014. Solo Travel: Australia

Episode 014 - Solo Travel – Australia: where I discuss my 3-month trip to Australia and New Zealand and the forever friends I met there.

I worked for the same company in the DMV (that’s Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia) for 26 years but then I did something totally out of the ordinary. What did I do? I volunteered to be laid-off. 

The company was hurting financially, and they were laying off groups of people every month so… I volunteered at the age of 50 to be laid off. My upline was, of course, shocked but I figured that for 26 years of loyal and dedicated service, I deserved to be treated with respect as I walked out the door, unlike most people who get laid-off and are literally dragged out the door and can barely get their purse or their keys. And respect is what I got. I planned this lay-off exit over eight months…

So what does this have to do with Australia? Well, one of my lifelong travel dreams was to visit Australia. However, I knew I wouldn’t get my fill of the continent in a 2-week run-through as most people do, so I plotted for a longer stay.  I retired with nearly three million points and miles all for my 3-month Australia and New Zealand retirement trip.

 Almost every flight and hotel to and between Australia and New Zealand cost me slightly less than two million points and miles and because of my consulting strategies, I had high status in the four major US hotel groups and two of the three major US airline alliances. 

 So from February 1, 2018 through April 29, 2018, I visited the following cities and met some incredible people:

(1) Sydney, Australia;

(2) Launceston, Tasmania;

(3) plus a 10-day escorted tour around Tasmania;

(4) Hobart, Tasmania; 

(5) Melbourne, Australia; 

(6) one month in New Zealand visiting both the North and South Islands; 

(7) back to Sydney, Australia again; 

(8) Brisbane, Australia;

(9) Cairns (Great Barrier Reef), Australia;

(10) Perth, Australia;

(11) Yulara (Uluru/Ayers Rock), Australia; 

(12) Adelaide, Australia;

(13) Canberra, Australia;

(14) Melbourne, Australia again; and 

(15) Sydney, Australia again

I was truly saddened to leave. After 55 years, the freedom of waking up and getting ready for the day (or not), going where and when I wanted to, and not worrying about being pulled over by corrupt cops or someone shooting me down because of the color of my skin was, to say the least, a huge relief. 

I truly made some “forever friends” on my Australia and New Zealand 3-month odyssey. We are all facebook friends but for the majority of them we also email and/or message each other on a regular basis, just to keep up-to-date on our lives.

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For 26 years, but then I didsomething totally out of the
ordinary, which if you know me,you would know that I rarely do
anything by a standard or in aconventional way.
What did I do?
I volunteered to be laid offthat's right.

(01:50):
The company was hurtingfinancially and they were laying
off groups of people everymonth.
So I've volunteered at the ageof 50 to be laid off.
My upline was of course shocked,but I figured that for 26 years
of loyal and dedicated service,I deserve to be treated with

(02:12):
respect.
As I walked out the door, unlikemost people who get laid off and
are literally dragged out thedoor and can barely get their
purse or their keys or anythinglike that.
And respect is what I got.
I chose my own date fortermination.
Got a going away party at workand dinner at a nice restaurant.

(02:33):
Plus I taught a colleague, mymanager and my VP, how to do my
job in secret meetings fornearly three months before I
left.
In addition, they brought meback as an outside consultant,
the following summer for a majorupgrade to one of their systems,

(02:54):
but I plan this layoff.
Over eight months.
So what does this have to dowith Australia?
Well, one of my lifelong traveldreams was to visit Australia.
However, I knew I wouldn't getmy feel of the continent in a
two week run through as mostpeople do.
So I applied it for a longerstay because really how often

(03:18):
was I going to get to that partof the world?
And that meant it wound up as myretirement dream.
Also knowing how expensive it isto get there, eat there and live
there.
I made some adjustments to mylifestyle with more than five
years before retiring.
So after resting, relaxing andvacationing for almost nine

(03:41):
months during my layoff, Iapplied for a consulting job
with a company that knew of meand of my experience consulting
as a business analyst.
To fix broken deploymentprojects of a web software that
I knew like the back of my handis what I did for those next
four plus years prior to myofficial retirement.

