I want to tell you a story. A personal tale of naivety, of learning, of finding my travel feet. The story of my first trip abroad – well, my first solo trip outside of Australasia to be precise. Looking back, I can confirm that it was a pivotal trip for me, and helped me to discover the power of travel in so many ways. The mistakes, the fumbles, the lessons learned… my first trip abroad was perfectly imperfect.
How it started
When I was 19 years old I did what most Kiwi kids do… I dropped out of university and went on my ‘big OE’ (Overseas Experience). Ok, so most of us don’t drop out of uni to do it… but I did. I had picked a uni course that I wasn’t enamoured with and my heart just wasn’t in it; so I completed my first year and then got several jobs in order to save up for my first trip abroad – a solo jaunt to Europe.
For the record, I did end up finishing my design diploma at a later date; as well as an art history degree and a masters in museum studies, so I’m not a complete drop-out!
Saving money to travel
I worked hard as a nanny for 2 separate families, as well as being a host at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. But this was the late 90s, I was just out of school, and I really had no idea what kind of money I would need to travel. I assumed things would cost the same, I assumed I could live cheaply like I did in New Zealand. I assumed too much.
My funds never really reached the level required to country-hop extensively, and if I’m honest, I was too timid back then to be more adventurous. I decided to concentrate on places where I could either meet up with friends or work.
- London – the city of my birth. I am lucky to have a UK passport because of that bit of luck, despite being raise in Wellington, New Zealand
- Wales – to see family friends and explore the southern parts of Ireland for a weekend too.
- Paris – my soul-city, the city of love, mon amour! I have been to Paris more times than anywhere else since then. It is where I feel at home, and it is where I love to take people to show them the quiet corners I find so inspirational.
- Naples – a place I wasn’t expecting to visit, but family friends needed a nanny while their usual was on holiday. So, my dad paid for my ticket by train from Paris to Naples (that’s a story in itself), and I spend a chunk of the summer in this sweltering paradise. Naples is place that helped me grow as a traveller, and as a person.
What I did wrong
The Budget
As you can see from my rudimentary budget, I had no concept of the cost of food, or the cost of airfares back then.
Remember, this was before twitter and skyscanner and last minute deals; and the internet was still only a handful of years old.
I also admit to being less adept at money management than I am now.
LESSON: Always budget MORE than you’ll need.
Ridiculous Luggage
I bought myself a pack… a massive, ridiculous, and highly illogical pack. The kind of pack that you need help putting on. The kind of pack that an unfit, green traveller should NOT be carrying, especially on their first trip abroad. It didn’t last long, as I got stuck in the metro ticket gates and flailed like an upturned turtle, and promptly bought myself a wheelie case the next day.
I over-packed significantly, including books and several pairs of shoes and jeans. I mean, really, books? Given I wasn’t travelling to many countries, why I needed a Western Europe Lonely Planet is beyond me. But then again, I suppose that is what these kind of trips are for – to make mistakes, to learn, to find your travelling feet.
LESSON: Be ruthless with your packing. And pick luggage you can actually haul yourself. If you can’t lift it, it’s time to jettison some items!
My first trip abroad – the destinations
A stopover in Osaka, Japan, marked the midway point between New Zealand and London. It was my first true dose of culture shock. At 6’2″ I was somewhat of a spectacle in Japan. I found it uncomfortable and painfully embarrassing to be stared at so openly. I hadn’t yet come to terms with my own body, and owning the space I inhabited.
LESSON: Japan was a good lesson in culture shock and dealing with the unfamiliar / uncomfortable.
London
London is my place of birth, and a place I’ve had a love-hate relationship with. I’m happy to report that I now quite enjoy a short stay in London – but it took years to reconcile that.
During this first trip back I enjoyed the tourist sights with family and friends. We did all the tourist stuff, visited Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, and did a river cruise.
The 3:1 NZD > GBP exchange rate at the time was a shock to my already stretched budget. I remember paying nearly £10 for a hotdog and drink in Hyde Park, and gawping at how that was $30 in NZ money. I sat and ate that hotdog so damn slow.
LESSON: Learn how to do supermarket picnics to save money!
Wales
After London, I caught a train up to see some family friends in Fishguard, Wales. It was on this section of the trip that I realised how young and naïve I was at 19. Here I hung out with 20 year olds and we spent our days sunbathing (oil not sunscreen, darling), and taking daring midnight trips up rocky beaches to drink by bonfire-light. They seemed so much older than the 1 year that separated us.
When their shenanigans got too rowdy for me, I found myself going fishing with their dad; so I could see the seals and porpoises in the beautiful Newport bay, and learn how to catch mackerel. I was still just a kid, really.
It was here I had an asthma attack and needed to go to urgent care for steroids and a different inhaler. But luckily I had travel insurance and being in an english-speaking country made it easy to navigate.
LESSON: Research healthcare situations beforehand, and always have travel insurance.
Paris
After Wales I headed to Paris to meet up with some school friends. I bought the Eurostar ticket from a brick and mortar travel agent in London and most definitely got fleeced. I think it was about £90 one way *shudder*.
