A friend from work asked me recently, “How many countries have you actually been to?” and I realised…I had absolutely no idea. 😅
So I finally did the work. Opened up my Notes app, sat down and counted. Missed a few the first time round and used my Photos app to help fill in some blanks.
I looked at the numbered list and thought ,”Woah, I really could be Carmen Sandiego!” A running joke amongst the Gray family.
Turns out, I’ve visited 34 countries! I was shocked.
My friends have long called me a world traveller, but I’ve never quite accepted the label. To me, it never felt earned. I imagined real travellers as the free spirits who feel an irresistible pull towards new countries, unfamiliar foods, different cultures, and people they’ve never met before.
My travels, on the other have been shaped more by circumstance than by wanderlust. A birthday trip became another stamp in my passport. A summer job abroad turned into lifelong friendships and weddings on the other side of the world. Struggling to find work in London led me to accept the one offer I did have in Maastricht, where I didn’t know a single person – or even a word of Dutch!
Not exactly the glamorous origin story you’d expect from someone who’s now visited 34 countries. But I look forward to strolling back down memory lane and sharing the stories of how – and why – each of these adventures came to be.
All this to say, I’ve always thought of myself as a traveller by circumstance.
One opportunity simply led to the next. I never set out with a bucket list. I just kept saying “Yes”. And somehow, here we are.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m incredibly grateful that’s how life has unfolded. Even if it’s pretty far from what I imagined – it just might be better.
Every place has taught me something:
• The joy of different cultures (and cuisines 🍜)
• Just how far a smile and a few Duolingo phrases can get you
• The importance of travelling with a remote pharmacy 💊😂
It’s also given me a terrible habit of wanting to move everywhere I visit. I am, quite literally, a constant flight risk.
Every now and again, I declare, “That’s enough flights! Time to settle down.” But retiring from this life before I turn H into Hawaii feels a bit ridiculous, so you’ll find me haunting airports for a little while longer.
Where’s next on your travel list? And if you had to pick my next destination, where would you send me? ✈️🌍
Thanks for spending some time Up and Away with me!
I’m writing here to keep track of not only my travels to new places, but also my daily journeys through learning, loving and life.
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