Posted: 11/09/2011 | November 9th, 2011
“What would you like?” the lady asks me in her English accent.
“Iced green tea,” I reply, unfazed by her accent, she unfazed by mine.
We may be foreigners to each other, but nothing feels really foreign about us.
I grab my drink and head out the door, making my way back into the busy streets of London.
I’m a little lost but not worried. I am, after all, in the country that invented my language.
I look at a few road signs, ask some directions, and I’m on my way.
There’s no real confusion. There’s no sense of being truly lost.
I make my way into the London tube, where I sit silently, looking at the stoic faces in front of me.
You don’t speak on the London tube.
Today is my last day in London, and I’m speaking at World Travel Mart about travel blogging.
Twenty-four hours from now, I’ll be touching down in Hong Kong.
The familiar will be replaced by the unfamiliar.
After six months in Europe, I’m finally leaving.
It’s gotten too easy to be here. Too natural.
I move almost too effortlessly between countries.
I know how to make myself understood, even to those who speak little English.
I debate the Greek bailouts like they affect me directly.
I get Europe.
It gets me.
I look at those faces on the tube again.
Soon they’ll be gone. Replaced by a culture I don’t know. A people I’ve never experienced.
Soon I’ll be back wandering unknown streets, trying to figure out an unknown language, and bargaining in unknown markets.
I’ll meander down dim alleys lined with street vendors as I take in the smell of new spices, soups, and dishes.
My stomach will pull me in different directions.
I’ll wonder if that taxi driver is really giving me a good price.
I’ll marvel at the unknown.
Hong Kong may not be an undiscovered place.
It may not even be semi-undiscovered.
Its roads have been traversed by thousands of travelers before me.
It’s been written about by hundreds of writers better than me.
But it will be different.
And it will be new.
And it will be exactly what I need.
How to Travel the World on $50 a Day
My New York Times best-selling paperback guide to world travel will teach you how to master the art of travel so that you’ll get off the beaten path, save money, and have a deeper travel experience. It’s your A to Z planning guide that the BBC called the “bible for budget travelers.”
Click here to learn more and start reading it today!
Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
Medjet (for additional repatriation coverage)
Ready to Book Your Trip?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.
“What would you like?” the lady asks me in her English accent.
“Iced green tea,” I reply, unfazed by her accent, she unfazed by mine.
We may be foreigners to each other, but nothing feels really foreign about us.
I grab my drink and head out the door, making my way back into the busy streets of London.
I’m a little lost but not worried. I am, after all, in the country that invented my language.
I look at a few road signs, ask some directions, and I’m on my way.
There’s no real confusion. There’s no sense of being truly lost.
I make my way into the London tube, where I sit silently, looking at the stoic faces in front of me.
You don’t speak on the London tube.
Today is my last day in London, and I’m speaking at World Travel Mart about travel blogging.
Twenty-four hours from now, I’ll be touching down in Hong Kong.
The familiar will be replaced by the unfamiliar.
After six months in Europe, I’m finally leaving.
It’s gotten too easy to be here. Too natural.
I move almost too effortlessly between countries.
I know how to make myself understood, even to those who speak little English.
I debate the Greek bailouts like they affect me directly.
I get Europe.
It gets me.
I look at those faces on the tube again.
Soon they’ll be gone. Replaced by a culture I don’t know. A people I’ve never experienced.
Soon I’ll be back wandering unknown streets, trying to figure out an unknown language, and bargaining in unknown markets.
I’ll meander down dim alleys lined with street vendors as I take in the smell of new spices, soups, and dishes.
My stomach will pull me in different directions.
I’ll wonder if that taxi driver is really giving me a good price.
I’ll marvel at the unknown.
Hong Kong may not be an undiscovered place.
It may not even be semi-undiscovered.
Its roads have been traversed by thousands of travelers before me.
It’s been written about by hundreds of writers better than me.
But it will be different.
And it will be new.
And it will be exactly what I need.
How to Travel the World on $50 a Day
My New York Times best-selling paperback guide to world travel will teach you how to master the art of travel so that you’ll get off the beaten path, save money, and have a deeper travel experience. It’s your A to Z planning guide that the BBC called the “bible for budget travelers.”
Click here to learn more and start reading it today!
Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
Medjet (for additional repatriation coverage)
Ready to Book Your Trip?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.
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