2014 was the year I would take my first holiday without my parents, I was 24. It might sound crazy sad, but that liberating feeling is nothing short of complete bliss. Doing your own thing and not having to take your younger siblings to the crappy end-of-week disco whilst your parents sneak away for a sherry or five. It’s pretty amazing.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, the world is huge – it was made to be explored and we should be dong just that. There are plenty of people who are happy where they are; not having gone anywhere and, although I hate to say it, that’s absolutely fine. However, I think that when you travel you learn things; you take on different cultures, different bits of various languages not to mention all the cool people you’ll meet.
You do get those odd fools that convert to culture know-it-alls, when really all they did was stay in a tourist resort and take a pre-booked car everywhere not even stepping foot onto anything remotely to do with the locals. Don’t be one of those pricks, when you travel – ACTUALLY TRAVEL. It’s all about getting out of that comfort zone and doing things you wouldn’t normally do, you’re away from home – relish in that.
Now, I wouldn’t tell you to venture into something with rose-tinted glasses. Travelling is both pricy and risky. For the most-part there are really good ways of travelling that don’t involve too much of a cost; charity volunteer and missionary work offer the opportunity to travel whilst helping communities. It usually only costs the return plane fare, food and accommodation is provided upon arrival. There are also some really cool companies that offer gap year holidays from as little as £2,000. Notable mentions include; Oyster Wolrdwide and Real Gap which both offer gap years where you can choose to either travel the world on a string of debauched activities (to your own peril, they don’t actually offer debauched activities) or you can tour various countries whilst taking part in charitable activities.
Let’s not beat around the bush, the world is a messy place full of deep and dangerous people. Don’t let that turn you off though. There are so many ways of keeping yourself safe when travelling, I must sound ridiculously boring right now… Firstly, I’d recommend going with somebody. It’s all good and well experiencing something by yourself – that’s your experience and no-one can take that away from you. However, when travelling with someone else, there’s reassurance that at least one of you will know what to do when things get a little too “The Beach”. Make sure you’re contactable – buy yourself a cheap phone that can handle international calls and make sure it’s preloaded with some credit and that at least three people have that number. Check in with those who need to, just so they know that you’re arriving and leaving each destination safely. Keep your medical credentials with you; it might just save your life.
There are some beautiful locations in the world, but unfortunately humans can be a bit shite and ruin things; so some of these places can be engulfed in conflicts. The home office has a seriously handy list that outlines countries of safety and danger to foreign visitors. It’s pretty extensive too – https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.
On a personal note, it is my dream to travel the world. Originally I wanted to travel in a huge hot air balloon like Phileas Fogg, but I’ve come to the realisation that it wouldn’t be the best option… I think in a way, it’s grounding – you appreciate home a lot more or you might even find that you want to move away. Either way, you’ll have a whole book of stories to share. In the hopes of not sounding like a motivational speaker – do something different in 2015, if you’re going to Spain – see real Spain; if you’re going to Paris, live like a Parisian and if you’re going to Thailand, see a LadyBoy pageant – I’ve heard many great things about them.
Merry Travelling.
HarliHarleeHarley 