Destination 2: India! Amy 06:50

Over the past few months, I’ve been busy saying my goodbyes to the city I called home and packing up my life in Düsseldorf ready for the next chapter of my life in Asia. I’ve been so busy that despite a huge amount of prospective material, I’ve done absolutely no writing whatsoever and nowhere near as much planning for my trip as I’d have liked, especially when it comes to the colossus that is India! In contrast to how meticulously I went about planning Sri Lanka - having almost every day planned out - India will be much less planned and much more flexible: so far I’ve only booked a week in a beach hut in Palolem and five days in a hostel in Varanasi over Diwali, the festival of lights which I cannot wait for! Other than that I know roughly where I want to go and what I want to see, but I’m hoping to find my inner hippy spirit and just meet people along the way and see where I land!
I also took the plunge and bought my first ever DSLR! I am by no means a photographer, but am starting to get to grips with it and can't wait to get to use it properly on my travels.. if anyone has tips for an absolutely useless photographer, pleeease help me!

My current route for India (ish) is:

Kochi – Mysore – Hampi – Goa – Mumbai – Udaipur – Jodphur – Jaisalmer – Jaipur – Agra – Varanasi – Delhi

It seems weird to go back on myself to Delhi but that’s where I’ll catch my flight to my next stop which will be...the golden land of temples Myanmar!

Does anyone have any great experiences of India or trips for a first timer like me?! Feel free to comment below! 

T - 6 Months Amy 12:51

A few weeks ago what was supposed to be a normal day in the office threw my entire plan off course and left me -for the first time in a long time- considering my options and completely uncertain of my next move.

I graduated university in June 2012 and moved to Germany and straight into a graduate job in an international retail company. I worked my way up over two and half years, and was excited about what my future in the company looked like. Nevertheless, as nothing in life is certain, and I was obviously becoming too comfortable with planning my future, a spanner was thrown into the works in the form of redundancy. The office was relocating to the UK, which although is my home country, was somewhere I didn’t want to return to until my desire to be elsewhere had been satiated.

   After many tears, a trip to my parents, copious amounts of alcohol, comfort food and comfort shopping, I decided for the first time in years to simply follow my heart. I turned down a job offer and will use my redundancy pay and savings to do something that I’ve longed to do for years: travel.

   I know it’s nothing new to a lot of people, and although I moved to Germany alone (twice), there is something about the vast expanse of world yet to explore which fills me with nervous excitement and utter terror at the same time. Even writing this now, knowing I have a 6 month wait, the butterflies are stirring in my stomach and my heart rate is beginning to accelerate from the rush of 100 different emotions as I contemplate what I’m about to embark upon and the idea of how my life is going to change and who I am going to become.

   The reason for blogging about it is quite simple: I love to write. I have a Thought Catalog account and spend many hours scribbling away, and surely if there’s one great muse everyone can draw inspiration from, it’s new experiences. Secondly, the internet is so full of experience and what better way to connect with people also embarking on similar journeys, with similar experiences or who simply want to live vicariously through others... I am welcoming comments, tips, tricks, travel buddies – the world is our oyster.

So now I guess by putting this out there onto the World Wide Web, it makes it official. In August this year, I will leave my comfort zone of a 50sqm flat, a steady income and nearby friends and set out on my own on a journey to see the beautiful sights I’ve been admiring on Instagram for months and simply enjoy the wonders of the world.

An Introduction Amy 14:24

I've heard all good things begin with a good introduction, so here goes!

My name is Amy, I'm 24 years old and originally from England.
I graduated from Warwick University with a degree in English Literature and German in 2012 and I've been living and working in Germany ever since.

Although I've visited places, I've never been truly 'travelling'. The most time I've spent with a backpack is 5 days at Glastonbury, after which I relished my own bed, hot shower and a cup of Yorkshire Tea.
I am accustomed to material possessions and am a creature of comfort - warm clothes, double duvets and endless cups of tea.

As of August this year, I am upping sticks and fulfilling a lifelong ambition to see the world. At the moment, I'm in the initial stages of planning and figuring out the wheres, whens and hows of my journey, but all that I know is that my life is about to change in a big way and I hope to be able to document it here, whilst gaining tips, encouragement and maybe even a travel buddy or two.

Over the next few months, posts won't be as often, but as my plan comes more and more together, the more frequently I'll be writing.

I hope you are able somehow to follow my journey, smile at my highs and (probably) laugh at my lows, knowing that I'll come out of the other side stronger.

Feel free to follow, comment and get in touch!

Amy x