First time female solo traveler! (new blog & South east Asia if you’re interested…)

After an extremely long six months moving back home and endless “probably going tos” and “hopefully by” [insert unrealistic plans], I finally took a last look at my unsuspecting bank account and set spontaneous sights on Southeast Asia.

Basic route:

Bangkok, N Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, S Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, Home.

With yet another rainy January weekend passing me by it was a monotonous Monday which saw a sudden spark of adventure. By Tuesday I’d left STA travel with a stack of specific information on the far east, Wednesday a rough route plan and a dubious peek at my finances and come Thursday afternoon it was done. Just like that. The non-refundable debit card button had never seemed so  terrifying. It was only at this point the reality of the situation began to sink in.

I’ve decided to travel solo (or at least go for it & see if anyone fancied joining) and with current international relations pushing on family holidays to France and a couple of blow outs on those islands, the term “brave” I’m graced with everywhere I turn doesn’t exactly cover it.

Really?? This is happening?? is more the thought-process I go through each time I open that box.

But to be honest, most of my time is entirely occupied with the four/five week time limit I’ve set myself; under-estimating the endless nitty gritty visas, vaccines, insurance, exact dates of border crossings, local transport, basic time management in each region – and this is all just the beginning.

For this reason, in many ways I would advise the don’t-think-just-do-approach, perhaps give yourself 8-10 weeks breathing space (minimum 6) to ensure time for vaccines (some are 3 jab courses set over a month) and complicated visa processing. But this way you barely have time to think about how scary it might be to actually start doing it, especially if you’re a solo traveler. Please don’t get me wrong, it is no mean feat and takes some serious clenched teeth, but at the same time the more I’ve waited the more I’ve realised that too much time to think is not productive. Time over-thinking how scary it could be is time you could be spending planning a safe, but incredibly exciting trip. By the time you’ve blasted through the admin necessities, you’ll be in the departure lounge with no turning back. That’s my theory anyway….

On the plus side, Asia is cheap. I’m attempting to do 2.5 months on £2000 – in theory. I have however been reassured from all angles that this is more than doable if I live on a shoestring and I certainly plan to. That’s half the fun anyway, right?

Anyway, enough about adventures. What about writing?

I have set up a new blog: http://www.charleetravels.wordpress.com aiming to cover all the bits and bobs that might help the next person take a slightly simpler journey through the planning stages, which, even after a couple of weeks I’ve found are often over-complicated, expensive – not to mention daunting on all sorts of levels. This could include anything from ways of doing things cheaper, reassurance and advice for female solo travelers from what I’ve found out, or making sense of long-winded route planning/ visa clarifications etc. Hopefully this will develop into some great experiences to recommend (or avoid!) and plenty of useful reading to set you on the right track.

Please take a look if you’re interested and I hope you enjoy. All tips, advice, corrections & travel companions constantly welcome so please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Happy Travels! x

www.charleetravels.wordpress.com

Taking a Gap Year for the Future: How a Gap Year can Improve your Career Prospects

Finally set free from lifelong education I’m still in that generational state of shock: when your whole life unreels itself before you into the distance, with only a few dubious signs to point you in the right direction. Although vivaciously ambitious for my future career I still can’t help but set my sights slightly off course from the real world just a little longer. Surely one or two years out of the next 50 years hard at work won’t do too much harm? If anything it’s more likely to save the hassle of a career break or put off the dreaded mid-life crisis, right?

But what about all that work experience I’ve just beavered away at? Will it start to lose value as time passes by? Not that photocopying and sorting post wasn’t inexplicably insightful on a number of levels but I’m not sure I’m that keen to repeat it all right from scratch.

Meanwhile, all this um-ing and ah-ing hasn’t gone amiss as not only has it given me the opportunity to tailor a fantastic couple of years, I was also lucky enough to be offered a guest post article for the wonderful GapYear.com on how I plan to spend it have the time of my life, but keeping my head screwed on for the important stuff to make sure I can keep moving forward from the moment I touch back down in the UK.

Take a look & I hope it helps give some inspiration on how a gap year can improve and complement your prospects without holding you back on that (usually) inevitable return.

