My excitement levels have officially  reached their peak. In fact, I can hardly sit still as I write this post. In a week and a half, I’m going to embark on one of my most jam-packed, exhilarating adventures yet. For those of you that have been following me on Instagram or Facebook, you might have seen me post about my upcoming travels. For those of you who haven’t, let me catch you up…

Flying out on the 4th of June, I will be travelling through the USA, Italy, Turkey and Croatia in conjunction with Topdeck Travel, in order to photograph material for their new brochures and create content for their blog. For me, to be given this opportunity has been an absolute dream come true. I can’t even begin to express how blessed I feel to actually get paid to do the two things I love with all my heart- travel and take photographs. It is beyond surreal to think this is actually my life.

Let me take a moment to go slightly off topic and say this- whatever it is you are passionate about, if you give it everything you’ve got, amazing opportunities really will come your way. Even ones you never dreamed were possible! It’s always so easy to see our dreams as future concepts, things that will only be achieved once we are older, richer, more educated, (insert your own excuse here). You’ve probably heard it a thousand times before, but anything you put your mind to, you can achieve. There is no asterisk at the end of that statement that says *once you graduate uni or *once you have a 100k+ income or *once you hit the age of 40 and you are finally mature enough to achieve your dreams. NO ASTERISK means you can be achieving your dreams right now! All you’ve got to do is take a leap of faith and start doing something to work towards your goals. For me, that was booking a flight to Europe by myself when I was nineteen. If I hadn’t taken that one little step of faith, then I wouldn’t be any closer to achieving my goal of taking photos and travelling for a living (not to say I’m at that stage yet, I’m still very much on the journey of getting there!)

Now that I’ve strayed severely off topic and this post is quickly turning in to a motivational memoir, lets get back to my upcoming travels. I thought I would give you the rundown of all the amazing places I’m hitting on my trip!

I start off my trip flying in to LA and visiting a friend in San Diego, before beginning a 21 day America Dream Topdeck Tour, which hits all the main spots on the east and west coast of the USA (see map below)! I’ve only ever been to two polar opposite states in America, Colorado and Florida. I’ve got to see some of the greatest mountains and (apparently) the greatest beaches in the US, yet nothing in between! This means I am very excited to get a proper taste of the USA and the diversity the states has to offer. I’m particularly excited to experience the laid-back, artsy culture of San Francisco, soak in the amazing views of the Grand Canyon and finally visit my dream destination… New York City baby! And then there is Vegas, which I still don’t know whether to be excited or nervous about (like, do they include tigers with every hotel room?)…

Once I’ve finished on my America Topdeck I head back to meet a friend for a few more days in the big apple, and then I fly over to Rome! I got to visit Italy briefly on my last trip to Europe, but I didn’t really have long enough to properly experience the country (or to eat enough Gelato). I’ll spend a few days revisiting Rome before catching a train to Cinque Terre!  Every time I see a photo of this incredible collection of seaside towns I want to shed a tear, so I can’t wait to get to take my own photos and share them with you. Once I’ve eaten my body weight in pizza and pasta, I’ll say Ciao to Italy and catch a flight over to Istanbul. If there has been any country on the top of my ‘place to visit’ list, Turkey would be it, hands down. It was about a year ago that I developed a mild obsession with Turkey. The Turkish cuisine, colorful and ornate decor, jaw-dropping landscapes- everything I’ve seen and read about this place seems to connect with my soul. To say I’m looking forward to doing a 12-day tour around the country would be an understatement.

Once I finish my tour of Turkey I’ll spend a couple more days in Istanbul before flying in to Split to do a week of sailing in Croatia! Cruising from island to island in the sunshine through crystal clear waters, I’m going to have such a tough job that week. I’m very much looking forward to getting some European sun on my pasty skin and living in a bikini. GOT fans eat your heart out, I even get a stop in Dubrovnik (now more commonly known as Kings Landing).

You can probably gather by now I’m just a little bit excited about the next few months. I honestly can’t wait to share the journey with all of you and I will keep the blog updated as regularly as I can. Lets hope for lots of good wifi!

Now, to celebrate all of this, I’ve got an amazing giveaway for you! I’ve got 2 prize packs to give away. Both include a $50 voucher to spend at Ciao Bella Travel online store, one with a Runaways Travel Bible (Australian residents) and the other a set of HuggleUp Polaroids (worldwide).  Entry is super simple… Just follow Polkadot Passport on Bloglovin’ or subscribe to the PDP mailing list (over on the sidebar) and you’ve entered yourself, it is that simple! Competition closes on the 24/6/15 and winners will be announced shortly after :)

Where is your next adventure taking you?