Why Travel and Kindness is the best thing the Doctor can't prescribe

I have to admit, when it comes to gloomy winter time, I go back to animal instincts and prefer to be in hibernation mode...until I start getting cabin fever. 

At the start of every year I like to make a winters outing to two travel events The Adventure Travel Show and The Destinations Show, both held at Olympia, London.

I go purely to spend the chilly wintry day or weekend listening to other people, people with inspiring spirits of adventure and can-do attitudes as they regale tales of journeying around the world for all sorts of different reasons and needs - a real pick up from the dark, dreary days of British winter.

At the shows this year, there were a couple of talks that I felt were worth talking about in this blog post and the message that I myself have inwardly felt as I've embarked on various adventures in my short life so far.

'Travel is my medicine'

Reduce your Plastic Footprint : Water-to-Go Drink Bottles

Greetings readers! 

Happy New Year! Been a while since I've done a blog post over winter. I've been trying to work on my new creative writing travel book among other things including trying to cope with my SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) but to try and banish the winter blues, I wanted to share this super cool product I came across which I've wanted for a while.....

I was attending travel writing seminars with Wanderlust Travel Magazine at the Adventure Travel Show in London last month (and if you like Adventure and you like Travel there are some really cool and inspiring talks in the theatres) and on my way around the labyrinth of orange stands, tents and an aeroplane flying dog (there really was - check end of post) a rather interesting water demonstration was going on at one of the stands which of course piqued my curiosity - don't you just love a good demonstration?

Saving For Travel Tips - Working For Your Travel Funds Before You Go

Working For Your Travel Funds Before You Go.

Some useful Notes and Suggestions on Working Before You Go.

Ok. So you've done your research, asked your questions and signed up to a ethical turtle conservation program you've always wanted to do in Costa Rica, done the rounds of appealing for sponsors for you to coach football to orphaned children in Ghana for a few months, had a stab at fundraising for that and downsized your clutter load for any bits of pieces you could exchange for some cash.

​Now, unless you've got a Working Holiday Visa, you'll need to pay for placement companies for your niche volunteer experience or living costs on the road before you leave - time for some elbow grease and work to suffice your travel funds nicely before you go. 

Saving Tips For Travel - Lifestyle

Lifestyle


Some useful notes and suggestions on saving without living like a pauper....or a robot...

Saving Tips for Travel - At Home

At Home

Some useful notes and suggestions on saving from the comfort of your own home... 

Saving Tips for Travel - Set Yourself A Goal

I know I hear you groan, but if you want to have great adventures and explore the world, you'll need to save up a bunch of cash (That is if you don't want to hitch hike to the ends of the earth and volunteer for free accommodation all the time). But unless you are planning to work whilst travelling, I think you'd like to have some spending money to do some cool stuff on your adventures of course. With a slight change of thinking and attitude towards money, you don't have to make huge sacrifices or suck all the fun out of your life completely whilst you're saving!

16 Interesting Places I've Crashed for the Night Travelling ZZZZZZZ

Huh 'Yawn, Yawn' yes hostels, back of camper vans, hotels, couchsurfing, Air BnB, camping grounds - I'm sure everybody who has travelled ovenight has stayed in official and comfortable accommodation to lay your head.

When you're travelling you've got to crash somewhere for the night, and it isn't always going to be in said places - but that's the whole experience right? Now I'm not one to regularly shy away from a unique adventure to test my tolerance; but thinking about the situations and journeys I've taken over the years - here's a list of interesting places I've found myself crashing to catch some zzzzzzs (and not always warm and comfortable either!)

New Zealand Adventures : 19. Last Road to Christchurch.....Quake City, International Antarctic Centre and Cultivating Christchurch

Kia Ora!

Greetings from New Zealand!

The sun is setting and my time is nearly up as the road before me is coming to an end. But I'm still alive and one last thing to say.

