Globetrotters Spotlight Story — James Thoman
Hi Globetrotters!
My name is James Thoman and I am a Canadian currently living in Australia. I recently arrived (early January) and am just starting to get settled in. Moving is difficult and takes time, as it turns out (who woulda thought)!
I love to travel for a number of reasons, including because I’ve done it for so much of my life in one regard or another, which all may be expanded on in a future story or two. But simply, I love meeting people and expanding my ever-growing network of interesting, loving, amazing friends.
I’m a recently converted techno head, and otherwise lover of club culture in its various forms around the world. That said, and I cannot possibly understate this, I LOVE dancing. I love the movement, I love the anonymous intimacy of being lost in a crowd of strangers all there enjoying the music and the moment, together, wherever I happen to be.
As I said, I come from Canada. I was born in Brampton, raised largely in Toronto, but had two six-month stints living in Havana as a boy, and I lived in New York State for two years between 13–15, before settling more permanently in Edmonton.
Right now I work as a bartender at a punk/metal live music venue in Melbourne, and I greatly enjoy the energy that the crowd seems to bring on a nightly basis. This is a new career for me. Previously, I spent 13 years in the Canadian army (between 16–29), all in the infantry, and was released as a Sergeant. I travelled a fair bit to some unique places with the job too — part of the allure that brought me in, to begin with.
It’s tough to say what the best place I’ve been to is, but I’d say my current favourite for nightlife is Berlin (where my techno conversion took place, if it wasn’t obvious enough). More generally, for architecture, city culture, an international crowd, and general liveability, my favourite place would have to be Vienna.
I’m a full-time student on top of a bartender, and I’m a burgeoning writer. So between all of those activities, and some trips to the gym, that’s more or less all I have time for — haha.
A top travel tip is difficult, perhaps I’d say… don’t plan things in too much detail. Have a rough idea of things you’d like to do or see, but otherwise have a block of time that allows you to flow. You have no idea who you’ll meet and where you’ll end up, for better or worse. That is where the true travel experiences come from, at least in my experience.
If I could live somewhere else (and I can), it would probably be Leipzig. Something about the greater German/Austrian culture and cityscapes is a magnet for me. Further, Leipzig is affordable, close enough to Berlin, and apparently “what Berlin was 30 years ago,” whatever that means — haha. Sounds pretty good to me. Perhaps the move is in the cards.
My favourite way to travel, historically, is alone. Being alone and on the road leaves me with no choice but to be extraverted and adventurous, and with nothing to constrain me other than myself, I can adventure properly and thoroughly. Although, now, I’d have to say that travelling with my wonderful partner is up there. I love her infinitely.
Three lessons from travelling? Sheesh. There are so many but here goes:
- To trust myself — nobody else will do it for you, so you have to become self-reliant in a deeper way than any other (that I’ve experienced).
- How to be alone — this one was a bit of a struggle for me at times. Travelling can be isolating despite all the fun and adventures. This is something that I learned even more so when moving around the world by myself (somehow the lack of an end date feels different than if I were just travelling).
- Travel is about adventure and exploration, sure, but when boiled down to lessons, it is about changing your perspective.
Okay, that’s it for now! I look forward to reading and contributing to this wonderful publication! See you out there fellow Globetrotters!
-James
