The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, Travel Milestones From Two Years On The Road…

Some people find travel milestones a big deal, whether it is their first time on a plane, to their six years they’ve been on the road, personally, I didn’t give it much thought, until I touched down in Budapest.

I arrived back in Budapest for a quick one night stay, after flying in from Sarajevo on my way to Bucharest, as I touched down in the city, I realized it was pretty much two years to the day, that I had left (I know others like to say ‘quit’ their jobs, but that sounds all terribly dramatic to me,) my job, to travel the world.

When I first arrived in Budapest I was a wide-eyed boy, Hungary was only the sixth country I had ever been to and my first in eastern Europe. Two years later and with over forty six countries under my belt, I had absolutely no idea back then my adventures would take me from the golden triangle of Burma to the pristine and stunning Canadian scenery, (where I saw my first bear!) So, as I sit on this train, heading into the heart of Romania, I think now is the perfect time to sit back and do a bit of reminiscing, on the good, the amazing and the ugly.

Note, this list could have run for years, but I wouldn’t subject you to that, so I just picked two for each category.

The Good

Bears!

One of my first travel highlights and something that sticks out in my memory, is Canada, a country packed full of truly stunning scenery. From hiking up Mount Seymour to exploring the abandoned military base on Victoria Island, but what I really wanted to do while I was there, was see a BEAR! I am not too sure why I was so excited to see a bear, I had grown up watching Bear In The Big Blue House, so maybe I was influenced by that, for the record though real Canadian bears look nothing they do in the cartoon.

Osaka!

Often tourists and long-term travellers alike struggle to describe exactly what they like Japan. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever actually met anyone who actually didn’t like the country, it’s got a bit of everything, stunning scenery, amazing historical sites and after the horrors that can be SE Asia transport, an amazing railway network. Spending three weeks in Osaka seemed like a long time while I was there, but looking back now, part of me wished it had been a month, two months! Any country where you can buy a chocolate eclair at 3 am is fine by me. Plus, I am no foodie, but Osaka tried its best to convert me, the food there was truly amazing!

The Amazing

Mandalay!

Finding places that are truly off the beaten path is what a lot of backpackers dream of, and I can say, cycling around the suburbs of Mandalay was probably my first time truly heading off the beaten path. Looking back, it seems a strangely brave thing to do, but certainly one of the most amazing, fascinating and daring things I’ve ever done on my travels, also filling up a moped from a coke bottle ranks up there as well.

Sun Moon Lake!

If there was ever a theme to my travels, it would be falling over, I fell off an electric moped in Bagan, fell off a stationary bike in Cambodia, but probably my most epic fall, was when I went over the handlebars in Sun Moon Lake. After hearing about a free bike promotion for tourists, I eagerly took advantage and took this brand new bike, the only problem being I wasn’t used to the brakes, so as I squeezed them to head around a corner, I came to a sudden stop and instead took the corner on my face… Fortunately, I only sprained my arm, a couple of days relaxing in the hotel and I was as good as new.

The Ugly

Routine!

A lot of people, I included, go travelling to escape the daily routine of life, but soon, they realize that travel has its own routine, especially if you’re a backpacker or moving around a lot. Unpack bag, re-pack bag, check in to hostel/hotel/Airbnb, check out of hostel/hotel/Airbnb. Yes, you might be in a villa in Bali, instead of an office cubical in Bracknell, but you’ll soon realize, routine care for no borders.

Flying!

Taking over 50 odd flights in one year, all-economy class, I developed an irrational hatred for airports and flying in general. Nothing related to the safety, more due to the amount of insane amount of queuing you now find in airports. Queuing to go through security, queuing to get on the plane, queuing to get off the plane, queuing for passport control, queuing for the bus. Also being led through the growing maze of Duty-Free, no I don’t want an overpriced bottle of deodorant.

Though after all of that, maybe travel milestones aren’t such a bad thing, they give you the perfect time for reflection, but I don’t think I am any wiser, or really any more mature, all I’ve mainly gained is more scars.

Here’s to the next 2 years!