Growing up in New Zealand was great; it’s a country known for its natural beauty and there are a lot of beautiful places to explore. Unfortunately for me, my family never had the spare cash to go overseas, so instead I spent my childhood dreaming of Paris and escaping to somewhere that didn’t have English as the main language. I think part of my deep desire to visit all the places stems from the fact that I knew it simply wasn’t an option when I was younger.
One of my favourite childhood travel memories was the trip my dad and I would take up to Takaka to visit family who owned a dairy farm. We’d make some time every summer school holidays to head away. Even though it wasn’t an exotic holiday destination, it was so nice being so far away from home and the chaos of a city. I was allowed to run free around the large, green paddocks and we abandoned all schedules. Traveling by campervan is definitely something I want to explore more now that I’m a bit older; whether it’s a road trip across America in a campervan or a few weeks enjoying my own country. If any of my UK readers want to look into caravanning, The Caravan Club does a good insurance package, and the company also has a huge community of enthusiasts who love chatting about caravanning
Another childhood memory that sparked the flame to travel was the numerous days spent at the beach across the country. We have so many great beaches in New Zealand; we’re literally spoiled for choice. I remember when I was seven or eight, standing on Sumner beach, my local beach growing up, looking out to the ocean and wondering what was on the other side. What the people were like, what the food was like, what it smelled like and what it would feel like to be there. Even though I’m older and I’ve traveled to numerous countries now, I still stand on the beach and look out to the ocean wondering what’s on the other side, or missing places I’ve visited elsewhere.
The third childhood memory that inspired my desire to travel is a little unusual; I grew up in a small school that was relatively mixed. There were children from Afghanistan, some from China, others from Japan and a couple from America and England. When you’re a child it’s easy to think that the universe is simply your small box of people you know, but having such a multicultural class made me realize the world was big and mixed with a lot of different people. I found myself feeling jealous of these foreigners, wishing to go somewhere where I would be the exotic or novel person.
I’ve always thought about travel; since I was as young as I can remember. I’m just grateful that I’m getting to live my dream and to explore the world, finally.
Do you have any childhood memories that you think inspired you to travel? Have you always been an explorer or is it a recent development?
