Hey, I'm Kath, and I've had the privilege of exploring a few parts of our huge world within the past couple of years.
Originally I'm from London, UK, I now find myself living in Sydney, Australia. How did I get here? Via 40+ other countries, countless cities and towns, and far too many hotels, hostels, Airbnbs, homestays, flights, trains, taxis and buses in between.
There's nothing quite like the end of a relationship to make you see all the ways you've been holding yourself back. Upon that realisation I went a little overboard doing all the things I had unintentionally neglected. I went to a pottery class, I gained several qualifications, I met heaps of new people, frequented the theatre, discovered a love for street art, and even had sessions with a counsellor. All were invaluable for me to establish fresh hobbies for my newly vacant weekends, and to find the things - and the people - I wanted to fill my future with.
Above all else I knew I wanted to embrace my freedom, to rebuild my confidence and to learn to validate my thoughts and opinions, but I wasn't sure how I could do that.
I reflected on the numerous opportunities I had missed out on, from a longed-for gap year in Japan, a year studying in Hong Kong, to an unquenched desire to see Rome's Colosseum, the Great Wall of China, Niagara Falls, the world! There was so much I wanted to see and do, and so many new horizons waiting for me to explore. I wanted to meet people more similar to me, to delve into new cultures and - as cliched as it sounds - to find myself, to find my calling.
For many people with a sense of wanderlust they find it easy to choose the place they want to go. They book their flights and they temporarily vanish without a backward glance. For me, I had been saving money for several years to buy a house and I'd heard Manchester was the place to be. With their numerous tech start-ups, reasonable property prices, and the HS2 train, I believed that a property there could be a great nest egg and a sensible investment.
Equally I wanted to start a business and I was just a couple of clicks away from signing up to a business course and becoming an entrepreneur.
Or I could follow a whim and choose to travel, to attempt to cure that bug that had taken over me.
It was a tough realisation to know that I couldn't choose all three options, which left me in limbo whilst I was plagued with indecision.
Meanwhile, I was working in a boring marketing job in London where I spent all day clock watching. I recall having a passing chat with my friend Anna about her recent solo adventure to the other side of the world, and I told her I could never do that. I felt genuinely fearful for her, but she was unfazed. She told me about travel companies such as Topdeck, Contiki, Intrepid, G Adventures etc where you could do solo travel in a group. I wasn't convinced it was an option for me.
Another conversation followed soon after with my friend Stacey, who told me about an epic cross-Europe trip she was planning. She filled me in on her recent travels too which left me in awe, especially seeing as she was a couple of years younger than me and yet she was out there, living (in my eyes) the best life! She also told me about Topdeck and Contiki and how easy it was to make friends on those trips. I nodded, still feeling unsure. Groups were never my forte.
Somewhat out the blue I was approached by a recruiter who told me about a marketing opportunity with Contiki - had I heard of them? I confirmed that yes, I had heard of them - very recently in fact - and yes I was interested in applying for a role in their marketing team. I was invited for interview and did some intense research about them, but the parts that stood out were the trips which were on offer and the amazing reviews from people just like me. I was Contiki's target audience; a 20-something year old with some disposable income and a passion for culture. The reviews revealed stories of others who had been scared to travel solo, and how it ended up being the best thing they had ever done. It was comforting.
I ended up going to that interview and being asked to come back for a second one, but found myself declining it. I didn't just want to work for Contiki; I wanted to travel with them! And so every lunchtime after that I was perusing their website, filling my head with hopes and dreams of far away lands.
I reconsidered my options and I ascertained that maybe I could do all the things I wanted to do after all; it's just that some of my plans would take longer to achieve than others. I looked at what was the most important for me at that time, and it was freedom and adventure. Travelling became an easy focus after that.
I quickly found an awesome trip I wanted to do. It started off in Rome (did I mention I wanted to see the Colosseum?!), went through Italy (via Vatican City), France, Monaco and Spain. It was basically my dream trip and after much deliberation over several days, I booked it, followed by the flights. I realised then how much I loved researching and planning trips.
