Two months in…

It’s been two months already?!? Not sure where the time has gone!

I’m still getting people talking to me about my last FAQ, so here is another one with the questions I’ve been asked in the last month.

What’s going on with your website? You don’t actually post much and when you do sometimes it’s just a random ramble about life and travel and not about what you’ve done.  

I made a promise to myself when setting up this website I wouldn’t ever put it before an experience or a place. So when I’m out here and I’ve got the chance to stay in and update my website or go on a night out in Siem Reap then the experience always wins.

Equally I just do too much and I have no set routine (which I love). Some days it would probably take me a few hours to write everything down and what actually happened.

I’ve also been on islands where there’s limited electricity and wifi. Sometimes only electricity from 6pm-12am and that’s when I’m watching the sunset, eating, drinking and chatting to fellow travellers.

I feel at the moment (and the messages I get most days seem to back this up) that what people want to hear is how easy it is to travel, that it is possible to travel with no real plan and that it’s never too late to travel in life. So that’s what I’m aiming to get across in posts at random points in time (usually when I have an 18 hour journey to kill).

Still made the right choice in travelling?

I keep getting asked this. I’m not lying people, best decision of my life! If you’re on the fence about travelling then just do it. Life is way too short.

So worth quitting your job for?

Ah the question I keep getting asked that I hate answering as I know they’re looking for me to say yes and for them to quit their job but it’s such a personal answer.

For me yes. I weighed up my life, what I wanted, career prospects, my love for travelling but really it boiled down to the simple question “was I as happy as I could be?”  The answer to that question was a big no and it took me awhile to admit that to myself and others, but when I did it was a massive weight off my shoulders. What I would say is if you’re happy with most aspects with your life and just want to travel more then speak to your work. So many people out here have asked their bosses for 1-3 months off work and been granted it. I’ve even met some who have got 6-12 months off.

Where have you been in the last month then?

Last bit of Laos and then onto the awesome Cambodia, and yes I’d recommend both! Then just landed in Philippines a couple of days ago. I know, my life is hard at the moment.

Travelling with “no real plan” still good?

Long answer: I’m sat on Koh Rong, a Cambodian island that has beaches to die for, however I’ve been on the island for nearly 5 days and I feel like it’s time to move on after 3 awesome weeks in Cambodia. So I pull my laptop out and me and a mate decide where to book a flight to. After weighing up a few options we book flights to the Philippines. Fast forward a few days and I’m going through one of the biggest underground rivers in the world on an island in the Philippines. That week I felt like the Philippines is where I wanted to go next and that’s where I’ve ended up.

Short answer: hell yeah!!!

Still easy to meet people?

This along with the world is a “big bad place” seems to the biggest fear I get from people when they are asking me about travelling. Unless you really are unable to hold a conversation then you have nothing to worry about.

In Laos there was an awesome group of 9 of us. 5 Brits, 2 Irish, 1 Dutch and 1 Swede. Most of us met on the 2 day slow boat.

I’m even finding it easy to  meet people in airports now too. The 3 women I’m currently travelling around the Philippines with, 1 I met in Siem Reap airport, the other 2 I met in Manila airport when our plane was delayed by 15 hours.

So seriously, if the only thing stopping you going travelling is being alone, then don’t worry, I still haven’t been alone this trip!

Have you put any weight on? (Yes people have asked me this)

I’m still a chubby twat but I’ve actually lost some weight. About 1-2kg. I went to the hospital with my mate as I’m nice like that and there were some scales there so I hopped on and discovered doing lots of activities seems to literally out weigh all the alcohol I consume.

However I have just found an awesome range of chocolate bars in the Philippines, so this could change.

Worst experience of the month?

Being ill quite simply sucks balls. I got ill twice in the space of a week. One time all my joints just had massive pains in them, I had a sore throat and goosebumps in 35C heat. This lasted for around 4 days. 

I was just getting over this and then suddenly I was vomiting and had the shits for 2 days. Now I’m 29 and I’ve had the shits many times in my life, but this was on a whole new level. When you’re ill travelling, it’s a whole new ballgame (I said I’d be honest on this site so there you go) I’ve drank thicker water than what I was shitting at times. 

Best experience of the month?

Too tough to call. Sunrise at Angor Wat? A day spent in a Cambodian village? Going to the killing fields and S21? Visiting a school that’s floating on a lake? Trekking to one of the best beaches in the world in Koh Rong?

Scariest moment? 

Read about my mini bus crash in Cambodia here. A mad night.

Still on budget?

Yeah sometimes I’m over budget by 9am on a day when I’ve booked a trip or something. However then there are other days when you’re just on a bus or have a cheap day. Basically it all works itself out if you’re sensible and I’m still under my £35 a day budget.

What was accommodation like in Cambodia?

Very impressed with the standard of hostels. No issues!

We still don’t care about what you’re up to and just want to know if we can afford this!?

My usual accommodation is around £5-7 a night. Some nights though we’ve even had guest houses for £5 a night with twin beds and an en suite. So that’s £2.50 per person for a hut with a fan, that’s a minute away from the beach. I often view it as somewhere to put my head for 4-8 hours a night. The rest of the time you’re out anyhow. You can get far cheaper accommodation but I usually choose a hostel based on location and reviews which puts the price up by a £1 or so in most places. This extra money spent is usually repaid by not having to get a tuk tuk as much and meeting some great people as they’ve heard good receives too.

Food in Cambodia I personally found more expensive but that’s because I didn’t eat as much street food as it didn’t appeal to me as much as Thailand or Laos. However alcohol was a lot cheaper. Beer often just 50 cents. Some bars I went in it was cheaper to order a mug of beer than water.

Do you really think you can travel for a year without going insane?

Travel? Yes. Asia for a year? Mmm. I love it most of the time, but then other times it is so annoying. Everything takes so much longer than it should. Suppose there’s only one way to find out!

What are the most important things you’ve bought with you?

It’s going to sound corny as but a great sense of humour (well I think so) and a positive mental attitude. When you’re waiting at the airport and you find out your 3pm flight has been moved until 5am you can either be in a shit mood about it all day, or just laugh it off and go and meet other travellers.

Where to next?

Don’t ask me difficult questions! At the moment it’s a bit up in the air. Maybe Kuala Lumpur and have a few days there then head to Nepal or Myanmar. But who knows?

“I hope you don’t mind me messaging you, but…?”

Just message me! I love getting messages from people I know back home, people I’ve met travelling and those that have stumbled upon the site or been recommended to get in contact with me by a friend in common.

I’ll always reply when not busy and I have a decent connection to.

Do you really have to keep swearing in your posts? (From a disappointed Mamma Russell) 

Yes. Because scary shit keeps happening to me in Asia!

Are starting to “figure out” life anymore? Or you going to be a jobless bum for the rest of your life?

Still working on it. The longer I take, the more countries I see!

I think this covers most questions I’ve been asked in the last month. Anything else then just ask and I’ll try and answer!!

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