A guest post written for GapYear.com: 

Taking a Gap Year for the Future

Press Release: 100 Graduates A Day Hired

Draft of Press release written on behalf of the Graduate Recruitment Bureau

The facts are indisputable. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) found that a huge 39,470 graduates launched their career at the hands of a recruitment service. This is a 31% increase since 2009; right behind directly applying to an employer’s website, but still way ahead of university careers services and newspaper or magazine advertisements put together (totalling just 23,775)

Their current success is down to the versatility of recruitment companies, which encompass the most important aspects of these individual services. These give that ever important boost for the struggling jobseeker, particularly the graduate generation. It appears students especially are putting more faith in services that have previously been written off, often based on misconceptions of temporary or office-dominated jobs, rather than long-term career prospects. Grasping for any help available to them, a refreshing perspective is emerging for this contemporary channel of communication which directly links graduates to a diverse range of high-flying, respected employers which they would otherwise have to tackle alone.

Previously put off by expectations of irrelevant job recommendations, “spammy” emails and a general lack of knowledge surrounding the industry, they are now increasingly attracted to the prospect of gaining that competitive edge, fuelled by specialist advice from experts with a wealth of information to guide them. They are also pleasantly surprised that such a vast range of opportunities and consultancy are so readily available free of charge. For this reason, many are using it as a solid insurance mechanism, taken up alongside various other job-hunting mediums.

The figures speak for themselves and these trends certainly seem to be catching on. Statistics show networking is the only other employment outlet to exceed it, with 61,530 graduates moving on through in-house promotions and 46,165 others gaining jobs through personal contacts like family and friends or professional networks. Those who lack these blend back into the 9,405 masses making speculative applications, with similar routes still not meeting the same level of popularity as recruitment.

As the job market changes, so do job-seeking tactics. The most successful approach requires a blend of the old and the new. Reaching out through social networking and recruitment experts in equal measure will keep graduates at the forefront of the jobs market; with 100 graduates being placed through recruitment companies every day, there certainly seems to be a bright future ahead for the economy as well as just the graduates.

AGR Article: Is a 2:1 really enough anymore?

Draft of article Published in AGR Conference Magazine July 2012, on behalf of GRB

Working hard, playing hard but aiming high, the 2:1 degree class is traditionally and academically viewed as the mark of a capable, high-achieving student. However, recent online statistics gathered by the Graduate Recruitment Bureau in March 2012 suggest students are now pushing beyond this with only 14% believing a 2:1 degree class or above would sufficiently differentiate their skills from the masses.

Of over 450 respondents it is clear the majority of these students are broadening their outlook regardless of how prestigiously a university might sit in a league table. This raises questions as to whether these trends are happening because employers are increasingly looking for skill-sets beyond a degree, or because applicants simply think they are.

Either way, surely it cannot be a bad thing to encourage students to beef up their CV with some extra-curricular or work experience roles? Won’t it merely breed a fresh generation of even higher-calibre students? Perhaps offset a few of those disgruntled “kids of today” mutterings?

Or does it instead begin to devalue the worth of a traditionally wholesome degree? Potentially raise standards of competition in the jobs market unreasonably high and risk disadvantaging those who genuinely need every minute of their time at university to thrive academically? If employer expectations of a graduate’s three short years as an undergraduate rise beyond realism, those who might once have excelled in their studies could sacrifice their grades for the misconception that experience will provide them a “get out of jail free card” for substandard results.

Of course these are all extreme scenarios and we should let statistics speak for themselves. The Higher Education Statistic Agency confirms that ‘almost one in six undergraduates at UK universities achieved a first (15.5%)’ in 2012 which is a significant raise from the 2006 ‘one in eight (12.6%). This could equally down to better teaching standards as to increased motivation to shine through on the job market, but regardless of either, it is creating a natural decline in the ability to differentiate candidates based on academia. Their full set of results can be viewed in the accompanying chart.

Is a relevant degree important? In terms of a relevant degree subject at a top university, only 4% (19) and 8% (37) of the GRB respondents respectively felt this was enough to put them at an advantage. The significance of these figures is likely to depend upon the prestige and reputation of the university and course in question. For Oxbridge, this emanates historically and internationally whereas many such as Loughborough University specialise with national recognition in sports or similar. However, this is a relatively small percentage in respect to the 166 universities in the UK averaging 14,940 students per university. The sheer mass of university attendees could therefore be deterring students from having faith in their degree alone.

