Travelling Makes You Older

Well, especially when you're "roughing it" while you're travelling (as the expression goes). I have travelled rough many times over the years - from since I was a young teenager camping (I don't need no blow up mattress, just give me a sleeping bag and a tent), to the numerous long flights and overnight train journeys without a bed just a seat, and to the many early morning and late night trips where I get only a mere few hours sleep. While travelling is fun, it is also ridiculously tiring, which is always failed to mention in travel brochures, and of course, when you're tired and haven't had a decent bed to sleep on or even had the privilege to shower, you begin to look haggard resulting in you aging faster than others.

I often come home from a trip and look myself in the mirror, and quite often am revolted with my reflection, with the massive black bags hanging beneath my eyes and noticing that my attempt to control my hair has failed, now it results in a frizzy mess which makes me look slightly crazy.

It's not only the exterior of myself that looks old, but I feel old inside. My back hurts. My neck hurts, I think I pulled a muscle and now it feels cramped. I have a mark on me, possibly a bruise or I have been bitten by something harmless, but no less, they have still decided to leave a mark on me, those pesty insects. Why does it hurt when I bend my fingers? Did I sleep on my hand? I'm dehydrated. I'm exhausted. I just want to sleep until tomorrow and be bright as the sun again.

As I get older in age, I start to begin to feel like my body can't handle the travel as well as it did 3 years ago, and perhaps I have become too accustomed to my home comforts. Alas when I am trying to crack my back, I often hear myself saying "I'm getting too old for travelling rough!"

It's a lie of course, I can still easily travel rough, and enjoy it - after the side effects have worn off and I don't look like an older woman, but a jolly and bright 20 year old. Yet travelling doesn't just age you in the physical sense, it also makes you old in your mind.

The idea that travelling makes you wiser because you have gained more knowledge from the outside world is definitely true. However, while I appreciate all I have learnt from the different cultures and countries I have visited, the knowledge I have appreciated most is self-knowledge: the many epiphanies I have during moments of travel when I am away from home.

When I first went on my big trip around Europe and UK alone for the first time when I was 18, I had left my home town having pissed off many of my high school friends. This simply because I was a know-it-all and thought I was better than my local town because I was doing far greater things and seeing the world, and I left with the threatening thought in my head that I wouldn't come home and wouldn't want to come home. (In fact I think I may have said this to one of my friends, that I might not return, and instead choose to study in the UK and not in Perth). However, when I began my trip of Europe with 50 other strangers (whom I would be with for the next 2 months) I was literally like a little fish in the ocean, whereas before I had felt like a big fish in a small pond. I was the youngest of the group, freshly 18, whereas majority of the group were 23 and above. No one really took me seriously, even if what I had say was something educational and relevant to the history of the country we were currently in. But they didn't care. They ignored my opinions and facts, they said I was too young to really know what I was talking about, and they thought I was some rich kid who was enjoying their gap year through their parents money funding them. It hurt a lot. Especially since I had been saving my own money for the last 2 and half years, so I was funding the trip myself; and furthermore I had just finished my university entrance studies on history, so when I said facts I was sure of what I was talking about. It wasn't everyone on the tour, but it was some, and it was enough to make me feel so completely small. Yet it was a good slap in the face, because seeing them being opinionated, 'know-it-alls', and smug towards me made me realise my own behaviour to how I acted back home. In high school I was always getting in arguments with others over nothing really, and the arguments would never get me anywhere, it was just an excuse I guess to really piss the other person off and perhaps maybe to feel powerful over them. It wasn't right, and there was no need for it. When you're a teenager though, you don't always realise these things until later on, and for me it was the year after I graduated. Spending time away from home really helped reflect on my actions in high school and who I really was as a person. And I didn't like what I saw. I didn't want to be that person who comes across as smug or opinionated. I had met those people on my trip in Europe, who were much older than me, and was so annoyed by how they treated me, so why would it be ok to treat others like that, especially the people who had been my friends for the last 5 years. So when I returned home, I wanted to be a better person. I tried being much nicer, a better friend, less opinionated (you don't always have to be right), less smug (above all, that was the most important, nobody likes a self-absorbed person, ever), and just really much more giving and kinder to everyone - even to those people who perhaps did annoy me at some point in life, but there is no point holding grudges, they never get you anywhere except becoming a bitter person who no one wants to invite to their birthday parties, since you ruin all the fun.
I hope I have become this better person that I seeked to be, and changed from my old ways (if any of my close friends, or family, are reading this, they can tell me if I have succeeded or not).

While my last trip abroad made me appreciate my friends much more (and of course my family) and made me reflect on myself, this trip abroad to Norway has definitely made me appreciate my home: Perth, so much more.

