Tuesday 20 January 2015

REGRETS # 4

I've been lucky to have travelled quite a lot with my work over the last 30 years and to have taken some great trips with The Old Girl.

These trips, both work related and holiday have been to Australia, USA, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy, South Africa, Singapore, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, China and various Pacific Islands.

In these countries I've usually visited many different cities and areas getting a good overview of them.

I regret though that I didn't travel earlier in my life.

I should have done so instead of going from school to university or at least should have done so before going to university.
No doubt I would have had a better attitude to study if I'd been a bit more mature and worldly wise.

In the 1970's the world was a different place. It wasn't necessary safer but the political landscape was a lot simpler. It was easier to travel to Middle Eastern, African, Asian and European countries as a tourist especially a non-American one.

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Air travel was incredibly expensive compared to today (in the '70's and '80's the cost of a ticket was about the same as it is today but not inflation adjusted.
Being young though it would have been cheaper by staying in hostels, camping grounds, sleeping on the floor of people's flats etc - something I wouldn't consider doing now.


It's unlikely that I'll get to see Morocco, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Sudan, Egypt and Iran but could have in earlier days.



One ambition I have is to trace my dad's footsteps in his WW2 campaign - Greece, Crete, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Italy - trying to see things that he would have seen. While the cities and big towns will have changed a lot, the countryside and smaller towns and villages probably less so.

Hopefully, world politics allowing, this is still possible.

2 comments:

Robert Sees Things in Sky said...

I've finally worked it out "The Old Girl" is a boat!

THE CURMUDGEON said...

I wouldn't let her hear you say that unless you're wearing a cricket box.