The Route

In which country should I start? I always thought I will start with Canada – that is my really big dream. I anyway changed my mind and that of different reasons. One of them – and it is an important one – is the weather. When it is winter in Europe, it also is winter in Canada, but in New Zealand and Australia it is summer at that time. I am not keen in snow anymore, I am freezing very easily and I like flowers and greens. Though I always planned to go to Canada during summertime and that also is the point for the other countries. Spring and fall can be nice periods, too, but it depends on the kind of climate in the area. Who will enjoy rainy days for weeks?

The other choice was, if I will take the expensive countries (just the earlier named) first or later. Going to the expensive countries first means I have to try to get cheap accommodation and to volunteer, where it is possible. In the less expensive countries I might be able to save money for the other ones. On the other hand at the beginning it might still be easier for me to volunteer. One never knows how ones health will be later on. Therefore I decided to start with New Zealand, go to the South of Australia (Tasmania included) and afterwards take the flight to Canada. That makes the costs for the flights a little more expensive, because I could stay in Oceania or go to Asia if it only would belong to the weather conditions where to go next, but I will live my dream!

A good way to prepare a trip is by using Google maps. Do you have a clue about how far Winnipeg is from Toronto? Can you imagine how big Canada is, when you never have been there? On Google maps you can see how many hours it will take by car from one destination to the other. Don’t trust Google too much – try to find out more about the distances. Furthermore the daily “road work” may not be for longer than 4 or maybe 5 hours. Maybe there is no bus and you have to hitchhike, it will take almost twice as much or more time to come further. Find the little bigger cities, so you can go by bus between them, if you will not try to hitchhike. More about that, see here: The Possible

Decide which part of the country you are interested in to see. You cannot make all of Australia or the USA within three month and even six month for Canada will not be enough. I made a quick overview of travelling the USA and found out, that it would take almost two (2) years to travel the whole USA. Therefore one has to decide which part of the country one will visit this time. Furthermore, it will become cold, when one are staying in e.g. Canada for such a long time. Think about, what you will do with your time. Will you be volunteering on a few places, you have to calculate your time very well, because you have to be in time at all the hosts. They are worth it. Think about the climate, too. If you like skiing, you can go further North during your six month stay in Canada, if not, you should try to visit the South of the country only.