Travelling in your early 20s versus travelling in your late 20s

Then                                                              Now

Returning to Argentina six years after my original trip has given me a great opportunity to compare the differences between travelling in my early 20s and again in my late 20s. Some of the changes are due to circumstances, while others concern my preferences. Either way, it is quite interesting to take a look at what has changed.

Less time

With a steady job I don't have the ability to just take off for three months like I did in 2009. Instead, I had two weeks annual leave, including travel time, which meant limiting myself to a small section of northern Argentina, Iguazu and Uruguay. Six years ago I went all the way down to Ushuaia and weaved my way back up between Argentina and Chile.

This was a very different kind of trip, but my travel companion Tania and I were pleased with the route we decided to take. This was essentially a loop, starting and ending in Buenos Aires, but taking in some key sites along the way. Iguazu was as amazing as I remembered and the Uruguayan cities of Montevideo and Colonia del Sacramento offered a relaxed contrast to the freneticism of Buenos Aires.

Notes at an antiques market in Montevideo

More money

The aforementioned job means I have a little bit more cash to spend than the bare basics I could justify back then. In my early 20s I just wanted to get away, even if I couldn't really afford it. As I draw closer to the big 3-0, however, I find myself requiring a few extra creature comforts. They came in a number of forms.

Cama instead of semi cama

Argentina is a vast country and the need for overnight bus journeys is inevitable. Back in 2009 I would only ever pay for semi cama seats, whereas this time I was more inclined to go for the whole cama experience and lie back flat. With only 11 nights in South America and three of these used to cover some lengthy distances, a cama seat offered a better opportunity to get some sleep and make the most of the time available.

Our palace accommodation in San Telmo

Airbnb over Couchsurfing

I have really loved my Couchsurfing experiences and believe that Airbnb is a relative of the movement. It means a little bit more comfort and guarantee, but with the same ethos. A more grown-up version for a more grown-up me. This trip was my first one with Airbnb and it went well. We especially enjoyed staying in a palace in the San Telmo district of Buenos Aires.

Digital over SLR

It pains me to say it, but a digital camera is more convenient than my faithful Olympus SLR that I have dragged on many of my trips. I am still in love with my old manual camera, but it is not best suited for blog posts and tweets, which meant I left it at home. I'm sure my previous travel companions would agree that digital photography is quicker, but I still love the romance of travelling with my SLR and listening to the satisfying 'clunk' it makes when taking pictures. One day I will adventure with it again.

Back to where it all began: Returning to Argentina

Iguazu Falls - 2009

Back when I first started this blog I was about to head off to Argentina and am currently preparing to return. In those early days my blog was pretty basic and I did a few posts during my original stint in South America. There was very little formatting, linking or trickery involved.

Some six years later a lot has changed, with both me and my blog. For a start I have undergone journalism training and am now employed as a travel writer (23-year-old me is very happy about this). I like to think that my writing style has evolved and my blog has come a long way.

Over the years that I have had this blog, it has been a space where I can try out new things and put what I've learned through studying online journalism and working in the industry into practice. It is still not as shiny and professional as I would like, but as I learn, I like to think it improves.

While the blog has come a long way since those original posts, the reasons for writing it remain the same. My passion for travel has never dwindled and my desire to write stays with me. Who knows where it might lead in another six years? Perhaps I'll be planning my third trip to Argentina, but I hope I'm still travelling and writing, and loving it as much as I do now.

On my next trip to Argentina I will be travelling with a good friend of mine, who has never been to South America before. Luckily, having lived together we are pretty much in tune and her concerns were also the ones that I shared. The disparity between my experience in the region and hers could have been a problem, but we think we have come up with a good plan.

Several hours were spent pouring over guidebooks and maps, with the outcome being that we have come up with an itinerary that suits a first-time traveller and someone who is familiar with the region. Our route combines some of the classics - Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls - with destinations I have not visited before - Montevideo and La Colonia.

