Drum roll please!! Guess what? We’ve made it to the end of the April 2017 A-Z Blogging Challenge! Phew!! And wasn’t that a whole lot of hard work. But ultimately it’s been a great way to get back into writing and I’ve come across some wonderful new blogs and thoroughly enjoyed catching up with everything I missed from my original blogging friends. So, to Z. I didn’t want to do a specific destination for this post. I was looking back over the posts I’ve written, not just for challenges but in general, and I have to say it’s heavy on the travel. You could say it is a testament to my zeal for discovery. I figured, what better way to end the challenge then than by looking at why I travel.
I’m not sure when, if ever, I decided I could call myself a traveller. I don’t think it was a deliberate choice, there was no set moment. It just suddenly was. And not just for me, it became a word that friends would also associate with me. I didn’t do my first international trip until I was about 12 years old. It was that well-worn path many Australians take – I went to Bali, Indonesia. Quickly followed by my first trip to the USA & Mexico. But in fairness, I already loved to travel. My parents had ensured that I did a lot of domestic travel in my childhood. It started when I was about 7 months old. By the time I was 9 years old we were ready for an epic Australian road trip. That trip, I think, is what shaped not only my love of the country I was born to but also my love of travelling.
So why do I have such zeal for travel? If you look at the definition of zeal, it says “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective”. I think that is a good starting point to explain it too. There’s no denying my greatest passion is to see new countries, new places, new cultures. I am quite single minded when it comes to being driven to keep booking trips, keep exploring. There’s very few places I wouldn’t want to see, at some point. To me, travel is the greatest adventure. For some, it’s embarking on a challenging and engaging career path, for some it’s venturing into the realm of parenthood. For me, seeing the world is my life’s adventure. I do it also because of the sense of freedom. I step onto that plane and the shackles and monotony of ordinary, every day life vanishes. No worrying about work, family, friends, money, health … nothing. It’s just me and the great unknown adventure that awaits at my destination. And when I return? It’s the wealth of experiences, sights and sounds, and memories that I’ve accumulated that continue to stimulate that desire to go again! To see some place I’ve never seen before, and may ever see again. I want to learn new things, soak up the knowledge and history of foreign places. I want to be awed by the magnificence of this world’s varied wildlife. Or humbled by the beauty of all her changing faces etched in the landscape. I want to experience first hand other cultures so I may form educated opinions of other ways of life. I am indeed a zealous traveller. I am an adventure traveller. I pursue relentlessly the love of travel and adventure. It is as much a part of who I am as the blood in my veins and the ink under my skin 😉
This post is part of my contribution to the April 2017 A-Z Challenge
For a list and link to my other challenge posts, click here
For those interested in revisiting my 2016 challenge post for Z, here’s the link: Snapshot – Zambezi River
Congratulations on finishing the A-Z Challenge, Kim! Well done! So much work; I couldn’t handle it this year…. And, this last post is the crown jewel. I can totally relate to everything you say, except for the part about returning to the ordinary life after traveling. In a way, I am not traveling at all right now, but in another way, I am traveling constantly, since I don’t have a home. That being said, I am looking forward to exchanging the house and pet sitting lifestyle for one of full time road tripping again in about a year or so. It has been forever since I visited a new country! Until next year!?
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Thanks, Liesbet! It certainly felt like a lot of work this year 🙂 Now I need to get my head together and figure out what I’m writing about now it’s over! You’re in quite a unique situation where you do get that sense of travel because of your lifestyle. I imagine it must be a wonderful feeling, and the sense of freedom would be fantastic. The full time road tripping sounds like another adventure entirely. Are you still in the planning phase of where or what you want to do?