So how DO you stand out? In stark contrast to the previous statistics, a staggering 45% (208 respondents) felt that an internship or work experience would enhance their employability in the jobs market. In some industries such as Business Studies, Law and Media this is a clear stepping stone, necessary and insightful for a graduate’s own benefit as much as their future employers. Sandwich degree courses at universities are increasing in prevalence and variety, causing these applicants to be shifted to the top of the pile.

This leaves those without this option to reconsider the assets they will have to compete with after graduation and arguably positions them perfectly to display a proactive and driven attitude towards their career by gaining the same thing independently. Gaining it this way can be gruelling and demoralising but intuition and perseverance are highly desirable skills in the workplace and a scattering of buzz words is meaningless without the evidence to prove it.

However, despite the various merits that extra-curricular or part-time work could also contribute, only 1% of respondents (5 students) selected it as a means to achieve adequate status. Although these may not always have direct relevance to career-building, without these a graduate may overdo the “all work no play” impression. Employers are of course seeking a hard-working, conscientious employee but also somebody human, with a rounded character and these necessary people skills are often naturally acquired through such mediums.

Is it really who you know? We are then back to that age old question, is it what you know or who? 16% (75) GRB respondents ranked personal contacts highly in gaining graduate jobs. This was the second highest statistics and again devalues a degrees worth in working your way up the career ladder as networking comes to the forefront, especially for in-house or managerial roles.

Another 12% (56) respondents voted for ‘ambition and drive’. Interestingly this could encompass anything from a high degree classification, actively seeking experience in their desired field, individual projects or networking with industry professionals or simply be the force behind gaining these. So whilst various achievements might look good on paper, a candidate’s persona at an interview is more than likely to shine these traits through to an employer. Without the drive to succeed can a candidate really reach their full potential?

So what are we left with? It is clear that living in such competitive times with the added pressure of media hype, graduates are pushing further and further beyond a substantial degree class to showcase their level of commitment to employers. The long-term effects of this new work experience boom may even have potential to reallocate prestige across universities as tuition fees take effect and those with more a hands-on approach deliver students with more appropriate skill-sets for the contemporary job market. As universities begin to adapt there is huge potential for them to capitalise on this but more importantly need to stay on top of the fast-moving trends to sustain faith in their employment value.

Whilst academia should not be written off by any means, experience opens doors to network, prove candidate attributes rather than just state them as well as displaying the all important ambitious streak which will ultimately put them ahead of the game.

The Graduate Without a Future – Says who??

After working here a few months and getting a far better understanding of the jobs market, career prospects for graduates and a gaining invaluable experience for my own CV I’m feeling pretty confident about moving up in the world. A 2.1 in English Language at a decent university, work experience coming out of my ears and an abundance of personal ambition to succeed… things aren’t looking so bad.

Then I came across The Guardian’s recent video broadcast entitled “Graduate class of 2012: A 2:1 just won’t cut it anymore“.  GRB’s company director was interviewed to contribute and now prospects for grads are starting to improve slightly I was expecting to see a few tough truths but a bit of motivation and encouragement to keep at it. Seven minutes later I was instead borderline irate, particularly at the intensity of negative spin on everything from depressing 2012 grad profiles to pouring the dregs of a coffee cup down the drain.

Although its intertwined within a few rambling nothings and interviews from ‘real life grads’, its the atmosphere of doom and gloom that emanates from every perspective that hit me the hardest. Not only did their overall approach to the issue just plain stink, they shunt the entire humanities discipline as destined to work in recruitment- as if it would even make sense to down-tread one of the only industries attempting to actually change to the situation rather than sit and complain about it?? The consultants are also subtly implied to be doing a call centre job and … oh honestly the list goes on.

This is just one contribution to an entire online series entitled ‘the graduate without a future’. Excuse me? Below are two links articles I have written in response, published on the GRB news feed this morning. Please take a look and take the time to share it with the relevant people. I feel extremely strongly about this issue and although I’m not naive enough to think its going to be an easy ride I simply disagree with the subtle scare-mongering for readership value over such a sensitive issue. If anything I’ll make sure my future is twice as bright.

Please Read & Share:

THE GRADUATE WITHOUT A FUTURE – SAYS WHO??