Not long after that I booked a second trip before I had even gone on the first one, this time through the North East coast of the USA and the East of Canada. The more I thought about it the more I realised I needed time out from work. If I had carried on working in the same place I'd end up progressing too far in a direction I didn't want to go into. I needed time to reassess my career, and what better way to do that than by travelling?! So I grabbed the bull by the horns and I handed in my resignation.
A quick hiring process on their part meant I could leave my job a fortnight sooner than expected, and not one to miss an opportunity to do some last minute planning, I booked a last minute trip to the Balkans for the day after my work's leaving party. It would be the first place I'd be travelling to.
It was only then that both fear and excitement hit me like a ton of bricks.
I had never flown alone before, nor been in another country alone. I had done bits of travel with my ex and he had always taken on the planning responsibilities. I could just follow him around without thinking and still end up on the right train. It was a shock knowing I had to do everything myself and to trust that I would end up in the right place; in a place I didn't speak the language no less! This scared me a lot, and coupled with my fears about not making friends on my trips, I felt shaken and terrified. I remember thinking I had made a huge mistake. There were many tears and I felt crippled with anxiety.
I spoke with Anna and Stacey about this and both reassured me that you become close to people very quickly when you travel with them, and that you can go off and do your own thing when you need to recuperate. Both filled me with confidence and compliments, and told me about their own personal experiences.
With renewed confidence I found myself at Gatwick airport on a surprisingly cold September morning in 2016, waving goodbye to my Dad and making my way through the airport to my first stop - Split, Croatia.
From there I've not looked back. I have travelled within groups alone and with my dear friend Charlette, I have visited places without groups too, been on holidays with friends, and relocated 10,500 miles from home.
Yes, it was extremely difficult at times, and there were many mental and financial obstacles along the way, but the things I have learnt about myself, other people, other cultures, other places... Those are the things that have shaped me. I truly see the world through different lenses now, and I hope that by reading about my adventures and experiences it will inspire you to do something you have been holding back from doing yourself, whatever it might be.
Keep reading to find out where I went, and perhaps I'll unravel a few unusual stories along the way.
Originally I'm from London, UK, I now find myself living in Sydney, Australia. How did I get here? Via 40+ other countries, countless cities and towns, and far too many hotels, hostels, Airbnbs, homestays, flights, trains, taxis and buses in between.
There's nothing quite like the end of a relationship to make you see all the ways you've been holding yourself back. Upon that realisation I went a little overboard doing all the things I had unintentionally neglected. I went to a pottery class, I gained several qualifications, I met heaps of new people, frequented the theatre, discovered a love for street art, and even had sessions with a counsellor. All were invaluable for me to establish fresh hobbies for my newly vacant weekends, and to find the things - and the people - I wanted to fill my future with.
Above all else I knew I wanted to embrace my freedom, to rebuild my confidence and to learn to validate my thoughts and opinions, but I wasn't sure how I could do that.
I reflected on the numerous opportunities I had missed out on, from a longed-for gap year in Japan, a year studying in Hong Kong, to an unquenched desire to see Rome's Colosseum, the Great Wall of China, Niagara Falls, the world! There was so much I wanted to see and do, and so many new horizons waiting for me to explore. I wanted to meet people more similar to me, to delve into new cultures and - as cliched as it sounds - to find myself, to find my calling.
For many people with a sense of wanderlust they find it easy to choose the place they want to go. They book their flights and they temporarily vanish without a backward glance. For me, I had been saving money for several years to buy a house and I'd heard Manchester was the place to be. With their numerous tech start-ups, reasonable property prices, and the HS2 train, I believed that a property there could be a great nest egg and a sensible investment.
Equally I wanted to start a business and I was just a couple of clicks away from signing up to a business course and becoming an entrepreneur.
Or I could follow a whim and choose to travel, to attempt to cure that bug that had taken over me.
It was a tough realisation to know that I couldn't choose all three options, which left me in limbo whilst I was plagued with indecision.
