULY 2013)
It's a short 2 hour plane ride away, why wouldn't I?!

Volunteer to travel

A few days ago I had to resign myself to the fact that my Jam Plan was just to elaborate for a girl like me; I simply don't have the funds to quit life at home and travel the globe. That was until a very good friend of mine came up with a great idea...why not volunteer whilst traveling?

It was something I had looked into before, and I'll admit, forgotten all about. So when my friend Kim suggested it I new exactly where to look.. Google, Google knows all!

After a quick search I found many charities based in Thailand, from charities that teach disadvantaged children to speak English to charities that help animals...this was a no brainer for me, been an animal lover, working with animals since I left school, 11 years ago...this was something I could do...The Jam Plan was back on!

So after doing my research, sending many emails and making some phone calls. I knew which charity I wanted to work with; The Lanta Animal Welfare. LAW is a small charity based on The island of Koh Lanta, that provides care and help to the many stray dogs and cats that roam the island. For a small donation and 6 hours work per day, you get to live and work at the charity. I spoke to Maeve via email and read through their information pack, 'this is right up my street' I thought. I asked Maeve if I could come to work for LAW ASAP, within the next couple of weeks, she told me that they didn't have any volunteer places available until April...devastated!

What now? April was to late for me to be heading out, I have to be home by the middle of May for a family commitment. I want to be out there for at least 2 months, the dates just didn't add up. But after I got over my feelings of self pity and resigning myself to the fact that I was never going to get away, I came up with an idea, it was simple...head out there in March, travel for a month, and get to Koh Lanta to begin my placement by the beginning of April.

After a few more emails, I was sure this was right for me, I sent off my application form. A few hours later I had been offered a place at the charity!

I am very excited about my time at LAW, Koh Lanta is somewhere I did not get to visit on my last trip to the Land of Smiles, it looks beautiful and I am yet to read a bad review about the island. Working for a charity is also something I have never done before, I guess it's my time to 'give something back'. I do however, have a couple of selfish reasons for doing this,1) it will give me somewhere to stay for a month, making my trip cheaper and therefore possible and 2) I am hoping to start training as a vet nurse when I return for my travels, my placement at LAW will give me some experience in that area.

So the Jam Plan is beginning to take shape, this is no longer a case of me packing my bags and running away from my sad little life in England, it is now a way for me to start again, help others and also gain some experience that will hopefully help me string my life back together once I come back home.

What is a jam plan??!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT8VarrEg7A&feature=youtu.be

Podding along...

''You're happy in your life just Plodding along which is nice but I want more. X''

A text message sent to me from my ex boyfriend. It was his explanation, his reason for breaking up with me.

Until I got that text message I was in limbo, when things started to fall apart in our relationship I had told myself that if we broke up, which I knew we eventually would, that I would pack my bag and head to Thailand. I have been before and I fell in love with the country, the Thai people, the culture, everything. So that was my plan, my jam plan...my plan to get over my man!

But, as with many things in life, saying and doing are two very different things. So for the last couple if months I've been trying to decide what to do. Do I have the balls to pack my bag and head off to South East Asia, alone? Can I afford it? Will it make me feel better, or will I be just as miserable but 6000 miles away from my friends and family?

So until I got that message, I was in limbo...after I read it, I knew what my next move would be. How dare he tell me I am 'plodding along' as if my life is been wasted, as if I'll never do or make anything of myself! Sometimes we need a push, something to make us spring into action and fulfil our potential. For different people that 'push' will come in different ways. For me, it just happened to come in the form of a text message from my ex boyfriend.