Bournemouth Living

For two and a half years, Rich and I had been separated by distance. Whether it's been from Australia to New Zealand, Australia to the UK, the UK to North and South America, or different parts of the UK, we have always had a number of miles in between us.

I moved to Bournemouth temporarily for a couple of months so that Rich and I wouldn't be in a long distance relationship anymore. That two months is nearly at an end, which can only mean one thing... Our trip and our next exciting chapter is getting ever closer.

Fortunately, I got myself a temporary job within a few days of arriving in Bournemouth and I launched straight into work, knowing I needed to earn as many pennies as possible for our up and coming adventure. I'd been working at a secondary school back in Dover and was due to have my five-week summer holiday and was very much looking forward to a much needed rest. However, I started work at Bournemouth Borough Council on the Thursday of the same week I arrived, so a rest unfortunately was not on the cards for me just yet. The thought of travelling for two months was enough motivation for me and I knew I'd be getting my fill of relaxation soon enough.

​Even though I have had to pack up my all of belongings to move here and pack them all up again to leave for Australia, I know that I made the right decision. We've had the most amazing summer spent beside the sea and even if it has only been for a few weeks, it's been a great chapter of our story.

Living in Bournemouth has been just lovely. I've grown up by the seaside and so moving somewhere else close to the ocean is just wonderful. There's just something about living by the beach. I got a job in central Bournemouth and after a few weeks of walking to work, I decided my trusty bicycle needed to join me on my daily jaunt. Walking was taking me an hour each way and as lovely as it was, it just felt too much after work when I was exhausted and hungry. I love cycling to work and decided to give it a go here as I knew it was mostly flat and a nice, safe route. I cycled three miles each way every day along the beautiful Bournemouth beachfront, which boasts seven miles of lovely golden sand. It's a gorgeous sight and cycling in the peaceful mornings with a few other cyclists and runners was just perfect. It was such a peaceful and beautiful way to get to work and I used to arrive feeling awake and refreshed and ready for the day. Luckily I had the option of having a shower at work, which was much needed after a thirty minute sweaty ride.

Cycling to work was great as it was free and a great way for me to keep fit, even whilst eating everything in sight at work - we needed to eat junk just to get through the day there, it was that bad. There was nowhere to park at work and I knew the bus would soon run up a huge cost; not good when you're trying to save every penny you can. Some people call me mad for cycling but I absolutely love it. My bike fills me with so much joy and I think it's mad NOT to cycle if you have the option to. Cycling every day was the one thing I liked about going out to work.

As previously mentioned, I needed a lot of junk food to get me through work as it was high on the list of being one of the worst jobs I've ever had. Thank goodness it was only temporary as I don't think I could stand to hear about bin collections for much longer. It wasn't a great job but I was lucky I found something so quickly. As I said, I moved to Bournemouth on the Saturday, had an interview on the Tuesday and started work the same Thursday. It was perfect really and has helped me fund my travels . My main concern was finding a job that had Monday-Friday working hours, as during the summer Rich and I had so many plans, I couldn't afford to get a job that required me to work weekends. I'm grateful I had the opportunity to work at the council as it served its purpose of helping me to save as much money as possible and to keep me out of trouble for a couple of months! And of course it gave me the ability to be here in Bournemouth with Rich. It has been incredible to no longer feel the pressure of the long distance relationship. Coming home from work, seeing each other in the week and having no goodbyes was such an amazing feeling. We've begun to feel like a 'normal' couple and we find ourselves appreciating silly little things that some might take for granted.

This summer was just the best. We've had visitors to stay most weekends, which has been amazing in every aspect. It's been so nice for Rich and I to be hosts and to have guests to wait on. We've never been able to do this before and we just loved entertaining our friends and family. We made use of the amazing BBQ area that Rich set up on quite a few occasions and it was just perfect to have so many friends sitting around together, drinking and eating and having a good time. It's been lovely to see our close friends before we depart for Australia. It's been sad to say goodbye to people as the reality sets in that we are leaving our whole lives behind to go and live on the other side of the world. We've been nervous and excited for months, but now that all of our summer plans have been and gone, it suddenly feels more real and time seems to be going past so quickly. The nerves truly have kicked in now and it's a lot to take in when you say goodbye to loved ones, but I'm trying to see it as a 'see you soon' rather than a goodbye. As nervous as we are, this is such an amazing opportunity and we are embracing it with open arms. We've had such a busy couple of months, we've had visitors non stop and we are so ready now for a couple of months of relaxation in Asia (or as much relaxation as Southeast Asia will allow anyway). Coming to Bournemouth was definitely the right decision for me as I was in turmoil at the beginning as to whether I'd done the right thing. I've saved more money, I've had an amazing summer and I've kissed goodbye to long distance forever. Of course I did the right thing. And now I'm ready for even more adventures with Rich by my side. We are so excited for our trip and what our future in Australia will bring.