Travel

Travel...
Over the past few years I have done my fair share of travel, from quickie flights over to the UK to see my friends in their ''foreign colleges'' to traveling around Italy teaching English to kids. Whether it's by foot, bike, car, bus, boat, train or plane I always find an element of adventure to travelling, and it always instills a surge of excitement in me.
Soon enough I will be embarking on my biggest adventure to date...China!!! Yes in a few short weeks I am breaking free from the continent for the first time to begin a 6 month adventure on the other side of the world. Am I crazy???...apparrently so to many of my friends and family. Why China they ask. Why not I always reply. China has always fascinated me. Of course every possible place in the world fascinates me...and makes me want to be this type of crazy, and organise more and more adventures around the world. Yes it's a big leap from Italy but, yes it's cheesy, life is short, and as a clever young boy from a fictional animated movie once made me aware: Adventure is out there!!!
So why not? I am young, healthy and relatively fit (getting fit again...been my new years resolution for a few years now). I hate it when people say, why don't you get yourself a steady, well-paying job, retire early and then you can relax and see the world. First of all back to the cheesy line of life is short...what if I don't survive that long in the world (touch wood I will live a very long and adventurous life). Secondly, unless you're happy sharing this retired world expedition with a very nice walking stick, I don't think these people have thought it through. I on the other hand want to enjoy my travelling of the world while actually being young and fit, so as I don't have to spend more time wishing I could just sit down for a minute, than actually enjoying what the world has to show me. So yes...off I go to China!!!
Culture shock is a major worry. But it is the same everywhere you go. Luckily I never became quite so dependent on the traditional Irish roast. I am more of the experimental type when it comes to foods from different cultures. I think I will survive just fine on rice... Along with travel comes so many different people, with so many different personalities and so many different stories and outlooks on the world. That's what I look forward to the most. From my recent travels around Italy, I have made more connections than I can possibly keep in contact with. However I still remain contact to the ones who made a big impact on my life. To think I spent about 2 weeks tops in total with some of these people seems insane to me. I feel like I have known them a lifetime. But I love this feeling, I love that people from different parts of the world can make deep and meaningful connections in such a short space of time. I have made some truely amazing friendships over the past 2 years, and my plan is to continue this routine of making friends for as long as I possibly can. Travel allows me to do this. We only get one lifetime. Why spend it in the same little corner of the world, thinking about the awesome travels we could have, when we could quite easily just get up and do it. DO IT...
That's what I am doing anyway. I am only writing to tell you this as I arrived at the airport a little to early (5 hours) and have time to kill. So as I sit here in a deserted airport, sipping on a well deserved beer, I am quite content to think about that in a few short weeks I will be all the way on the other side of the world, away from all my family and friends. They will always be there, I will of course always come back. Home is home, wherever you come from. But life is short, adventure is out there, China is waiting for me...what's stopping you. JUST DO IT...TRAVEL!!!