(04:04):
As I said before, visitingAustralia for an extended period
of time was going to be veryexpensive and I needed to
strategize for those next fiveyears.
For most of my consulting years,I lived in hotels.
In Scottsdale, Arizona andDallas, Texas.
And on occasion in San Jose,California, where the tech

(04:27):
company resided, I retired withnearly 3 million points and
miles all from my three monthAustralia and New Zealand
retirement trip, almost everyflight and hotel.
To end between Australia and NewZealand costs me slightly less

(04:48):
than 2 million points in miles.
And because of my consultingstrategies, I had high status in
the four major us hotel groupsand two of the three major us
airline alliances.
Now Australia has some greatcities, wonderful food and
drinks wine.
Amazing landscapes.

(05:10):
I did not run into any animalreptile or spider that was
poisonous or lethally dangerous,but it was the people that set
it apart.
So from February 1st, 2018,through April 29th, 2018, I
visited the following cities andmet some incredible people.

(05:32):
I flew from JFK to Sydney,Australia.
Ended Jeet.
She prefers Indi is fromMalaysia.
And I met her on Facebook,through my friend, Kristin, uh,
once Kristen found out that Iwas going to Australia, she
says, oh, I have a friend.
Let me introduce you.

(05:52):
And so indie and I becameFacebook, friends and messaged
back and forth.
She wanted into my plans and etcetera.
So when I arrived, of course, Icalled.
And, um, we had already made aplan and she would take a one
hour ride on the commuter trainto Sydney from her house to show

(06:12):
me around.
She took me to a street fairwith arts and crafts under the
Harbor bridge, which was just afew blocks behind my posh hotel
and up to the tea room on thetop floor of the queen Victoria
mall, amongst many other hiddengems.
We had a great.
Then I flew to launch instonTasmania where I'm met up with

(06:37):
my 10 day Tasmania tour group.
I was the only American and ofcourse the only black person
Gabby, our tour director wholives in Tasmania and knows so
much about that wondrous islandstate made me feel as welcome as
she did with the 30 plus otherpeople.

(06:58):
Chris and Tony, a lovely couplewho chose to include me into
every bit of fun and mischiefthat could be had on an escort
it tour with total strangersafter Tony's pancreatic cancer
treatments, they decided not toput off distant future travel
plans.
So Egypt and Canada were alreadybooked for 2018 after they would

(07:20):
leave this Tasmania tour.
She's doing well.
Three years later.
Thank God.
I also got to see real Tasmaniandevils in Tasmania, which was a
bucket list item for me.
And it was also where for thefirst time I ate Tasmanian
salmon, Tasmanian scallop pies,and a Wallaby.

(07:46):
And I also drank Tasmanian beersand Tasmanian wines for the
first time.
Tasmania is an absolute must.
Then after the tour, I spent afew more days in Hobart
Tasmania, which is a beautifulcity.
Then I flew to MelbourneAustralia chill out there for

(08:07):
several days.
Maybe a week.
Yeah, possibly.
And then from Melbourne, I flewto do one month in New Zealand,
both visiting both the north andsouth islands.
Then I flew back to Sydney.
I did some tours.
Then I flew to Brisbane,Australia, Jason from Benidorm

(08:30):
Spain picked me up from theairport.
And after talking with him tothe hotel, I decided to ask him
to be my private guide anddriver.
He showed me around Brisbane,despite the dreary weather he'd
made it fun.
And as a fellow photographershowed me the best spots for
cities.

(08:52):
Then I flew the can.
I was just a great barrier reefon an all day tour.
I met a young couple young teenand DT from India.
They had just recently moved toBrisbane and were visiting can
the same time I was, then I flewto Perth where I met up with
Cheryl and Ray.

(09:13):
I met Sean right on the 10 dayTasmanian tour.
And they said, when you get the.
Call us up and we'll do a day.
And they did.
They drove me all around Perthon my first full day and showed
me their city.
Favorite beaches andrestaurants.
What a glorious introduction toPerth.
It's another not to be missed,but it's on the other side.

(09:36):
It's like, you know, hangingaround in New York and then
wanting to go to California.
So it's not to be missed.
It really is a beautiful citywith much to do much.
This.
Then from Perth, I flew to yourLara, which is where air's rock
Hulu roof is.
I stayed there for three or fourdays.

(09:57):
And then I flew to AdelaideAustralia where I met up with
Jenny, who I also met on the 10day Tasmania tour.
She also offers, she says, whenyou come to Adelaide, look me up
or let me know in advance.
And so I did.
And so she drove me all over thecoastal areas of adult.
On one day.

(10:17):
And then on the following daywith our friend Marianne, we
went and visited some of thebest vineyards and wineries on
the planet, in the famousBarossa valley and McLaren Vale
regions.
Yum.
Then after I left Adelaide, Iflew to Canberra, which is the
actual capital of Australia.

