My 100th Post: How To Travel The World For Free!*

Tags

Adventure, blogging, Blogging community, Dreams, Lockdown, Travel

(*All you need to pay is your monthly internet bill).

As the rain slaloms down my front room window on this gloomy October morning, I’m on an early morning summer stroll around Tokyo. The throngs of early morning commuters seem oblivious to the giant electronic boards displaying all sorts of products and famous faces overhead. All the while, I march on the spot next to my sofa. Soon, as I’m hiking through the affluent Ginza shopping district, I hear the kettle begin to reach the boil. I hit pause on the screen and nip into the kitchen to make my coffee, then don my headphones once more and continue on my journey around the Japanese capital.

This has become a very common event for me in 2020: like a lot of people in these times of pandemic, I’ve had to become creative about how I travel. I still love to go outside and explore the countryside. However, having been through the gruelling national lockdown earlier in the year in the UK and with an uncertain winter looming, I’ve had to take the outside indoors.

I’ve mentioned in a few previous posts that one way to achieve this has been to watch virtual hiking videos on YouTube of other places around the world. I’ve explored the Icelandic wilderness, traversed heavenly Hawaiian beaches and reached dizzying heights in Swiss mountains.

Although I’m not in these places for real, I’ve journeyed the world on a more intimate level than before.

This whole experience seems to be evolving and becoming a hobby in its own right.

Then, earlier this week, I watched videos by a YouTuber called Drew Binsky. He has been fortunate enough to visit every country in the world; it seems that he’s managed to captured a staggering amount of his trips on film. One feature of certain trips he undertakes is to challenge himself to see how far he can go on ten dollars in a day in capital cities across the world.

This made me think: maybe I could visit every capital city in the world! Okay, as I’ve highlighted, travelling afar isn’t a realistic option for me at present. Plus, I can only really afford a small holiday each year. But visiting every country is doable via YouTube. Every single 195 of them.

I’ve set myself a few rules for the challenge:
• I have a year to do this.
• I have to walk in at least each capital city for forty minutes a time.
• I have to learn five amazing facts about that country.
• If I can’t find a virtual walk of a country’s capital, then I must watch another video or two on that country and walk on the spot during that.

I started in Tokyo as Japan is the number one country I’d love to visit. I think I’ll tackle this challenge continent by continent, but it’s fine if I chose to tackle another area of the world for a bit too. If I think I’d like to stay in a country for a while and escape the city vibe, then that’s a good reason to read more widely and visit another part of that land via YouTube. I’m going to make a list of all the countries and capitals and write a few brief memories of each.

From previous searches on YouTube, I know it’s also possible to do tours of certain landmarks or museums in various cities. This will help me to explore the culture in various destinations a little more.

Also, I’ve found that by typing ‘Virtual World Tours’ into Google, there are other websites that open the world before my eyes.

Although this health and budget friendly way of travelling doesn’t beat immersing myself in the real world, I’m looking forward to gaining a flavour of what each country has to offer.

I hope this inspires anybody reading this to take up the challenge or even just to try a few virtual hikes. Who knows where it may take you once we’re more free to travel?

I’d be interested to hear what you think. Or it’d be great to hear from you if you’ve come up with any novel ways in being creative with your travel bug during these crazy times.

Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, I truly hope that you and your loved ones are safe and have a good week.

Peace and love for now 

The Importance Of Dreams In Lockdown

Tags

blogging, Blogging community, Creativity, Dreams, Lockdown, Mental health

Hi Everybody,

Hope you’re all well.

Whenever I watch the news these days it seems every country has measures against Covid-19. Here in the UK we’ve been subjected to more Covid-19 restrictions. Another national lockdown may be looming. Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing I truly hope you are safe and well.

These crazy days have made me dream of things I’d like to do in a post-pandemic world. I think at the present time having dreams is so important. Dreams feed the soul and bring hope. Even if, as times pass, those wishes change, that initial spark and the processes that stream out from it provide a way of making the day-to-day world more bearable.

So – even if my dreams stay as dreams – here’s my top 5 of things I’d like to achieve:

1) FINISH MY HIKING BOOK

Lockdown put my novel on hiatus. Life had become so static that I took long gaps in my writing. It was a job to keep my head in the game. As the weeks went on, I decided to keep a diary of my lockdown adventures. I think this has kept me sane and has given me fresh material.

Covid-19 has meant that I’ve had to re-work large sections of my book – and the idea of this contributed to my procrastination as well – but I’m in a better place to finish now, even if I’m six months behind!

