Being 18 days in I want to have a look at how travelling or backpacking is. Before I go further I need to say that if there was a choice between this and being back in and office or a package tour, you know my choice. However I just want to work out the pros and cons and discuss the reality of this ordeal.
Firstly backpacking is tiring and disorientating and draining on your brain cells. We tend to stay in places no more than 2 days so every day or so we are I a new city, sometimes new country with a new transport system to work out. This can be so hard in heat or rain with 20kg strapped around you. When you arrive you want to explore and in a short time you try to find out what things cost and the cheapest way of feeding yourself. As we are pretty clued up people we tend to work it out within a few hours of moving on.
Eating is always something of concern. As budget is a consideration we tend to get street food which is often low on fresh produce. I've counter-acted this the best way I can. In France I had fish for a change. In Italy tried to get salads. Maybe a good point about eating is the calorie intake is probably lower than back in real life. Mainly because we snack and not have full meals. Our tea in Italy would be a slice of pizza for example, not healthy but that's all. Also our calorie output has increased as we probably walk at least an hour a day minimum. So on balance we eat less and exercise more. We just need to work on eating the right things. Furthermore, I personally found I was bad on drinking water back in reality whereas out here on the road I consume quite a bit. Result? Well I don't see it but I feel a little looser on my belt. I'm not dying on the big climbs like up to neuschwanstein yesterday.
Relationship. We are in each others faces 24/7 and we both like our space. I think we do ok and rows are minimal. Maybe we are both making an effort. That said occassional moments of space are great. My morning in Florence and at the moment when I am down here typing this and Sarah is upstairs in the dorm doing something. All that said, the stressful times we snap at eachother and we have to stop doing that.
Dreams; last time I went travelling in 2004 I had dreams that I popped back home quickly. I don't really have them now which possibly means I think very little of my old life in Britain. This is food as I feared I was suppressing something.
Boredom: this is tricky thing as we are technically and actually homeless. This shows itself when we fill time. Restaurants and cafes and bars cost money so we can't just sit in them when we want to fill time. We fill time by wandering. This can feel uncomfortable sometimes. Having nowhere in the world where you can veg on a sofa and just chill can Lear you feeling lost. A drunk came up to us in the street in Salzburg and asked what we do. I said I don't have a job. He asked where I live and I said "the world". In reality my passport is British and there is where I'd get deported to, but even so I feel globally homeless. When I reflect on that I actually like it in all honesty.
The day before yesterday. Sarah was giving me a heads-up on the reality of living in America. I think I'm aware that life isn't a breeze no matter where you live, but it's always good to hear this wisdom. Anyway it occurred to me throughout the conversation that I was a bit indifferent. America is so far away it doesn't register anymore. I won't enter the USA before winter 2013 even if things go well. There is so much that can happen before then.
Hostels: I used to love them and now I'm just ok with them. I guess ive become more used to hotels and sharing rooms is weird again. In the same way it would have felt weird to have a room to myself when I travelled on my own in the past. I also realise how old I am now. I no longer have as much in common with my room sharers as before. I'm also noticing how much electric sockets are like gold dust. We are all travelling with iPhones and laptops and each stop we look for power and wifi. Like we always used to source an internet cafe in 2004 and 2002. Before then I think we just wrote in journals and actually travelled. We shared addresses and telephone numbers and not facebook pages. I think I'm nostalgic for that. I think technology has ruined backpacking a bit. Says he typing on his netbook after finding a wifi hotspot.
This is a great life and beyond the reach of many, especially at my age. I am incredibly lucky. This is totally my thing. I have no known gypsy in my blood, if I did it would explain why I feel at home on the road. How I get stressed by the uncomfortable elements of travel yet simultaneously thrive on them, and feel the experience would be empty without an uncomfortable train journey or being lost in a strange and ugly city. Deep down I am both scared and excited beyond belief at the thought of China, whom a recent travel companion described as a mess communication wise. Somehow we will feed ourselves and move around and find a place to sleep..probably. The struggle to do that is the challenge I want to grab by the nuts and twist. I want stories and memories and wisdom, not likes on Facebook.
Firstly backpacking is tiring and disorientating and draining on your brain cells. We tend to stay in places no more than 2 days so every day or so we are I a new city, sometimes new country with a new transport system to work out. This can be so hard in heat or rain with 20kg strapped around you. When you arrive you want to explore and in a short time you try to find out what things cost and the cheapest way of feeding yourself. As we are pretty clued up people we tend to work it out within a few hours of moving on.
Dreams; last time I went travelling in 2004 I had dreams that I popped back home quickly. I don't really have them now which possibly means I think very little of my old life in Britain. This is food as I feared I was suppressing something.
Boredom: this is tricky thing as we are technically and actually homeless. This shows itself when we fill time. Restaurants and cafes and bars cost money so we can't just sit in them when we want to fill time. We fill time by wandering. This can feel uncomfortable sometimes. Having nowhere in the world where you can veg on a sofa and just chill can Lear you feeling lost. A drunk came up to us in the street in Salzburg and asked what we do. I said I don't have a job. He asked where I live and I said "the world". In reality my passport is British and there is where I'd get deported to, but even so I feel globally homeless. When I reflect on that I actually like it in all honesty.
The day before yesterday. Sarah was giving me a heads-up on the reality of living in America. I think I'm aware that life isn't a breeze no matter where you live, but it's always good to hear this wisdom. Anyway it occurred to me throughout the conversation that I was a bit indifferent. America is so far away it doesn't register anymore. I won't enter the USA before winter 2013 even if things go well. There is so much that can happen before then.
This is a great life and beyond the reach of many, especially at my age. I am incredibly lucky. This is totally my thing. I have no known gypsy in my blood, if I did it would explain why I feel at home on the road. How I get stressed by the uncomfortable elements of travel yet simultaneously thrive on them, and feel the experience would be empty without an uncomfortable train journey or being lost in a strange and ugly city. Deep down I am both scared and excited beyond belief at the thought of China, whom a recent travel companion described as a mess communication wise. Somehow we will feed ourselves and move around and find a place to sleep..probably. The struggle to do that is the challenge I want to grab by the nuts and twist. I want stories and memories and wisdom, not likes on Facebook.
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