‘The things I’ll never forget about living overseas’

It was mid-November when I touched down in England. Coming from Saudi Arabia where it was warm to freezing cold London was quite a shock. I was able to catch up with family and spent some time travelling around the country before my travel companion and I headed to Scotland to meet with one of the guys we’d met at the farm in Saudi Arabia.

We hopped on the Intercity 125 train and headed north for Hogmanay at Edinburgh, one of the world’s greatest New Year celebrations.

I had no idea what ‘first footing’ was, but being the only Australians in a small Scottish village was a very good thing. We made friends with everyone and consumed our fair share of whisky. We would walk around the village and it seemed like every house would invite us in for a drink. What a great place! I loved it. I had a ball and met some very nice young local lasses who made me feel very welcome.

Before I left Australia I was reading a book about American draft dodger who went to Canada, but ended up Torremolinos on Spain’s Costa del Sol. Torremolinos had since been on my travel bucket list, and with Spain being so near I booked a flight to Malaga and off I went.

As a regular Aussie traveller living on a budget and being short of money I had to get a job. By chance, I’d met a girl who was selling time share to British tourists and she asked if I would like to do the same. It was a great job. I would sit around the Plaza Costa del Sol and invite tourists to a free British fry up breakfast meeting where they get to hear about time share.

If they purchased a package I would get a commission. It was fun, and I found my Australian accent came as an advantage. I loved Spain. I also spent some time in Gibraltar, where I rented a bunk on a yacht at the marina.

The lady who owned it took me all over the island and we had some great times. I found the tunnels were an eye opener, and was amazed at how they were made. Gibraltar is a real strategic piece of realestate, so I’m hardly surprised England held onto it. I’d love to go back one day.

I had a meeting with a company called Top Deck back in London, however, on the way to the meeting a life changing moment occurred. I was booking a flight to Israel and the agent taking the booking asked me what I was doing. When I told him I had applied for a job as a driver with Top Deck he said I should work for Autotours instead.

I went to Israel for a month. I found my way to Elat on the Red Sea coast. The girls were the most beautiful I had seen. It was all sand, sun and party.

I was offered a job as a ski boat driver instructing tourists how to ski and although I was tempted, I knew I had to leave. I stayed a couple of nights at a hostel by the Dead Sea where I met a girl who had not long come out of the army. We got on well and after dinner one evening, I suggested we go for a walk along the beach. Our hostel was in a high fenced compound with an armed guard and we had to get the guard’s permission to leave. As we walked along the shore, she held my hand and carried an Uzi machine gun in the other. She explained that their neighbours from over the border have been known to crash through the border gates and shoot up anyone they saw, so we needed to be prepared.

When we wanted to return to the compound she was calling out to the guard to let him know it was us. They live in constant threat of conflict.

I travelled from the Dead Sea on a bus that went up through the hills and I was amazed at the stone monument on the side of the road with sea level on the plaque. The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth (450m below sea level), it’s also very salty and it’s difficult to swim in the sea because of the salt content.

I continued into Jerusalem, with so much history on offer, and left Israel to return to London.

Meeting with the 2IC at Autotours in London, I was accepted to do the training trip along with 20 other hopefuls. It was a five-week working trip around Europe which allowed us to learn the roads, the tourist attractions and where the campsites were.

I was so excited — my seven-year plan was really coming together.

You can also read part one, part two and part three of Graham’s story.

Have you lived overseas? Where was it, and what did you do?

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