Meanwhile, I was working in a boring marketing job in London where I spent all day clock watching. I recall having a passing chat with my friend Anna about her recent solo adventure to the other side of the world, and I told her I could never do that. I felt genuinely fearful for her, but she was unfazed. She told me about travel companies such as Topdeck, Contiki, Intrepid, G Adventures etc where you could do solo travel in a group. I wasn't convinced it was an option for me.
Another conversation followed soon after with my friend Stacey, who told me about an epic cross-Europe trip she was planning. She filled me in on her recent travels too which left me in awe, especially seeing as she was a couple of years younger than me and yet she was out there, living (in my eyes) the best life! She also told me about Topdeck and Contiki and how easy it was to make friends on those trips. I nodded, still feeling unsure. Groups were never my forte.
Somewhat out the blue I was approached by a recruiter who told me about a marketing opportunity with Contiki - had I heard of them? I confirmed that yes, I had heard of them - very recently in fact - and yes I was interested in applying for a role in their marketing team. I was invited for interview and did some intense research about them, but the parts that stood out were the trips which were on offer and the amazing reviews from people just like me. I was Contiki's target audience; a 20-something year old with some disposable income and a passion for culture. The reviews revealed stories of others who had been scared to travel solo, and how it ended up being the best thing they had ever done. It was comforting.
I ended up going to that interview and being asked to come back for a second one, but found myself declining it. I didn't just want to work for Contiki; I wanted to travel with them! And so every lunchtime after that I was perusing their website, filling my head with hopes and dreams of far away lands.
I reconsidered my options and I ascertained that maybe I could do all the things I wanted to do after all; it's just that some of my plans would take longer to achieve than others. I looked at what was the most important for me at that time, and it was freedom and adventure. Travelling became an easy focus after that.
I quickly found an awesome trip I wanted to do. It started off in Rome (did I mention I wanted to see the Colosseum?!), went through Italy (via Vatican City), France, Monaco and Spain. It was basically my dream trip and after much deliberation over several days, I booked it, followed by the flights. I realised then how much I loved researching and planning trips.
Not long after that I booked a second trip before I had even gone on the first one, this time through the North East coast of the USA and the East of Canada. The more I thought about it the more I realised I needed time out from work. If I had carried on working in the same place I'd end up progressing too far in a direction I didn't want to go into. I needed time to reassess my career, and what better way to do that than by travelling?! So I grabbed the bull by the horns and I handed in my resignation.
A quick hiring process on their part meant I could leave my job a fortnight sooner than expected, and not one to miss an opportunity to do some last minute planning, I booked a last minute trip to the Balkans for the day after my work's leaving party. It would be the first place I'd be travelling to.
It was only then that both fear and excitement hit me like a ton of bricks.
I had never flown alone before, nor been in another country alone. I had done bits of travel with my ex and he had always taken on the planning responsibilities. I could just follow him around without thinking and still end up on the right train. It was a shock knowing I had to do everything myself and to trust that I would end up in the right place; in a place I didn't speak the language no less! This scared me a lot, and coupled with my fears about not making friends on my trips, I felt shaken and terrified. I remember thinking I had made a huge mistake. There were many tears and I felt crippled with anxiety.
I spoke with Anna and Stacey about this and both reassured me that you become close to people very quickly when you travel with them, and that you can go off and do your own thing when you need to recuperate. Both filled me with confidence and compliments, and told me about their own personal experiences.
With renewed confidence I found myself at Gatwick airport on a surprisingly cold September morning in 2016, waving goodbye to my Dad and making my way through the airport to my first stop - Split, Croatia.
From there I've not looked back. I have travelled within groups alone and with my dear friend Charlette, I have visited places without groups too, been on holidays with friends, and relocated 10,500 miles from home.
Yes, it was extremely difficult at times, and there were many mental and financial obstacles along the way, but the things I have learnt about myself, other people, other cultures, other places... Those are the things that have shaped me. I truly see the world through different lenses now, and I hope that by reading about my adventures and experiences it will inspire you to do something you have been holding back from doing yourself, whatever it might be.
Keep reading to find out where I went, and perhaps I'll unravel a few unusual stories along the way.
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