I'm 31 with no job and no place to live but at least I'm going travelling for a while.
So...What's the plan?
So...What's the plan?
The agenda (month 1)
My trip to Australia started with a couple of fairly torturous flights, from LHR -> DOH -> MEL. The 13hr flight from Doha to Melbourne being the real kicker. No amount of plane food and free movies makes less than 6 hours of sleep in 48hrs OK. However, I’ve learnt that’s how you beat the jet lag - sleep as badly as possible on the way over and crash big time when you arrive.
The first real event of the trip kicks off on the 10th December, as I head off on a road trip with best pal Ollie Aka Big Ol. Having only passed my driving test in November this year, I’m sure Ol is feeling a little nervous to see me behind the wheel, but beginners luck is a thing with driving right?
We’re hoping to hit some top nature spots over the following 9 days, including:
Wilson’s Promontory (known for…
(known for the penguinos waddling along the shoreline)
Sorrento (not the Italian one but the sea looks just as blue, hoping to do a spot of fishing here)
The Great Ocean Road (where we will do our longest stretch of driving)
Otway National Park
Grampians `National Park (Yes, another national park, maybe this one will have a nice pub tucked away in the trees somewhere?)
Return drive to Melbourne on the 19th
Following this, I’m looking forward to a hot Aussie Christmas day, followed by the main event - The Ashes at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)! 2 days of unashamed beer-drinking, sun-baking and high sporting-drama. As I’m writing this, England are starting to play their way into second test so who knows we may pull off a shock result at the MCG.
On the 30th, I plan to fly to Sydney to see in the New Year.
Reflections on leaving London (aboard flight QR112)
Thursday 4th December, 2025
Now that I am safely aboard my 8am flight to Doha from LHR, my trip is starting to feel a little more real. And with just enough elbow room to operate my keyboard, I thought now would be the perfect time to reflect on my life in London which I am leaving behind (at least for a wee while!)
I’ve spent just under 10 years in London. It was always part of my plan. My parents met in London and loved their time living in their shared houses from Maida Vale to Finchley and Ealing. Whenever they have the opportunity to visit me and my two sisters, Esme and Cara, they’re keen to take a trip down memory lane and revisit the stomping grounds of their youth.
I think you could quite easily make a case for London being the best city in the world. Occasionally I would make the most of this by visiting the museums, restaurants and 2000+ years of history layered into its streets.
Despite this, my evenings out mostly consisted of meeting friends in an East London pub that occupied the perfect intersection between trendy looking people, dark mahogany interiors and cheap-ish guinness.
This was normally followed by jumping on a lime bike (sorry mum) a little inebriated back to my flat where I’d be praying that I got home before my phone died, or swerved out of the way to avoid hitting a 3-legged fox that just scampered across the road. Or both. This was all part of the charm of course.
However, in recent years, I started to find that the more time I spent in London the more I felt myself turning to my flat as a place of refuge, burrowing away from the chaos and noise. And other than bumping into neighbours in the lift, I never felt a real sense of community. I guess this partly explains the general exodus from London before we even get to how expensive it is.
My flat was in a new-build, but even the insulated walls couldn’t keep out the sirens and guffawing uni students out.
Since turning 30, I found myself myself buying things to ‘keep London out’, black-out-blinds, noise-cancelling ear buds, a white noise machine.
Perhaps this is a slightly priviledged complaint as many people live in London all their lives, but having grown up in fairly suburban areas of Nottingham and Manchester for most of my life, I felt myself yearning for the quiet.
The word ‘London’ hints at another challenge anyway - loneliness.
In a city of 8 million people, where you often feel you’re living on top of each other, it can be surprisingly isolating. In fact, the city is so tight you feel like you know the people in the apartment building right across the street (but not really).
Every day I would steal small glances into kitchens and bedrooms, other people’s lives. TVs illuminate living room walls. Someone leaning on the kitchen counter waiting for the kettle to boil. Then all of a sudden the people you’ve been seeing every day are not there anymore. New people have moved in. There was something intensely lonely about that for me.
So, as I begin my journey to Australia, I am going to do my best to appreciate the hustles and bustle of Melbourne, meet some fund people and maybe make a conscious effort not to look into people’s kitchens as much.
A conversation with passenger 22J
Tell people about who you are, your origin, your process, or your inspirations. Tap into your creativity. You’ve got this. The way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
First impressions of Melbourne
Tell people about who you are, your origin, your process, or your inspirations. Tap into your creativity. You’ve got this. The way you tell your story online can make all the difference.