My story
I've been an avid traveller for around 40 years now, with a busy life like everyone else, fitting in trips whenever I can to recharge.
Decided it's about time I captured a small part of my travel experiences, sharing them on a web site, that will live forever. Hopefully, others will find it useful, guiding them along the many winding worldwide paths - maybe even turn it into a guidebook one day when I retire, we will see!
I'm slowly adding country by country, adding many more destinations in future, from my library of travel experiences and media, all taken with my smart phone. I've started with Saudi Arabia, as it's a country close to my heart, where I live and feels like a second home. So impressive is the extremely welcoming hospitality and wow-factor experiences, its hard not to feel at home. Now becoming a growing popular tourist destination, easy to fly to with such modern infrastructure, its overtaking many European destinations as places to live and visit - where else can you receive a 5G signal and watch Netflix while camping in the middle of a desert?
Where else can you park for free, shop in a "UK-like" High Street and see all the retail brandnames we used to see in the our UK High streets, now re-located in the Middle East? it's totally awesome and very familiar!
What I have found travelling around, particularly the Middle East, is the countries I have visited always turn out to be far, far, far, far better than what I read in the media, now modern, shiny new services, from airports to malls to metros, all seem shiny and new. To the extent I now turn off most of the news and filter it out, preferring real experiences and building my own perceptions, than importing someone elses.
From Oman, Bahrain, Emirates, Egypt, Morrocco, Kuwait, Jordan, and beyond, each give a warm feeling when immersed in their cultures and the people are absolutely amazingly hospitable.
Each time I return to the UK, I notice a gradual, slow change on my challenging trip home.. putting the extremely high prices for almost everything now aside, strangers on metros and trains rarely make eye-contact or ask how you are, where you are from, everyone is glued to the smartphone, seemingly distrustful of everyone else, Avoiding some areas at night!
You dont experience this weird behaviour in any of the Gulf countries, it's totally friendly and people speak to outsiders and ask how you are and if you need anything.. totally different culture. OK, the driving is something else, but you soon get used to that :) - must remember to use my indicators more often in the UK and not drive so fast to claim a space on the road, and not stop on roundabouts to let other traffic pass :) common place in some Gulf countries I've been to! and dont try bartering in the shops back in the UK, people will look at you funny :), common place in Gulf countries - always barter, it is expected!
I see so many people today glued to the virtual world and focussed on it, than integrating with the real world and people around them. many humans have probably lost our way a little.
Enjoy your trips, and watch this space for more blogs and travel tips and experiences as I add them over the next month or so! stay safe :)
Where have I been ?
21
Countries Traveled
286,107
Miles Traveled
100+
Flights Boarded
Lots!
Miles Flown
