We had four days in San Francisco before heading back to blighty.  The excitement coupled with anxiety was begining to build.  We’d pretty much run out of money and hadn’t got a clue what we were going to do for employment once we got home, but we were excited about coming home to catch up with friends and family and to hear about the ‘terrible winter’ we’d missed ‘ooooh it was terrible weather’ (I can’t emphasise how much I’ve heard this phrase since being back!).

We left San Fran on a dreary day, the rain was coming down and the sky was gray, the world was clearly miserable that our time traveling had come to an end.  We checked in for our flight and bought a salad with the last few dollars we had  (we needed leaves after all the burgers we’d had in the previous 2 weeks!).

We boarded our BA flight and were welcomed by our air hostess who announced in the broadest Essex accent ‘welcome to your BA flight… bound for Heathrow’, this is it, we’re going home.

The flight home was probably the most turbulent journey I’ve ever experienced, we flew our way through 6 solid hours of bumpy skies.  I spent most of it with my iPod on loud, eyes closed, in brave position, as lightening flashed through the windows, bugging Olly with the inevitable ‘are we nearly there yet?’.

Thankfully the last 3 hours of the flight were plane sailing and gave us a chance to catch up on some sleep before walking into a full family party back home.

My parents met us at the airport in a Love Actually style embrace, I was so excited to see them and ran at them so hard that I almost took them out! After a brief catch up on what had happened since we saw them in Sydney in the car on the way home, we pulled up to the house which was dressed in banners and balloons to welcome us home.  We had a lovely family gathering with both our families which to be honest, now all seems like a dream.

We’ve been home a few weeks now and have spent most of that time catching up with family and friends, which is lovely.  To us I think it felt like we were away for a long time but when we got back we realised essentially nothing gas changed.

The biggest question of all was what do we do now?  It’s tough question, all that time traveling makes you evaluate your life differently. All the things you thought were important begin to fade into the background. However as soon as you hit the ground back home reality gives you a big kick in the face. Money still has to be earnt, and practicality starts to tame some of your dreams.

But, we like to think this experience has changed a few things.  So we’re tackling life now with a slightly different, if not completely altered, view.  Olly has set up on his own company, please check out his website oliversuckling.com, and is slowing building up a freelance photography and design business.  And as for me, I have secured a six month contract at a major law firm in London, so it’s fair to say things are going well!

Traveling was one of, if not the, best thing I have ever done in my life.  It is an experience I will never forget.  I overcame challenges, met amazing people, learnt a lot about myself and enjoyed every moment if it.  I do not regret a single penny that we spent.  I think everyone should, if they can, go traveling.  Getting out there and realising what life is actually about is so important.  There is more to life than work and earning lots of money, being happy and doing what you want to do is paramount, and that doesn’t always involve a mansion and a million pounds. We met so many people when traveling who had quit their jobs in the city to live a a simple life in New Zealand and they were loving it.  Life’s not all about status, life’s about jumping out of planes and glacier walking, challenging yourself at you never expected, and achieving.  I will always have a scar on my chin from my accident in Singapore, but I like it as every time I look in the mirror I remember what I learned whilst away, and it makes me happy.

Apart from the accident we didn’t really have any problems at all. The camera equipment was fine, no one tried to mug us, and the only thing we had stolen was one of Olly’s t-shirts off a washing line from a hostel in Australia. I think they’re are more travelers with laptops now than without, so if you’re thinking of taking one on your travels, do it! When I look back at my life before we went, before my head was filled with these memories, I almost feel sorry for my old self. We lived seven years worth of experiences in just seven months and never regretted a moment of it. If you’re even considering a trip like this, please do it, it will be the greatest experience of your life.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading the blog. This is Laura (and Olly) signing off for now, until next time…

San Francisco was the final stop on our great adventure. We were both excited to see the city and sad that this would be the last place we would visit before heading back home to England (in the middle of a recession woo!).
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For our final country, we were [...]

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After a long drive up from Waitomo down [...]