25 Years A Traveller

 It’s interesting when you reflect back to when you first started travelling and to where you are now. For me, that was towards the end of 1996, over 25 years ago.

I look back and think how much I have grown, the changes I’ve made, the challenges I overcame, and of course those life-changing moments. Over the years I’ve lived in different cities around the world, explored over 50 countries, made countless friends, learnt (well attempted) languages, experienced cultures by spending time with locals, and created a lifetime of memories.

During this time I learnt to travel solo, with mates, my wife, and now as a family. 

I was lucky in my early days, as a 10-year-old my parents worked hard, saved, and sacrificed to take my sister and me on a 2 month trip around the U.S.A and Mexico, well if you count a day trip to Tijuana as Mexico.

I instantly fell in love with travelling, exploring cities, living out of our backpacks and suitcases, and meeting new people. 

Our first trip to America with Mum and Dad, wish I had more photos

Even today I can still clearly remember parts of that trip like it was yesterday. As a teenager I dreamed of going travelling, we had an atlas in the living room and I would spend hours looking at it, picking countries I hoped to visit but not knowing what was there.

But as I grew older times changed, sports took over, hanging with mates, and soon University became my way of life.

Instead of travelling I was thinking about my teaching career, buying a house, and settling down. 

Towards the end of my final year at Uni I decided to visit one of my best mates who had moved to Whistler in Canada.

I thought this would be a great way to celebrate graduating from University. I accepted my first teaching role and immediately boarded a flight (14 years after my first trip) thinking this would be my overseas experience (my O.E.). After this trip, I would settle down, focus on my career and save for that house.

The walk home around the golf course. It was a 15 minute walk from the home to the chairlift. Longer when returning… I could have caught the bus but I walked everyday… a winter wonderland

Wow, I loved that trip, skied most days, it instantly reminded me of my first time travelling, though without my parents.

The freedom, the excitement.

Now my mate worked as a ski instructor and was busy with clients most days so I mainly skied by myself. At the end of most days, I ended up in Merlin’s bar.

In the beginning, I would grab a beer and either join a table with people at it, very brave I know, or sit at a table by myself and then people would come and ask if they could join me.

After a couple of weeks, I knew all the bar staff and most of the regular people in it. I ended up having many a great night in Merlins.

I even had my first white Christmas while in Whistler and this was something special. I skied Christmas morning and then all the flatmates prepared a dish (from their homeland) for Christmas dinner. A truly memorable day.

All this while living in my mate’s walk-in wardrobe (it even had a window that looked up the mountain). 

Another BIG night to Merlin’s bar, I loved this place.

As my time wind down I headed to Vancouver for my final few days. I’d never stayed in a hostel before and was a little nervous as I arrived on my own.

However, I need not have worried as within a few hours a met a great group of people with who I would spend my time exploring the city and partying. 

It happened that on my final day in Vancouver and Canada that 5 others friends from our group were also flying out to various other destinations. so we all shared a taxi to the airport.

Now as it turns out my flight was the last to leave.

We settled into a bar, overlooking the runway and over the next few hours, one by one they left, I even watched their planes depart, until it was just me sitting on my lonesome. And then it dawned on me…

I’M NOT READY TO GO HOME!

So many great nights out and so many parties, some I can remember and some… well… I made it home… eventually

Now the cool thing would have been to cash in my plane ticket and head off on a new adventure right!

Well… sadly no I boarded my flight and flew home. See, I had spent all my money skiing and I literally had nothing to my name.

But in my heart, I knew what the next chapter of my life was and it certainly wasn’t about saving for a house and settling down.

Within 14 months I was back on a plane this time to England. My sister had a flat in London so this was where I planned to spend my first few months.

Now I lived on and off in London for 7 years, I lived in different flats during that time, all over West London.

I’ve seen many flatmates arrive fresh off the boat and struggle with this city, missing home and family. Some lasted while others returned home. I never had that, I remember looking out of the window, on my first night, as a light dusting of snow fell giving me a warm tingling in my body and thinking… I’m home.

Great mates who I met in London and we still keep in touch today.

I spent the next couple of years partying and living it up in London while travelling to areas such as the Middle East, South East Asia, and around Europe.

My Middle East trip was the only tour-operated adventure I did. However, I loved it! Two trucks and 50 fellow travellers, it was a blast. We started in Istanbul, Turkey, and travelled overland for 6 weeks, finishing in Egypt.

After this, I spent a couple of weeks travelling around Israel.

First trip to Turkey and Anzac cove, great couple of days though unsure about that lime green top

One thing I learnt was a liked travelling countries less touristy such as Syria and Lebanon. So when I spent the following summer exploring Europe, instead of following the KIWI/OZZIE trail we opted for countries where we could meet locals, or more important wanted to meet us e.g Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland e.t.c.

