As you watch the life of any traveller through the filtered images of their Instagram accounts, what you see might encourage a number of feelings from you about their life – impressed, inspired, jealous – maybe even angry or frustrated!
But what you forget, is that nomads and travellers are not mythological creatures, I am not a unicorn. I am a human who sometimes accidentally pees on her own sandals at the side of the road. Continue reading Guts and Glamour
After some time, and several more phone calls, it had become clear that this woman, this helpful stranger, was my only hope. In hindsight, I probably could have been a little more confident and independent and selected a trustworthy taxi driver from the crowds of men shouting “Taxi? Taxi!” in my face.
But I wasn’t confident.
I didn’t feel independent.
I was totally alone.
I was starting to question whether my charity was even real. Continue reading Part 5 – Westgate
Three hours after my flight had touched down in Kenya, I was relieved to be sitting.
Sat on a knee-high wall at the exit to the airport, I had finally given up and removed my backpack, resting it safely upright between my knees.
Still no sign of a pick-up. Continue reading Part 4 – Stranger
In Malay orang means “person” and utan is derived from hutan, which means “forest.”
The Malay words for the tree-loving sun bear mean “he who likes to sit high.”
Continue reading ‘He Who Likes to Sit High’ and the Forest People
September 3rd
It’s time. We are officially inside the 12 weeks mark and now I can talk about it.
Let the countdown commence to the next leg of my trip. The scariest and most exciting part so far, because this, my friends… Is the home run!
Continue reading 10 Experiences I Will Not Shut Up About Until You’ve Tried Them
48% of British voters were today disappointed with a decision from the UK voter majority to leave the EU. Heck, I’m not even mad, that’s amazing… Continue reading No Backsies
As an adventure addict, a rainy day can really put a dampener on your days off. If you’re travel obsessed, but the weather is proving to be a soggy obstacle, here are a few suggestions for activities to see you through a dreary day while waiting for the world to turn a little bit further. Continue reading BORED TRAVELLER – Top 10 Things to Do With A Rainy Day
I could spend a few hours training these words into some beautiful, endless, Shakespearean passage that will make your tummy fizz, your feet itch and your eyes water. But I’m not that poetic and I love lists. So here’s what I think, in list form.
Travel is…
An escape
A journey
A destination
A means to an end Continue reading What is Travel?
In one of my first posts on this site, I told you about my bucket list.
It would seem redundant to have posted that list if I had no intention of ticking items off somewhere along the way, so this is just a quick update, to say that I have marked two items off in the last month:
Number 9 – Bungee jump
and
Number 16 – Get a tattoo
You can check up on my progress at Act Positively, Plan Negatively, And Expect Nothing
I’ve been fairly quiet lately, I’ve been silently brewing a few posts under the surface
New material COMING SOON!
I’m repacking my bag, ready for the next adventure.
It turns out there are only about 3 items I still carry with me which are originals from the first bag I packed.
Time for a tally!
Days away from home: 916
Amount of times I have had to replace/re-purchase the following items:
Bank cards x4;
Cameras x3;
Earphones x3;
Thongs/Flip flops/Jandals x4 (It should be noted, that the first pair had lasted me 7 years prior to this trip); Continue reading A Travel Tally
1. Home is a small town in South Wales, where my immediate family live and where I grew up.
2. Home is Fremantle in Western Australia, where I felt healthier than I’ve ever been and made great friends.
3. Home is Broome, where I discovered a person inside me I’d never even known existed, faced my fears and fell in love.
4. Home is Auckland, where I am right now, looking for work and a place to rest my head at night.
5. Home is wherever I can get my hands on a prawn cocktail flavour crisp sandwich.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, we all have little quirks that annoy others. Friends, family, loved ones, they are most likely to tell you when you’re doing something that causes frustration, or give off clear signals to suggest that your behaviour is not to their liking. But what about people you don’t know? What about the ever-so-polite people you meet every day who you don’t even realise you’re upsetting!
For those with the money to do it in style, I’m sure you’ll shrug off the trusty backpack. Maybe you always choose the upgrade to a private room on group tours, or have a personal chauffeur to drag your overweight suitcases to and from the limousine for you, where you travel with leg room and a three course meal and champagne, served to you by a monkey in a top hat and tails on golden roller skates. Maybe not. I don’t know you. But when you travel on a shoestring budget, you are likely to experience some pretty cosy sleeping arrangements, a few sweaty and awkward public transport journeys and some accidental elbow bumping at hostel mealtimes.
Your experiences whilst travelling are completely unique to you, but wouldn’t a few universal ground rules make things mildly more comfortable? Please take a minute to consider a few suggestions for appropriate backpacker conduct.
The Troublesome Traveller 