Our incredible adventure - the movie

A few weeks after we arrived home, I had a bit of spare time as I was waiting to get a new job, so I made this video to share our experiences we went through to all who are interested.

During our travels, as well as plenty of photo's I also took plenty of vidoes; all so I could make this film.

I've been meaning to upload this for a long time - but it's been kinda crazy since I got back home (new blog soon will explain why), but here it finally is, enjoy!

Becoming 'mobilised'

Yesterday we moved out of our flat and into my mother in law's, where we will be storing our few remaining possessions and residing for the next few days before we fly out on March 5th. Moving out of our flat was taking the last step we needed to make ourselves fully 'mobile' - by which I mean living out of our backpacks.

This involved ridding ourselves of the possessions we've spent the last 6 years gathering together, selling anything we weren't going to keep that would be worth a few quid and chucking anything that wouldn't. It makes you wonder why we bother getting all of this in the first place?

It's an amazing feeling being mobile, knowing that home now is simply wherever we sleep at night and we have nothing to tie us down so we can go wherever we want, whenever we want. In fact, I can hear the Bohemian lifestyle calling and I have no problem answering and giving it a try...

So what did it take to 'mobilise' ourselves? Well it took a hell of a lot of hard work and stress and most of all: planning. It took about a year of clearing debt so we can leave the country owing to no one but our student loans (which I don't care about), it meant focusing ourselves to decide upon a plan of action and a line of work which will enable us. It means being free of furniture, free of a car, free of insurance, of phone contracts, of gym membership, of a rented apartment, of responsibility, of ANYTHING that can tie you down.

It's not until you decide to do something like leave the country that you actually look at those things that do actually tie you down and would need sorting if you were to follow through. And It's not until then that you realise how many shackles you accrue over time, without meaning to but that western civilisation compels you to accumulate, so ridding myself of them is a really liberating feeling. As a result I don't want to ever tie myself down in so many ways ever again!

This is me for the foreseeable future!

For a full list of all the things we needed to do to leave the country and start our travels, check out this post on my wife's blog.

'Del Boy' mode

As the calendar flipped over to February this week, Claire and I have been in a whirlwind of organisation, sorting some of the last bits before our departure. This has involved changing our addresses, cancelling accounts and most stressful of all, selling our possessions.

We're moving to Claire's mums for 10 days before we fly out and the only things we are keeping whilst we are away are the essentials, which will be stored in the loft (thanks Mandy by the way!). All of this means that everything else we own has been up for sale, which has pushed me fully into 'Del Boy' mode.

I can't bear to throw out something I could potentially make some money back on, so we've both been constantly advertising our possessions on Gumtree and Facebook on a first come first served basis. Dealing with responses has become almost a second full time job whilst working my normal 9-5, especially with my well practiced skills in haggling (I'm the expert, so if Claire is selling something she checks if I'm happy with the price first before going ahead).

All of our furniture will soon be gone and I've even managed to flog my mattress and pillows to a guy I know from work. I never thought someone would pay for a used mattress and pillows! Del WOULD be proud.

All of this is actually good practice though as haggling will certainly be a valuable skill on our travels - one I've honed selling insurance in the past as well as further "crash courses" during trips to Turkey and Egypt.

This has kept me so busy I've barely had time recently to think about the life changes that lie ahead - but the quicker I sell all our stuff, the quicker I can get back to focusing on Vietnam, sunshine and noodles.

So, anyone want to buy a Peugeot 206? 60k miles on the clock and in great nick, I'll sort you out a good price once Rodders has cleaned the blimmin' thing. Cushdy.

TV stand? Peugeot 206? Used mattress? I got em all in stock...