Rob and I have always wanted to travel. We have even gone as far as getting visa applications on a few occasions. Rob's job involves him travelling around the world at a moment's notice and I did a diploma in travel and tourism in college so we were destined to travel at some point.

We assumed people would be prepared for this but were surprised when everyone was so shocked when we announced that we were going travelling round the world. Although, we had just bought a new house, so they probably were not expecting us to pack up and leave. But it was now or never before we got too settled in the house.

My plan was to do a diploma in travel and tourism which would give me a shot at getting on a course for a degree in travel and tourism which would make me qualified for a job where I would travel around the world and write guizzers or travel brochures or travel books. Rob and I started renting a house together and I needed money so after the diploma, the degree went on hold and I got a temp job as a receptionist in a wholesalers. Six months later I got a promotion and five years later here I am and I still haven't got that degree, but I was determined I was still going to travel. While I'm away I've got 291 days to think about what I want to do when I come back.

Rob has done a lot of travelling through work but they are 12, sometimes 14 hour days and very often all he gets to see of a country is the airport, the hotel and maybe the bar, so he is going to enjoy having time to explore each place we visit and being able to decide when he leaves a country for a change. We set off on our journey on the 1st of March 2005.