The day of departure is seldom straightforward for a journey, and so it proved on this occasion. Having spent the night at my brother's flat to ease the trip to Heathrow imagine my suprise the next morning when i found the front door bolted. The same was said of the sash window in the lounge. Cue panic. After a desperate twenty minutes attempting to unscrew the bolts with a useless RAC multitool to no avail. It was out into the garden to the fences. Residen...

Itchy feet has well and truly set in. The majority of kit has been sourced, plans meticulously constructed (sort of) and caution thrown to the wind (not really) as we head across the globe. The 2nd June cannot come soon enough. My travelling 'colleague' (the terms buddy/chum/friend are inapplicable) is a fellow Newcastle graduate, Danny O'Brien - a man whose temperament and competitiveness on and off the sports field makes Mario Balotelli look as well behaved ...