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We love the sense of freedom, but there are quite a lot of restrictions, because we work from home and stick to the weekdays for that. Also, moving a lot does get exhausting and not having a home can be difficult at times. But, in general, we love this house and pet sitting lifestyle. 🙂
I traveled in a camper for a couple of years before and we both sailed in our boat full time for eight years. Now, after almost two years of “land life”, we are on the lookout for a camper again. Initially, we plan to travel around North America again, but in a couple of years from now, we hope to go back to Central America and then ship the camper to South America and continue our travels there. But first we will try to make some money and finish some projects that are hard to do on the road.
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Sounds like a great plan, Liesbet. I have no doubt you two will be able to accomplish whatever you set your minds to 🙂
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Virtual high-five for completing the challenge again and for being a fellow zealous traveler. Love the tats!
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Thanks, Jen. High-fives all round! It’s always a great feeling when you hit the finish line. Your A-Z posts have been excellent, covered quite a few places I’ve not been as yet which inspires me to keep at it and broaden the horizons even further.
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Nailed it. 26 posts done and dusted, the most important one for the end. Well done, now keep going
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Lol. Yes Boss! 🙂 And thank you for reading and commenting, means a lot.
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You are welcome
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Job well done. 🙌 I’ve enjoyed traveling alongside with you on your A-Z journeys.
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Thank you for reading, Bernice! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it 🙂
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Wow Kim! I admire your zest for travel and adventure and appreciate how you associate freedom with your travel adventures.
A wonderful Z post!
Best wishes,
Moon
https://aslifehappens60.wordpress.com
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Thanks so much, Moon. It’s strange but I always feel most like myself when I’m travelling. I can’t imagine ever stopping 🙂
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Written like the marathon blogger you have proved yourself to be over this month. I have been blessed with the richness of your writing Kim. Sharing your impressions certainly piqued my interest to know more. I am pleased to have found your and Geraint’s blogs and will be continue to follow your writings in the times ahead. Thank you for the companionships, encouragement and of course good reads. 🙂 Linda
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Thank you for those kind words, Linda. I’m so pleased to have found your blog as well, you have a wonderful talent for writing and I’ve looked forward every day to reading your posts. Here’s to the next stage, whatever it may be 🙂
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I’m always happiest when I have a trip planned. After going to Iceland a few years back, I have migrated more to adventure travel and smaller more immersive experiences although I’m probably not quite as brave as you 🙂 I hope you enjoy many more travel adventures. WeekendsInMaine
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Oh! I would LOVE to visit Iceland. The landscapes look magnificent! Add Greenland & Norway to that itinerary and I’d be a happy girl. Such a long way to travel though! Did you write about that Icelandic trip on your blog? 🙂
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Yes, it would be a bigger trip from Australia but for us in Maine it’s super close. I can’t wait to go back. It was amazing. If you ever do go, check out “GoEcco Tours” they were fabulous. I didn’t blog about it but probably should add it. I’d like to go to Scandinavia someday too. I learned on my Iceland trip that I’m a fan of winter travel and there are some cool options in that area during the winter. One of the people I met on my Iceland trip is an adventure traveler and I follow her on Facebook/Instagram now so I get to travel vicariously through her. She takes amazing trips and is a top notch photographer. I’m always adding something to my bucket list after seeing her posts.
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Great! Thanks for the trip on the tour company. I’ll certainly look them up. It’s probably a trip that’s still some way off though! A good Instagram account is always inspiring – I follow a few that I’m always in awe of their adventures!
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Cheers to the Zealous traveller Kim!! What a beautiful series of A to Z, I have read through your blogs. It was indeed a pleasure ! Hope you continue to keep posting. Congrats dear and be in touch 🙂
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Thank you, Radhika! And congratulations to you as well. Your posts have been wonderfully written & often very original. Thanks for reading & following along during the challenge. I look forward to seeing what you come up with next 🙂
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Welcome Kim. Happy blogging 😊
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Congratulations on completing the challenge. Thoroughly enjoyed your posts, thank you for taking us on a personal tour round the world and visiting some fascinating places. Happy travels, and look forward to reading about more of your adventures.
