Travel Bug

I got stung by the travel bug! I got nipped badly quite a few years ago. I know that, being a student, travelling sort of comes with the territory. Everyone loves a good holiday, but travelling, and being a traveller,  is definitely a state of mind and way of life. 

Travellers view the world differently. It is a sort of addiction, like a drug. Being constantly consumed with thoughts of exploring, learning and discovering. Travelling is to me a necessity. I have and will sacrifice things to travel. In fact, I think that is what separates travellers from holiday makers are these sacrifices. Travelling is EXPENSIVE. No matter how much you scrimp and save, even a flight out of Australia will hit your wallet hard. Saving, therefore, becomes a travellers best and worst accomplice. I have spent the past two years working, saving and travelling. Because of that I have not been able to buy new clothes, a new car, electronics - in fact anything that I don't NEED. 

This can be tough, especially when it feels as though all of your friends have so much money to spend! However, as soon as you finalise your travel plans, book the flight, hop aboard and then - finally - land wherever you decide, it's worth it. The smells, sights and feel of a foreign place is unlike anything else. 

Once you land though, its not always as easy on TV (nothing ever really is), there are so many stresses and complications. This is what I love about travelling - not only do you see incredible sights of the world, but it forces you to grow as a person. I spent three months living out of my car, sleeping in the boot on a single mattress with a friend so that I could properly explore New Zealand. Driving past luxury camper vans electricity, running water and heating (!!) was hard especially when we were facing our fourth muesli bar of the day - lunch. Pulling off the well travelled road to discover and explore an area huge camper van drivers could only dream of made everything worth while. 

There is an entire world out there just ready to be explored, and it doesn't take much to get going. With $2000 in my bank account, I packed up me belongings two years ago and moved to a ski town in the south island of New Zealand. I got a job patrolling on the mountain and skied every single day for a year. I then spent time in Bali, Indonesia and India, using the money saved in New Zealand. 

I have met the most amazing people travelling, and now have mates all around the world. If travelling is a priority, then all the little sacrifices seem like nothing!