When did ‘travelling the world’ become going to Australia?
After many years of schooling, the monotony of working towards an abject goal becomes too much for some, and before jumping straight into the grind, they opt to ‘travel the world’.
But when did ‘travel the world’ become a byword for going to the east coast of Australia?
Cynicism can creep up on you early into your trip. When you first meet people, after exchanging names and where you’re from, the tedium of listing countries you’ve been to/are going to begins. It’s like everyone was handed the same synopsis of their travels at the airport, and told to regurgitate it at every opportunity.
“It’s like everyone was handed the same synopsis of their travels at the airport…”
Invariably, along with a few other places, Australia makes the list, specifically travelling the east coast in a campervan, an overpriced tourism bus, or if you’re really edgy, hitchhiking.
Another competitive question, masked as genuine interest, which may get thrown at you is, “How long have you been travelling for?”. Someone once told me they had been “travelling for five years.” This was a lie. It turns out he had told his friends he was going travelling, flew to Australia, and got a job. He had moved to Australia.
Small World? No it’s not.
My brother was in a campsite on the Gold Coast when he ran into a girl he hadn’t seen since school. After the list of destinations and time spent travelling conversations, they paused to take in the random nature of their meeting, she quipped, “Small world.” No. No, it’s not. The world is very, very big. They were both the same age, had just finished university, and had both decided to ‘travel the world’, which, as we know, means… going to the east coast of Australia. If they had met in a roadside cafe in rural Mali, the phrase may have been warranted, but not here.
Since hearing that story I’ve noticed every time someone uses those words and realised that although they actually mean what they are saying, what they are saying isn’t actually what they mean. It’s not the massive coincidence they believe it to be, it’s just something that was almost certain to happen based on the situation.
[Example] I live in Gibraltar. I overheard my friends’ parents, from England, talking with one of their old school friends, who had just moved up the coast in Spain. They hadn’t seen each other for YEARS. I heard the words. The thing is, they both come from a fairly affluent background, and have both recently retired. Loads of English people retire to Spain, specifically the Costa Del Sol, and it’s much easier for those who have a bit of money, so it’s fairly likely that my friends’ parents would know at least someone in the area.
“It’s not like England but hot, it’s like England but more extreme”
Tangents aside, here’s one final point about Australia. I ran into someone I knew (obviously) in Melbourne, and they remarked, as many do, that Australia had little to offer in comparison to the other countries on their list, and that it was just like England, but hotter. Being from Britain, whenever I met a local, they made some hilariously unique joke about how much it rains. Rich. I can say in all honesty, that I’ve never been to a country with such erratic weather in all my life. The north sees torrential, end-of-the-world, purchase-a-canoe-immediately downpours, the middle of the country will kill you, and somewhere like Melbourne can switch from hot and sunny to freezing in the rain in seconds. It’s not like England but hot, it’s like England but more extreme, in a bad way.
Next time you plan a ‘round the world’ trip, try New Zealand.
