Becoming a backpacker again…

Written By Kevin Davies

I’m sitting at the airport about to catch my first flight of a 30-hour journey to Mexico. I sit here in reflection after coming off a two-year journey around Australia in my van. I had grown so accustomed to living in my van and it became my home. My little nephew calls it my ‘house car’ and essentially, he’s right. A house on wheels that I can take anywhere and I love the freedom that it provides. But now I return to travelling out of a backpack and I couldn’t be more excited.  

As I sit here with blink-182 blasting through my ears, I begin reminiscing on past experiences:

  • The time I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with a bunch of legends and looking back on it now, I think it was one of the greatest things I’ve ever done.

  • Attempting a backflip off a boat off the coast of Zanzibar (if you know, you know).

  • Snorkelling around the islands of the Philippines.

  • Walking through the bustling markets of Thailand

  • Tubing in Van Vieng, Laos

  • Exploring temples in Cambodia

  • Hiking through the mountains of Sapa, Vietnam

  • Watching lemurs jump across treetops in Madagascar

  • Hiking the Drakensburg mountains in South Africa

  • Going on safaris in Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania

  • Bungee jumping and white-water rafting at Victoria Falls

  • Standing at the base of the Great Pyramid of Giza

  • Marvelling at the night sky of Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan

Then I awake from this daydream and I’m back to my seat at the airport, as people begin boarding the flight. I start to feel like that 20 year old Kev who went solo to Tanzania ten years ago. This time I’m 30, not much wiser but still the same person thirsting for adventure and taking life day by day. I approach any trip with gratitude that I get to do what I do, that I have chosen this life and I’m happy living it the way that I want to. This is a new experience which I’m approaching with an open book like I always do and no doubt I’m going to take on whatever life throws at me, good or bad.

I begin people-watching all those around me, from different walks of life, wondering where this flight is taking them. It’s easy to spot the fellow backpacker with their Osprey daypack, most of them look young, excited of where their adventure will take them. After a long journey, I eventually reach my hostel in Mexico City and upon walking into my hostel room, I meet some great people from Germany and the Netherlands. From that moment, a burst of excitement coursed through my body.

Am I ready to meet people from all walks of life?

Am I ready to embrace the challenges that come with travelling?

Am I ready to be uncomfortable at times?

Am I ready for the long bus rides?

Am I ready for the constant goodbyes with the incredible people I meet?

Yes.

Kevin Davies