FIRST SOLO LONG HAUL FLIGHT - TO AUSTRALIA

As far as I was concerned 90% of the 2001 trip round Europe was an unplanned, pointless nightmare. However it was the last part in Budapest that gave me the inspiration to go traveling on my own. I knew that if things were different the trip would have been a lot better. Having met people who traveled alone and found out how easy it was to meet other people I knew I could do it myself. I started reading loads of different travel sites and people stories which helped even more. In fact reading travel sites became one of my hobbies.
I didn't really like the idea of giving up my job but in the end I knew that if I didn't I would not be going. I kept putting the idea off until the factory I worked at closed down early in 2004. Although I got a new job carpet cleaning I made it clear from the start that I intended to go away traveling soon. The trouble was where in the world to go. Dad gave me the idea of visiting long lost relatives in Tasmania. I also knew someone who had been Australia before and they said that it was a good place for a first time solo traveler.
The leaving date was set at October 6^th 2004 and the return date was December 20^th 2004. The only plan I had was to fly to Melbourne, spend a few days there then head down to Tasmania after that I would be making it up as I went along.

So after years of planning, talking and putting things off until next time I was finally leaving for Australia. Dad took me to Birmingham airport and after that I was all by myself. The longest flight I had ever done before was to Rhodes in 1999 and that was just over 4 hours long. Now I had 3 flights one after the other which was something I couldn't get my head round.

The first leg was to Dubai, within 5 hours I was further away from home than I had ever been in my life. Flying with Emirates there were plenty of TV channels to pick from and outstanding food (for an aircraft). Got Gazzas autobiography which was an outstanding read and kept me going for a few hours. Sitting next to me was a businessman who worked in Dubai and gave me the rundown on the place. Having someone to talk to helps a lot and calms the nerves a great deal.
Landed in Dubai 2am local time but the air temperature was still 32 degrees C. It was obvious just from the airport that Dubai is a millionaires playground, not many airports have sport cars inside next to the shops. Had 2 hours wait before getting on the plane again to Singapore. Got talking to a family who actually lived in Melbourne who were returning from Egypt. This helped calm my nerves a bit more............
Flying east adjusting your watch forward an hour every 90 minutes or so was very strange, got some good views of India. By the time I got to Singapore for a quick half hour refuel I was starting to feel awful. I am useless at sleeping anywhere except my own bed. It seemed like forever before the map showed us hitting the West coast of Australia but there was still another 4 hours to go.
Finally got to Melbourne 2am Friday morning, after all that I got quizzed by immigration about where I was going, where was I staying, how long I would be in the country etc. I had my wallet and several other things scanned in a machine. Finally I was free to leave, on the airport shuttle bus was an Italian who happened to be staying at the same place as I was. As soon as we checked in we threw our bags into out rooms and went down the crown casino for a beer as it was the only place open at that time.


First pint in Australia was Victoria bitter and it was ok. After 3 however the Italian threw up right in the casino bar. However no one seen him but it was time to head back, got back to find dad had rung the hostel wanting to know why I had not phoned home.
Despite over 30 hours without sleep and 3 pints I still didn't sleep very well in my dorm room. The following morning I was a nervous wreck, wondering what I was doing on the other side of the world on my own. The hostel which was called All nations was a bit of a dump and the carpets were dirty and smelly to say the least. Early afternoon I crashed out and slept for about 8 hours.
At night it was time to go to the common room and get talking to people. There was a group at the table sitting around eating and talking, but when I got something to eat and sat down near them the topic of conversation was how much we hate the English!!!!! So I introduced myself and defended myself as well. It all went down fairly well, later on I was invited to the bar downstairs. I had finally arrived on the solo backpacker scene.........
That first solo flight and arriving in a foreign country on my own was both an adventure and one of the most daunting things I have ever done. Later on however it was just routine and a case of going through the motions.