48. Epilogue

So It’s pretty much 6 years since I returned from that long jaunt to south east asia. It has been strange to finish writing it up after all this time.
I thought it would be fitting to wrap up with a bit of a summary on what long term travelling was like for me and how it compares to my plans to go abroad for a few months this year.

When I was away, I was miles out of my comfort zone. It certainly taught me a lot:

• I vastly improved my ability to talk with people I’ve never met and learned to make friends with other travellers
• I learned how to be more self sufficient and make decisions
• On a day to day level I learned how to get outside and find things to do in a completely foreign place
• I became accustomed to being without the usual creature comforts
• I also was interested to learn that my most enjoyable experiences were those that were done with others.

During the trip I identified very much as a backpacker. In some part of my mind I thought that this made me somehow different to the other types of tourist. However I came to realise I wasn’t very different at all, since we’d all generally be foreigners; and would end up visiting the same places and doing similar things. The only difference was that I had no job, no plan and enough cash to get by for the next few weeks.
That being said it was a fantastic and unique way to travel. I was able to meet and journey with some awesome and like minded folk. I also had much more time on my hands, which meant I could see how people lived day to day over a longer period. I had more time to explore the sites and culture of a place. All of that meant I felt more inclined to try new things and I certainly gained some new perspectives.

Another freedom that backpacking affords is that ability to be spontaneous. For example my decision to try scuba diving was done somewhat last minute, just before heading to Ko Phagnan for the full moon party I changed my mind and booked a ferry to Ko Tao instead. I’m not sure what motivated the decision, possibly remembering how much I enjoyed snorkelling, possibly the idea was put in my head when an old flame said she thought I looked like a scuba instructor, or maybe just that it sounded like fun.
Whatever the reason when I got my advanced diving certification it was one of the proudest things I had achieved in a long time. It was quite a life changing whim.

Since then I’ve not gone on another long trip like that, but have always had vague plans to. I heard it’s a common thing for people that have returned from travelling to be determined to leave again, but don’t. Instead they get caught up with their job, or a mortgage, starting a family etc.
A few months ago whilst writing this I started to think that maybe I wasn’t quite ready to properly settle down like that yet. So I made a decision that the time was right to head off again and spend a few months on foreign shores.

This time it’s going to be a little different. Rather than “proper” travelling I’m going to Cyprus on a 5 month internship, working in a scuba diving centre. During that time I hope to train up to be a divemaster and maybe even an instructor, which could allow me to then work in that industry. I’m not certain at this point whether that will be something I continue with long term, but I’m excited about the opportunity to work with people, to teach and to do a heck of a lot of diving!

Whatever the outcome it has instilled in me that same feeling of excited apprehension that I felt those years ago before heading off to Asia. Just like then then a part of me is terrified and unsure of myself, but wondering if it could eventually yield something truly memorable.