We had the most incredible time in Paris. Seeing all the big sights, accidentally stumbling upon the end of the Tour de France, doing as much free stuff as we possibly could, and rationing our daily panini to save francs.
Paris was my first experience in a hostel… and also my last I might add. Sharing a room with 7 other people, of differing travel styles, who sometimes decided to have sex when they thought everyone was asleep (we weren’t)… it just isn’t my thing at all. The shared bathroom with no place to put your dry clothes and my travel towel that never really dried you properly were just icing on the hostel cake.
I’ve not hostelled again since, and am ok with that (lets not get judgy about it). I was learning my particular style of travel, and it doesn’t involve a pack or a hostel. My travel style involves minimalist packing, a multi-directional wheelie-case, and the nicest hotel I can afford for my budget.
LESSON: Trust your gut and travel in a way that makes you happy.
Naples
Naples wasn’t originally in my plans, but during one of my calls home (in a payphone in Paris, using a calling card), my Dad said he would pay for me to get to Naples if I could nanny for some friends of his. This turned out to be one of my best decisions I’ve ever made.
By the time I arrived in Naples, I felt like was starting to reach my stride travel-wise. It was here I learned how to weave through the crowds at Pompeii, to dodge drug dealers in the centre of town, and perfect my ‘piss off’ stare at the train station. I definitely think Naples made me – in regards to the travel moxie.
LESSON: Open yourself up to stuff that’s scary and new, it will open your eyes and change your point of view.
How it ended
I returned to stay with my friends in London for the remainder of my summer, as I’d run out of money. Dad paid for my budget airline ticket back from Rome to London via Frankfurt. My luggage got lost in Frankfurt, and once again I was relieved to have travel insurance.
The halcyon days of gorgeous summer weather in London: jugs of Pimms, bike rides along the Thames, and trendy exhibition openings in Soho, totally made me feel like I had arrived. I had arrived at adulthood, I had become an adventurer, I had conquered my ‘OE’. I knew stuff.
Looking back, I realise how little I actually knew… but that’s what these first trip abroad experiences are for!
When I talk to young people now, I always encourage them to take some time before they settle down into university or a career job, to travel if they can – travel has taught me more than I can ever explain.
Tell me about your first trip abroad in the comments below…
All photos & content © Hannah Henderson and may not be used without permission (sharing this blog post is fine, though!). Images shot with a Canon DSLR T3i Rebel + Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM; and an iPhone.
You made some good points here! Sometimes it’s hard to estimate the cost of living in different countries and budget accordingly. But we’re sure it was still a wonderful experience of a lifetime for you!
Your story resonated with me for a couple reasons: first, in retrospect I wish I would have dropped out of uni (or just out of corporate life, whatever) much earlier in life and traveled, at least for a while. Kudos to you for actually doing it! I also had to laugh at the bit about the too-large backpack. I did my first solo camping experience last year, and I packed WAAAAAAAY too much stuff! Oh well, live and learn. 🙂
Haha the backpack thing was such a ridiculous mistake. I couldn’t even put it on without help, so I have no idea what I was thinking! Getting stuck in the metro ticket gates was the clincher though 😉
It’s hard to travel as freely as when you are that young later in life, though I know we have the whole digital nomad thing now. But those early adventures, especially in the era before the web (me too) were so exciting and transformational! Not so cabbage looking now, are we? 😉
Haha I LOL’ed at the term ‘cabbage’ – haven’t heard that since NZ! Love it!
What a fantastic experience! Who cares you knew so little about budgets and how to pack? Seriously, at 19 what do you really know anyways about anything?!? The important thing is that you just went and had that overseas experience. I love how you learned your travel style, but more importantly how the experience has stuck with and shaped you. More 19 year olds need to get out and explore. It’s the best education and the solution to so many of the world’s problems.
I would have loved to have my own OE experience when I was studying. It does teach you valuable lessons on being and managing things alone And also you ended up exploring London, Wales, Paris and Naples. Thats pretty neat bonus there!
Funnily enough, I also dropped out of University (starting at a different Uni the following year) and then went off to Belgium for the remainder of the year to be an au-pair. From there I travelled as much as I could when I was not looking after kids.
haha i loved this post, reading this resonates with so many of us backpackers and travelers, I love the part about your backpack being way to big, it’s funny because over the years I’ve met so many first time travelers with over sized backpacks but then when I’ve met some again they have downsized so much. For me mine wasn’t too big I just took way too much. great post.
Thank you! I look back on it now and laugh – but I suppose it’s a rite of passage, isn’t it?
What a cute post. Museum studies must have been fascinating. It’s fun to look back and see the young traveller and compare it with the more seasoned ‘you’. I’m like you. I’ve never done well with a backpack and hostels have never been my thing.
This is a very inspiring post. So thankful that you shared your own experience and the hardships you went through. I must say, you are a traveler by heart, ma’am. Just so much wiser now 🙂
Thanks Kirstie – definitely a lot wiser now 😉
Haha I love hearing about people’s first time mistakes, although we all make them. And no-one’s budget goes very far in London or Paris so don’t feel bad about that! It’s a shame you had a bad experience to put you off hostels; they definitely help to save money although I’m happy to say that no-one has had sex in a dorm I’ve been in – yet!!