There was always a clear objective when I went travelling for the first time – to break any comforts zones and see how I fared. This meant leaving the UK with very little cash, a return ticket and a bike. When I started I really wasn’t sure what to expect. On my own, absolutely nowhere near any support or people that knew me, it really was an all or nothing trip. Had I known then that in this one trip I would beat my fear of spiders, temper my fear of the sea, lower my fear of heights and prove that the youngest of 4 brothers wasn’t so young anymore – I would have taken better notes. It showed me I could work damn hard, socialise pretty good, was fun and could surprise myself with the person I could be.
From that one trip, I decided travel would always remain that to me – a challenge to my comforts and a test of my character and ability. Otherwise it’s just a holiday to me. I’ve been on these and they can be great, they can be stressful but when they are over, they are over. Whether that’s a trip to Canada for a wedding, a weekend in Paris or a week in a villa in Spain, a holiday is a holiday and ends when you come home. Travelling stays with you much longer.
Discovery is key to a quintessential travel story and while we discover more about the world, we should also discover more about ourselves. I never understood those that would arrive somewhere like Melbourne and spend their days recovering from a hangover from the night before, everyday. There is so much to a place and however brief your time there, I would want to discover as much as I could and its affect on me.
I would want to discover the food, the drink, the coffee, the local produce, all the markets, the feel of the sun in the morning, the light of the moon at night, the aspect of the stars, the humour, the history and the stories that made the place and the people what they are.
To this end I have –
- Biked solo 1,400km from Auckland to Christchurch with just a tent
- Camped on Bondi Beach
- Camped on Byron Bay
- Hitchhiked from Melbourne to Sydney
- Slummed it in Melbourne and Sydney
- Worked a solid 56 hours
- Surfed in Surfer’s Paradise
- Skydived over the Great Lake
- Scuba Dived the Great Barrier Reef
- Sailed the Whitsundays
- Hiked the Snowdon horseshoe via Crib Goch
- Interrupted a peaceful holiday in Toronto to blitz New York for 3 days
- Dj’d in the middle of tropical rainstorm in a Queensland Rainforest
- Dj’d Marina Bay Sands in Singapore
- Went walkabout on Wilsons Prom
- Got ridiculous buses instead of flying
- Played Barman to the Formula 1 stars
- Dj’d the biggest EDC festival in Melbourne
- Became an honorary junior school student with school group at Sydney Observatory
- Hiked around Northern Thailand
- Chased a girl across South East Asia and brought her home
and much more.
I look forward to documenting it all and if you fancy having a read of adventures passed and adventures to come, I’d love to hear from anyone with similar stories, recommendations or suggestions.
A piece of me never came back from travelling and I doubt it does for most, it stays out there reminding us everyday that we need to go back and find it again.