I used to be anti-Perth, I didn't exactly hate the city, but I wasn't completely in love with it. Especially with regards to work. I always said to myself (as my family, and close friends, would know) that as soon as I finished my degree I would more than likely move to the east coast, because there were more job opportunities there (for what I was studying, anyways). My view of Perth had always been "Well it is a nice city but there are so little opportunities here. It's definitely a great place to raise a family or retire, but to have a fulfilling career or to have a great social life, not exactly, the east coast takes it all". Yes I was cynical, but I have learned. Just before I left for Norway, I was volunteering at the local radio station and I also had a career mentor through my university who was offering me (and still offers me) much advice on career pathways in Perth. Through the radio station and my mentor, they helped me to discover, and in fact uncover, all the glories that Perth had to offer in regards to the arts/media/culture industry. It was as if they had forced me to take off my cynical blindfold and really open my eyes to what Perth had to offer - and there was so much. Thus, when I had to leave for Norway, I actually felt torn: I was excited for a new adventure, but I was just beginning to fall in love with my city and didn't want to be separated anymore. Since being here in Bergen, the love for Perth has grown ever stronger. I liked Bergen and did enjoy my time here, but there was a part of me always longing for Perth. My thoughts would often flicker to all the stuff I wanted to do when I get back, all the new places I could volunteer with. It was that last push I needed to make me realise that Perth is amazing, and I don't need to go the east coast to relish in a fulfilling career or great social life, because it was right on my doorstep the whole time.

So on that note, back to the whole point of the story, travelling really does make you older, in your maturity and mind. It is the one thing that makes you incredibly thankful for what you have and who you have in your life. It pushes you out of your comfort zone so much that it forces you to realise, and makes you reflect on yourself and your life. I'll always love travelling for the beautiful places I get to see, and the amazing new friends I get to meet, and of course the experiences it gives me - but it also makes me incredibly thankful. Thankful to my family and friends who support me, and still are loyal and love me even though I have gone off wandering for months on end. But they know I will always come back to them. And I always come back with even more love in my eyes for knowing they are still always there for me.

I relish every epiphany I have when I am away because it brings me closer to myself and of course to my real home.

Travelling on trains

In one of my first posts I wrote about how one cannot keep up their appearance whilst travelling on a plane, unless you were in first class or took bountiful amounts of beauty products with you to maintain yourself. Well while I travel by planes, whilst in the UK I travel often by trains because while it takes longer than just catching a plane, it is significantly cheaper, and you can get a chance to see so much more of the countryside than you would above the clouds in a plane.

Be warned though: if unprepared for a train journey, you could be in for a bad time.

So here’s some advice from me to you:

-       Book your tickets in advance! They will be much, much cheaper than if you purchase them on the day of travel. In addition to this, you also get to choose your seat.

-       When picking a seat, choose every preference you desire. Usually I pick a table because you get more room and can sprawl your stuff everywhere instead of at your feet (although be mindful of the types of people who share the table with, they might not appreciate it), and sit facing forwards (although backwards isn’t a huge issue), but one absolutely must choose a window! The best part about travelling on trains is being able to see so much of the countryside, and the countryside is incredibly beautiful heading north into Scotland, so don’t miss out on seeing it!

-       Bring plenty of food and water on your journey, but buy in advance at places like Tesco which are very cheap and offer many specials, unlike the food offered on the trains which prices are based on tourism charges so they will take unnecessary money from your pocket. (Also, since you have a lot of food it is always nice offering some to those sitting on your table, especially if you are taking up a bit of room, it’ll sweeten them up so they won’t notice your mess on the shared table).

-       Wear comfortable clothes. Most train journeys are quite long, so just like you would in a plane; choose comfort over style (or better yet, find comfy, stylish clothes!)

-       Bring hand sanitizer! The sinks don’t work very well, and you eventually feel very filthy once you reach your destination so at least this helps keep you fresh (I forgot mine on my train journey, my hands were hating me for the whole journey and I was filled with regret and kicked myself for forgetfulness).

-       Make sure your iPod is fully charged --- there is nothing worse than having your iPod die on a long journey and you have no other form of entertainment (I always take my iPod with me for good tunes whilst looking at the scenery, and also a book, and my laptop because sometimes wifi is available on certain trains).

Unfortunately, no matter how prepared you think you are for your upcoming journey, things don’t always go to plan and terrible events may occur.

