The End

Thats it.
Its now officially over.
126 days, 4 continents, 7 countries, 24 cities and a bucket full of memories.

I have had a whale of a time. This is the best trip that I have ever taken part in. When I first got that fateful news on the day that we all got made redundant from Best Buy I had no idea that almost a year later I would have had such a ball. Special mention must go to my Granddad who without him and his incredibly kind generosity this wouldn't have been made possible. He would have been so proud of me and would have also been incredibly jealous.

My final flight home was the best flight that I have had out of the 11 flights I took. The Airbus A380 is on hell of a great plane and to top it off I had the coolest pilot alive.

As I sit here typing this in true Welsh fashion the rain is lashing down on the conservatory making it hard to hear the radio in the background. Welcome home Tom.

I never realised quite fully what I would be letting myself in for when I boarded that plane to NYC in early April. As it turned out there was nothing to worry about. I wish that it was as easy to make good friends back in the UK. All you have to do is sit at the end of a bar or in a hostel and within a few minutes you are striking up a conversation about different cultures and experiences.

I thought that it would be kinda cool to give a few tips to anyone who is still travelling or has become inspired by my blog to explore the wide world out there.

1) Don't trust anyone. This may seem harsh but it is true.

2) Your passport is worth more than life itself. Always know where it is and what it has been up to. Treat it like a teenage daughter of yours, don't leave it with strange men!

3) Say yes. Too many people say no, if you say yes more then your life/travels will be 100% better.

4) Pack a towel. I wish I had read Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy before I had set off.

5) Read Hitchikers guide to the Galaxy before you set off.

6) Have a plan, but dont stick to it.

7) You WILL spend more money than you intend to.

8) If you have any tenuous links to any country other than England, fully exploit them. I was looked on far more favourably when I said I was Welsh than when I was English.

9) Don't get stuck. The whole point of traveling is to travel. Don't get bogged down in one place, however amazing it is. How do you know that the next place isn't any better if you have never been there.

10) Have fun. It is the best time of your life. You were born to live you life, so ruddy get out there and live it.

Just some small points, ignore them if you want. Your choice.

I want to say thanks. Thanks to everyone who I met in a bar and whiled away the evenings putting wrongs to rights. My view on the world has become so much richer because of you. From the bloke in the NYC bar to the guy in Rotorua. All of you have been amazing. Thank you to all the fellow travellers who gave me advice along the way. Thank you to the Australian women, your men just don't appreciate you enough. Finally thank you to YOU, the readers. You gave me the excuse to track my travels and keep a record as I went along. In total I have had just shy of 3,500 views. That is bloody impressive considering I am just a random guy from Wales/North Somerset/Croydon. I have had views from way more countries than I visited. Latvia, Sweden & Brazil to name a few. You have all been amazing by reading this. Who knows what the future will hold in store for 'Tom the blogger'.

The future for 'normal' Tom is in the form of a festival starting tomorrow. This carefree lifestyle is kinda hard to give up.

So long and thanks for all the fish.

Tom
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