A little while ago Danelle and I decided we would make 2009 a year when we take an extended break from the things we have been involved with over the last 6 or 7 years to rest, refresh and come back recharged.

I will be taking a year’s leave without pay from directing Forge WA, we will leave Upstream for the year and obviously as we travel my reticulation business will go into recess. The only ‘hat’ I will continue to wear is that Forge National Director. I get the impression that I shouldn’t let that one roll even while we take a break and because of the nature of our trip it will actually be well served to keep in the role.

The plans have shifted somewhat as we have schemed and dreamed. We began with the idea of a round the world trip starting in the US, heading to UK and then Spain, maybe the Philippines… Afghanistan… it got a tad hazy at the end.

The latest configuration is looking like doing the around Oz trip with camper-trailer, as well as hitting the US. We expect to head off after Easter next year (I will work my butt off digging trenches between Jan & April) and once we hit the east coast will do a ‘side trip’ to the US for a couple of months to visit friends over there before coming back and finishing a lap of Oz.

In one sense its early in the piece to be making plans and yet I am also quite conscious that if we don’t plan it will be a bit of a shambles!

So I have begun exploring camper-trailer v caravan questions, airfares to the US, free campsites around Oz, possible work opportunities along the way and all those kinds of things.

I imagine we will be gone from April thru to Oct/Nov depending on how many free campsites we find, how many kind friends put us up and how long the money lasts! Everything back here will be business as usual with Forge and Upstream but I’ll say more about that later.

So if you have any ‘travelling wisdom’ then feel free to add your two bobs worth.