How I Approach Sketchy Situations

I don't really get scared because I don't see the things that happen to me as things to be scared of, but obstacles to avoid or overcome. Fear if not controlled is not a useful emotion to have and you'll find that many travellers who are scared will usually say 'nothing bad has ever happened, but ...', so what is the point of that? Travel is not dangerous, for anyone, and outside of specific conflict zones or disaster areas there is no such thing as a dangerous country or destination. Bad things can happen to anyone, anywhere at anytime and for any reason and the key to dealing with that is not luck or staying at home, but taking reasonable sensible steps to reduce the risk as much as possible, have plans of action in place if things do go wrong and then giving yourself the skills and knowledge to keep yourself safe when and if you need it. I've been in dicey situations both at home and abroad and my training has given me the tools to avoid or deescalate the situation if I could, and keep myself safe on the rare occasion I couldn't. I've been sick when travelling, sometimes pretty badly, and have been able to diagnose and treat myself without too much concern because of my nursing background. 

My Favourite Travel Moments

I have so many amazing memories and stories it is hard to pick one. One of my best memories as a travel writer was being able to fulfil a childhood fantasy of going to Space Camp with the Huntsville Tourism Board and get to have a go at some of the Astronaut training they put the other campers through. As an adult I thought I'd never be able to do that!

But I think one of my favourite memories isn't about a single destination or event, but a lot of them put together over a long period of time. I've always been a huge history geek, especially ancient history, hence my many trips to Egypt amongst other places. I have always had a fascination with biblical archaeology as well, and on my first trip to Mount Sinai well over a decade ago I spent time reading about the Ark of the Covenant. Over the next ten years I followed the trail of the Ark through Israel and the Temple Mount, where I also got to study the Dead Sea Scrolls up close, down through Sudan and into Ethiopia where it is said the Ark now rests in Axum. The memory I have of that isn't finally getting to see the resting place of the Ark, but the journey I took and the knowledge I gained from each place to get there.   

How I Overcome Obstacles That May Prevent Me From Travelling More

In general nothing stops me from travelling because I make travel a priority in my life and always have. All those excuses people use don't really matter. When I first started travelling I simply worked and saved money to travel. I sacrificed those things that all my peers wasted money on and travelled as cheaply as possible in order to do it. The jobs that didn't matter in the long run I quit and simply got a new one when I returned. I made work life balance a priority too, so I travelled around study when gaining my degrees, when I started my career in nursing I worked for a while and then took a mixture of annual leave, unpaid leave, sabbaticals and even quitting entirely in order to travel. It's all about how you prioritise your life. 

My Advice To New Travelers Who Want To Travel more

The best advice I can give is just go. All those fears you have will disappear once you are out there travelling, you will see the concerns you had were largely unfounded, all the practicalities of money and risk and everything else can be dealt with, as long as you take that decision to follow your dreams fearlessly and without hesitation there is nothing you can't do. You are the only one in charge of the path your life takes, so you can choose the normal rut everyone else does, or you can choose a life of travel and adventure. It's up to you.