Welcome to the first post of The Evolving Explorer! My name is Isabella and I’m a 40 year old woman based in Sydney, Australia. I’m really excited about getting this blog up and running and already it has been a huge learning curve for me. Navigating how to build a website by myself has been both challenging and rewarding at the same time. I’ve been enjoying the process of deliberating over ideas for articles and how I could possibly contribute to what seems to be an already over-saturated domain of travel blogging. So why have I started this blog?
Well, firstly (and unsurprisingly) one of my huge passions in life is travel, particularly to Europe. My first trip there was as a preschooler (and whilst I don’t remember much of it at all), I’ve had an obsession with travel in general ever since. My parents instilled in me a curiosity about the world and what it has to teach us. I have a poignant memory of one of my school teachers saying that “travel is the best form of education ever”. As I’ve grown older, I’ve often reflected on the truthfulness of this. Exploring the world leads to evolving oneself.
Of course, this is not a new concept at all. The Grand Tour comes to mind, the 17th-19th century custom of aristocratic young men from Britain travelling through Europe for months to years (namely, Italy) accompanied by a tutor (a “Cicerone”) with the view of it being an educational rite of passage. We are lucky to live in the 21st century where the possibility to evolve as an explorer is accessible to the masses, not just the select few. How exciting this is.
My curiosity of the world has contributed to my main hobby of learning foreign languages. I studied Italian and French at university and I’ve tried to keep up with them since then. One of my favourite things about being in Europe is that I get to put my years of study to the test (definitely not always successfully!) For me, engaging in the local language leads to a more engaging travel experience. I am also a keen novice photographer and consider myself a bit of a “foodie”, so my travels revolve around capturing memories and seeking out the best places to eat traditional dishes.
Despite all the positive things that travelling offers us, travelling can also be really stressful and overwhelming at times. Personal memories that come to mind are having my passport lost/stolen (I still don’t know which), being assaulted by a taxi driver, getting really sick, as well as feeling very anxious and uncomfortable. I strongly believe these experiences, which put me out of my comfort zone, have helped shape me, made me more resilient and more confident, and know how to deal with adversity in adaptive ways.
I’ve started this blog to share what my travels have taught me with the hope that my research and experiences will help you maximise your ability to evolve from exploring the world. I believe that the more you know about the culture of a place, the more you get out of travelling. It’s one thing to admire what you see, it’s another to know its origins and what it means not only to the people of that country, but also to the world in general. My articles will aim to highlight important historical and cultural facts about the places I’ve visited and will visit, as well as recommend places to stay, visit and eat at in order to get the best out of the destination in question.
Where I’ve been and where I’m going:
I’ve seen parts of Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Islands. In the last 5 years, my most memorable travels have been to Italy, France, Spain, Israel and Thailand.
There are so many places I haven’t yet been that are on my bucket list. My priorities are: the Nordic and Eastern European countries. I’m also really keen to go to Africa to explore my more adventurous side. I’m currently in the throes of researching where to go later this year – I’ll keep you posted!
Thank you again for visiting my page. Let’s evolve together. Please feel free to share your experiences with me in my comments section – I’d love to hear from you. Happy travelling!
