AROUND THE WORLD IN...whenever.

It is somewhat of a tradition in Ireland for those of us fresh out of school or university to broaden our minds by widening our horizons. Indeed, travelling the world isn’t for everyone, but for those of us who want to see as much as we can before we settle down it seems that there is no shortage of adventures to undertake.

For the past thirteen months I have been travelling around Australia. Leaving Ireland seems like a lifetime ago, and the memories I have from my past few years of travelling could fill a lifetime.

It’s a strange thing to travel, and it changes you in subtle ways that are hard to perceive, but are positive in every way. For instance, I currently reside in Brisbane, with plans to move to Sydney in a month or so, and from there I have no idea where I will be taken. The peculiar thing is that I live with a group of people that I didn’t even know at the start of 2008, most I didn’t even know a month ago. There is a motley crew from around the world, working, partying, and living in a quiet suburb of Brisbane.

In the summer of 2007 I spent three months in San Diego, with a massive group of friends. We lived a few blocks from the beach and spent three months doing what all 21-year-olds would have done. We had the time of our lives.

I’m not cataloguing my travels to instil jealousy or envy, rather to encourage those that have no intention of travelling to consider doing something which takes them out of their comfort zone.

It’s not about money either. It’s about people. In fact, to say it is possible to travel on a shoestring budget is an understatement. I write this article with barley a bean to my name. I am working though, and trying to save after ringing in the New Year positively broke.

When I talk to my friends back home, some wish they were here, but some have no intention of ever leaving home for more that two weeks at a time.

One article is not enough to even begin to describe what it is to travel the world. I don’t even have the authority if you will, to give any advice. There is still so much of the world I want to see, and people I want to meet.

Socrates once said ‘the more you know, the more you realise you don’t know’, and the same is true for travelling. The more you see the more you realise there is to see. The point is not to see everything, because, quite frankly that would be wholly impossible. The point is to experience new things first hand, not vicariously through television or the Internet.

Travelling the world is not for everyone, but one thing that all human beings have in common is curiosity. It may have killed the cat, but it is a gift for us.

All I can say is that throughout my travels I have had stellar highs and desperate lows, but all of it has been an adventure. Granted it would be easier to do this if I were a millionaire, but I know in my heart of hearts it wouldn’t be as much fun.
If you ever feel the need to try something new then get robbed in Thailand, and let a taxi driver help you by explaining to the police what happened, and even buying you lunch. Get eaten alive by mosquitoes and bemoan the usefulness of ‘natural’ repellent. You know what they say; ‘without the sour, the sweet just ain’t as sweet’. Become flatmates with people you trust even though you didn’t know them a month before.

With the world currently in a financial crisis and Ireland in the proverbial shit, I have no intention of going home anytime soon. I mean the way I look at it, what’s the point in being broke at home, and looking for a job? When I can be broke in Brisbane, with a shitty job? In fact, if you are worried about the current global crisis, then why not travel? Take a ‘life time out’ and just ignore all the important stuff for a few years. If travelling the world is not in you, then travel the country. Do a road trip. Hitch, or hike throughout your own special part of the world. See where the toss of a coin will take you. Not only will it restore your faith in humanity, if you’re lucky, you may even realise what’s really important. I’m not there yet, but I have all the time in the world.
Don’t wait around…because life won’t.

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