Miami

The journey begins in Miami, arrival at MIA Airport at approx 6PM Thursday 15th June. A taxi transfer to HI, Clay hotel for 1 night private room with en-suite and then in to the 6 dorm Hostel for a week.

Register into SEVIS and contact parents during this time, before trying to find a job as of Monday 19th June. Find a job hopefully in Miami beach, and an apartment, or some more substancial, yet cheap accomodation. Work for three and a half months exploring the everglades and florida keys in spare time.

On Monday 2nd June, depart Miami to Montego Bay, Jamaica for seven days before flying to Havana, Cuba. 2 weeks in Cuba will require car rental and a exploration of the country with a few days party in Havana.

Then a flight over to Dominican Republic, and a ferry to Pueto Rico before flying to Antigua.

A few days in Antugua taking a helicopter for a few days on volcanic Montserrat. Depart Antigua, fly to Guadeloue and island hop by boat through Dominica, Martinique and St Lucia. A flight to Barbados or straight to Trinidad for a few weeks, before a short hop over to Tabago and a flight back to the UK on the 12th December.

Of course, this is very sketchy at the moment, a more apt and in depth plan of financials and timings will be worked out soon.

Will Jewsbury

Here we go...

Only 4 weeks left now until arrival in Miami USA. I can barely believe my situation. A full time university student who is effectly Quitting a degree to travel. Perhaps the sensible thing would be to finish University and then travel, although, as I am always advised "this life is not a rehersal" and the cliche of "follow your dreams" not to mention the words of elders describing how they wished they had done more with their lives. Travelled more, seen more, instead of following the set path.

The set path for a man of my qualification would require at least a 2:1 Uni degree or better and settlement into a common path of Career, Wife, House, Mortgage, Kids and a nice car. All ways of making one "situated" into the media, celebrity concieved idea of Lifestyle, popularised by home magazines, thin models and perfect imagery of sun kissed couples strolling on white sands. Sounds fantastic, but wholly unforfilling in a wider sense once considered. You see that couple with a nice house and furnishing and strolling on white sands are in all reality in the Costa Brava for 1 week of the year, soon to return home to mortgage and full time 9-5 office job.

Happiness, as such is an entity not found for me in this way. New, everchanging circumstances excite and entice me, travel it seems is a less common lifestyle choice. A gap year is a bit crazy to most and a trip away from home for a month is extravagant, but vagabonding and working from place to place, expoloring and immersing in new peoples and cultures before deciding on "lifestyle" is my idea of a well informed and clever life choice. Why settle in your hometown, even England, before experiencing the world. There is so much out there in the wider world. So many oppurtunities and differences that anyone who settles on the median line is, in some respects, taking the easy route.

So anyway, Im off: I quit Uni, I moved out, left loughborough, left my friends and went for it, wholeheartedly taking the next step in my life without looking back. For all this, the hardship of leaving close friends, letting them down, letting my parents down in some respects, thinking of me as not doing well, and not to mention the financial burden of £10,000 student loan and still having to pay for a house £300 a month (without a degree as compensation)! I have took the road less common.

The brief acclimatisation to new circumstance will take place with my short tour of the Caribbean. Working for 3.5months in Miami before leaving to Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Rep., Dominica, Gaudeloupe, St Lucia, Antigua, Trinidad and Tabago amongst others. learning a true independance, Solo in new lands, non-tourist areas.

Lets hope I can tread the uncommon path...