This is the story of my recent train journey that was from London Euston station to Wick, Scotland. I had to take an overnight sleeper train from London to Inverness, and then in the morning catch my connecting train from Inverness to Wick. I left London at 7.50pm on Monday and did not arrive in Wick until 3pm Tuesday – that is how long my journey was. Usually I break up the journey by spending a couple of days in Dunblane with family before heading up, but due to time constraints I had to take the overnight train in order to get to my destination. I had never caught a sleeper train before so was a little apprehensive about it, especially because I was travelling with a cheap fare so I didn’t get a cabin with a bed like everyone assumes they would on a sleeper train, no instead I just had a normal seat and therefore did not have the luxury of privacy but these things happen in life, and you just have to suck it up and not make a fuss. Anyways, when I got on the train it was extremely hot; it actually felt like we had stepped into a sauna. While this may have been nice in the winter months, it was summer and London was in a middle of a heat wave, so it was actually ridiculously boiling inside the train carriage. There were about 12 of us passengers heading to Inverness in that carriage, and everyone else on the train were either in different carriages, in first class, or in cabins. Still we kept our spirits high and thought once the train started to move it would probably cool down. It didn’t. The real problem was that not only was the air conditioner broken, but also the windows were sealed so none of us could open them to get fresh breeze. I was sweating and angry at my choice of clothes as I did not expect it to be this hot, but I just sat there and melted away whilst trying to enjoy the scenery outside. It did not cool down in our carriage until about 2-3 hours later when the sun started to set, and I thought maybe I would be able to sleep all right in the end. Then we received some amazing news, due to a passenger consistently complaining about the heat in our carriage (our carriage was the only one with broken air conditioning) and as a result of many free cabins on the train, we got upgraded to cabins! We were all quite chuffed as we got to sleep in an actual bed instead of seats! Who said complaining got you nowhere, because it got 12 of us an upgrade and we didn’t even say anything! Although, every high peak has it’s downfall on the other side, and this wicked downfall came into my vision the next morning. I found out, after waking up at 8am thinking I’d be getting to Inverness at 8.30am, that we were delayed by 2 hours. Now I didn’t really care so much about another 2 hours, but I was freaking out with worry thinking I would miss my connecting train. Fortunately I made my connecting train on time, and funnily enough this train was warm too, so I was already in a sweaty filthy state, but I had to endure another 4 hours in another warm train making myself even more sweaty and filthy than before. It was worse than flying, if that is even possible (at least planes are always unbelievably cold so there is no chance of sweating furiously).

When I finally arrived in Wick and got to shower in the pure clean Scottish water, I felt fresh again and it was then and there I vowed to myself never ever should I go on an overnight sleeper train, not even if it’s the cheaper option. There is only so many times when I can rough it, and I’ve had enough of roughing it. 

"Packing is fun" said no one ever

I actually used to love to pack when I went on holidays when I was younger, going through my clothes and other bits and bobs and choosing my favourite picks to take with me.

However since I've grown older (and had to travel on my own), packing has been one stress I wish I didn't have to deal with.

The problem is this: I have a limit of 30kg from Perth to London, but then when I leave 5 weeks later from London to Bergen my baggage allowance is only 23kg, I'm going to be living in another country for 7 months so I need a good amount of clothes and shoes, but I'll probably be buying many things while away so I still need the extra room, and more importantly the kilos, to come back...

I try to aim for 20kg to take over, but I fail every time!

Then the next problem arises: So I decide to try take some stuff out to reduce the amount of kilos, but what should I take out??? Both England and Norway are pretty cold so I still need my warm clothes, but I also need summer clothes to layer because it's always warm inside. My toiletries weigh the most, and I'm thinking, do I really need to take my shampoo and conditioner? I mean it's cheaper for me to take them because I don't need to buy more while I'm over in Norway - and I'm a little hesitant in buying heaps of cosmetics and toiletries there because it could be a lot more expensive compared to what I would pay here in Perth.

I have come to the conclusion of either two solutions:
1. Take some stuff out my case to reduce the kilos
2. Purchase an extra bag when I leave from London to Bergen, which I found out isn't too bad if I purchase it online, it's an extra $50 but I get another bag with the allowance of another 23kg

To be honest I think I'm swinging towards both solutions. I can take some of my stuff out that I really can live without for 7 months, and I'll get an extra bag to be safe too - because I'm heading the UK for 5 weeks and they could be many goodies for me to buy which I don't want to miss out :)

My only stress will be coming back home... but I'll deal with that when the time comes nearer.

Time To Wander Again...

As soon as I had turned 18, I left all my friends and my family behind to go traveling Europe for eight months. When I came back to the sleepy town of Perth, nothing had changed. I mean sure the city was changing - more stores were being built, roads were changed, housing estates were appearing everywhere - but the people hadn't and everyone was still doing the same things and seeing the same people, and nothing seemed new.

I had itchy feet to go travel again about a two weeks after being back home in the same routine.

Unfortunately, I had no cent to my name when I came back, and needed to save money again was a high priority, and there was also something else blocking my rush to travel: my university studies.

I had already taken a gap year, and then the plan was to get my degree finished as soon as I could. If I still wanted to travel for months or years I could afterwards.

When I first went to the open day for the university a year before I traveled, an ex-student gave a presentation for the prospective communication & media students of her time in the degree. She had mentioned she went on exchange through the university to study in another country for either one or two semesters. The idea of being able to travel somewhere new whilst still earning my degree intrigued me greatly.

As soon as I started university I waited eagerly for the applications to study abroad opened and consistently was searching all the possible places I could go.

In March, six months after the application process was opened,  I was given a place for the University of Bergen in Norway.

I chose Norway because I knew that studying would be my best, and perhaps my only, chance at living in Scandinavia, and now I will be calling Bergen home for seven months.

My friends and family suggested I should start a blog, and the best way to commit to it would be through documenting my travels.

I tried starting a blog when I first went traveling solo at 18, but it failed terribly (I didn't even create the blog site). However, now at 20, I feel I am a little more wiser, and more importantly, I am more organised so hopefully I will commit to this blog and put as much love in it as I would any written work I do.

My new adventure, and my time to wander will begin again in only a week's time...

And every night upcoming to my flight I will be dozing off thinking of one Norwegian proverb, Berre den som vandrar, finn nye vegar, which means Only he who wanders, finds new paths...