What Inspired The Trip

Both my parents entertained me with stories of their adventures - giving me a grounding in the magic of the world in which we live. I had always regarded books as educational tools of boredom. School had been an incredibly frustrating time for me and my English teacher had managed to destroy any interest I had in the written word. I rebelled against learning because of the system but once given my own freedom to discover I found books to be a source of inspiration.

The one author in my opinion who has been unrivalled in the travel writing genre is Dervla Murphy. Her no-nonsense, have no fear, take no shit, have respect attitude compelled me for the past ten years to explore my own ambitions. She successfully completed the same journey although along a slightly different route in 1963. To travel through the same countries forty-five years later was something which would enable me to explore my own reactions to situations and explore how the world has changed in this time.

I do however need very little inspiration to take off on an adventure which promises uninhibited freedom and unforgettable memories. I have for many years worked in mundane brain numbing jobs to finance my travels. This time increases my determination to experience life to the full and not waste my youth struggling to acquire the newest car or the flashiest apartment.

There were many raised eyebrows when I hinted before my departure at my intended destination. People thought me attention-seeking and the trip a waste of time. Get a job! I wanted to demonstrate how living by your own rhythm is so much more beneficial in the long run but most of all I wanted to prove to myself that I am capable of achieving an ambitious goal under my own motivation. My priorities compel me to avoid routine and seek out the positive because wasting one’s youth on social expectations is to me cowardly, no matter where one is from.