Written 4th December 2011

Hello! (Bonjour)

So a month has past since I arrived home from my World Tour. I am currently sat on a train to London, Coach B, Seat 26. Next to me is Craig Mitchell, Coach B, Seat 25!

Since my last blog sat in Washington DC Hospital, where I stayed for 3 nights, I have arrived home and spent a month catching up with friends and family, working and graduating and getting ready for the next 5 months. This is what I've been up to.

I spent 3 nights in hospital in total as a result of my arm infection. The conclusion was that I had Cellulites which probably started after I decided to have a go at a little spot on my arm with a pen knife. Hospital wasn't to bad, in fact it was pretty good and Toby and Dave were fantastic as they visited me morning and night. I was finally discharged at 2pm on Sunday 30th October and left hospital with Dave to visit the Newseum, that morning Toby had continued on his travels to New York. We ran round the Newseum, where filmed our own news report, before I jumped in a taxi to Dulles Airport. I checked in and flew home to England to complete my tour with my arm bandaged up. Total Cost, $11.943!!!! What an end to a great week in Washington DC and my tour!

So this is the part where I talk about myself, my tour, what I have learnt about myself and other stuff like that….. It's got to be done!

Egypt - This was a fantastic start to my tour. Visiting the Pyramids was something I just wanted to do and I did it! Egypt however had so many hidden surprises. Other than the Pyramids and Nile I didn't know much about the place. I had a great time in the White Desert with Mario and the girls and had a fab time exploring the rest of Egypt! The country was on a high after the revolution and it set me in good stead for the rest of my tour!

Kenya - This was a real experience where I was able to try my hand at new things, help in ways I never thought, meet fantastic people and enjoy the delights of Africa all in one! Working on the toilet on other projects was real hard work. I loved the building work and teaching in the school was a natural highlight! The group was perfect, we had a really good laugh together and all wanted to work hard and play hard! Meeting children, singing with children, helping the community and having cold showers for a month is definitely something I fully recommend!

India - Well I like to describe India as a tough but worthwhile experience. When I chose India I did so as I wanted to learn about Indian culture, take myself out my comfort zone and see the Taj Ma Hal. The group I was with was very mixed and we had some great and some trying times. Some of the places we visited were beautiful and some were awful… This is what I wanted and this is what I got. Coupled with a mouth infection and other stuff lets just say that after 20 days I was ready to move on to Hong Kong and civilisation after a "tough but worthwhile experience"!

Hong Kong - I cannot put into words how much I enjoyed Hong Kong! A combination of being in Africa and India for 2 months prior to arriving, and the shear impact of being in an amazing city led to a great few days! Hong Kong was the first time since leaving I had been on my own. This was fantastic… although tours and groups were great I was ready to explore by myself and go where I wanted to when I wanted to do it. The hostel I found months before was great, I was really lucky that I met some fantastic people, including a guy in a pub who bought my drinks and my Disney cast friends, but more than anything I was on a high, loving life and loving travelling!

Australia - Back to normality is the phrase that springs to mind! When I arrived I was freezing for about a week as it was winter down under. Australia for me was really about visiting friends and family while taking in Sydney and a few other places on the way. I could have done a lot more in Australia if I had wanted but doing what I did was enough in the time I had. I enjoyed great times in the cities with people I met in the hostels and also enjoyed time alone in smaller places on route. Meeting and visiting friends and family was a real highlight and was just what I needed as I approached the 3 month away mark!

New Zealand - Well I loved it! This is by far, maybe I exaggerated a bit, the best place I went on my tour. I wouldn't change anything about my time in NZ if I was to go there again tomorrow. 3 weeks was just the right amount of time and joining Magic Bus was a fantastic way to explore. I met some great friends on both North and South Island and again met family in the middle. I had some awesome trills by doing all of the adrenaline activities on offer and also enjoyed the natural beauty of the country. It is an amazing place and somewhere I definitely want to return to!

Canada - In Canada I was reunited with Mum and Dad for a week, which was fantastic! After a monster 29 hours travelling, that part that got me around the world, I landed to a popped balloon and my face on a t-shirt! Niagara Falls was incredible! The Maid of the Mist into the falls was one of the best things I did on my tour and sharing the experience with Mum and Dad made it one to remember! The thing I enjoyed most about this week was not walking past all the coffee shops and posh restaurants, I was finally able to dine out, enjoy a mid morning coffee and sleep in bed, not bunk bed!

USA - So Washington DC ended up being very eventful in the end but putting that aside for once I had a great time! It was fantastic of the boys to come out to meet me and it meant I had a really good ending to my tour. Washington is home to some very famous monuments and memorials which all make it a very unique place. We had a great few days exploring the city and with Toby I go to know all the history and facts and with Dave it was always going to be hilarious! Then it all went wrong and I had my stay in hospital. It was unfortunate but I still had a good laugh, I saw everything I wanted and enjoyed a good rest!

