Fairly extensive world travel is to me one of the most stimulating and rewarding accomplishments of my life. Very few experiences can bring so much learning, self-discovery and excitement as travel. I am a globetrotter, I have visited over 70 countries to date across 5 continents and I have hundreds of amazing adventures with an abundance of stories to tell. I also lived in the Netherlands and the UK, before settling in Thailand.
Whenever I went on a trip or new expedition, I found excitement, interesting things to do, kind and loving people. Hostels, ashrams, couchsurfing, friends of friends or nice hotels, I ultimately felt comfortable everywhere.
My first meaningful trip was at age 17, when my mum bought me an E.F. language school holiday. A short-haul chartered flight from Milan to Gatwick airport, London, was my first hop on an aeroplane and I remember it vividly, It was 1994 and people were still smoking on aeroplanes.
3 weeks in the English seaside resort of Bournemouth, mingling and partying with hundreds of international kids, changed my life forever, and pushed me into a mild depression on my return. I knew I didn’t belong to my home town, or even country anymore, I knew I was meant for the world, as the world was there for me to discover.
Every time I had any money to spare during my university years, I ‘d spend it on travel. My first interrail was at age 21, when I took a train in Domodossola, Italy while nursing a mild fever and sore throat. My parents tried to persuade me not to go, but there was no chance I’d even consider delaying this highly awaited trip through half of Central and Eastern Europe. By the time the train reached Trieste and then Croatia, my ailment was gone.
I remember asking directions at Zagreb central station to the local hostel. There was no smart phone with Internet and I had no Lonely Planet or Rough Guide, my faithful partners on future adventures. That first night in the Zagreb hostel brought me a sweet encounter with a girl from Naples. It was the beginning of one of the most fun travelling experiences I can remember.
Everything was exciting to me, the sleeper car in the train, the different architecture of Budapest and Prague, the foreign currencies, local beer and food.
In Krakow my hostel had an 11pm curfew but this buzzing student town was packed full of beautiful young people who wanted a piece of me. I probably had 3 or 4 beers only but felt very high from the connection with the magic of this ancient, grand and fun city. After kissing a few really gorgeous polish girls in various bars in the Rynek Główny, I ended up missing the curfew and spending the rest of the night sleeping on a bench at a bus stop.
I felt connected, exhilarated, blessed and very safe everywhere I went, the world belonged to me and every stroll down any road was a thrill or adventure.
Leaving what is known behind for what the world might bring, requires a leap of faith, a jump into the unknown, an inner courage and a desire to expand and experiment. Perspective over someone’s life and a more direct and thus more authentic knowledge of other cultures, are some of the gifts of travel.
On my 1 year round the world trip, I spent 2 months in Colombia, fully in the company of locals. My first time in a developing country and in South America, Colombia brought an intoxicating mix of fear and excitement.
I remember taking the night coach from Bogota’ to Medellin, the city of Pablo Escobar. I heard stories of kidnapping, struggles between the revolutionary guerrilla and paramilitary forces. It was not uncommon to read in the news of the hijacking of coaches, when the unlucky passengers were stripped of all belongings, clothes included.
And yet the country looked and felt gorgeous. Lush green jungle, dramatic blue skies, awesome tropical fruit and locals with piercing eyes and a very confident demeanour. I was a 30 year old boy in a country of men, that’s how I felt in Colombia.
I quickly learnt how to navigate this exotic and challenging environment and I grew my courageous, independent, street-smart, masculine side. 2 months in the country and I looked rather different and remarkably stronger, ready to take on 14 more countries on this 1 year long trip.
Isn’t it fascinating to discover new countries, with all the variety and peculiar characteristics that each part of the world manifests? Ancient and still famed civilisations include the Japanese, Chinese, Arab, Indus and Western. Cultural traits derived from those (and many more) are expressed in a diversity of rich languages, rituals, symbols, art, food, beliefs and lifestyles.
An inner predisposition or desire brings you on the road, makes you leave your original place or culture, to discover the riches of travel and foreign customs and traditions. I was able to manifest this desire fully, and yet I know I am not done with it, I hope I can continue to travel and discover new places and meeting new people forever and well into old age.
Travel is a way to experience freedom, the realisation of how limited we are in our day to day local mundanity and how immense and full of potential the world and our lives truly are.
You are never alone when you are on the road. The backpacking, travelling subculture provides a large variety of hostels and lodges, transportation and hangouts, parties and events to meet and share adventure stories and future plans.
India is another favourite of mine. I have crossed into an Indian border 13 times to date and this huge country is possibly my favourite Asian place after Thailand.
Ancient and very culturally rich, India is a place of contrast, breathtaking landscapes, flavoursome spicy food, friendly locals, mighty mythology and possibly the most spiritually awakening country you’ll ever visit.
Travelling both “outside and inside” brings forth treasures, direct learnings and personal development no documentary, book or school teaching can match.
My first mystical experiences were ignited in India, at the foot of the Hymalayas and in Gokarna, on the shores of the Arabian Sea. If you are going to India and love an adventure story, I recommend reading Shantaram, a rather amazing novel set in Hindustan indeed.
Solo travel and backpacking can find its soul origin in the counterculture and hippie movement of the 60s and 70s. The Hippie Trail (also known as the overland) is the name given to a journey from Europe and West Asia through South Asia such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh to Thailand.
What an achievement might have been, back then, to travel overland across so many places and cultures. And how lucky we are these days to be able to travel at relatively low cost with such ease. It is so much safer and more comfortable for sure, and yet, that doesn’t diminish the value of modern day globetrotting.
Last summer I visited for the first time Sofia in Bulgaria, Athens and Abu Dhabi. This September I will go back to one of my favourite places, Chefchaouen, a fairytale mountain city in Northern Morocco.
If you love the world and feel good everywhere, your potential choice of location, the place where you actually want to live, becomes very broad and exciting.
A characteristic of travellers and individuals who are naturally prone to seek and discover, is the ability to adapt to novel environments, meet new people and find structure and routines everywhere.
In a multicultural and diverse world, as a travelling type, you might find yourself suited to do well living in cosmopolitan environments. The centre of large global cities like London, New York or Hong Kong attract an international crowd of like-minded foreigners and so does Koh Phangan, Thailand, where I live.
The mundanity of a 100% local community can’t match the excitement of living in an international hub, where people come from many different cultures and are able to share their traditional traits and treasures while finding common ground.
In the spirit of Hermes, the ancient Greek god of wind and the protector of human heralds, travellers, merchants, and orators, I have been a foreigner for over 22 years.
My first language is English these days, with an Italian twang of course. My culture Northern Italian, Londoner (15 years) and New Age Koh Phanganer (7 years). My current neighbours are from Myanmar, a clan of over 30 good energy individuals with kids. They noisily live opposite my home, in a very Thai village which is rapidly transforming into a potentially upmarket resort town.
I am a backpacker, an admirer of cultures and a traveller in practice and in principle, since discovering my first Salgari’s novel at age 14, The Tigers of Mompracem. I have no plans to move back to Italy, or Europe.
I love adventure, I love people and I love travel because I love life. As ultimately, like Ralph Waldo Emerson very fittingly stated “life is a journey, not a destination.” So what are you waiting for? Get your backpack and passport ready, the world is there for you to discover!