After having worked extensively in the Irish travel industry for the past few years, the burning desire to venture out in the world has finally come to a head, and tomorrow, Friday 29th September, I leave Ireland to begin my adventures, writes Lainey Tess.
The extent of my previous travels has been limited to your average annual two weeks in the sun and as many city breaks as I could fit in throughout the year – which were all highly enjoyable but not enough to satisfy my thirst for adventure.
I have been lucky enough to travel to countries including Greece, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, and to the USA a few times. My favourite places to date are Rome (Italy), Naxos Island (Greece), New York City (USA), and Mougins (France).
A few months ago, I told my parents, with slight apprehension, that I was going to quit my 9.00-5.00 office job and venture out to the big, bad world – and, by the way, “I don’t know when I’ll be back”. They were delighted for me, as they know how much I have wanted to do this and once again encouraged me to follow my dreams. They did, however, have a few words of wisdom:
- Stay in touch.
- Always let someone know where I am.
- Remember I can always come home if it doesn’t work out.
This is a good time to remind anyone who is thinking of taking the same leap of faith as I am, that it’s not an easy decision to make. To give up your job, family and friends for an unforeseeable amount of time is a scary choice because it is entering the unknown – a feeling not many of us are familiar with. However, the rewards of travel are much greater and the appreciation I have for family and friends will always bring me home.
Since then, I have worked tirelessly researching, planning the trip and saving money – the three keys to making this dream seem a reality. My itinerary will begin in colourful, smoky Havana in Cuba, then on to the backpacker route of Australia’s East Coast, and from there on to the fascinating world of Asia.
A Backpacker’s Kit
Amidst applying for visas and getting vaccines over the past while, the hardest part has been figuring out exactly what to pack for the trip! As all three regions I intend travelling to will be hot in temperature, the job of packing was made a little bit simpler than if I was going to hot AND cold areas. I am, however, bringing a few warm items just in case climate change continues with its current unpredictable behaviour and there is a massive global freeze!
Advice from veteran backpackers is to lay everything out in front of you that you think you might need and take half of it away. Here is the final list of what I am bringing for the trip (photo for reference)!
- 45L backpack and waterproof cover
- Hiking boots and spare laces
- 1 jumper
- 1 waterproof jacket
- 4 pairs of shorts
- 4 t-shirts
- 2 bikinis
- 1 light summer dress
- Walking socks/regular socks/underwear
- Full length gym leggings
- First aid kit: TCP liquid, waterproof plasters, Echinacea drops, tick remover, mosquito bands.
- Travel towel/survival blanket
Editor’s Note
We suggested that Lainey also include a sewing kit and some Imodium! You can keep in touch with Lainey’s Adventures when you ‘Like’ The Travel Directory here: www.facebook.com/TheTravelDirectory/.
For more information you can visit her Little Miss Sunray blog or find her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
