Travel
Ever since I was a child, just going around the lanes on my bicycle or skateboard, I have always loved the adventure of travel – the unknown, something different, something new. And I feel the same way today… even though now the ‘lanes’ may be on another continent. I have been extremely lucky to continuously feed my passion for travel.
I love the excitement of it all–feeling like an explorer–discovering a new land, a new language (more hearing then speaking), new money and all the little challenges that go along with it. When I travel, I am more spontaneous and don’t live for the future or the past… just in the moment. Being impulsive and saying ‘yes’ to nearly everything is part of the fun.Traveling seems to give me a near constant adrenaline rush. Recently traveling by myself with my camera is my new found love. Yes, with mates it is funny as it can get, and you can't beat a lads trip for a good time...but when with my camera and myself only ,the experience becomes as good as I make it, this is when i started to understand who i was then and what really I could do off my own back!
Traveling can be a challenge, but to me, a fun challenge that I enjoy conquering time and time again. Plus it sure beats having to vacuum, pay bills, or shop for toilet paper.
World travel broadens your mind in so many ways. You meet new people, share new experiences, and let down your guard much more than when back at home caught up in the mundane day to day routine of life that we think is normal. I get to see how the world lives.. I learn about the differences and embrace the similarities. I am not there to complain about how it is ‘so different than back home,’ but rather to appreciate these dissimilarities. Just because something is different does NOT mean it is wrong and in many cases it can even be better. And, the people I meet get to know a bit about me, my world, and my background which can help dispel some other stereotypes as well.
I love the logistics. I like landing in a new place and trying to figure it all out myself. Where to get money. How to speak the language. How to go from point A to point B. How to pack my bags right so I don’t go insane after packing it for the 135th time. Gaffa taping my gear to my bag has become abad habit. Well, okay, maybe I don’t love that mundane task, but I still figure it’s better than all the tedious chores I left back home when I decided to travel...like the bins on a Monday. It all actually becomes easier and easier as it goes and gives you the sense of confidence that you can do anything. If I can plop down in an airport amidst the chaos in Hanoi and manage to get myself into the heart of town and find a place to stay, all the while, not getting ripped off and keep my sense of humor, then I am certainly not really worried about being able to go anywhere, anytime.