20 Years on

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As I boarded my train from Doncaster, waving goodbye to my mum and dad, bottom lips were wobbling, tears were flowing and I had to sit on the floor in the vestibule, as the train was full due to cancellations. I was about to embark on a trip of a lifetime, my first world trip and first destination, India. I got to Delhi and I hated it. What had I done?

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This is where my passion for travel started just before the modern world turned 2000. In those 20 short years since, much has changed in our word and our very existence seems a little more precious than it has done at any other point in my life. Uncertainty and unease seem to be the norm, but actually by comparison to previous generations, it really isn't that bad at all. Thankfully, despite a slightly gloomy outlook in world affairs, for someone that enjoys travel, much of the change has been positive and our ability to travel this planet has never been easier. The idea that I can book my next hotel and flight with my phone at 45,000 feet on a double decker plane that only costs a few quid more than it did 20 years ago to travel half way round the world, astounds me. The idea that I have thousands of digital photographs on my USB key ring with thousands more in the cloud and I'm publishing this very article on the world wide web which has the potential to reach millions, completely blows me away. The reality that only a handful of people will actually read it should disappoint me, but it's more than I started with, so happy days.

We take all this for granted, as we do the food we eat, the shelter we enjoy and the freedom we cherish. As I have grown older and seen more of the world, the recognition that so many don’t have the very basic things they need to survive in life and don’t live in a society which easily provides them has only compounded my desire to understand more. Much as I didn’t enjoy my first trip to Delhi, it taught me a very important lesson of respect for other societies and cultures. I’m itching to go back to India and slightly gutted that I missed the point on the first trip. One day I will make it back there and I'm sure it will be all the more special.

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20 years on and my passion for travel has gone through the roof. I thought I might loose this wanderlust spirit, but instead I am hungry for more. I want to explore further afield, deeper in societies and cultures and find ways to help people understand more about the world in which we live. A trip to Myanmar tuned out to be a catalyst to change. My mum suggested Myanmar which makes me smile considering her reaction when I first boarded that train 20 years ago. It’s in Myanmar that I decided it was time to take a different direction in life. Fitting travel around my busy job had its benefits, but the biggest downside was the lack of time. So I've quit my job, I've sold my house, car and as much stuff as possible and I'm off to do some exploring, before I decide what my career might look like in the next chapter. This trip could last weeks or months. I don't want to disappoint myself or my many/both of my readers by setting a time frame I can't commit to.

As a packed a load of stuff from my house before I moved out a few weeks ago, I found an old journal from when I travelled 20 years ago. It's incompleteness didn't surprise me. I was young, got bored and distracted easily, but it did help remind me of how I felt back then. Unsure what I was setting out to achieve, a recognition things were actually pretty good and a less than healthy level of self doubt. So here I am again. This time, I am a lot further on in 'career', have more to dispose of before I go and maybe more to loose. But I'm confident I have more to gain.

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This is a huge thing for me. I’m hoping this next set of adventures will be different as I view them through a wiser, more considerate and experienced lens.

This web site is about some of my experiences over the last 20 years and will cover new adventures too. It’s all pretty new, so be patient and enjoy the journey with me as I embrace the digital era of travel. It will grow quickly so I hope you keep reading.

When I set off this time, sadly it was only my mum there to wave me off, which only stands as a reminder of how precious our time of this earth is. If dad were around to see me, I know he would have probably given me a tenner and asked me to buy a pint at the airport.

I'm travelling alone, so this blog is a bit of a travel companion, somewhere to reflect, talk about the fun stuff and possibly have a rant about bits that don't go to plan.

Welcome to Where Nick Goes