"Let's just take a year off work and travel the world!"

It seemed such a simple concept initially. We both had a list a mile long of things we wanted to do and see at some point in our lives. Why not just drop everything and do it all at once? Our year of travel hasn't even started yet, but already I can vouch for the fact that it's nowhere near as simple as it may seem on the surface...

Where to start? Money makes the world go round, so why not there?

There's not a whole heap of people out there who have done what we're going to do in the way we want to do it, so it's really hard to get a fair gauge of the cost a trip like this might entail. Some friends swear they live off $50/day whilst travelling, where others tell me you can't do it for less than $300/day. That's a fair margin for error.

What it's come down to for us is the fact that we won't have to work (unless we want to), but how easy or difficult that may be will very much depend on the places we go and the relative expense of being there. Any goober could live off $50/day in southeast Asia, but I don't think destinations like Oslo or New York will be quite so budget-friendly. We have our money in the bank, thanks to a tight budget and about 18 months worth of saving.

What else needs doing before we board that first flight?

Well there's vaccinations. A surprisingly large expense; vaccines have become a regular part of our weekly doctor visits. My GP tells me I have the best immune system in Australia, but assures me it's not as good as his (he's Indian and therefore immune to everything bacterial or viral this world has to throw at him).

There's buying travel gear. I don't think we've gone overboard here, but we have a new tablet (Windows Surface 3 FYI), e-readers, medical kits and assorted clothing just to name a few items. And speaking of clothing!

Try picking a couple of items out of your wardrobe that will do you for a full year. Trust me, not easy! Consider warm climates, cold; wet and dry, jungles and ski slopes. Then throw in footwear. Some know-it-all's in the blogging sphere say two pairs of footwear max. I say stuff you. I exceeded that limit happily, and that's not even including my pluggers. I'm not going anywhere without my good pair of thongs.

For anyone who knows us well, you'll also know that we would've found it excruciating to limit the number of Oakleys we are taking away with us. I likened this to choosing a favourite child. It's not possible! I have two in mind; but no doubt a last minute meltdown will see me begging to take 6 or 7 pairs away with me.

The hardest thing by far has been saying farewells to family and friends. For me this was one thing I really didn't consider when that initial "Let's go away for a year!" conversation came up. Yes there's Skype and email and this blog to keep in touch with those special people back home. But that doesn't compare to carrying your nephews around the garden, showing them how the different leaves smell and feel different. It's not the same as sitting and chatting down the waterfront with family and friends as the sun goes down behind you. It can't replace the Sunday morning family chats on Mum and Dad's bed (probably sounds weird but it's just one of those things our family does).

With that being said, we do have a pretty amazing year ahead. The itinerary is bursting at the seams with what we think are going to be pretty special experiences! More on that later. We will be using this as our main method of contact whilst away. If you are wanting to keep up to date or live vicariously through us; then this is the place to do it. Please subscribe if you want automatic updates on what we're up to, or feel free to leave a message for us as we embark on the adventures of the Twenty Fifteen Plan!