While we only have 11 days, this route, which includes three overnight buses, looks like a good way to explore this corner of South America. So roll on May and my return to this stunning part of the world.

How to be considerate when you travel more than your partner

The life of a travel writer, or even just a frequent traveller, can take its toll on the individual involved, but they are not the only one who might feel the implications. Being the partner of such a person can have its difficulties too, but there are things that can be done to lessen the strain on a relationship.

It could be that your partner would love to travel as much as you do, but work or circumstances prevents it. Alternatively, it may be that your other half simply isn't as interested in exploring the world, so you go without them. Either way, here are some ways you can make your many departures easier on them.

Have your own toothpaste

This is a really simple thing to achieve and can be applied to a number of household items that you generally share when you live with someone. If you are heading off for a few days on an assignment or trip and pack the communal toothpaste, the chances are it won't be until bedtime that your partner realises there's nothing to brush their teeth with. At this time of night there isn't much they can do about it and are most likely to feel contemptuous about your travel lifestlye.

Let them know your travel plans

Outlining your travel plans to someone before you go away is sensible, so they know what to do if there was a problem. Doing this with your partner is even better as it will let them know at what point they should start to worry. If they are expecting you back at a certain time and a certain date and you don't appear, then they can start to look into where you are and what to do about it.

Another good idea is to write key information down, such as a brief itinerary, hotel names and numbers and flight details. This means if you are delayed and don't have a way of getting in touch, they can check these and assuage their worry.

Stay in touch

It is very easy to get wrapped up in what you are doing on your travels and forget about your life back at home, especially if you're only away for a few days. Your partner will want to know you have at least arrived safely and not getting in touch can lead to resentment. The emphasis should be on the person who travels to ensure they make the connection, not the other way round. In this day and age it is much easier to be in touch than it used to be, but even in off-the-beaten locations, it is still worth making the effort.

Unpack straight away

Nothing will remind your other half of the downside of your lifestyle more than tripping over a full backpack every day. Unpacking is not the most exciting of jobs and one that is easily put off, but getting everything organised and put away will mean there is not a constant reminder to your partner that you will soon be off again.

Ask about their activities during your absence

While your trip may seem much more exciting than the things that your boyfriend or girlfriend does every day, they are still important. Of course you will want to fill them in on everything that you got up to, but don't forget to show an interest in their lives, as forgetting to do this can lead to a big void opening up between you.

Let holidays be holidays

When you travel a lot for work, it can be easy to let this side of things creep into your holiday time. With this in mind, try and draw a distinction between the travelling you do as part of your job and that which is done with your partner. This may mean not blogging from a destination or continuously highlighting the fact that you have been to a place before. Sometimes it is better to discover a city together as opposed to be offering your expert knowledge all the time.

Childhood memories of Africa

Back in the 90s, a couple from Newcastle-upon-Tyne took their two daughters - five and nine at the time - on their first trip to Africa. They would return several times throughout the girls' childhood, but little would they know that, 20 years later, the youngest would become a travel writer. Here, Emma Dodd reflects on the impact those childhood experiences had on her development and the memories that outshine so many others.

A few years ago when my parents were moving house, they uncovered a box full of the scrapbooks my sister and I had made of the holidays we went on as children. There was also a photo album that my sister had made after our first trip to Africa. All the photos were taken from knee height and highlighted the things that catch kids' attention, but pass adults by.

Flicking through the pictures really showed how engaged with our surroundings we were and the extraordinary experiences we had. My own first memories include holding a baby crocodile and making friends with an orphaned elephant named Moto in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, where we stayed on one of our trips.

At the time I didn't realise how fortunate we were to be able to go off to Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, Malawi and South Africa during our summer holidays. It is only now that I understand what an undertaking it must have been for my parents to pack up their family and take two small children to such an incredible continent.

One difficulty was always to get us to take our anti-malarial pills and my mother used to employ a wide variety of tactics to ensure we did. These included squashing them between two teaspoons and adding strawberry syrup to disguise the taste or hiding them in sandwiches.

