But now I don't! Which is great!
I don't really have anything to say about this. I've pretty much had the dual issues of not really having anyone to holiday with (or, ok, no boy someones) but, more pressingly, not having any money to go anywhere with anyway. I do sometimes want to kick myself for moving out of my parents' house because I could almost definitely afford holidays if I still lived with them, but there's no way I'd want to trade 52 weeks of independence a year for 1 week abroad so thems the breaks, I guess.
I'm not trying to complain, and I also don't subscribe to the idea that travelling makes you an innately interesting person. I know that I'm plenty interesting without having been anywhere much, and I'm also really lucky to (kind of) live in one of the best cities in the world, that I could probably visit every weekend for the rest of my life and still not see all of it. But all of that aside... I do wanna travel. I don't even want to travel in a whole backpackery kind of way because I really really like home, I just want to be in a life position to have a holiday or two a year, and oh man do I want to go to Japan! I so do.
But anyway. I'll get there eventually (Japan, and everywhere else for that matter) and in the meantime, I'll be so happy that I'm a reader because it has honestly made me believe I've travelled everywhere already. I've been to Japan with Murakami, and road tripped around America with Steinbeck, lived in France with Julia Child and been on so many fantasy journeys with Stephen King. It's really no wonder that I've only just realised that I haven't been anywhere, because I'm lucky enough to have been everywhere I've wanted to without leaving my bed.
This has been running through my mind a little lately as well. The thing is, I've just latched on to the fact that ever since I staged a mutiny at Scouts and took over Leadership, I'm eligible to go on all the International Scouty things. I mean, you still have to pay, but not as much. If only they didn't have stupidly faffy application forms...
ReplyDeleteI find the problem with travelling isn't the money or the inclination, it's finding somebody to go with who is available at the same time as you, as the same travel preferences as you and has disposable money at the same time as you. Easier said than done.
I'd really like to go to Russia. I've been studying the language for a year, so I'd like to go try it out :) Plus, I find Russian history really interesting.
Oooooh, do all the Scouty travelling Hanna! Do ittttttt!
DeleteYeah, I get the finding a suitable person thing, although for me it's more the money thing. I've finally saved a teeny bit of money that would probably be enough to get me (cheaply) to say Paris this summer, but I'm kind of like 'but if I stay in a hostel alone will I be murdered?!' which is a thing (but I might still do it anyway).
Oooooh, I find Russia really fascinating too (dammit, Anna Karenina) but but but I'm not going there with my (meagre) tourist moneys while they're being terrible on human rights and everything. Just no. (But I do want to go there haha oh dilemmas)
I'll go to Paris with you! Not that my 5"3 presence is likely to stop you from being murdered, but it makes hostels less intimidating... right? And also, I want to go to Paris :) I have been to hostels alone though, and (*touches wood*) I've never had a problem.
DeleteYeah, my Russian teacher occasionally branches off into historical gems and it's so interesting. I don't know though, it's not like your meagre tourist monies go to the government directly. They go to the People, who logically need your money because they're so oppressed. HELP THE PEOPLE OF RUSSIA, LAURA. LET'S GO HELP THEM BY GOING ON HOLIDAY.
Let's do eeeeeeeeet!
DeleteOooh, you have an actual Russian teacher?! Fancy! (See: me trying to learn Japanese from the internet haha) Hmmmm I still don't know though! Like, is there anything there I want to be a part of? Not really! BAD RUSSIA (Idk shall we just go like whatever?)
I saw someone else from your neck of the woods talking about mother's day and got very confused. Thank you for confirming I haven't time travelled.
ReplyDeleteI think you're very right that 52 weeks of independence beats 1 week of holiday, even if sometimes independence is a pain in the ass and that beach vacation looks super tempting. But as you said, you will manage travel (maybe even over to NYC...)
Haha, no you're fine, you've got a couple of months before you have to tell your mum you love her and whatnot.
DeleteI DEFINITELY know for a fact that I'm doing the right kind of living, but it's so sad when people at work are like 'ooh are you going on holiday this year?' and I'm just like 'HA I can barely afford train tickets to get to work so no'. (No, but really, I'm really poor!) ONE DAY I will go to all the places though. OF COURSE NYC because it is my spiritual homeland and goddamn I need to go to the Strand again. That's the last place I went to abroad though so I'm kind of like 'I should go to... Other places? Yes, that.' (But NYC forever and what's that Alley, I can stay at your house so I'll only have to buy plane tickets and food? How kind of you! Hahaha)
I suck at going places too. I've been with family in recent years, but only because we're a bit weird in that us two 20-something girls have both been fine holidaying with our mum and stepdad. Not something most families do, I don't think, but we liked it! I don't think that'll be happening any more now so I'm in the same boat - no friends or boyfriend to go away with, no money, and thanks to all the IBS and anxiety stuff, no real inclination to go far tbh.
ReplyDeleteIf you ARE planning to do travelling, Croatia (specifically Rovinj but basically anywhere) is one of the friendliest places we've ever been, as well as very lovely, and if you want to see a city so beautiful and archaic it's like living in Fairyland, then maybe Bruges. Also it's full of chocolate shops and delicious Belgian fries and waffles, so... y'know. A city made of win, really. Oh, and the area of Italy around Sorrento! You get Sorrento itself, Naples (home of ice cream and also pizza), Pompeii, and the most beautiful place I've ever been in my entire life, the Amalfi Coast. OMIGOD the Amalfi Coast. We did a bus drive along it through the little towns and villages (with stops and all) and there was this one moment where the bus went round a bend and everyone basically gasped and even welled up, it was so frickin' beautiful with the trees and the cliffs and the orange groves and the sun sparkling over the water. YES GO THERE.
