It's Been 1500 Days Since We First Left The UK!
- Kelly McKenna
- Dec 10, 2020
- 4 min read
1,500 days. 36,000 hours. 129,600,000 seconds.
Or, to normal people, a little over four years.
1st November 2016, we boarded a plane in London to start what we hoped would be a new life in Australia. A little over four years later we now live on a ranch in Canada.
It's been an incredible journey. It's a journey that has taken us to 11 homes in 7 cities spanning 3 countries. We've visited an additional 7 countries, lived in a van for a month on Australia's East Coast and took a train 4,466km across Canada.
We've seen so many incredible places, met wonderful people and taken literally thousands of photos. I can't believe we've been so fortunate to do all of this in just 1500 days so I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on the whole journey.
Year One - 01/11/2016-31/10/2017
Countries visited:
United States of America (New York City, San Diego, Disneyland Resort Anaheim, Las Vegas, San Jose, San Francisco)
Australia (Sydney, Blue Mountains, Melbourne, Mornington Peninsula, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Perth, East Coast Road Trip)
Indonesia (Ubud, Sanur, Gili Air, Canggu)
Thailand (Bangkok, Koh Phangan, Krabi, Koh Phi Phi, Phuket)
Highlights:
Road-tripping around California and Nevada in a Mustang.
Celebrating Christmas Day in the sun and standing under the harbour bridge for the Sydney NYE fireworks.
Canoeing in the volcanic crater Lake Batur, surrounded by only the local fishermen.
Living in a van for a month, travelling down the Australian East Coast.
Getting to spend time with our family in Perth and meeting my sister for a 12 day adventure in Thailand.
Lowlights:
The worst journey of our lives, from Gili Air to Canggu.
The struggle of working with recruiters and finding work in each Australian city.
The week I spent trying (and mostly failing) to sell Hello Fresh boxes in Brisbane shopping centres.
Having to leave after an amazing year away!
Year Two - 01/11/2017-31/10/2018
Countries visited:
Australia (Perth, Margaret River)
Singapore
Sri Lanka (Colombo, Galle, Mirissa, Tangalle, Tissamaharama, Ella, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Negombo)
UK (Larkhill, Tenby, Ormskirk, London, Calne, Amesbury, Salisbury, Folkestone, Andover, Bristol, Haydock, Stockley, Bromsgrove, Swansea, Twickenham, Bournemouth, Southampton, Basingstoke, New Forest, Pontypridd, Albrighton, Newbury)
France (Disneyland Paris)
Canada (Vancouver, Jasper, Winnipeg, Toronto)
Highlights:
Staying in a Pod Hotel in Singapore.
Seeing so many animals in the Sri Lankan wild, including elephants and blue whales.
Travelling up and down the UK getting to reunite with family and friends; weddings, babies and lots of parties.
Family trip to Disneyland Paris.
Travelling across Canada on a train.
Lowlights:
Having to leave Australia, not knowing when we'd be back.
Getting rained on for the majority of our time in Sri Lanka.
The cold nights and annoying passengers on the train across Canada.
Losing someone we both loved very much.
Year Three - 01/11/2018-31/10/2019
Countries Visited:
UK (Stockley, Larkhill, Bristol, Albrighton, Birmingham, Andover, Ormskirk, Salisbury, Tenbury Wells, Liverpool, St Athan)
Ireland (Dublin)
Australia (Perth, Margaret River, Rottnest Island)
Canada (Vancouver, Richmond, North Vancouver, Port Moody, Bowen Island, Whistler, Steveston)
Highlights:
Taking a very drunken daytrip to Dublin to celebrate Richard getting his Irish Passport and his 33rd Birthday.
Hibernating in a little cabin in the midlands, between Christmas and NYE.
Welcoming our baby nephew to the world.
Getting back to Perth, drinking lots of wine in Margaret River and meeting Quokkas on Rottnest Island.
Moving to Vancouver, BC, to start another adventure.
Celebrating my 31st Birthday in the beautiful Whistler Village.
Our first ever Thanksgiving.
Lowlights:
Having to say yet another round of goodbyes to family and friends.
Putting together an entire apartment worth of flatpack furniture in a day.
Throwing up my incredible $400 birthday meal immediately upon return to our hotel.
Year Four - 01/11/2019-31/10/2020
Countries Visited:
Canada (Vancouver, Tofino, Sunshine Coast, Hope, North Vancouver, Osoyoos, Kelowna, Kamloops, Whistler, Richmond, Steveston)
USA (Las Vegas, Grand Canyon)
Highlights:
My parents coming to visit and falling as madly in love with Canada as we are.
Celebrating the 30th birthday of an amazing friend in Las Vegas.
Awesome staycations in Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast and Hope.
An incredible 10 day birthday road trip around British Columbia.
Lowlights:
Passing out on the plane home from Las Vegas.
2020 Covid general mayhem.
Losing an incredible man who we both loved dearly.
Final Reflections
The last four years have been some of the most incredible of our entire lives. We cannot believe the adventures we've had, the places we've been and the people we've met. The snapshot above doesn't even begin to describe how unbelievable it has been.
When we got on that plane to New York our plan was to have a little holiday in the states and then fly on down to Australia, hopefully get a company to sponsor us and start a life there.
Although, at the time it was disappointing that the plan didn't work out that way, I honestly wouldn't change any of it for a single second.
Obviously, there have been bad times. We've missed out on so many things. Family and friends have lives and they continue on regardless of where you are in the world. The past year, especially, it has been hard to not be able to support the people we love through some of their most difficult times.
But the last 1500 days have changed us. They've changed our relationship and the way we view the world. They've changed what we want from our lives. Travelling together has changed us both for the better.
For that I am, and always will be, so exceptionally grateful.
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