THE GUARDIAN CLAIMS HUMANITIES STUDENTS WILL SIMPLY END UP BEING “RECRUITED TO RECRUIT”

Short review of “One Day” by David Nicholls

Perhaps it’s because it related to me so powerfully, or because it can relate so powerfully to everybody, but the story of Emma Morley and Deter Mayhew is one which will personally stick with me for the rest of my life. Based on the novel One Day by David Nicholls, the film documents the same day, July 15^th every year from when they first meet on the night of graduation. However, like many movie reconstructions, insatiable English aesthetics and nostalgic overtones – not to mention a generous helping of Jim Sturgess can only go so far in illustrating the intricate depths of their friendship interwoven in the book. On screen, you would be forgiven to presume it “just another Rom-com”, something unfortunately not aided by Anne Hathaway’s inept attempts at a Yorkshire accent. Nevertheless, the film bursts with genuine life lessons, heart-wrenching reality and deservingly stands as great entertainment in its own right. Definitely a keeper. 

Which step have you reached today? The aimless ramblings of a lost graduate

Stumbling across this on the internet, normally I’d just skip on past and get on with my evening. But instead, it just bugged me. Mainly because as a newly released graduate giving a half-hearted attempt at a ‘productive’ day I’d still only reached step two – ‘I can’t do it’.

After an excruciating final term and three long years as an undergrad, I swore like thousands of others that when I finished I would never complain about being bored, never sit back and let life pass me by after wasting so many hours staring at the wall, and to always approach every second of this new freedom with positivity and vigour. So, after a whirlwind spontaneous trip to Madrid, a fortnight of heavy partying and a half-hearted attempt at wading through travel guides to plan the trip of a lifetime I’ve already hit graduation blues. Less than a month down the line with results looming I’m replacing revision with endless job hunting and the rain clouds continue to cast doom and gloom. All those wondrous plans are nothing without money. And there predictably is the problem.

How could it possibly be this difficult to get a part-time job? Brighton – beautiful, quirky, cosmopolitan. However, this isn’t another aimless rant about the appalling state of the economy (I’m bored just retyping those overplayed buzz words) but more a speculation on the undoubtable protection education places on us. On reaching university most of us have been in education at least sixteen years (personally I’ve served eighteen – not that I’m bitter…) and we might have taken the first steps away from home, learnt to how to turn the central heating on and realised self-sufficiency isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be but you’ve always got the back up of temporarily ‘free money’ if you use it wisely. That and the promise that the moment it’s all over you can get out there for real and show them what you’re made of.

As with anything, no matter how many times people tell you how it’s going to feel – and for me it was the voice of Emma Morley in David Nicholls’ novel One Day, you very rarely believe it until you experience it. I’m now more than aware that for all its merits, university really is just another protective blanket from reality. In all fairness it is a necessary one for all those (myself included) who have taken great benefit from a teen to twenties stepping stone, but still what happens when its gone?

I don’t think I’ve been a particularly bad student. I’ve done more than my fair share of deadline all-nighters and given my liver a run for its money but I’ve kept my head above my overdraft for the most part, racked up a bit of work experience and solidly decided travelling would be the next step before I hit the graduate market. At least I thought I had. Everything looks so different this side of the woods… when you start to realise you actually have to do it now.

In all honesty, I don’t know where to start. All I’ve really decided is I want to go. Brochures, bloggers, friends and travel advisers swamp you with endless information, advice, must-sees and aren’t you going tos but when you sit down to make a plan it’s enough to suck all the fun out of it. The dream of jumping on a plane and heading towards the horizon is an almost impossibility, but I’m determined to fulfil it even if it means throwing a dice on a map and seeing where it lands.

I hope the image manages to give someone else the same shove out of bed that I needed to get moving in the right direction

From Student to Graduate to… ?

