November 30th 2012 I set out upon a journey of self growth. I boarded a plane bound for Canada. I was alone, and felt both excited and nervously anxious. I knew that the moment I got off the plane, I would have to fend for myself. I was nervous about the prospect of making new friends, but soon found out that travellers are AWESOME, and they are hands down the happiest people on earth.
But before I begin to tell stories about my 9.5 months abroad, I will explain how this trip came to fruition, and how my dad helped me make a decision that would forever change my life for the better.
It was mid april 2012, and I was continuously procrastinating from doing my university assignments by brousing the internet for potenatial travel ideas. I stumbled across the student flights website, and saw that I could sign up for a program that would enable me to get a job, lift pass and accommodation in Canada for one upfront fee of $1000. This blew my mind, as I knew that a lift pass alone is worth more then $1500. I spent weeks upon weeks talking to my parents about how good it would be to go and have such an experience. But, I knew that it was not realistic, as I could not afford the flight over and I still had to pay off approx $7000 of a car loan.
My dad suggested that we go and check out the Sydney Travel Expo, at Sydney Exhibition centre. Obviously, I agreed to go and have a look. Little did I know that dad had planned to book a return to flight to Canada for me as a 21st present. That day we walked into the Expo and had a look at flights and discussed the how good an experience going overseas would be. Within an hour of being at the Expo, a flight was booked, and we had purchased a package from The Working Holiday Club that confirmed me of a job in Canada when I arrived. As we walked out of the Expo my dad turned around to me and said 'well you better start saving some money, you're going to canada in a few months'. He informed me that he wished he had done an overseas trip on his own when he was younger, and he knew that without a helping hand and a push from him I would never book it.
I put that day down as a life changing moment in my life. He single handily opened my eyes to the world of travel and allowed me to experience the world. I will always be thankful for the decisions my father made on that day!
I spent the next 7 months paying off my car loan, and saving. 14 weeks to the day before my flight was scheduled to leave for Canada, I had $0 exactly in my bank account. Through ridiculous hours at multiple jobs, I somehow managed to save up $5000, and finish my final semester at uni (not knowing if I had passed or not)!!
It was on November 30th, 2013, where my travels began!
