“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

This is the first of what will be many posts to this site over the coming months, as I do whatever I can to encourage, cajole and facilitate a handful of my dearest friends and loved ones to make a trek to come visit and spend time with me (and each other) Down Under.

Why am I bothering you might ask?  Well, that’d be because if the last twelve months has taught me anything, it’s that we never know what’s around the corner.  Having spent five years living in the UK and close to the same period in Colorado, I’ve been lucky to form some pretty amazing relationships with some pretty splendid humans (that’s you).  Now I want as many of you as possible to meet each other and to see where I’m from.  The bonus is that you’ll also get to escape the Northern winter, have a holiday and experience what I promise will be a trip of a lifetime!

All I’m wanting to do right now is plant the first seed.  If you’ve ever wanted to visit Australia, late December 2014 – first weeks of January 2015 will be the time to do it.  This gives you a full year to plan, plenty of time to save pennies and book leave.  If you’ve been to Australia before but never made it to the little island, there will never be a more fun or affordable way to make this trip.  If you’ve already been to Tassie and this would be a return visit, I don’t reckon I’ll need to do much convincing at all.

I’m currently in the process of securing some of my associates’ frequent flyer points to give friends more options for affordable flights (more details on that to follow).  I’m getting free accommodation lined up so you won’t need to pay for places to stay while on the island.  I’m securing camping gear and bikes and cheap rental cars and car seats and cots for babies and gear for fun stuff like climbing, surfing, fishing and diving.  Most importantly, I’m working with my amazingly generous, super well connected and friendly crew of family and close mates down here, lining up some seriously fun activities and options for all budgets and tastes if you’re traveling solo, as a duo, with kids or en masse, here for three days or three weeks.  Vague enough for you?  Good!

It seems to me that its only in times of hardship that we all find the time, find the money, and make the effort to do the things that in ‘normal’ life we often say we can’t.  I want to gather the energy you all directed towards me when things were tough, and that I see you all directing at the various elements of your own lives that are challenging, and channel that same energy towards something joyous and fun and wonderful.    And that something is, of course, happening at 42 degrees south, in my home state of Tasmania.

This is TassiePalooza.

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