After a hectic few weeks finishing my degree & starting my new job I have been helping to write & publish articles across a few different sites on behalf of the company Graduate Recruitment Bureau. They specialize in finding and placing students into graduate jobs and in the process have provided me some great opportunities to work with a wealth of career advice, employment statistics and professional interviews for publications all over the web. I will update this post each time a new one goes up to keep them all in one place so I hope you enjoy

I Got a 2:2 – am I doomed? TheRecruitersLounge.com

You’ve spent hours and hours beating out endless dissertation waffle, waded through some gruesome deadlines and invested a considerable amount of well-earned procrastination through critical exam periods. Now graduation day is approaching, so what happens if you get a 2:2 after all that hard work? Read More…

Racial & Gender Discrimination in Graduate Recruitment CareerGeekBlog.com

In this day and age nobody expects to pay thousands of pounds to set themselves apart with a degree that reflects their intelligence, commitment and ambition, only to be knocked back because of their race or gender. However, this it appears is still the case as unpublished statistics from the Higher Education Statistics Agency come to light.  Read More…

The Profile of a Successful Marketing Graduate OnlyMarketingJobs.com

As with many industries, marketing is a fast-expanding sector with increasing appeal for graduates who can relate to its contemporary, dynamic approach to business strategy. This inevitably leads to fierce competition and with universities bombarding students with courses of questionable value it begs the question, what is actually valuable when it comes down to applying for graduate jobs in the marketing industry? Read More..

The Road to Recruitment icould.com

Dan Hawes is Co-founder and Marketing Director of the Graduate Recruitment Bureau.  He tells Charlee Owen how he created his business from scratch, building it into one of the UK’s leading specialist graduate recruitment consultancies. Setting out as a humble Business graduates and unsatisfied with the prospects available to us, a fellow graduate and I began to develop a graduate recruitment company. Our concept of matching graduates with employers was the first of its kind over 15 years ago and soon began to snowball, building up our successful company, GRB.  Read More..

Top Tips to make it through the Daily Slog  GraduateCareerTips.co.uk

We’ve all had one of those days. After most of us spend (at least) three years thoroughly detaching ourselves from the parental apron-strings, surrendering the lunchtime lie in for a 7am start and condensing that gruelling 8 hour week into the notorious 8 hour day is bound to come as a bit of a shock. We hate to break it to you but keeping your mind sharp throughout the day is a challenge that is unlikely to get any easier once you pass the entry-level stage. Albeit your work will get more interesting and your routines will come more naturally but life pressures will always take their toll so here are some top tips to get you through the daily slog… Read More..

Life is Tweet: Graduate Jobs at your Fingertips CareerGeekBlog.com

Many see Twitter as a place for a bit of casual celebrity stalking, micro-blogging their day-to-day lives and occasionally begging for a retweet from their childhood hero, but many underestimate its potential for networking opportunities. You may not be a tweetaholic just yet but everyone likes a new follower and it doesn’t take a minute to search for some potential graduate recruiters or companies advertising graduate jobs. There’s no telling who is occasionally scanning down these lists on the lookout for some fresh talent. Read more..

How GRB – a graduate recruitment company engage with graduates using social media SironaConsulting.com

Today’s post is a guest post from the guys down at the Graduate Recruitment Bureau (GRB) in Brighton. They are a job board specifically for graduates, students and interns looking for a new job. They knew that social media was going to become a big part of their attraction and engagement strategy, so they did something about it. Read more..

Why do Graduates Fall at the first hurdle? TheEmployable.com

One detrimental mistake on your CV can mean make or break for job seekers and with graduates being ever-doomed by the media, it has never been more important to get it right. The specialist consultants at Graduate Recruitment Bureau have daily access to thousands of CVs and with so many different opinions on how it should be done it can be difficult to know where to start. One thing is for certain though, first impressions are everything and if you have to hand over a scrap of A4 to summarise your entire life achievements then it had better be a good one. Read more..

How doomed are graduates in 2012? CareerJourney.co.uk

If you’ve been following media headlines recently you would be forgiven for thinking the fresh faced graduates of 2012 are slogging their way down the road to minimum wage rather than the high-flying career success they’ve always dreamed of. So, with the doors to student accommodation firmly closing behind them what’s the reality of graduate employment prospects? Read more..

