"Believe in yourself, not only in swimming, but in life itself. You always have to have fun. You have to have an open mind. If you're not enjoying it, don't do it. Life's too short."
-Debbie Meyer
Travel is a strange beast. It leaves you sleeping in dining room lobbies at 4 a.m., sweating, miserable and violently ill with nothing but squatter outhouses. It forces you to trust complete strangers, often with your life. These are the moments you cling to like your last roll of toilet paper.
During my year abroad, I will always remember falling down waterfalls, flashing strangers and spraining my ankle over the course of thirty seconds. First aid was nowhere to be found so ice, herbal balm, and cheap whiskey shots served as my band-aid solutions for the pain. If nothing else, these experiences become great stories when people ask about your trip.
I had to travel quite a few times with friends and family before I worked up the nerve to take on the world as a solo traveller. If I had known of its wonders, I would have done it much sooner.
Solo travel is a great way to meet people and you don't even have to be an extrovert to do it. Luckily, most travellers are just as insane and the locals generally find you entertaining enough to hold a conversation or two. Heck, they might give you a city tour on the back of their motorbike if you're up for it.
Before I completely lose you in travel anecdotes, I'll introduce these works. These are the best and worst moments of two months spent backpacking through South East Asia. Travel is truly a wonderful instrument that opens the heart and the mind to ideas of which it was blissfully unaware.
Feel free to share travel stories or fun anecdotes. I love to hear them!
Credit for cover image: Necip Yanmaz
http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/fishermen-myanmar-16142738?st=5b9dead
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Adventures in South East Asia
Non-FictionAfter spending a year teaching in Thailand, I longed to travel with only my quirky self to keep me company. My journey started in Myanmar where temple cycles and village treks exposed me to the past and present of this intriguing nation. I returned...
