What I love about travelling
Since my first big overseas holiday at 21 on a Contiki in Europe, my love for travelling and wandering this amazing world of ours continues to grow.
There are so many things to love about travelling and today I’m going to share my favourites.
Meeting people and making friends around the world
It is so nice to meet new people around the world. On my Contiki I met my Canadian soul sister who I continue to catch up with around the world. We have reunited in my hometown of Perth, her hometown of Toronto, as well as New York and Los Angeles. I love that despite being 12 hours time difference and over 18,000km apart, our friendship will last a lifetime.
Road trip to Niagara Falls from Toronto
It’s also such a nice feeling to meet family you have never met before while travelling. When I lived in London, I visited my nonna’s (grandma’s) hometown of Roccella, a beach town on the east coast of Calabria in Italy. It was so nice to stay at the house my nonna grew up in and live the life of a local for a few days.
Likewise, when I visited New York, on both occasions I have spent a day meeting family, which totally adds to the experience.
The family home in Roccella
Visiting new destinations and cultures
It’s always exciting to discover a new city, no matter where it is. Every city around the world has a unique character about it mixed in with the country’s culture. I always try to go in with no expectations and try to see everywhere I visit in a positive light, appreciating it for what it is.
Central Park
It’s also fun to pick up a bit of the local language when you are there even if it’s just ‘hello’, ‘goodbye’, ‘thank you’, ‘yes’ and ‘no’. I love watching the way other people live and the mannerisms they have.
The Gardens of the Golden Pavilion
It’s also the excitement of ticking off the bucket list of cities to visit and events to experience. Recently I went to a Full Moon Party in Koh Phangan which was craziness and when I was living in London I went to Queen’s Day (now King’s Day) in Amsterdam. I just bought a globe for inspiration and I love spinning it around and deciding where I want to visit next.
Full Moon Party
Eating all the delicious food
Being of Italian background, most of the time travel for me is all about the food I get to experience when on holiday. While I don’t like to over spend on food I do love to experience all the goodness each city is known for and has to offer.
Some of my favourites include hotdogs in Frankfurt, crepes in Paris, gelato in Florence, buffalo wings in New York, grilled haloumi in Santorini, sushi train in Tokyo, laksa in Singapore, dim sum in Hong Kong, pad thai in Phuket, waffles in Bruges, fish tacos in Los Angeles and paella in Barcelona.
Paella in Barcelona
Fish tacos in LA
The most AMAZING waffles ever
And let’s not forget about the signature drinks – vino, sangria, pimms, Singapore Sling, sake etc etc.
Of course there are certain things about travel that aren’t fun like flying, jetlag, airport queues, transport times and costs, but the experience you have and gain while on holiday definitely out weigh this.
As I like to say, “you can’t put a price on the value of travel experiences”.