People ask me why not Australia, or why don't you go back to Europe. The only response I have for them is "Because Australia is where everyone is going and it has become way too commercialized. And Europe is something I would love to experience again, but not alone, maybe when I'm married. Share that experience again with someone I care about/hopefully love. ALSO Lord of the F*ing Rings was filmed in New Zealand (Which I am a HUGE fan of, and Tolkien's other works...and as a side note, I am going to try to title every blog entry as a quote from the LOTR movies). And secondly while I'm down there Peter Jackson will be filming The Hobbit, so why NOT New Zealand. All-in-all I will experience life in the Southern Hemisphere and be on one of the first countries to see the sunrise (Beauty).
Over the past year I have been planning a venture to "The Land of The Long White Cloud", working part time, and finishing my undergraduate degree. For any young and independent traveller it is a challenge to decide what type of trip you want to take next. Sometimes a relaxing trip somewhere exclusive is nice. Or maybe you're an adventurer who wants to go somewhere on a whim to experience a new culture, climb mountains, and explore unhindered terrain. There are also the adrenaline junkies who travel the world to get their blood pumping and heart rate racing. They will try anything and everything that involves some sort of rush. Whichever one you are, travelling is a great experience for everyone young and old.
This is my first trip alone and I plan on getting the true Kiwi experience. In the past year I have imagined this trip happening in several different ways. 1. Backpacking around alone 2. Backpacking around with friends 3. Going on a pre-made 1 month tour with a group 4. Getting my working visa and heading down to work 5. ...Well anyone knows you can think of hundreds of ways to plan a trip.
After trying to plan with friends and looking at the costs of backpacking alone, I realized the most realistic thing to do was to apply for a Working-Holiday Visa and work while I travel (simple enough, I'm combining the best of two worlds). My intention was to leave in November 2011 but complications arose and my new set time to depart is February 2012.
Since I have started planning my trip I have tried planning optimal routes to travel around the islands with, and every time something crazy arises. Other travellers I meet say, "I was in New Zealand not too long ago. You must... no matter what... go to ...". After meeting lots of people like this I have had to add and scratch plenty of things from my itinerary (image of one map I planned a route on).
Talking to all these New Zealand travellers frustrated me because I started wanting to do all these great and wonderful things in short period of time. So I said "fuck this" and started fresh. I talked to backpackers who hadn't been to New Zealand, and got to know more about a general backpacking experience, what to expect, and what mind frame to set-off with.
The greatest piece of travel advice I have been given in the past year is "As a backpacker all you need to do is a little research of where you're going, choose 3-5 things you must do before coming home. Book a time to leave, having nothing waiting for you back at home. Go with no itinerary because nothing ever works out as planned (already happened once). And remember that you only live once so do it for yourself - Roger M.
Let's see how this goes.