2) DISCOVER MY LOCAL AREA MORE

Whilst I can’t wait to be out traveling across Beautiful Britain again, local walks have taken on a whole meaning of their own this year. For instance, after living in my adopted home town in Berkshire for the last ten years, I’ve only just found out that I live near the woods that are said to have inspired Kenneth Graham to write ‘Wind In The Willows’! Also, back in the day a local quarry was used to supply stone for Windsor Castle.

I can’t wait to unearth more local history on my hikes soon – it’s become quite addictive!

3) LEARN NEW ADVENTURE SKILLS

Lockdown contained us. I think a natural response for me has been to try and live life to the fullest (in a socially distanced and responsible way).

I recently went kayaking for the first time. You can read about my ‘attempts’ in my recent poem ‘Kayak Attack’. My friend and I had been discussing other stuff we could do to vary our adventures up. For instance, we’ve started taking a small camping stove with us on day hikes and making meals. Part of the fun is finding somewhere secluded in the woods to knock up some tasty treats. There’s something very satisfying in cooking and eating a hot meal outdoors.

It would be so great if we could get to the stage where we’re competent kayakers and could paddle to an island in a lake for an overnight cook and camp.

4) ICELAND HOLIDAY

During the original lockdown I watched a lot of YouTube videos about people travelling across Iceland. It was a virtual holiday from my own front room.Then I bought a couple of cheap books on Iceland and the idea to go there grew traction.

I put this to my friends and it’s something we hope to do once the pandemic lifts.
Erupting geysers, lava fields, glaciers, fjords…honestly, it’s such a breath taking country.

I’d say to anybody to at least try a virtual holiday of a country. Watch videos, do research, try foods from there. Look on YouTube for virtual walking tours across your chosen country’s towns, cities and wilderness; then, jump up in front of your screen and march on the spot for the duration of the video.

Who knows where it may take you once the pandemic ends?

5) TELEPORT

This is my favourite super power – and, well, this is a dream post after all! As I said above, doing a virtual holiday can be fun. Now, imagine you can turn that up a notch: one moment you could be strolling along a beach in Hawaii, the next you could be amid the hustle and bustle of a street market in Istanbul.

With teleportation you could be in these places for real. Think about it. It’s a Tuesday morning at 6am; you look outside your window and it’s a dreary grey day. You check your phone and see that it’s a hot sunny day in Mumbai, so you teleport there for breakfast. A quick teleport back home for the working day and come 5pm you decide you want noodle soup in Tokyo or on a guided tour down the Amazon River!

You could also use your chosen power to fight the forces of evil too.

Just writing that makes life seem more bearable!

---

I hope that this inspires you in some small way to chase pursuits of your own. What I’ve realised is that dreams – whether fulfilled or not – are so important in us developing a sense of ourselves.

If you have any comments, it’d be great to hear from you. I’d be interested to hear what’s on other people’s post-pandemic hitlist.

I hope you’re able to achieve a little something for yourself during this crazy time.

Have a good weekend, Everybody 😊

Poem: First Train Journey Since Lockdown (A Joyous Reunion)

Tags

blogging, Blogging community, Coronavirus, Family, Friends, Lockdown, Poem, Poetry, Train, Travel

Cloudy Monday morning, it’s 10 am.
I’m jumping back on the train again.
Lockdown: a four month gap gone at last.
Now I settle into my seat donned in face mask.
Some people, like me, look warily around,
Others are maskless and wearing a frown.
Still, on this first train there’s a respectful distance
Between all of us wishing to extend our existence.

---

I’m on the connecting train now to my destination,
Beginning to brim with anticipation
At seeing my daughter, it’s been ages
As I reflect that lockdown couldn’t contain us.
Video chats where we played, had meals and laughed,
Kept us bonded together as the time past.
And as the train now snakes through countryside once more,
I look forward to what the day has in store.

---

In this train carriage there’s hardly a soul about,
So when will we return to normal with no doubts?
I step on to the platform scouting a rest room to wash my hands,
Recalling I’ve got paper towels as part of my hygiene plan.
I’ll use my own cutlery in the pub for now, but that’s okay,
If it means we’re safe and healthy for another day.
I see my daughter in the car park with a smile and wave,
To you all: if you travel, have fun, be responsible and safe.

ABOUT

Wherever you are in the the world, I hope you get to see your family and friends soon. Please travel safely and responsibly.

I’d love to know what you think of the poem. If you have any comments, it’d be great to hear from you.

