The plan takes shape

Failte

This one is asummary of the last e-mails between me and over 50 respondents.

Thanks to everyone and the offers of support and help coming in are brilliant.

Anyway to date:

The list is as follows.

Town/City Country
Sydney /Australia
Melbourne /Australia
Perth /Australia
Baku /Azerbaijan
Dhaka /Bangladesh
Brussels /Belgium
Fortaleza /Brazil
Phnom Penh /Cambodia
Ottawa /Canada
London Ontario /Canada
Toronto /Canada
Bogota /Columbia
Dover /England
Paris /France
Charente Maritime /France
Frankfurt /Germany
Flensburg /Germany
Syros /Greece
Budapest /Hungary
Kuala Lumpur /Malaysia
Mexico City /Mexico
general /New Zealand
Tauranga /New Zealand (N)
Singapore /Singapore
Okpo /South Korea
Madrid /Spain
South Murcia/Benidorm/
Torrevieja /Spain
Khartoum /Sudan
Gulf of Thailand /Thailand
Hua Hin /Thailand
Pattaya City /Thailand
Dubai United /Arab Emirates
Las Vegas /United States
San Francisco /United States
Pompano Beach ,
South Florida /USA
The Bronx - New York /USA

I’m still awaiting replies from the various CSAs around the biosphere and also some input from celticbars.com so there is some filling in of the gaps to be done yet.

Distilling all of the above my current plan is :

No final dates as yet but I will be starting on or about February 1st.

I will basically be taking the trip in about 5 phases.

- Europe
- New states and down to SE Asia
- Australia New Zealand
- US, Central and South America
- Possibly Africa .

I am for the moment concentrating on Europe and intend to go in the following sequence:

a) Last Stop on UK Mainland – Dover
b) Paris
c) Charente/Bordeaux
d) Madrid
e) Valencia
f) South Murcia
g) Flensburg
h) Brussels
i) Hamburg
j) Frankfurt
k) Gdansk
l) Warsaw
m) Wroclaw
n) Budapest
o) Greece and the Greek Islands

It is likely that my next stop will be Baku and then Dubai , and then down to Indo-China and the antipodes, but just for the moment I need to concentrate on a) to o).

So just before I finalise dates and travel arrangements, I would appreciate some advice, guidance and help.

Assuming that I hang around in each location for about 3/4/5 days each, I will be looking for pointers on cheap digs. I am in contact with the hostellers association etc, but local knowledge of cheap accommodation with the basics (like a roof) would be appreciated.

Also if there is any chance of casual bar work, sweeping streets, rubbing sun-tan-oil on the backs of sun-bathing beauties, beer tasting etc to fund a few extra beers and solid food would be brilliant.

I am travelling light, but will be carrying a laptop/notebook, so any gen you can provide on free WiFi access, BT Open-Zone coverage (or similar), internet café access, facilities to recharge battery and mobile Sim card availability, would go down a treat.

I am now looking at rail cards and bus passes to cover the European leg of the trip and I am starting to taste all those different national varieties of beers, boiled eggs and ‘stuff that don’t ask what it is till after you’ve eaten it’ which have been my staples in previous jaunts around the globe.

So let me know if you can help me with any of the above, and I will be forever in your debt.

I’ll even mention you for posterity and ridicule in my dispatches.

Anyway, for the moment

Hail Hail

Matt