(10:39):
Like Washington DC is thecapital of the USA.
My friend, Joanne from Virginia.
Who I used to carpool with herand her family.
She works for the us statedepartment and was assigned
there with her young family.
They showed me around theCapitol and took great care of
me.
I just was pampered, just, youknow, just like I was living at

(11:02):
home after Canberra, I flew backto Melbourne to just chill out
and do some more.
And then finally to Sydney,again, for several days before
flying back to the USA, I wastruly saddened to leave truly,
truly sad to leave after 55years, the freedom of waking up

(11:25):
and getting ready for the day ornot going where, and when I want
it to and not worrying aboutbeing pulled over by corrupt
cops or someone shooting me downbecause of the color of my skin
was to say that.
A huge relief.
I knew I had made the bestdecision of my life to retire.
At that age.
I had a back to the USA aspromised, unfortunately,

(11:50):
however, it was for importantbirthdays, a Memorial and
mother's day, but then I jettedoff again, two weeks later to
spend the summer in Europe.
Anyway, I have no problemmeeting new people anywhere and
wherever I go most wants to hearabout my age.
Especially when I reveal thatI've been down under, however,

(12:10):
an acquaintance, a black femalefrom the us once remarked to me
that she didn't want to go toAustralia because of the way
they treated the aboriginals,how they took their land and
babies.
I could not keep my thoughts tomyself.
When I said yet you have noproblems living in America.

(12:30):
Or how those same missionariesand colonizers raped pillaged
and cheated the native Americanshere or how they did the same to
our ancestors in Africa andbrought us over escalate.
In addition to retiring of yourown free will to Georgia after

(12:51):
the 2016 election, at least theAustralian government officially
apologized.
To the aboriginals.
We never got that in America.
We never got our 40 acres and ameal.
Ooh.
I had to walk away and calmdown.
How do you live amongst yourenslavers forgive them and then

(13:13):
make it look like somebody elsedid the dirty deeds of using and
destroying black and brownnations around the world.
The gall.
Nevermind about that.
Now.
Think of thoughts, Bri.
As you can tell that statementstill affects me as does other
stupid remarks.

(13:33):
Anyway, I did discover that agood bit of the Aussies are just
as ignorant about their country.
As Americans are about theirs,most Aussies have never been to
Tasmania or Perth, same country,just different states.
Same as it is in the USA.
A good portion of Americans havenever left their own state for

(13:53):
any reason.
I still find that a hard pill toswallow, but I understand that
wanderlust is not in everyone'sDNA.
I also had to set a few Aussiestraight on our then president
and the divisive tactics.
He used to win the 2016election.
You see Australia has its ownversion of Fox news.

(14:14):
So some people had the worldnews.
However, most of the people Ichatted with were well aware of
the real situation, regardlessof a few small minded people,
Australia should definitely beon everyone's bucket list,
travel, dream, or wishlist,whatever you want to call it.

(14:36):
I've heard that it can be donein two weeks, but that's the
same thing the USA can be donein two weeks.
Yeah.
Right.
Only if you do Sydney, Melbourneand a great marriage.
Same same, same, same as NewYork city, Washington, DC, and
Miami.
Do those cities represent thewhole USA?
No, I don't think so.

(14:56):
There was a whole lot to exploreon an island that is almost the
same size as the continental, usof a, I truly, truly made some
forever friends on my Australiaand New Zealand, three months,
Odyssey.
We're all Facebook.
But for the majority of them, wealso email and or message each

(15:18):
other on a regular basis, justto keep up to date on our lives.
You can't call yourself a queenif you've never ruled.
And that means reevaluating,your preconceived notions and
prejudices of other countries,races and religions.
America is a far from perfect.

(15:39):
And it isn't thought of ashighly around the rest of the
world as it is.
But you would only know that ifyou travel beyond your own
borders and especially thecountries that don't rely on
American tourist dollars tosurvive in those non pandering
countries, you will get realopinions.
Good and bad.

(16:01):
You will find them curious,especially about us, but I'm
never offended.
I'm just as curious about themand their way of life as they
are about.
Be the queen who will not hidebehind the shadows of
fear-mongering half-truths andstraight up lies about us and
about others.

(16:22):
Be that queen who is foreversearching through her history
and forging her rightful placein the future.
Wherever that may be.