Finally, it was time. Time to say goodbye, or perhaps even good riddance to Hawks. I stayed there far too long. After my frequent hostel changes in Rome, I came to Athens craving some stability, and, true, it was nice to not have to sling my luggage on my back and go looking for a new place to stay every few days… But I’ve got to be more daring in future. For a lot of my final week it’s felt like I’ve been hiding, holding out for my return, rather than truly travelling…
Trying out new cafés like the one I’m in now, doesn’t count!
This is the end of my time in Europe. The pre-Christmas getaway is finished! But the truth is, the end is only the beginning. Not even the beginning in fact, but the prologue. The prelude. The real deal starts in January, and now, thanks to this mini adventure, I have a good idea of how horrifically unprepared I am for what Is to come. What I have just done x12. Holy shit.
My greatest worry is not being able to keep up the writing. Yet I am adamant that I must do it. Writing is the love of my life and I’ll never forgive myself if I give up. Especially after the amount of time I’ve taken setting up this website..
But starting in January, my travels will be different. For the first month or two I’ll be travelling with my mates – the Romans: Caesar, Caligula and Tiberius. I won’t be able to carve my own routine, stop and write whenever I demand it of myself, and there’ll be more distractions, companions to think about, and somehow, I predict, many hangovers to deal with… So, if anything, I’ll have a lot more stuff to write about and a lot less time to write about it.
Whatever happens, I will be writing every day, and I am very much determined to deliver something worth reading. This month of travel has at least revealed a few truths.
- Lack of sleep will destroy my happiness as well as my productivity – and I imagine the same goes for anyone else.
- I am naturally introverted, and meeting and speaking to people in the wide world will always challenge and drain me, but I must make the effort to do it – it’s worth it.
- While I must make the effort to meet people and go on adventures, I have to let myself have days when I do absolutely nothing – perhaps only sleep.
- As well as rest days, I must have days that I devote entirely to myself, so that I can catch up on writing and also spend some time on my own, further allowing me to regenerate myself, ready for socialising and not some miserable angry twat.
And finally, the most encouraging truth:
I can make my money last. From forcing myself to eat less and going to bed hungry, walking long distances rather than opting for public transport and roughing it out in dirt cheap hostels, I can be super-disciplined with my money and still have a great time. For a whole 4 weeks in Europe I have managed to spend no more than 1100 pounds. (Excluding flights). They say you need about 2000 a month for travelling Europe and I’ve done it for almost half that. If I really want to, I can stretch my money to go a long way.
My flight back to the wintry United Kingdom has been my most stress-free journey by a clear mile. The only disaster was when the Greek woman next to me tried to help me with my seat-belt. If only I could rest assured that I’ll never have another stressful plane journey again… I wouldn’t bet on it.
Come January 12th, a new Travel Diary will be born. The Daily Travel Diary. And if all goes to plan, it will continue for far longer than just 1 month. It will continue for 12. See you then…
