Keeping travelling alive

It’s been over 5 months now that I returned home from my round the world travels lasting 6 months, and yet I still have itchy feet and can’t seem to sit still for more than 5 mintues without daydreaming about my next destination, or leafing through travel guides on where I could possibly go next- just to avoid the ”real world” of work.

Now it doesn’t seem real that this time last year I was preparing myself for an adventure of a lifetime, and wondering what this travelling malarky will really be like. Will I get lost in the middle of nowhere? Am I going to get mugged and lose all my belongings in the streets of Bangkok? Will I actually survive? Thinking back to it, I did think some silly questions, and pack an awful amount of stuff (10 pairs of socks- what was I thinking!), only realising that I had too much when I arrived at London Heathrow and could hardly lift my backpack from the car…hmmm great start.

When I finally got my bag on the scales, and it rolled in at 18kg, it dawned on me that I’m going to have to carry this stupidly heavy 18kg bag around the world with me for 6 months. It was then that I decided it should be called ‘The Incredible Bulk’, ‘Ibble’ for short. I mean the bag was so huge, that if you was behind me you would have only seen a massive bag with a pair of legs coming out at the bottom. Being short doesn’t help matters. I’m sure people actually still mistake me for a child. ”H’mm, I’m only 5ft2 (and a half)- by the time I return I would have shrunk to 4 foot, unless I chuck some gear!”

Since being home, I’ve not been able to stay in one location too long. Back at the parents gets me frustrated, but is currently the only option since spending all my money seeing the world. It seems that I’ve not actually stayed at home for more than 2 weeks at a time, and then I’m off galavanting the country. That’s what I miss most, the random places you end up at, and the spontaneity, the people you meet and the random chats you have at 3am. It’s crazy. I actually do miss bumping into locals, and end up making bracelets with them, or trying to play the didgeridoo and just making a fool out of myself, and attempting to learn more of the language. It’s so much more different than meeting locals at home. I find it refreshing.

The only way I can seem to keep this travelling alive is to keep on travelling, even if it is a weekend in Warwick seeing Warwick castle, or going over to the Isle of Wight and trying to play crazy golf at as many crazy golf locations as possible in 48 hours! I’ve never been on so many trains in England in my life in such a short space of time. It’s as if I’m trying out the cheapest way to get from A to B on a budget, and I must say, I’m having a great time doing it.

Camping in the Lake District, quick city break in Prague, discovering how uphill Edinburgh actually is- I’ve decided even mini breaks can give me that travelling fix I so badly need. And when you find out you can get to London from Southampton for only £1 each way- of course I’m going to go to London for a long weekend. I can’t resist a bargain!

So even though I miss the beaches of Australia, the many gorgeous sunsets I’ve seen throughout South-east Asia whilst sitting on the beach enjoying a cocktail or 3 at Happy Hour. Not forgetting sampling the amazing food on street stalls; I know that it’s only a matter of time that I will be off somewhere else experiencing something crazy, and definitely not too long until I can grab my not so heavy backpack and set it upon my shoulders like so many times before and set off into the distance for the next journey of a lifetime.