100 Graduates a day hired Grb.uk.com

The facts are indisputable. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) found that a huge 39,470 graduates launched their career at the hands of a recruitment service last year which equates to over 100 graduates securing work each day through recruitment agencies alone. This is a 31% increase since 2009; right behind directly applying to an employer’s website, but still way ahead of university careers services and newspaper or magazine advertisements put together (totalling just 23,775). Read more…

The Dreaded Telephone Interview & How to Conquer It CareerAlley.com

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein

Telephone interviews can be a daunting prospect, especially if you’re a first timer applying for graduate jobs. Not to mention if you get caught out in your pajamas watching X Factor reruns with a mouth full of pot noodle. But, with enough confidence and preparation (and preferably muting Simon Cowell’s latest victims) these don’t have to be as grueling as you might think. Read more…

Is your body language speaking more than you in an interview? Jobacle.com

If you aren’t a little nervous on entering a job interview then it might be worth questioning how much you really want it. Nerves show that the opportunity means a lot to you and that you want to get it right, something many employers will be fully aware of (however much they let you squirm). But it’s still important to make sure these nerves don’t conceal the true passion you have for the job – or worse, distract from it. Read more…

From Part-time to Professional: Top tips for graduate level CVs University of Salford Manchester

Applying for a graduate job will often be the first time you construct a professional impression of yourself. Whether aiming for postgraduate education or entry level employment, the CV approach is a far stretch from the casual work many are used to. Steve Agace, Associate Director at the Graduate Recruitment Bureau shares his insight into making sure the limelight is shining exactly where you want it. Read More…

To Facebook or not to Facebook: That is the Question

Facebook: one the most controversial employability tools to date. Getting caught with questionable content could mean a fast-track ticket to rejection, but is it worse just to avoid it altogether? The Graduate Recruitment Bureau discusses the latest suggestion that those without a profile might be deemed by employers as socially abnormal and consequentially considered less employable. Read More… 

 

What advantages do kids today have over older generations?

When asked what advantage do kids today have over older generations my brain was already buzzing. Well, the obvious answer is the internet of course. I mean on the one hand older generations probably have a far better sense of family togetherness in conversation, sit down meal times etc but evolution doesn’t have to always be a terrifying thing.

Many of the elderly are alone, immobile and stuck in their ways after their families have flown the nest and friends and relatives gradually drift away. They could then, take huge solace from finding on line communities, fresh hobbies and numerous opportunities they can take part in from their own home. Some would argue they may take more comfort in pass times they are more familiar with, yet those who will be brought up with the internet are more likely to take full advantage and find they live their last days in less isolation and loneliness than their ancestors.

The next is perspective. The new generation are becoming more and more open-minded in terms of religion, race, sexuality and gender and although we still have far to go, it is certain youth are being brought up in a far more accepting environment than in the past. Change is more embraced and individuality celebrated in many cultures. The world is becoming smaller & more interconnected which sparks interest in new thinking and freedom of speech. You cannot overlook those who abuse this privilege, but with a wider positive perspective – to be brought up in a society more likely to accept the way of living that makes your time of earth that little bit happier…? It speaks for itself.

The third is travel; on the same basis as the last two points the world is more accessible and cheaper to explore. Although some areas may argue to be ruined by gaudy invasive tourists they also bring national revenue to boost the economy and those who take the time to learn, teach and share fresh cultures are at an incomparable level of life experience and insight to the rest of us.

What is the point of the life if not to take in as much of the beauty, love and knowledge it offer us and those who know how to respect this do not have to be few and far between. Why be limited to the self-constructed boundaries that society and our personal sense of adventure have ingrained in us? Easier said than done as always but to acknowledge this thought, in my opinion, is progress in itself.

So, food for thought, yet even as I’m writing this I cannot help but realise how hard-wired my brain is into thinking through technology. Yes, the fantastic advantages of fresh opportunities, instant photography & worldwide communication are undeniable, but at the same time you can’t beat flicking through the dying breed of nostalgic photo albums with imperfect exposure and sepia tones; and you cannot ignore the incessant bombarding of branding and media which invade our homes and minds, extending their olive branches much further than they’re welcome; and we can only hope that the kids today still live in a generation where they will look back on the days we sat around the dinner table chatting with our family and playing cards or charades on national holidays.

Change is inevitable. It is all very well to sit worrying, complaining or yearning for the old days but life is short and nothing lasts forever. Of course it is only a matter of time before the good will turn to greed & overindulgence, but the same scenario litters world history time and time again and we cannot look back with rose-tinted glasses.

Despite everything bad, the world is also breeding people of unspeakable good. As long as you live a life of respect for those around you, appreciation for the genuine beauty in the world and love for the people who care for you, I think you should make the most of every opportunity that comes your way in whatever shape or form. It’s never too late to start living, whatever generation.

