The Travelling Fund; £10,000 in 10 months!!!

NinjaSavingKat

So the money for my British passport renewal has been taken from my CC. But I wanted to pay for the Jumbo 48 page on at £85.50 - they have only taken £72.50. Considering the amount of visa's I might have to get before I even leave the country I don't want to have to have is replaced too soon so those extra few pages (16 in total) might come in handy. I have contacted them and am awaiting a call back.

I am getting a application form for my Australian passport sent through within the next 48 hours as well so as soon as my Certificate of Citizenship arrives I can be on it straight away. That will be a further £137 although I assumed it was to be £155 so thats a little saving already.

Considering the passports, visas, inoculations, and such like I am starting to get a little anxious about the lack of confirmed overtime. I NEED to find a further £3500 minimum from somewhere and this is my only hope of having a slight more comfortable start to this odyssey.

I feel more and more that the overland travel to SEA might be more of a journey enjoyed at leasure. I don't want to transit through Iran and not really experiance their culture, and I want to enjoy it. I don't want to flash through Kazakstan as it has 22 national parks and these little weirdos I want to look out for...:):):) So I amleaning more and more to heading straight into Bangkok by plane - is this cheating?..

If I did the train travel it would mean rushing to find somewhere to feel comfortable over the first Christmas away from home - I have only missed one Christmas at home in all my 30 years - and that will be weird at first. But once again I need to really sit and think this all through.

My church has so many people around the world I will find it easy to locate a church and hospitality but it's not the same... I do however want to book something soon but don't want to get too excited. So passports first, then visa's, then transport...... Gotta be sensible...

LoveaDove

Clippy - Your backpack sounds like mine!

I think it is the Jalan 60 + 10I. The extra backpack on the back does off balance you if attached to the back whilst carrying. I ended up wearing a normal backpack on my front to balance myself, and used that as my flight bag once on the plane. (I also had my ukulele attached by string to my big backpack and a painting that was tightly rolled and in a plastic bag, attached to the other side towards the end of my travels). *Nostalgia*

The extra 10L backpack wasn't very spacious and especially when attached to the main backpack was difficult to put things in. I also found that as a day bag it was a little too small. I think my little 10L backpack ended up just being a toiletry bag in the end and also was what I stitched my badges too for each country I visited- so it ended up rather colourful.

I had chosen the Jalan all those years back (5 years ago- gulp) as it was one of a few that didn't open from the top, you could zip the straps away when not using them, and it was meant to be specially designed for the female figure and had extra support around the necessary areas- I think that is what the extra weight is due to.

I spent most of my time either living in hostels, on a farm and for 4 months rented a house, but do be aware that some places (e.g. hotels) can get a bit funny if you arrive with a backpack and not a suitcase. Not sure if you've ever come across this before?

A girl I met on my travels had the next size up in backpack to mine, but it also had a pull out suitcase handle in-case she ever 1) couldn't lift her bag onto her back and 2) was concerned about staying in a hotel.

I'm fairly certain the array of backpacks that are out now are likely to be better designed than my old beast- I still take her to festivals with me, but wouldn't do any more long haul travelling with her. (Wow, have I really just given my backpack a gender?)



Kat, Hope they do sort out your mammoth passport! All very exciting!!!! I wish I could have an Aussie passport *sniffle* Ooooo and you definitely have to make sure you get to see those lil weirdos! What is going on with their crazy noses?!

GreenSaints

Hi again

I'm a lot happier visiting your diary as I've made a HUGE payment towards my debts (using savings) meaning I can seriously start planning a massive cycle tour for my 30th without feeling guilty!

So what's happened since I last stopped by?

NinjaSavingKat

GreenSaints wrote: »

Hi again

I'm a lot happier visiting your diary as I've made a HUGE payment towards my debts (using savings) meaning I can seriously start planning a massive cycle tour for my 30th without feeling guilty!

So what's happened since I last stopped by?

Ooooh this is SO exciting!! How much was paid off?? AND more importantly how much to go? How long would you go for?? So EXCITING! :T:T:T

NinjaSavingKat

LoveaDove wrote: »

Kat, Hope they do sort out your mammoth passport! All very exciting!!!! I wish I could have an Aussie passport *sniffle* Ooooo and you definitely have to make sure you get to see those lil weirdos! What is going on with their crazy noses?!

I KNOW! Aren't they cute! Apparently they are illegally hunted in and around Central Asia so they are on the WWF critically endangered list!...:(:(:(...I want to go out and hug a baby saiga.... just incase people don't know what I am talking about look at this little cutie...