No, no! I don't find going on holiday with your family weird at all, I just don't really have that option either cause of how my dad's all disabled and things, and my mum has to look after him sooooo... kind of not an option. I'LL GO AWAY WITH YOU, ELLIE! I mean, we won't do that because poor, but you do have friends to go with mmmkay?!
DeleteVery excellent recommendations, I shall take them into consideration my dear! I do love a beautiful landscape though omfg that sounds amazing *heart eyes emoji*
This morning in bed Tom was flipping through his phone and he was like "uhhh, when is Mother's Day?" and I had to reassure him that he isn't a terrible son, it's just the Brits being obnoxious and stressing everyone else in the world out.
ReplyDeleteYou can absolutely travel yourself and have fun and not get murdered! Even when I've traveled with other people, I've usually had certain parts where I'm on my own and I have lived to tell the tale. I am also cheap as hell, so you can bet I haven't been staying in the safest of accommodation :P
You should go to Prague, that place was magical and, particularly important, cheap. If you end up going there I can send you all of my info on places to go and stay etc
AHEM excuse me, our mother's day is the correct one because it's a specific certain Sunday during lent (I'm gonna say the three weeks before easter, based on the evidence of last week haha) when servants used to go home to see their mothers. Everyone else in the WORLD who has it at a different time is just wrong, basically.
DeleteAnyway. Yes, you are totally my travelling alone success story/strength and wisdom! I am definitely considering Prague (my auntie is actually there at the moment!) but I want. To go. To Paris. So badly. UGH LIFE haha.
I feel your pain. I've actually got a holiday fund saved up, so I COULD go to America or Canada, but I have no one to go with. I'm fine holidaying in the UK on my own, but I'm a bit scared to go abroad by myself (although sometimes I think "sod it!" and look up holidays, I never quite get around to booking one.) And because I don't drive, destinations are a bit limited.
ReplyDeleteAwwww Katie, don't be scared of America-ing! My main travelling alone fear is based on being alone in a place where I don't speak the language and no one understanding meeeeee and ugh stress. But if I had the money I'd go to America, like, tomorrow. Have you considered doing one of those package road trip thingys? A couple of my friends went on them and it seemed AWESOME.
DeleteTravelling definitely does not make you inherently interesting! People who believe that are generally pretty boring.
ReplyDeleteI actually kind of prefer just travelling around Japan (which in the first couple of years of living in Japan was pretty exciting, but isn't so much anymore) to going abroad, because you can learn so much more about the local culture if you already have a broad understanding of the culture in general and can speak the language! One of my favourite places to go in Japan is Okinawa, because everything is in Japanese so I understand it, but it feels SO different to all the other places I've lived in Japan. (Of course, going to Okinawa from where I live can actually be more expensive than actually leaving the country, haha). The one thing that isn't so interesting about travelling around the same country is that you don't get to try loads of exciting new food.
If you do get the opportunity to travel around and you haven't been to many places in Europe, you definitely should! A lot of places you can also do it relatively cheaply as long as you don't mind staying in youth hostels. I also think you get a better experience sometimes if you are trying to save money :)
When you do come to Japan let me know!!! I love showing people around Japan who are here for the first time, it reminds me of how excited I was for the first 6 months or so that I lived here.
Right?! It's just like, you can travel as much as you like, and I reckon in most cases it does make people more interesting, but you can still have been loads of places and be a boring fucker haha.
DeleteYeah, you're probably right about the travelling cheaply thing, I bet you meet more interesting people too. I want to go to all the placesssss and it's stressful that I can't afford it haha.
OMG Jenny you can totally show me round Japan, this is totally happening! What's that? I can stay with you too? You're too kind! ;) But no seriously, it's been my number one dream destination for a long time now!
I think maybe it depends what kind of travelling people do... Like I'm fascinated by people who travel to different countries and actually meet local people and find out a bit about how they live, but most people don't do that (myself included, haha)!
DeleteYou can stay with me if you want, but I have moved to the very boring countryside so it probably wouldn't be particularly exciting, unless you're really interested in factories?
Travel (or working towards traveling) is basically the reason I get up in the morning, so I am feeling this. My husband and I used to travel all the time, but can't as much after taking a large pay cut when we moved. :( The sadness! So.. I try to do at least something each year to feel alive... whether it be a town in the same state, or another state, or across the globe. It's all about finding the affordable.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered traveling alone? I know it's not always ideal, but I find that you can have fun if you network a bit before the trip, and have people you can meet up with throughout. That way you get plenty of me time and friend time as well. I know there are many Americans who would love for you to visit their interesting cities :)
I keep talking about coming to London on my own this year (I still don't know if it will be a reality), but I'm hoping I can meet up with you and the other ladies from this little corner of the world. Fingers crossed because I'm really dying to get back there. Not sure if we follow one another on Pinterest, but I have several travel boards, because, again, it's what I think about ALL the time: https://www.pinterest.com/bethpriddy/. Follow me!
Yeah, I definitely try to get around even though I can't travel abroad- like last year I went to Bristol, and Canterbury, and Oxford, and I am always in London which still feels like travelling tbh so yeah. I get some different scenery, at least!
DeleteI'm not completely opposed to travelling alone, it's MUCH more of a money thing that's stopping me at the moment (I'm resigned to going to Japan by myself, for instance, cause I don't think I really know anyone else who wants to go) but I like the idea of zipping around America and just going round all the places where I know people! Pretty exciting prospect :)
Yassssss, come to me my sweet! I do love London so much, and it will be amazing if you can make it out here! I wasn't following you on pinterest and I don't know whyyyyy but I've fixed it now :) PHEW!