Goodbye Money ... Hello USA

So today was the day I handed over (in the form of my debit card) my hard-earned cash and paid for our USA trip! (not for both of us, I'm not that generous - and really it was just a deposit and flights and hotel but its a start!)
It wasn't as upsetting as I thought it would be, I imagined a single tear role down my cheek as I silently battled a tantrum on the inside as they confirmed my payment and say goodbye to money I'd happily been watching accumulate over the past weeks, but alas no tears or tantrums ...  just excitement because the trip is now REAL

*YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY* 

So now the countdown has begun (212 days to be precise) to finish saving, buy stuff I need, buy crap I don't need but want, pack, pack again, probably pack several more times and thats before we're even into 2015! 
I love packing, such a thrilling activity. 

I was about to start this paragraph with 'So' and then realised I've done that twice already :( #writersblock #synanymsforso 

I told Emily I had writers block and she laughed. She doesn't understand. 
I'm trying to persuade her to start a blog too 'E Explores Everywhere' ;)
 I think she's starting to warm to the idea! 

She sneakily found my blog today, I haven't advertised it to anyone I know yet or really told anyone because I wanted to have a few more posts before I did but she got it out of me. 
Norti Emily! 
She said it was witty, which is good .. better than shitty anyway! 
Or maybe thats what she said and I misheard :/ 

(I've gone off on a tangent I feel) 

Anyway the trip is booked and its all very exciting. 
G Adventures Coast to Coast Road Trip Eastbound 
And we've booked on the 4th July - 26th July trip! 

4TH JULY IN SAN FRANCISCO ... WAAAAAAAAH!! :D

We've added an extra 2 nights in San Fran and 1 extra in NY to maximise our mad-tourist-sight-seeing-souvenir-buying :) 



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Where oh where are we going?

Coast to Coast Road Trip Eastbound

I am super excited already and its not even booked yet! 
Give me 2 weeks though and that'll soon change! 

Because i'm a peasant and have to work I only get a certain amount of time off work for holidays (and even then im restricted to when I can use them) so its been a task trying to find time that both of us can do .. Emily is doing her PHD you see so she has unaaay work to do thats most probably of some importance. 
But I was adamant I was going somewhere next summer and thank the lord that July was good for both of us! My boss still isn't thrilled im going but YOLO. 

The trip is actually a 'YOLO' style trip - I didn't decide that, the tour company did, i'm not that cool. This could lead to all sorts of decisions (probably bad ones) being embraced in the YOLO spirit.

''Lets gamble all our money away in Vegas .. why? .. because YOLO''

''Lets hang off this rock so it looks like we're falling into the Grand Canyon ... why? .. because YOLO''

''Lets break into the White House and see if Obama is home .. why? .. because YOLO''

... I promise i'll behave Emily :) 

So we've decided on July and our tour starts on July 4th (probably couldn't have picked a better date to start our American adventure!!) in San Francisco and ends in New York on the 26th. 
From what we've read of the itinerary theres not a great deal of time spent in both cities so we're opting to fly out earlier to get a few more days in San Francisco and again at the end in New York. 

Below is the map from the website showing the general route and the main stops and places we'll be staying.
How freeeeakin cool!!




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#posteuropeblues

In June (2014) I experienced my first real bit of 'travelling' with my sister Laura. 
We spent 25 days going round Europe by train and it was so much fun! 
(Please note we did get off the trains - that wouldn't have been very fun at all otherwise!) 
Endless selfie-stick pictures later (yes I own a selfie-stick .. the bigger question is why don't you?) and we were home and back in work hating life. 

Now im suffering from #posteuropeblues (if you also suffer from this illness seek medical attention immediately!) and in serious need of something to look forward to and channel my OCD on. 
*For those who don't know me I have a constant desire to be planning or organising something. 
Without this I have no purpose. 

It is now November and after suffering for months and months I have now decided on my next adventure ... 

USA! USA! USA! 

This time with one of my best friends; Emily :)
Together we are Gemily ... i'm thinking we get tshirts? 

I am scared that my OCD with drive Emily insane / she'll hate me / never want to go away with me again ... I just can't help it - I LOVE TO PLAN THINGS! 
My sister had no choice, if I didn't plan the trip it wouldn't happen because a. she doesn't know where anything is (thought Everest was in the UK) and b. even if she tried I wouldn't let her. 

So anyway USA! The trip we've decided on is the G Adventures 'Coast to Coast Road Trip Eastbound' and we're booking with STA Travel in a couple of weeks! 
The trip runs from San Francisco to New York over 24 days. 

I found out recently that Emily has already visited New York a few times so it'll just be me running round in my I <3 NY tshirt and Statue of Liberty foam hat pointing at yellow cabs like an excited tourist (sorry Emily). 

Im very excited to start planning (might let Emily have some input, might not) and no doubt i'll have my bag packed by next week ... ya'know a good 8 months in advance (Y)



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G?

Hello. Im Gemma (or G if you fancy) and this is my first attempt at a 'blog'. 
I put blog in inverted commas because there's a slim chance i'll actually use it, or i'll get bored after 1 post or i'll spend hours picking which font to use and I won't actually post anything. 

Im 23, a Physical Geography graduate - yes I can colour in extraordinarily well, am a human GPS, know every capital, country, flag, river, mountain, population in the world ... or so im told that what my degree was for ;) ... Oh and im partial to the occasional sarcastic comment. 

I currently live in the 'glorious' town of Colwyn Bay in North Wales after the best 3 years in Swansea Uni. But now i'm bored and wish I was anywhere and everywhere else .. apart from Rhyl, no one wants to be there.

The reason behind this blog? Honestly its to kill the last 30 minutes of work. But ideally I'd like to start blogging about my upcoming adventure (Oooooo) and any future ones I stumble onto. 
There may also be some of my cat Albus so watch out for him :) 
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