At the time these counties were also cheaper to travel and we could make our money go further.

The less I spent, the more I travelled.

Now I wasn’t a tight arse I still did everything I wanted to do and partied it up. I just made sure to spend more of my time in countries where my money would last longer.

I remember this was a hot day on Krk Island in Croatia but the water was freezing hence the water bottle on the sea

While I loved living in London the winters were a challenge and to be honest I only spent one winter (my first year there) as I returned from the Middle East in December with very little money.

So the following winter I decided to spend most of it in South East Asia (mainly Thailand and Malaysia) with an old girlfriend.

We spent nearly 3 months in those two countries alone (before travelling to other countries) and hardly spent any money.

British Airways also helped (250 pounds each) by bumping us to a later flight when we flew from London to Bangkok.

I came here for a couple of days and finally dragged myself away after ten. Tub Tims Resort and beach on Ko Samet, Thailand

So I made the decision to leave London around late October each year and return around Easter the following.

In late 2001 when it began to cool down I needed somewhere different to head to, I chose Guatemala.

More importantly, I was a solo traveller for the first time since my first trip to Canada and I was heading to Central America with very little Spanish.

In fact, I had never really travelled on my own before, in Canada, I mainly stayed in Whistler and Vancouver. Hardly what I would call travelling.

I was a little nervous yet excited about what lay ahead.

As it turned out I was only when alone when I felt I wanted to be. I meet so many great people, travellers, and locals alike.

Some I travelled with and some I hung with for just a day or two.

Hanging out with a great bunch of lads from Israel in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rico.

As my Spanish was pretty poor I immediately moved in with a local family in a small town called Antigua and checked into a language school.

I can totally recommend this.

The family became my family and I was made to feel part of it. They took me to family functions, local events and most importantly helped me learn the language.

I learnt a lot about myself, how to step outside my comfort zone and enjoy it, how to meet locals/travellers, talk in Spanish, and travel around with ease.

When I left I found a newfound confidence, a belief in myself. 

Travelling with family through Nevada and California

By 2002 I’d met my future wife, in fact, we met just before I left for Guatemala, and… love does some strange things, it can seriously burn a hole in your back pocket.

You see she lived in Germany and as everyone says, long-distance relationships don’t work. Well, we made it work, phone calls, regular visits before she finally moved to London and that was that.

Now I was back travelling as a couple.

Connie, Lukas and Sawyer relaxing in our beach hut in Dierhagen

I also learnt how to travel business class on European flights. I discovered this more by chance than good management as I was late for a flight from Heathrow and Leipzig (watching football at the bar).

My name was called out over the PA system so I made a mad dash to get to the gate, upon arrival they told me I was the last passenger and once on the plane, the crew was so busy closing the doors I just quickly sat in the first seat available, which happened to be in business class. 

Once we were airborne I just thought the cabin crew would ask me to leave and go to my assigned seat.

Instead, they brought me a beverage and a full lunch.

AWESOME!!

So every time I travelled on my own I would wait at the opposite gate, listen for my name and the number of other passengers called, and then once they were on board I’d board and sit in the first available seat. Not once did I ever get asked to move. Now, this was between 2001-2003 so I can imagine this would be unlikely to happen today.

The boys relaxing on Muri Lagoon in Rarotonga

As my 20’s came to a close (2003) I looked back, yep they really were about parting and travelling, a real work to live philosophy. It was hard to believe I only worked one full year.

I entered my 30’s I had a new plan, as my 20’s were for partying I thought maybe my 30’s were for working.

With that Connie and I returned to New Zealand.

Another relaxing time at Railey Beach. We holidayed here a few times before it became over run with tourists

However, we struggled to settle, we weren’t ready and at the end of the year, we were back on a plane and off again.

After one whole year of working we needed to travel, so we headed back to Central America for 4 months.

Travelling with Connie was a breeze, we loved exploring new countries but were drawn mainly to areas with water, beaches, lakes, and rivers.

She didn’t want flash/fancy accommodation though we did reward ourselves now and again. She was my perfect travel companion. So when I suggested we move to the Middle East, she said ‘Yep’ and within 8 months we were living in Dubai. 

Our Guatemala family, they certainly took great care of us

The money here was good, it included a great package and there were plenty of new places and countries to explore.

To my surprise, we spent the next 3 and a half years in Dubai, yep full-time working. Dubai is an interesting city, we arrived in August 2005 and left in January 2009.

As you know the more you live in one place the more you understand or get to know it.

There was massive construction happening all over the city and the construction of this was completed by many, many subcontinent workers, working long shifts, construction went 24/7. We heard the stories about the camps these workers lived in and the working conditions.

The other side to the glitz and glamour of this city. 