Passport office called me. The passport has already gone for printing in Belfast and they said if I personally made an error on the form ( as in not "ticked the box" for the jumbo passport ) I would have to pay the full fee AGAIN. She was willing to check for me as they would not charge me if it was there error but I personally don't remember ticking anything besides putting down how much I was willing to pay. Due to easy human error putting "£85.50" in a little box indicating how much I was allowing to come off my CC is not enough for them to risk charging me that amount if I had not ticked the correct box... so I have a 32 page one on route to me with the assurances that I can easily get it renewed if I do run out through any embassey if it's an emergency so have it sent back to Britain and done here... with another fee attached...

The only thing I am concerned about it that each visa I need takes up one page so that means if they use both sides I can only visit 64 countries that need a visa...:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

LoveaDove

*Squeeeeeeee* I wonder what sound they make?

Grrrrrr, How very 'by the book' these Passport Masters are! Still, filling up 64 sides in 5 years is something to aim for!

GreenSaints

NinjaSavingKat wrote: »

Ooooh this is SO exciting!! How much was paid off?? AND more importantly how much to go? How long would you go for?? So EXCITING! :T:T:T

Just a little over £5k

I think having spoken to my boyfriend, we are going to try and do two trips of about 2 weeks each.

I wish I could quit my awful job and go for longer!

clippy_girl

LoveaDove wrote: »

*Squeeeeeeee* I wonder what sound they make?

awww they sound like little drunk men in the pub :rotfl: http://www.arkive.org/saiga-antelope/saiga-tatarica/video-mo09b.html

yes i think mine is a 60 + 10 jalen (but would need to double check). i have found it very comfortable and the large bag does have little hidey pockets for stuff and a built in raincover which is pretty handy can fit a lot in it and if you only want a smallish amount you can do the straps up tight. i do really like the big backpack and take it on all hols now will prob buy a new day pack and just leave the other one at home.

only 2 pairs of shoes?! :eek: i normally take smart flip flops, havianas, walking boots and pumps. and wear walking boots for travelling.

would you fly to bangkok staight away kat and then go back and do train journey at leisure? those little critters are so cute

remember you have all your ozzy pages to fill with visas as well i also challenge you to fill every page! maybe we should tell the border agency not to let you back in the uk unless you have a filled passport :rotfl:

very exciting for you a well green saints :j

NinjaSavingKat

Clippy I can't believe you found a video of them! I can't watch it at work so I am looking forward to getting home today! :rotfl:Maybe I could fit a baby one in my day pack..??

Yes two pairs of shoes - one nice approach shoe that I can use for running as well should I need to exercise or escape, and one pair of sandals that stretch between comfort and dressy and might pick up some flip flops over there . There are a nice pair of folding ballet pumps I found but they are £300+ due to how well they are built for walking in but I can't justify that... ....yet...so I "might" search for a similar pair as I love a pair of ballet pumps and could live in them...

Yes I have the Aussie passport and will find out more about what I can and can't do with it when I have my interview with them - guess that's another70 visas as it's got 35 pages..:T

would you fly to bangkok staight away kat and then go back and do train journey at leisure? those little critters are so cute

DO you know something this question has stumped me. I fall foul of the belief that flying into a country is "cheating" and that the true travelling experiance is formed through the people you meet on the way and the countries traversed through - hence I went to Moscow by train instead of plane to catch the Tran-Siberian...

So if I don't do this journey to kick off my travelling experiance - which of these countries really appeal to me to make a point of visiting? Iran and the Stans namely. Turkey and Europe can wait to be honest - there is no real appeal just yet in the places easily reached with Easyjet over the weekend (although I have been to Munich, Paris, Zurich, Berne, Prague, Venice, Verona, Pula, and Greece I know I have yet to properly explore them but they don't appeal right now)....

So perhaps I would look to stay longer in some of these places with particular projects through church or otherwise but the journey through Europe by Train would be to get me home and spent at a leisurely pace - so maybe in a few years....she says....

NinjaSavingKat

GreenSaints wrote: »

I wish I could quit my awful job and go for longer!

What is stopping you - mortgage? So glad you only have £5k left. i am sure you can get rid of that soon - do you have a game plan?

I just bought a book (kindle for a few pennies called Free Country: A Penniless Adventure the Length of Britain) about two boys who want to walk/cycle the lengh of Britian and start off in pants relying the kindness and generosity of the inhabitants of our fair land to acquire everything else they need..

Where theres a will theres a way is what I am trying to say! :T