Travelbug: Countries I’ve visited, will visit & why (as if you need to ask!)

2012 is the year I am going to get out there and start striking off my ever growing list of places to go before I settle down & so something ‘productive’ – god forbid.

EGYPT:Because it looks stunning & the more I looked the more I found I was desperate to go and see.

ICELAND: Been there. Loved it. It is incredible. Volcanoes, geysers, waterfalls, houses buried in lava rock, endless landscapes, hot spots & pools, mountains, plate boundaries, sulphur releases, braided streams, erosion in motion – the list goes on & you don’t have to be a geographer to appreciate the sheer immensity this place has to offer. I saw a geyser erupt which only goes off every 10-15 years, the waterfalls were on the verge of overwhelming and scenery which was – for want of a less cliche word – breathtaking.

VENICE: The sinking city. it would be beautiful.

AMSTERDAM: Been there site-seeing (promise!) but would like to go to the Anne Frank museum & I have yet to sample the night life.

ATHENS: History is not my forte any more but the ruins would be amazing & I’ve heard the new year celebrations are really good.

AUSTRALIA: Of course. who doesn’t. Plan to get a working visa & work my way round. Would be great to spend time on an outback ranch & scuba diving is my number one priority on the reefs.

PARIS  Done, done & done again. Done all the hot tourist spots time & time again but I’m sure there are still some back alleys with some romantic coffee shops left to sample.

BELGIUM Went there for historical interest so a little depressing but i’m sure it would be different if I returned for leisure.

FIJI:  I plan to live here for a couple of months in the next year or so on a course I’ve chosen. These islands must get a ridiculous amount of tourism & I know the culture will have so much more to offer if I approach it from a different angle.

NEW ZEALAND: Another no brainer. I have family out here too so would be rude not to…

HAWAIII: t looks amazing. The film Forgetting Sarah Marshall sold it to me – despite the terrible green screening

DUBLIN: So close to home yet still needs ticking off. Definitely one for the ever-looming hen parties

BULGARIA Went in the summer of 2010. Lovely beaches, wonderfully cheap but still want to explore the mountains

THE AMAZON RAINFOREST: This one is extremely high on the list but I want to get together a bit of money to make the most of South America & do it properly. Although I want to do the trekking and usual stuff I think living there for a bit on a volunteer project or something would also be great.

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF: The only major thing I’ve always always wanted to do since I was born.

HONG KONG & TOKYO: Heard great things but again want to save some money.

THAILAND: Yes for all the usual reasons & would like to do it young to embrace the drinking culture (heard there’s a river you can swing across and have to climb out into the various bars?!) but also want to do it last on a round trip so I can buy endless handmade souvenirs and get drawn into all the market stalls properly!

THE ALPS  I’ve skied all over The Alps, especially on the French sides – Courcheval and the Three Valleys, La Plagne, La Rochelle, Chamoney etc. but also crosses borders to Italy. I’d love to do a ski season somewhere too

BARCELONA: Touristy I know but the city would still be beautiful. I’m already planning to do MADRID to visit my friends after graduation so will hopefully be able to hit 2 birds with one stone then

IBIZA: Another one of those you simply have to do. Want to have enough money to make the most of all the huge clubs though.

THE MALDIVES: Would be beautiful & maybe helping out with a conservation project.

MADAGASCAR: yes please.

LAS VEGAS: An experience of a lifetime. I would be a terrible gambler but a city that never sleeps would be right up my street. Know I would love the energy and pace but of course want to save up loads to come here – as with most of America.

THE PHILIPPINES: why not.

MALIA  Did the crazy girls on tour holiday. Loved it but wouldn’t go back!

SALOU, SPAIN  Amazing place to go for a first holiday – summer of 2008 was fantastically hot, cheesy & full of memories.

THE GRAND CANYON (on horseback):Would love to horse ride around it wearing a cowboy hat.

MEXICO: Again, I imagine it like the old cowboy & indian movies for some reason but I know it won’t disappoint.

MOROCCO: yes, yes & yes again.

RIO DE JANEIRO: looks colourful, exotic & cultural – right up my street.

YELLOWSTONE: would love to go here, explore the landscape & see the end-of-the-world volcano waiting to happen. Looks like a great place to escape the world & put life back in perspective.