Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA
Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA
►unless you're going to one location or a tour where you won't have to lift your luggage much, it's best to pack and re-pack to ensure everything you're bringing is essential and not overweight for those times where you need to carry your luggage without anyone to help
► the absolute essentials on any trip is wallet, passport and a few items of clothing - if you forget a bathing suit or your favorite t-shirt you'll probably be able to pick something up at your destination
► if you're going on a shopping trip, bring even less clothing then you would on a regular trip
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Istanbul, Turkey
Panama City, Panama
Mt Maunganui, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Lisbon, Portugal
Reynisfjara, Iceland
►If you are traveling to a country with a different language, make a concerted effort to learn some basic words in the most common language you'll be surrounded by such as please, thank you and 1, 2 and 3 (especially helpful if you're ordering food and drinks).
►Allow for a flexible schedule; planes don’t always fly on time, weather isn’t always good etc so it’s better to have a day to get to your destination and a day to get home (even if the location is only a 5 hour flight away)
►Be open to the variety of people you will meet, they may affect and change you more then you think.
Papamoa, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
The untold things of travel
A close longtime friend of mine recently set off on her first proper adventure, with her husband in tow for six months to a variety of different countries and she has quickly discovered some fundamental truths that those of us who have gallivanted around the globe know from experience.
Moving overseas solo
Moving to a new country on your own can be considered crazy. In this 21st Century world where nothing has ever been more interconnected and the human family has never been smaller or closer from all corners, the world can feel eerily gaping wide when you step foot in a land you’ve
never lived in before and you’re completely alone.
long distance living
Last year, when I ended up admitted to hospital; I laid in my hospital bed and convinced myself that my brother’s texts and the resulting support via technology was enough to prove that while people may be far away physically, they really are never far emotionally.