People work, and want to make money (shall we say lots of it) for many reasons. For many the motivation is to buy a beautiful house, a nice car, designer clothing, a pedigree puppy… but mine is to travel.
During my experiences in the war in Croatia, I was brushed with fear that, if it all ended for me too soon, I would not get the chance to see the world. My biggest disappointment and concern was that I would not be able to experience planet earth.
I wanted to go places!
Mind you, I’m not that adventurous and my thoughts of travel never included trekking through the Amazon jungle or climbing up Kilimanjaro, but they were all about visiting amazing cities, exotic locations, beautiful hotels, experiencing different cuisines in their native countries, absorbing beauty all around me and meeting people from all walks of life. That’s what I always wanted to do on my travels.
No one can ever take experiences away from you. I even ‘argued’ with my mum for years after I went abroad and kept sending her money – for living but also to treat herself. I was always telling her to go to the Croatian seaside on a short break or to visit a spa, but my mum’s thing was buying Zepter dishes and ridiculous amount of the latest Tupperware! It drove me mad… but kitchen utensils are my mum’s thing, so I let it be.
I have done a fair amount of travelling compared to most people in the space of time I have had and since I could afford it. You see, I love nice hotels. I simply cannot do crappy ones and if a holiday means staying in a crappy hotel or a dodgy apartment, I’d rather stay here in my beautiful (rented) apartment in Ibiza overlooking one of the best views a human can ask for.
It’s actually very rare that my views wherever I stay are even close to my home view in Ibiza! But as much as it is beautiful, many others are beautiful in their own way too.
I also love to stay for longer periods of time in one country, island or city if I can. It gives me more insight into the place, the culture and the people. My ‘thing’ is still to go and live in New York, LA, Paris, Amsterdam and Sydney… for a month or so. Even London, where I lived for 13 years, is calling me to come and stay for longer yet again! The six months that I spent living in UAE, six weeks in Bali, a month in Bahia, Brazil, plus weeks in Portugal and California have all shown me what a difference it is to go somewhere for few days or to stay for longer.
Going to new places, having new experiences and meeting new people is what I personally thrive on. To my own annoyance, I’m one of those people who gets bored easily so new things to do are always something I’m looking for.
But right now I’m so busy that I do not have any time to travel. This is because I am on my business peak at the moment, and it’s all about Passion’s future plans… which means it’s hard work now, so that in a few years time I can have all the time in the world to go places – I’m planning my ‘retirement’ pretty soon. Only a few more years and then my stylish backpack will be on my back and we will go and explore some more.
I work hard now so that I can play later but whenever there is a chance to sneak three or four days away, I go on short trips like city or spa breaks. It helps me reset, re-energise, clear my mind from work and get my inspiration flowing again.
I always say we get one shot on this planet, and it is so big and beautiful that to stay in one place or not travel much at all, is to deny ourselves. Designer bag, tenth pair of shoes or a weekend in Rome – guess which one I would go for?