Throughout my whole tour I enjoyed exploring and meeting new people! I saw some great sights, some touching sights, some famous sights and some hidden beauties. Although I'm no taller and still don't have a facial hair I definitely feel like I have grown up. The experiences I have had taught me a great deal and will stay with me forever! I will never forget the people I have met along the way and feel that this is one of the best things about travelling. I couldn't have done it though without the support of friends, family, Mum and especially Dad! I loved writing my blog for people at home to read and when I got the occasional message from home it was brilliant! Although I was on my own I loved sharing the experience on Facebook and my blog but this also meant people didn't have to sit though a million stories and pictures on my return! Being away made me realise that I have amazing friends at home and how much I enjoy spend time with people and having a laugh. However, I also love my own company and enjoy exploring on my own from time to time.

Dad was by default my personal accountant, emergency accountant, chief skyper and right hand man throughout my trip! Thanks Dad!

Anyway… Enough of the cheesy stuff and back to what I have been doing for the last month!

When I landed in Manchester I was met by Dad, Lucy, Craig, Grandma and Grandad! It was great to see everyone and as Number 1 Grandson arrived home, Grandma cried! Grandma, along with Grandad, is one of the people I missed the most and is probably one of the main reasons I managed to keep writing this blog on my trip! How many other Grandma's can follow their grandson on Facebook and their Blog while ringing them occasionally on Skype!

My first weekend at home was spent enjoying a 5-0 Bolton victory at home to Stoke! Within that week I had a surprise visit from Rachel Hussey who turned up on my doorstep, and visited other friends and family including Grandma and Grandpa who both thought I was mad to jump out of a plane!

The next week I started working at Eagley School House Nursery again which was a really good laugh! Catching up with old work mates was great and meeting new ones, especially Katie, has been really good ;-) Week 2 at home was also the week I made my debut for SMPU FC. Our weekly 6 a-side team has taken England by storm has been a great laugh. We have also enjoyed a weekly Monday night social consisting of a meal and pub quiz!

My second weekend at home I went on a little road trip. First I visited Lucy Spivey and family for a night, next I crashed at Mr Foster's household, and then finally had a catch up with Family Roper! It was brilliant to meet up with some of my best friends again and get all the gossip, and tell of my gossip about while I've been away.

The next week I worked again before travelling back down to York for my Graduation on the 18th November. What a brilliant day! I was up at the crack of dawn to get my cap and gown and then loved walking around all day wearing it! It got to meet up with all my fellow teacher friends and enjoy our special day in York Minster with friends and family. My little fan club was there and cheered loudly as I collected my degree! I proceeded to give a little salute to the audience! We then enjoyed a lovely meal in Ask Italian before I got changed and hit York for the final time with all my Uni friends! It was a brilliant night out and a great end to 3 years of hard work at York St John University.

Week 3 at home I was again working hard at the nursery while enjoying being at home, playing football and singing in choir. I met up with Rachel W, Jamie, Joe and Rosie, all friends from school and college for a meal and drinks one night which was another great evening. Then it was back up to York at the weekend for the launch of Montego Bay's new album. It was a good night and I got to stay at John and Jane's new house!

Week 4, my last at home, has been spent working, packing, visiting family and getting ready for the next few months! I've spent a lot of time with Katie and have had some really good times with her while I've been at home J Friday night was Hampson and Mitchell's last night out in England for Mitchell and Moss's birthdays. The SMPU boys hit Manchester in suits to enjoy a cocktail bar before enjoying a Private VIP booth at The Hilton Hotel! Posing as Preston North End players we had to keep the public and press off us and had a great night. That last sentence was total rubbish but it was what we did and it was funny! Friends from work were also out in Manchester so we enjoyed a few drinks with them as well J

So as we slow down on the way to London and pass though Kings Langley it time to end my blog. This morning we were up at 6.30am to catch our 8.20am train from Manchester Piccadilly. We are then catching a tube across London and a train to Ashford. There Julian and Tina will meet us and we will drive to Chalet Ralley, Ski Massif, Samoens, France! Myself and Craig are working as Chalet Hosts until Easter and will enjoy living in a beautiful ski village for 5 months!

The next chapter of my gap year is starting but for my blog and World Tour this is the final chapter. As I write my last sentences I cannot wait to start my Ski Season! My World Tour was a fantastic experience that I will never forget! I still love saying that I have been around the world and look forward to reading my blog start to finish!

Thank you for reading if you have done so throughout my tour, thank you to my blog itself for being my best friend at times, and bye for now.

"It's been AWESOME!"

Tom xxx

Blog finished - 10:45am Sunday 4th December 2011

Total Word Count - 51,487