Our wedding day at Paradise Cove, Oahu, Hawaii

We never really settled though, I found teaching a challenge, kids and their parents were great but man you had to jump through loops, check your philosophy at the door, this is how we do it here.

People ask why did we continue to stay. The main reason was the money, we had bought our first house in mid-2006 and wanted to hammer the mortgage down.

We also made lots of great friends, some are still there today.

Our social life was great too, with plenty of events to attend, activities to enjoy, beaches to relax on and plenty of amazing cafes and restaurants.

And finally the travel, 2 months paid summer breaks, mainly to new/different parts of Europe or the Americas.

Shorter school breaks were to Asia or exploring other parts of the Middle East. 

Plenty of great times when we lived in Dubai

In the end, though our time did run out, we wanted to start a family and Connie wanted to move into our house that we bought.

I was over the school I was teaching at too. So at the beginning of January 2009, we packed up, said our good-byes, and boarded a plane bound for New Zealand …again but this time it was for a much longer time. We felt ready. 

Little did I realise I was about to change from traveller to holidaymaker in the blink of an eye.

From 2009-2019 we continued to head overseas sometimes back to Germany or the States or the South Pacific, South East Asia and Australia.

2010 was the arrival of our first child, a boy and it was only a matter of 4 months before he was on a plane to Germany.

Connie and Lukas cruising across the Anderman Sea

His first of many flights was a breeze. He already had the travel bug.

Our 2nd child (another boy) finally arrived at the beginning of 2017 though he had to wait until 6 months before his first flight, once more to Germany.

And so it was, trips here, holidays there, exploring the world with our boys. 

Lukas’ first flight at four months, he is a great traveller.

Then at the end of 2018 beginning 2019, we travelled to Cuba via the States and Mexico (Cancun).

It was way cheaper to purchase visas for Cuba at Cancun airport.

We entered Cuba with one backpack, (half full of nappies and other baby stuff) two shoulder bags, and our boy’s car seat, the car seat was a waste of time as most cars in Cuba don’t have seat belts.

We spent the next couple of weeks travelling around Cuba to such places like Playa Giron, Cienfuegos and Trinidad.

Now Cuba does have the internet but it can be slow, sometimes restaurants have access or you can buy internet cards and sit in certain ‘hot spots’ to get access. 

We spent one hour on the internet in Havana just getting information for certain parts of our trip.

After that we gave it away, we did try a couple of times when local hosts asked us if we would like the password but it was always too slow. Anyway, we only wanted to send a quick message to the family. 

Family photo with Che at the Plaza de la Revolución

Instead, we travelled like we did when I first started travelling, taking taxis to the bus station to book the next trip before it sold out, talking to locals about the best activities to do or events to see, and even the best restaurants to eat at.

We loved spending evenings with our hosts, chatting about the history of Cuba, their life past and present, and even discussed our country.

All this while drinking the most beautiful mojitos while our boys played with other local kids.

We loved the quality family time, playing card or board games, and helping our boys with their Spanish. We love travelling around Cuba with our kids and would recommend it to any family.

But the most important learning I took away was the discovery of what it was like to be a traveller again, over the past 10 years I’d been a holidaymaker.

I didn’t realise I had become one until we travelled again.

I’d found my happy place and since then, as a family, we decided to travel more and holiday less. 

Lukas and Sawyer getting ready for their next adventure

Sadly 2020 saw the end of my 25-year streak, travelling to a different country from the one I’m living in. 

However, that’s the way of the world right now, travel seems a long way off, trips are planned but as the pandemic continues we just wait with our fingers crossed hoping that when the borders open up we get the chance to venture off again, my backpack is getting dusty and we are itching to go.

Now when I do reflect I think about how lucky I am to have had so many experiences.

I’m so grateful to my parents who took me to America at the age of 10 and planted the seed of travel and adventure that now I’m happy to pass onto my boys.

I think about the cities, towns, areas I’ve visited that became my favourite spots. Places I return to and enjoy every moment. As well as those places whereupon I’ve returned only to be left empty, disappointed because it’s changed, overdeveloped. No longer a travellers secret, the secret is out and has now become the victim of its own success. I’m looking at you Railey Beach…

Spending time together creating memories with friends and family

I think about the friendships I’ve formed and the families I became a part of and how richer I am for having these people in my life. Even if I don’t see them as much as I would like to.

I think how lucky I was that I walked into a bar one night in London and met a lady who would become my wife, my best friend, an amazing mum to two beautiful boys, and who I want to grow old with.

Finally, I think about the places we are yet to visit and the memories we are yet to make. This is what I look forward to the most, the family planning travel sessions, the countdown, and the excitement of boarding the flight to our next destination.

Chance to get a quick family photo as we wander along the walk way on Laguna Beach.

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