I have a lot of countdowns going on at the moment:

21: The number of days 'til I run my first half marathon
23: The number of work days remaining
33: The number of days 'til I leave Melbourne
43: The number of days 'til I leave Australia
97: The number of days 'til the Commonwealth Games commence
140: The number of days 'til I start work at Whistler

These past two weeks I have been focussing on finalising my attendance at the Commonwealth Games. It was at Christmas time that I realised the Commonwealth Games were being held in October and were a possibility for me to attend during my trip. However, the fact that they were being held in India was a turn-off - ever since watching season 1 of the Amazing Race, I have been completely put off of the thought of travelling in India, and filed it in my 'list of countries I never want to go to' list. Additionally, there have been lots of news stories about the Games - terrorist threats; stadiums not being completed in time; athletes not attending. But then I thought to myself - how many times do you get to attend an international sporting event like this?

My fate was sealed when I scored a 'free' flight from Delhi to KL with Air Asia post-Games, and also scored tickets from Cambodia - Delhi (via KL) at a low price. My ticket request is also finalised (all netball games, including the gold medal match; and tennis, athletics, and gymnastics tickets - at ridiculously low prices). My Indian colleagues have told me how I will be the 'only one there' as Indians don't care for anything but cricket (news headlines show that almost no tickets have been sold except to the opening and closing ceremonies).

I also finalised my accommodation. Delhi seems to be such an extreme, like many other Asian cities - absolute luxury in some parts, next to absolute squalor and bargain basement prices. Given I'm slightly terrified about my two weeks in India, I decided to pay for slightly nicer Western style accommodation that includes a TV, fridge, and air con (I've found it amusing that a lot of Indian hotels proudly state they offer '24 hour power' as one of their services!) I have a few days spare at the conclusion of the games before I fly out, in which I will travel to Agra for the majestic Taj Mahal and hopefully to Jaipur as well.

Apart from my flight to Vancouver, I've now finalised all of the flights and accommodation that had to be pre-booked - so now I can focus on the trip! (Oh - and the packing and other fun things like that!)

So, I know I want to travel long-term, but what exactly do I want to do?

When it came to planning the itinerary, there were several things I wanted to do:

1. Work a ski season in Canada.
It seems to be a rite of passage for every 20 something Aussie to work at a ski resort in Canada for a ski season, and I'm no exception. Jobs start about mid November and run through to April.

2. Follow the beaten path through South East Asia.
Most people want to get off the beaten path, but I actually want to stay on it. I want to do all the things on most people's checklists: tubing in Vang Vieng; hike Mt Kinabalu; catch the slow boat to Laos; have a Singapore Sling in Singapore; visit Disneyland in Hong Kong (probably not on everyone's checklist, but it's one of my goals to go to every Disneyland in the world before I die.)

The next thing I had to consider was the length of the trip. My first priority was to book in the job in Canada via Overseas Working Holidays (more on this in a later blog). Face to face interviews are conducted with the resort staff in Australia in June, with jobs formally offered and the process completed by early July (for roles to commence in mid November). This gave me a window from mid July - end October to backpack through South East Asia (a few months less than I would like, but there will still be time for travelling post-Canada). For financial reasons, I decided to commence my leave of absence on Wednesday, 28th July, with travel commencing Monday 9th August.

After Canada, I have a number of options I am considering.

1. Fly to Gallipoli for ANZAC Day 2011 (something on my 'must do before I die' list), then backpack through Europe to England to work at Wimbledon (another 'must do before I die') and then maybe look for a 'proper job' in London.

2. Short term travel in the US/Canada before spending another season in Whistler (or an alternative ski resort)

3. Short term travel in the US/Canada before looking for a 'proper job' in either the Canada or the US (which would require sponsorship).

4. Return to Australia

The option I choose will most likely depend on how homesick I am!