Peace and love, Everybody 😊

Flash Fiction: Mr Nighty Night (An Insomniac’s Dream)

Tags

blogging, Blogging community, Coronavirus, Discovery Prompts, Discovery-Prompts, fiction, Flash fiction, Insomnia, Lockdown, Sleep, writing

The hum of the fridge and the tick-tock of the clock sound off in my head. My eyes are too heavy to close. I’ve stared blankly at the telly for the best part of an evening, hoping to lull myself away in front of some mindless show.

Tick tock! Tick Tock!

I’m trying to sleep in the living room because as soon as I go to bed I fully wake up. But trying another room has little effect; there’s just different distractions.

It’s been like this for four solid weeks now. I’ll drift off at some point, only to wake two, three or four hours later and that’ll be my quota of sleep for the night.

TICK TOCK!

It’s not funny. I’m grouchy, snappy, overly emotional: all things that I’m not usually. I can’t be bothered with people at work; I’ve no energy for family or friends either. My personality has completely altered. I don’t have anything particularly bothering me to keep me awake, except now, obviously, I just can’t sleep. I’ve lost the ability to care about anything due to exhaustion, anyway.

Remedies, cold showers, no technology before bed…. you name it, I’ve tried it. I. Just. Can’t. Sleep.

TICK TOCK!

Do I want a sandwich? Or a beer? Or to read a book? No, they all involve actions that may stimulate my brain too much and induce this insomnia more.

So, I’ll stare at the ceiling until my eyelids are pasted shut against my eyes and hope that this time I can break the spell to stay in the land of dreams for longer.

TICK TOCK!

ABOUT

I found this piece of work in a random ideas file on my laptop and spruced it up a little bit before I put this post up. I remember when I wrote it a couple of years ago I just couldn’t sleep for weeks for seemingly no reason. It affected my creativity, so I just ended up writing how I felt at the time.

All this reminded me of how I felt early on in lockdown: like a mindless zombie that couldn’t see a way through. I thought it apt, therefore, to post it now.

THANKS FOR READING

I appreciate you reading this post. If you have any comments, it’d be great to hear from you.

Stay safe (and sleep well), Everybody 😊

Poem: Breakfast In The Woods

Tags

Adventure, Berkshire, blogging, Blogging community, Discovery-Prompts, Hiking, Lockdown, Poem, Poetry, Travel

Today, my friend and I left the town

On our first rural trip since lockdown.

Concrete, tarmac and neighbourhoods

Gave way to farm fields and woods.

Stresses and strains gone in the blink of an eye

As we treapsed through fields of wheat and rye.

And in the long, tall grass the crickets chattered

As we got back to what really mattered

Out on to footpaths flanked by hedge

On a pursuit to live a little on the edge.

The last few months inhibited our freedom,

Now was the time to address this wrong.

Before we left, we’d scoped the views, consulted maps,

Checked the weather, adorned our caps,

Packed our burgers, veggies and buns

To head off to the woods and have some fun.

Stove set up, we sipped our tea

And watched squirrels leap from tree to tree.

Burgers sizzling, tummies rumbling

By the time we ate there was no grumbling.

On the way back we spied a deer

As it shot through a hedge like a spear.

What a great adventure so close to home

Now we’re back we’re gonna roam.

About

On our first joint outing since lockdown, my mate Robin and I fancied doing something different. Breakfast in the open air was great. It’s so great that our home county of Berkshire in the UK has so many adventures. It’s so great to be outside for long periods again.

It’d be really great to read others thoughts on this. I’d really welcome your comments below.

I hope you are all well and staying safe and that you can do more stuff outdoors 😊

Hello, It’s Good To Be Back

Tags

Adventure, blogging, Blogging community, Hiking, Lockdown, Self-publishing, Travel, WordPress

Hi Everybody,

I hope you’re all well and keeping safe.

I’ve been off air for a couple of weeks. I’ve missed WordPress and sharing with other bloggers in this time. But it’s good to be back now.

I decided to take time out to reassess where I was going with my hiking book and I decided to do a lot of restructuring. It’s meant staying up into the early hours quite often. I’m in a good place with it now, so I’m more freed up to focus on my blog.

I’ve finally been able to go on a few more hikes in the local countryside too, so I’ve got ideas for a few posts and poems too. If the truth be told, it was good to finally be out more consistently again as lockdown eases in the UK; but I think I enjoyed it too much that it’s taken me this long to return to WordPress.

