14 Highlights From 14 Years On the Road

This year marks the 14th year I’ve been traveling the world.

I didn’t know where I was going or who I would become. I just knew I needed to get away and start anew.

Here are 14 highlights from 14 years on the road.

1. Living on a remote island in Fiji

This is where it all began and I couldn't have wished for a better start. Not that living on a remote island in Fiji is without its challenges —there was no running water, no electricity, no sewage system, a sh*t ton of mosquitos, and even more flies, so there were plenty of those! — but because it completely opened my eyes to a whole new world.

We danced, sang, and drank cava together. We laughed, cried, and shared stories with one another. We weaved grass mats, made coconut bowls, and enjoyed the freshest fish I’d ever eaten.

I taught in schools, organised sports events, built a community hall, and had the time of my life.

The people of Fiji live off less than $1 a day but they have more love and laughter than any other culture I’ve been to.

Coming from the UK, this changed my life and created memories that I’ll take to my grave.

2. Scuba diving

Can I let you into a dirty secret? Even though I taught scuba diving for five years all over the Caribbean, I didn’t enjoy my first experience because it scared me.

It was only when I snorkeled with whale sharks and manta rays in the Philippines did I come face to face with the majestic nature of marine life.

Looking into the eyes of those gentle giants changed something in my heart and there was no going back.

Ever since then, I’ve racked up over 1,000 dives and taught hundreds of students.

3. Letting my inner adrenaline junkie run free

Apart from scuba diving, traveling the world unleashed my inner adrenaline junkie.

Now I don’t have the same desire but for a few years, I needed to get it out of my system. I bungee jumped, skydived, white water rafted, canyoned, rock climbed, mountain biked, zip lined, and zorbed. I rode motorbikes through Southeast Asia, hitchhiked through Central America, and conveyed through northern Africa.

I had the time of my life and now I feel a lot more rested in the simple life.

4. Meeting all kinds of different animals

Growing up in the UK, I didn’t really encounter that much wildlife. I was lucky if a dove came and cooed outside my window.

But on the road, I’ve met monkeys, tarsiers, baboons, donkeys, dolphins, whale sharks, manta rays, sea lions, seals, octopus, kangaroos, ostriches, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, camels, and elephants.

Each one, in its own right, has changed me in some way, and I can’t wait to meet many more.

5. Celebrating our uniqueness

I haven’t traveled to each country because everyone eats the same food, speaks the same language, and has the same cultural traditions. I’ve travelled to countries because we’re all different and unique.

This gave me a greater appreciation for the beauty of diversification, in natural spaces and in humanity. I learned to love each human being exactly as they are because our differences make us unique. They make us who we are.

You’re different from me and that’s to be celebrated and cherished.

6. Learning a new language

When I first started speaking Spanish, I thought I was a learning language to communicate with. But soon, I realised I had access to a whole new world of poetry, books, music, documentaries, filmmaking, philosophy, and more.

It felt like learning a new language doubled my brain capacity because suddenly there was double the amount of information.

7. Having friends all over the world

One of the best and hardest things about traveling the world is that I’ve made some of my best friends in foreign countries that I’ve ultimately had to say goodbye to.

However, on many occasions, I’ve also returned to those places, hugged those friends, and deepened those relationships. So, it’s as my good friend likes to remind me whenever it’s time to part ways, “Don’t be sad it’s over. Be happy it happened.”

8. Feeling at home wherever I go

I grew up thinking my home was where I was located. But being on the road without an address or even knowing where I was going to sleep that night made me realise home does exist but it’s inside.

So, now it doesn’t matter where I go because I’ll always carry that sense of belonging with me.

9. Making money on the road

I’ve done some random things to extend my travels.

I’ve installed interactive whiteboards in schools around Perth, Australia. I’ve worked in a camping shop in Darwin, trimmed marijuana in California, sold Xmas trees in New York, worked in restaurants and bars, and run mindfulness courses.

It was magical to discover that I could make money while I was travelling because it meant that I could slow down, fund my way, and not worry about how I was going to keep going.

10. Forgiving parts of my childhood that were holding me back

I left home because I was disgruntled, disillusioned, and hurt. I didn’t have a career or a solid group of friends and I was carrying a lot of anger toward my Dad.

I needed to get away, distance myself for a while, and find the joy in life again.

I did a ton of work to forgive my Dad, forgive myself, and release my anger. It wasn’t pretty but I learned to open my heart again and that’s been life-saving.

11. Falling in love

I was living in Guatemala at the time when I met my girlfriend. We fell in love in Costa Rica, traveled together in Portugal, and have been living in Cape Town, South Africa for the last four years.

Traveling the world can bring people together that would never meet.

I never imagined myself settling in South Africa but love is a powerful drug.

12. Loving myself

If my 20-year-old self could see me now, he’d have a big smile on his face. Back then, I was full of anxiety and self-doubt and lacked confidence.

Learning to love myself felt as likely as visiting the North Pole. However, here I am, 14 years later, able to say that I do love myself and things turn out alright.

13. Connecting with The Divine

A big part of being able to love myself is because I’ve connected to something bigger. Not that I believe in a God outside of myself but rather, a God within that connects me to the Divine.

I first experienced this during a breathwork session. As more and more oxygen flooded my lungs, I merged with a universal consciousness that helped me understand that I am more than just this human form.

Jim Carrey captured this best when he said, “I used to be a guy who was experiencing the Universe, but now I feel like the Universe experiencing a guy.”

14. Slowing down

Today, I get to watch the seasons go by in Cape Town, South Africa. Life is slow and easy. I write full-time, grow vegetables, play with my ginger cat, walk in the mountains, read books, and contemplate the mysteries of life.

Maybe children will come one day and that will take me down a whole new world. But for now, I’m content, and my 14 years on the road have helped me find my place in the world.

Closing Thoughts

To close, I’d like to leave you with this:

“We have nothing to lose and a world to see.”

Maybe I’ll see you on the road someday :)