Preparing

After living and working in Christchurch since 2001, I've decided that I need a bit of adventure in my life. So after much consideration I have taken unpaid leave from work and will travel, with the goal of getting across to the other side of the world but without flying.

I set off on February 12, getting on a cargo ship in Lyttelton bound for Brisbane. I've been packing up my belongings from my rented house and putting them into storage, trying to fit what I need to take with me into two bags. I've also taken out ten months of travel insurance and looked into visas - it seems that China and Russia are the only places I'm intending on going to that require one to have visas in advance (though not necessarily from my home country). For the rest, one can simply turn up at the country and get a tourist visa.