Tick tock, tick tock...

Right, last 2 things on our checklist (packing and itinerary) have been dealt with. Included in our trip we will have a visit to Gordon's Bay, Manly Beach & a ferry trip to allow us the view of the Harbour Bridge / Sydney Opera House and Sydney itself from the outside looking in. Other than that, we will be meeting up with friends one day and then seeing what's around to do after that - see where the wind takes us. Hoping the weather holds out for us another couple of weeks ;-) Its been nice and sunny here in the UK so that has prepared us weather-wise for things to come... Not long now - the clock is ticking...


.

Check list

• Foreign currency - Tick
• Travel documents all in place - Tick
• Itinerary - To do
• Packing - To do
• Excitement - Tick :-)

oooh, can't wait!

.

One step closer :-)

We have ordered our AU$ so we are now one step closer to our hols :-) Emirates have given us some lovely posh Skywards luggage tags with leather straps so those are sitting waiting next to our inflatable travel pillows. I just have to order off eBay a world travel adapter and then we are ready to start packing on the weekend. Oooh, so excited...

18 days to go

OK, I’m officially getting excited now! Less than three weeks to go and its all becoming very real…

Wow, I can’t believe we’re actually going to Australia for our hols! If you’d have told me a year ago that we would be doing this, I wouldn’t have believed it. It is very out of character for us to spend such a lot of money on a holiday but needs must and desperate times call for desperate measures… We all deserve a lovely holiday for a start.

However, this could either be a life changing trip or just a very nice holiday. If we love it and we like what we see property-wise and work-wise, we may consider making a one year trial move. If we like it but decide it should simply remain a lovely holiday and nothing more, that will then have to prompt other changes to our life in the UK.

We need to perfect our work / life balance and make the most of the “life” portion of that. Moving to Oz could be the answer but if not, a move in the UK to a better setting and a career re-assessment on my part may be the alternative. Time will tell but a lot hinges on this holiday. I really want us all to love Sydney as the better climate and more laid back lifestyle would really suit us all but at the same time, I wonder what the repercussions of that will be for my wife and her family…

Whilst we are in Sydney, we have arranged to meet with one of my wife’s friends on our second day and the next day she will be visiting a school for an hour or so in the morning to see what schools in Sydney are like (both for her work and for our girls). That will give her the opportunity to ask questions about teaching in Oz and also to get a feel for the environment. The rest of the holiday is still not organised as we have not got round to putting together an itinerary. We must get round to that… We know we want to pop into a couple of estate agents to look at properties for sale (see what the good old Australian Dollar buys you these days) and I want to pop in to an employment agency for a quick chat about work but other than that, it will be all about sightseeing and if the weather permits, strolls on the beach :-) We just have to organise the whole sightseeing and beach bit… This weekend – I promise!

Any Ideas?

Only 31 days to go before we descend upon Oz!

My mind now turns to itineraries… What to do, where to visit, etc. I want us to make the most of our time in Sydney as the 12 days will fly by. We want to make this trip a fact finding trip as well as a holiday so we need to be careful to mix it all up so that there’s enough variety in the trip whilst making sure we go to all the must see places.

So, obviously, we will have to go to the Sydney Opera House. But unfortunately for me, that’s as far as my knowledge of Sydney goes. We are interested in seeing some nice sites, beaches and parks. We will of course be looking on the internet for any inspiration but any suggestions or ideas will be gratefully received.

We will be popping to a couple of estate agents whilst we are there to get a better feel for the property market and may even try to go and have a look at a property or two to see what the Australian Dollar can buy in today’s market. I also want to pop in to an employment agency and have a chat with a consultant to get an idea of what sort of jobs I could get if we were to make the move. I am even hoping that we can investigate the possibility of my better half popping in to a primary school in Sydney for a chat and to see what schools are like down under in comparison to where she is teaching in the UK… Phew, as you can see, there is about 2 or 3 days’ worth of our break gone just doing our research so we will have to fit in there seeing a couple of friends who live in Sydney and having some family fun in between :-)