Finally, in any spare time I had to read I had my head lost in ‘Neverwhere’ by Neil Gaiman. In brief, it’s about the people that live in the murky depths under London – it’s a mind-blowing read.

Well, I’ll leave it there for now. I look forward to reading your posts in next few days – I really have missed being here 😊.

Hope you all have a good week.

Peace and love,

Wayne

Poem: Let’s Begin Again

Tags

Adventure, blogging, Blogging community, Coronavirus, Discover Prompts, Hiking, Lockdown, Poem, Poetry, Travel

List of things to do

But the sky is blue.

So I put on my shoe

One and then two.

Head out the front gate

Quick walk, won’t be late.

Calm, not in a state.

Out again, that’s great.

Lockdown shut me in

Start again, let’s begin.

To see Nature – a win!

I can say with a grin.

For now respect and keep apart –

Please keep this in your heart

As we adapt to this new start –

And plot a new course to chart.

ABOUT

As Lockdown begins to slowly lift in the UK, I wrote this as we can enjoy the outdoors again. However, it’s also important to have respect for others and keep a distance as we acclimatise to this new way of being.

Wherever you are in the world, it’s my true wish that you enjoy the Great Outdoors without worry and that you stay safe.

Have a happy weekend, Everybody 🙂.

Self-Publishing Update: I went to the Faroe Islands!

Tags

Adventure, Book, Coronavirus, creative writing, Discovery Prompts, Faroe Islands, Hiking, Lockdown, Novel, Self-publishing, Virtual hiking, writing

Hi Everybody,

I hope you are all safe and well and coping with the mental strain that the current pandemic can cause.

I hit a block this week. As I was editing my hiking book I realised that certain info needed revising due to the lockdown. One of my themes in the book is to encourage people to get out into the countryside by any means necessary. However, in the UK we’re currently being told to avoid public transport.

So, if I published my book any time soon I’d get roasted for the advice I offered.

It made me stop in my tracks for a few days. Initially, I thought that the pandemic had put paid to my work of the last two years. I admit I walked away from it for a few days as I was uncertain about what to do. I reached out to my editor and she suggested to add another chapter about how I’ve coped in lockdown, to add any resources I’ve found useful and to modify the parts of the book that need it. She added that painting a message of truth and hope is important.

Whilst it’s true I’ve been out a lot less, I have adapted my hiking. As I can’t drive I’m sticking to streets close to home and I’m hiking in my garden. I’ve been aware of my thoughts and anxieties. Plus, I’ve done other things to motivate me to keep the passion for hiking burning, e.g. living a weekend off army ration packs as if I was in the wilderness.

I realised, then, that I had some material for the makings of an extra chapter. Before I knew it I had plotted a deeper outline for it and I felt more calm about everything.

The main problem is now when to release the book as we just don’t know how long the lockdown will last and what the aftermath will be. But that’ll be a chat with my editor another time.

THE FAROE ISLANDS

As I fleshed out the ideas it made me realise just how much hiking is in my blood. In recent weeks I’ve read travel books and watched hiking videos on YouTube. As good as this has been to keep me going, something more was needed. I don’t know how or why, but I used the term ‘Virtual Hike’ in Youtube – and this was a game changer.

Suddenly, I was transported into a world where the videomakers stayed behind the camera as they strolled up mountain paths and through valleys gifting me free views of what lay in front of them as if it was me taking the hike. It’s the best I can do for now, but it’s good to know I can go to a lot of new places in the world.

Maybe in time Virtual Reality will allow us to use senses like smell and touch in a virtual walking world.

Being in the real world is obviously better – and the days of seriously hiking in it shall return – but to be able to walk anywhere in the world from my front room is quite liberating.

DID I MENTION THE FAROE ISLANDS?

My favourite gem I found was this weekly virtual walking tour of the Faroe Islands:

http://www.remote-tourism.com

It starts at 6pm (Greenwich Mean Time) on Wednesdays. A guide does a walking tour of an area of the islands whilst pouring out facts to the listener. The unique feature of these trips is that viewers can control where the guide goes via use of the on-screen joypad.

WHAT NEXT?

So, from things grinding to a halt, I’m now back on track – even if there’s more work to be done. Having discovered the world of virtual hiking I’ve found something that will be a new hobby in lockdown and a source that’ll help me get the new chapter written.

I hope you’re all okay and that you get to travel to where you want soon. For now, I highly recommend you take a virtual tour of the Faroe Islands.

