Drinking coffee in an Italian piazza one week, sipping margaritas on a tropical island the next. From walking on glaciers, to exploring ancient temples, to cooking with locals. This is what it's like to travel the world full time, right?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Errr... sure.
I mean, all of those things have certainly happened. Some of them a lot of times. But so have the many sleepless nights on planes, the days of illness from dodgy street food, and the stress of not being able to ask directions in a foreign language as you rush to find the last train.
Would I change any of it, though? No, not for the world. Or ... whatever you would change it for if you already had the world.
I have now been travelling full-time for eight years. That doesn't mean I spend every day at museums or sunbaking at the beach. But it's been eight years since I've had a permanent home or forgotten where I've left my passport.
It's been eight years since I got rid of most of my possessions, set off from Australia with a one-way ticket, and had no plan to ever return. I thought travelling the world would be more interesting to me than the routine of normal daily life. I was right.
In this time, I've been to more than 70 countries and haven't missed a single flight. (It's the latter that I'm prouder of.)
I have hiked up to Machu Picchu in Peru, seen rhinos on safari in Namibia, camped in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, and cruised the jungle rivers of Indonesian Borneo.
I've gone mushroom-harvesting with a chef in Spain, watched a rodeo in a prison in the US, haggled in the medinas of Morocco, and got naked in the onsens of Japan.
And now I'm going to share it all with you. (Except perhaps the Japanese onsen - you don't need that mental image.)
In new destinations, I love to explore and find out what makes them unique.
With this new weekly column, I'll be taking you to the most interesting places in the world, delving into the history and the culture, tasting the food, and meeting the people.
I'll also be sharing the tips I've learnt from the years of travel (often the hard way) to make your own journeys more enjoyable.
Should you just take cabin baggage on flights? How do you meet people when you're on your own? Why don't you ever get upgrades even though you're always so charming at check-in?
These are the big questions that keep me awake at night (or maybe it's just the jetlag) that I'll be trying to answer for you.
Because, ultimately, one of the most important things about travelling is learning. Regardless of whether you've flown across the world or driven down the coast, there are always opportunities to discover new things.
It's the main reason I started travelling and it's what gives me the enthusiasm to continue.
In new destinations, I love to explore and find out what makes them unique. I like to hear from the locals and try their cuisine. I strive to expand my mind ... and usually end up also expanding my stomach.
I've mentioned some of my travel highlights and while they were exciting, they were also meaningful.
When I hiked up to Machu Picchu, I learned the detailed history of the Incan civilisation and their demise at the hands of the Spanish conquistadors.
As I saw rhinos on safari in Namibia, I heard about the efforts that the local authorities are going to as they fight against the poaching cartels.
Camping in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, I sat around the campfire as the guides told me what it was like to be in the Soviet army as youngsters.
And while cruising the jungle rivers of Indonesian Borneo, I met a man born there whose best friend as a child was an orangutan.
We travel to see, and we travel to experience. But ultimately the most rewarding travel is when we also learn.
I'm looking forward to sharing these stories and having you along for the journey.
Plus... there are a few things to whinge about. I mean, people who stand right up against the baggage carousel? Really?!
Urgh... it's not all margaritas on the beach, is it?
- Michael Turtle is a journalist who has been travelling the world full-time for the past eight years. He writes about his experiences at timetravelturtle.com