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Thanks, Iain. And thank you for reading, it’s much appreciated. I best book some more trips 😉
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Congratulations for this challenge
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Thank you, Bernie.
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Brilliant effort on completing the challenge! I love the word zeal and don’t use it enough! That’s my next resolution- fit it in!! Well done!
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Thanks, Mary! It was a challenge but I’m so glad I did it. Zeal has a certain ring to it that’s appealing to me as well. Not sure why it isn’t said more 😄
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Congrats, Kim, for successfully completing the challenge. You are right that the challenge is a nice way to get back us in writing. Keep writing such wonderful travel stories as a zealous traveler.
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Thanks so much! It’s a great way to get writing but a great way to make connections with other bloggers as well. But I’m looking forward to not having the pressure to write daily 🙂
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I love that you have such a passion for traveling, and am in awe of all the places you have visited. I really wish I had taken advantage of the travel opportunities that came my way when I was younger, but I can’t change the past. I think you are very wise to follow your dream and I am very grateful you have shared some of your experiences on your blog! Best of luck in your future trips!
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Thanks so much for those kind words, Ann. I’ve been fortunate to discover my passion early & despite some health issues, so far I’m managing to get around and see some amazing places. I’m so appreciative that there are people like yourself who take the time to read about my travels too 🙂
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Lovely way to end the challenge. Congratulations. I’m with you on the value of travel, especially the humbling part. It forever amazes me how much I think I know and then discover there are huge other layers of knowledge and understanding that are only accessible once you’re standing in a new place. Good travels to you!
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Thanks so much. Travel opens many doors to better understanding and acceptance, I truly believe that. It’s been wonderful reading your posts over the last month. Looking forward to seeing more from you.
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Three cheers for all those with a zeal for discovery and adventure in life. And an extra-special cheer for you! Congrats on finishing the A to Z Challenge and for 26 posts that brought us along with you on your adventure around the world. I really enjoyed your posts, your photos and your view on life. This was a great way to conclude – well done!
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Thanks so much, Louise! Time for a well earned break after all that “travel” 🙂 At least until I figure out what the next post will be!
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Wow, those tats are awesome! I’m proud of, but sad for the end of this month! It’s been a great writing adventure!
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Thanks so much. It’s certainly been more of a challenge for me this year but overall I enjoy the A-Z and the connections you can make during that one moth of intensive blogging!
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Congratulations and what a great way to end the challenge, also I love the ink 🙂
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Thanks, Raven! I’m pleased I got through another A-Z challenge, it was harder this year from a motivation standpoint though.
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I’m with you on that one!! There were some days that inspiration alluded me and I was only doing 100 words, so I take my hat off to you 🙂
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What a great way to end the challenge! Everything you wrote was on point, especially this one: “To me, travel is the greatest adventure.” Your travel posts have inspired me to go to places not for the pictures but for the memories. I really really look forward to seeing more of your stories. Congratulations!
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Oh thanks, Andy! That’s kind of you and I’m glad I might have helped inspire you with your own travels.
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Congratulations Kim. Job well done!
I know exactly what you mean about traveling. You catch the bug and it never leaves you. I am the same. 🙂
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Thank you! Always nice to meet a fellow traveller too.
And you’re right, but it’s the one bug I don’t mind having caught 🙂
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I am certainly glad to have it pushing me to get out and explore the world. But sometimes, like now, when I feel like I have no choice but to stay close to home, it gets extremely hard to handle.
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I understand that feeling. I get very restless if I can’t see any option for upcoming travel.
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Me too, I start to feel trapped and get very frustrated. 😦
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Kim you nailed it and like how!! Lovely tattoos😍
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Thanks my friend! Might take a couple of days off though lol 😀
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Loved your post. Wanderlust… 😉
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Thanks so much! Wanderlust it is 😉
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Congrats dear… keep going…
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Thank you, I certainly will
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