As a child I could see the differences between where I lived and the places we visited, taking in stunning views such as Victoria Falls and the paradisiacal beaches of Zanzibar. Going to school had much more significance after seeing children in these places ask my parents for pencils and their rapt attention as my dad pulled one from his bag and sharpened it before handing it over.

Making friends has never been a problem for me and I became adept at connecting with children that I met in all these countries despite, usually, the lack of a common language. This formed the basis of a fundamental skill that has come in useful all through my life.

On visiting the Sossusvlei region of Namibia when I was seven, the whole family climbed one of the smaller burnt orange sand dunes. I was determined to see the view from the top of the very tallest and set off towards the summit. After a while, my parents realised I wasn't going to tire until I had achieved my aim and set off in pursuit to be presented with one of the 'great views of Africa'.

Twice in my life I have seen leopard - once on a night drive in Zambia and then again in Malawi, where we stumbled upon a young cub behind an anthill – and, despite my young age at the time, I can still remember the excitement. By contrast, when I then first visited a zoo during my time at university, I was stunned to see a tiger, normally even more elusive than a leopard, just sitting there. Despite the fact that tigers are Indian not African it was then that I really appreciated the patience required to see a big cat in the wild and how the anticipation and search builds the whole experience into something truly holistic and memorable when the 'spot' is made – crucially, even if one misses the sighting, the looking is part of the fun.

For a long time I have had an interest in conservation and campaigns that extend well beyond my own situation and this interest is directly attributable to those early safaris in Africa. Even when I was quite young I had a much greater sense that the world was a huge place than any of my peers and I  understood that there were people who were significantly poorer than us.

I wore my Save The Rhino T-shirt until it practically wore out and, at the age of 12, announced that I was becoming a vegetarian; a decision that was based on careful thought and what I had seen in the world. Travel broadens the mind and my wonderful African experiences as a child had a truly positive impact on me that can I can, today, still trace back to those safaris.

Travel continues to come as second nature to me and I have spent time volunteering as an English language teacher in a pineapple farming community in Costa Rica and taken up every opportunity to visit new places that have come my way. Before I turned travel into a career, my parents would suggest I should be sensible in my thinking about the future and what I would do. To this I have always replied that they shaped what I wanted to be: they took me to Africa when I was five!

This article was originally written for The Explorations Company and appeared on their website in May 2014

Operation turning 30: Phase one: Saving

When I was 21, a friend and I embarked on five weeks of travelling around Eastern Europe by train. Being students, our budget was modest and our view on the world somewhat different to what it is today. Wandering through Prague we came across The Alchymist Hotel and peered in through the window at the warm glow of luxury emanating from inside.

Right there and then we made a pact that if one of us ever became rich or famous, we would treat the other to a stay at the Alchymist. Eight years later and the pair of us have updated our plans and decided that since we are due to turn 30 next year and are in steady employment, we will realise our dream and plan a return trip to Prague and book to stay at this sumptuous hotel.

With a year to go and another friend of ours on board, we are on the first phase of this plan: saving. Each of us has a special Terramundi jar to help us realise our gold. These personalised money pots are great as once you have popped the funds inside, there is no way of retrieving them until the day when they are smashed upon.

This fateful day will come when we get together and take a hammer to our savings jars and count how much we have been able to accrue over a year. Then we shall book our trip and celebrate a total of 90 years of life between us - quite an achievement.

5 travel mistakes I'm glad I made

Leaving Russia turned out to be easier said than done. (Photo: Rebecca Lyons)

To say I am glad I made the following mistakes is possibly an overstatement, as at the time I was probably seething, but each one has taught me a lesson and has shaped the way I travel now. It is therefore fair to say that I'm glad I made these mistakes when I did, as if I hadn't, I would probably make them at some point in the future.

Mistakes are a vital part of travelling, and although we all try and avoid them, especially the serious ones, they help the learning process, which is what travel is all about. They also make life more interesting, so I would encourage you to embrace such misfortunes and move on, taking the appropriate lessons with you.