Peace and love, Everybody 😊

Be Inspired and Inspire

Tags

blogging, Blogging community, Boredom, Coronavirus, creative writing, Creativity, Family, Friends, Inspiration, Lockdown, Poem, Poetry, Prose poetry

Do whatever makes you happy.

Write, draw, paint, dance,

Watch a movie, cook a meal,

Work out, make music, knit,

Play games, do gardening.

Sit still if you want to and imagine –

Just don’t let everything that’s going on

Get you down, down, down.

Maintain standards and create,

Bring ideas to life

Or just let them play out in your mind.

Keep in touch with loved ones,

Surprise those most in need.

Share and inspire. Inspire. INSPIRE!

And if today you find yourself bored

Remember that on this day being bored means keeping well and healthy.

(I wrote this poem as a counterattack to the boredom I’d felt in lockdown. Some recent posts I’d read here on WordPress about positive thinking inspired me too. There’s so much power in being creative: it nourishes soul, body and mind. When creativity is shared with family, friends or strangers it can ripple out and have a potently positive effect. But sometimes being bored is okay if we can reframe it and put it in perspective. Stay safe and well, Everybody 😊).

Self-Publishing Update: How My Favourite Authors Will Keep Me Motivated

Tags

Adventure, blogging, Blogging community, Book, Hiking, Journal, Lockdown, Motivation, Mountain, Mountains, Self-publishing, Walking

Hi Everybody,

I hope you’re all safe and well.

This week the infernal boredom of being stuck in has got to me more. I know other people are going through worse things during this pandemic, but it’s so important not to neglect our own mental health. For me, I’ve found it harder and harder to motivate myself to write. In ‘normal’ times when I find it difficult to write I have a few writing activity books that have exercises in and this encourages me to keep going. Presently, though, things had almost ground to a halt.

Then I remembered the Neil Gaiman book ‘Art Matters’. In this work Gaiman says that when things get you down make art. Write, draw, paint – basically just keep being creative. Re-reading this book and reminding myself of this gave me that fresh kick I needed to keep going.

I started to watch YouTube videos of Neil Gaiman: anything from interviews about his life or his top tips for writing. My favourite piece of advice he gives is to write truthfully. Truthfully about events in your life or conveying how you feel about something in fiction in a truthful way. This is more advice that has lifted my spirits to help me endeavour.

So, I’ve been able to redouble my efforts and keep the wolves of lethargy from the door. The next time I get hit this way I’ll look up more of my favourite authors to see me through. It certainly helps.

EDITING UPDATE

I’ve now worked my way through the grammatical and plot changes to my Ben Nevis hiking story as suggested by my editor. Now, I’m going over it again and focusing on enhancing additional themes that she suggested bringing to the fore (e.g. the mental health benefits of walking). I’m enjoying doing this as it is helping me become more reflective as a writer by making my work more deeper and personal and hopefully it’ll resonate more with people that may be interested in reading it.

I definitely feel I’m growing in my writing abilities.

SELF-PUBLISHING LATEST

As well as the ongoing editing developments, I’ve begun to look more and more at the different aspects of self-publishing. In my last update I mentioned I can only focus on one thing at a time, but self-publishing means I need to juggle a few balls. Still, I can maintain my writing as my primary focus whilst having a few satellite projects orbiting at the same time. Keeping a checklist and schedule are important.

I’ve now got a shortlist of people to do a cover design from Fiverr. I’m looking at sorting the ISBN number for cataloguing the book as well.

The one aspect that had been causing me trepidation was getting the book formatted for different ebook platforms. Whenever I’ve thought about it my expression has been the same as the face in ‘The Scream’ by Munch. The whole experience had caused a lot of procrastination.

However, I was chatting to my brother this week and he surprised me with his knowledge of the processes involved. As the techy one in our family, it’s such a relief that he’s there to rely on when I get to this stage. I just had it in my head that formatting was going to be one of the toughest parts of self-publishing. It’s a big box ticked.

PLAN FOR THIS WEEK

The main thing is to keep motivated. To keep watching videos about my favourite authors if I’m in a quagmire.

Keeping the themes consistent in my manuscript is key now.

To have a definite cover designer by the end of this week would be good.

And to finish my blurb too.

I’m putting together a blueprint for revamping this website too.

AND FINALLY…

Thanks for stopping by and reading this. Reading others posts on WordPress is a source of encouragement to keep going, so I look forward to reading some of your posts as well. Remember: as Neil Gaiman suggests, if life gets on top of you make art.

Peace and love, Everybody 😊