Beyond-the-beaten-trail in South America
Earlier this month, I hit a large travelling milestone. As of the 20th of October 2017, I’ve been living and travelling in South America for three whole years. I celebrated this momentous event (made more so by the fact my initial plans were to see the whole world in two years) by jumping on a …
10 Things I’ve Learned From Three Years of TravellingRead More
One Sunday, I woke to the strangest of sounds. From my hostel bed on a busy street in La Paz, I was normally jolted awake by the blaring chaos of the city: cars beep a relentless tune as they narrowly skirt around one another, avoiding multiple potential collisions every second. Each morning at 6 am, …
With your eyes open and the light of the torches extinguished, you find yourself surrounded by the darkest shade of black that you have ever experienced. You could be anywhere, but the sharpness of this smothering darkness makes you conscious that this is definitely not the colour of night time, nor any other darkness that …
‘Ya’ in South American Spanish is a subtle, fluid word. The fact that it’s linked to time – a concept even more difficult to pin down in this continent than anywhere else I’ve travelled – makes it more problematic. “Ya viene,” she insisted for the third time; a savage nod of her head and her …
“Ya”. Hitchiking in Bolivia and a Patient Appreciation of TimeRead More
Sat on the toilet the other day, I experienced my first ever Chilean earthquake. I’ll admit that my initial concern when the toilet bowl beneath my bare bottom started shaking was more about the weight I’ve been putting on lately. Quickly, this turned to a different type of alarm when the shaking continued, despite being …
Earthquakes on the Toilet and Other Lessons in NormalityRead More
When you first flew in, you had no idea what to expect, but quickly found yourself discovering a part of the world that buzzes with more road blockades, schizophrenic weather systems, and opportunities for llama selfies than you could ever have imagined. These are 34 of the things you learn after a long time spent …
One of my favourite parts of learning a language abroad has been those moments where it all goes a little wrong. You know, those wonderful travel language fails; the stories that you’ll enjoy retelling long after your trip has finished. It’s an unfortunate habit of mine that I’m always finding ways to speak Spanish badly, or …
Travel Language Fails: How Not to Speak A New LanguageRead More
In hindsight, it didn’t look occupied from the road. My optimism powered me on, all despite the crushing weight of my rucksack and the draining power of the humidity. But a small part of me had begun to wonder whether I might have made a mistake. A big one. As I approached, it became clear …
Travel Screw Ups: What To Do When You Make a Mess of TravellingRead More
I still remember that first meeting quite vividly. I had arrived in Sucre, Bolivia the previous day and decided that throwing myself directly into my new volunteering job made the most sense in the situation. I was 6,000 miles and 18 hours from my former home of Great Britain, and alone: I hoped that jumping …
When you’re travelling, your instinct begs you to demonstrate caution, be wary of your surroundings and maintain a certain distance from others, all as a form of self-protection against the horror travel stories that other backpackers kindly share of an evening in hostels. But contrary to this, what I’ve realised is that the whole process of …