Missing the train in St Petersburg

After a wonderful time in St Petersburg it was time to leave and my companion and I set off for the train station. This is the same train station where we had looked at the schedules and booked our tickets, but despite giving ourselves plenty of time, we struck a problem - nowhere on the departure boards was our train listed. It took us a while to realise that St Petersburg had more than one train station and we were not leaving from this one.

We jumped in a taxi and raced across town, but it was too late. Our train had already left. We returned to the hostel where we had been staying, somewhat red-faced and rejoined the group of friends we had made, before departing for Latvia the following day.

Sleeping in a bed bug infested bed in Tarifa

Bed bugs are horrible little blighters and once you have them, they can be difficult to get rid of. There are tell tale signs, however, such as blood spots on sheets or the bugs themselves along mattress seams. These days I give my sleeping area a good look over before getting in, but safe to say I didn't do this at the hostel I stayed at in Tarifa a few years ago. I only knew there was an infestation when I woke up with itchy red bites. The room had to be fumigated and disinfected, while I got a free drink out of it, but it was a pretty unpleasant experience.

A hat and covered shoulders are essential in Malaysia's hot sun

Getting sunburnt in Penang

It is very easy to underestimate how strong the sun is when you first arrive in a place, especially if you haven't worked out your plans for the day. This is exactly what happened to me in Penang. I set about exploring Georgetown without a hat or anything to cover my shoulders, thinking that because I was in the city I would be indoors a lot of the time. I ended up walking the streets a lot to get my bearings and despite lathering on the sun lotion, got pretty burnt.

This was a very stupid mistake and one I shouldn't have made. Consequently I bought a hat and always ensured I had a thin top with me to cover my shoulders for the rest of the trip. Unfortunately I also sported a vivid scarlet farmer's tan long after I returned home - ouch.

Running out of money in Spain

Not budgeting properly and spending the entire 36-hour ferry trip from Bilbao to Portsmouth eating cheese sandwiches and hiding in my cabin is a mistake I would probably make again in all honesty. After all, I'm glad I spent the money on pintxos in San Sebastian than on the unexciting food on the ferry. It would have been nice to have been able to afford a drink though!

Booking a flight to Berlin when I was ill

This final mistake was particularly silly, as I broke the golden rule of travel - listen to your gut. I was supposedly over my illness, but knew deep down I still wasn't right. It may have been wishful thinking, but I booked a flight to Berlin for December 2014. Just weeks after securing the flights I had emergency surgery and had to cancel the trip. I seem destined not to go to Germany, but am determined to make it my mission this year.

When travelling really isn't an option

There have been a number of times in my life when there have been obstacles to me travelling. The majority of these have been financial and I have managed to overcome them with determination and frugality. Over the last few months there has been a greater obstacle that has been much harder to overcome, however - my health.

Today I was supposed to be flying to Berlin to enjoy the Christmas markets with a dear friend of mine. I have wanted to visit Germany for a long time and going at this time of year is on my bucket list. Instead I am at home having cancelled my flights and written it off as a bad job.

I have been ill to varying degrees since the beginning of September and although now on the road to recovery I had to make the difficult decision not to go. This is not the first trip I've had to cancel through my illness, with the first being a fully booked trip to Rome for an assignment.

Despite the huge disappointment and waiting until the last moment to get a colleague to step into my spot I knew in my heart of hearts that I wasn't well enough to travel. It is very important to recognise this in yourself, as being unwell while abroad can be a tricky business.

While I love travelling, nothing compares to being at home and having all your creature comforts around you when you're ill. There is no point in experiencing fascinating destinations from inside a hotel room or setting your recovery back just because you didn't want to miss out.

It has been a disappointing end to my travelling year, but I look forward to 2015 in full health and trips that I can really make the most of. So tonight I will not fall asleep full of gluhwein and the heady merriment of this time of year, but in my own bed, but I know that in the long-run it is for the best.