So, this is my last blog of Aotearoa from my final destination - New Zealand's second largest city, which has been world publicised for its taints of tragedy and infectious spirit of recovery .......Christchurch 


** I'd recorded this video before the major earthquake in Italy struck

The last road to Christchurch.....

New Zealand Adventures : 18. Sal - The Dairy Farmer and The Love of Eros...

Kia Ora!

And now, the end is near, and so I face, the final curtain.....but not yet...

Greetings from my rather bumper animal themed blog post from the 'Land of the Long White Cloud' - Aotearoa, my time is nearly up for my travels across the far away land of New Zealand. But I have some last experiences to share with you.....first, in this blog post....from a Calf Nursery on a NZ Dairy Farm.

Being a curious person, I wanted to experience working on a Dairy Farm and see how the industry is run.

**At the time recording this video, I was naively unaware of the fate of these calves. At first, we are led to believe they are abandoned by their mothers but in fact are taken from them a couple of days after birth to be sent to be slaughtered and grieving mothers are impregnated again to lactate milk which isn't intended for human consumption. I struggle to find the moral well being of this and after seeing the true nature of dairy industries, I have personally chosen to not contribute to the industry by consuming beef/veal or cows milk for both ethical and environmental reasons...

New Zealand Adventures : 17. Animal Friends of Kaikoura, Whale Rider, Aquarium Volunteering, and Flying a Plane!

Kia Ora!

Greetings from mid- winter here in Aotearoa!

But here's a introductory video diary from my visit on route to the pretty peninsula whale town of Kaikoura

New Zealand Adventures : 16. Farewell North Island, The Cook Strait Crossing, Happy Daisy's of Nelson, Tall Ship Journey on the Alvei and the Abel Tasman National Park

Kia Ora!

You know that saying 'Its the choices we make, and chances we take, determine our destiny'? Well its none other true when you experience the serendipity surprises of life on the road....

Greetings from Te Waka a Maui (The canoe of Maui) or in English - New Zealand's South Island! which Maori believe was the waka canoe that demi god Maui was sailing in when he pulled up the North Island or the Fish of Maui. Well, after 8 adventurous months (really its been 8 months!) of my explorations of the North Island and with NZ winter rolling in, I had come to the end of the road or....end of the fish head....and jumped on board the Interislander ferry Kaitaki at Port Nicholson (Wellington) to cross the Cook Strait and the passageway to the new world of the South Island....thank god I picked a beautiful morning....

New Zealand Adventures : 13. Last Sun Rise of Napier, Earth Plaster House of Gisborne, East Bro to the Ends of The Earth, Toko Bay Maori Community and Return to Rotorua....

New Zealand Adventures : 12. Hoppin' into Hobbiton, Apple Picking in Napier and Swimmin' with Sharks!

New Zealand Adventures : 11. In The Footsteps of The Maori of Rotorua and Encountering the Kiwi.....

New Zealand Adventures : 10. Strayin' The North - Surfin' Raglan, Swingin' Waitamo Caves and Night in the Mourea Marae....

New Zealand Adventures : 9. Waka Canoeing with the Ngapuhi Tribe, The Treaty of Waitangi and Help Xchangin' for Maori Family

New Zealand Adventures : 8. The Cream Trip of The Bay of Islands and Journey to the Top of New Zealand!

New Zealand Adventures: 7. Heading North for Summer and Retreat at Waiora Gardens...

New Zealand Adventures : 6. Happy New Year, Farewell Auckland!, Adios Athos!, Volcano Lava Cave Exploring, a Maori Christmas and Overnight Waka Voyage with the Flu!

Kia-Ora!

Happy New Year 2016!

Well...this is what I would have seen if I could have got out of bed but unfortunately I was suffering from a bad flu I caught whilst sailing out at sea on an overnight Waka trip earlier that week...more on that later....

New Zealand Adventures : 5. Merry Christmas from Ko Te Mokai Marae, Snorkel Guidin' in Torbay, On Board a Fishing Trawler and Christmas Holidays come to Auckland...

Ko Te Mokai Marae 'The Slave House'