vlog
/vlɒɡ/
noun
Definition: a regularly updated Youtube channel, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is produced in an informal or conversational style.
My blogs won't be too different from the above definition, but I might go off on a travel-related tangent occasionally. Don't expect glossy, ever smiling, everything-is-great vlogs. I'll report things as they are, warts and all. Real travel isn't all about lazy days on the beach, or glamorous locations. That's tourism. Go there, have a nice time, come home. Travel is about moving from A to B, while avoiding the pre-packaged comfort of a tour bus or tour guide to help you along. Travel is about thinking on your feet while on the move. It's about anticipating problems, avoiding problems, and overcoming problems.
As the train took me deeper into Russia, I listened to a podcast about travelling on the Rocky Mountaineer through the Canadian Rockies, and I suddenly had one of those eureka moments. I decided there and then I would not create travel podcasts. Instead, I would create a Youtube channel.
Unlike many vloggers, I have to pay for all of my travel out of my own pocket, so don’t expect a new destination every week. I’d love to do that, but in reality it’s not going to happen. There is a system called Patreon which is a way for viewers to show their gratitude financially. Maybe I'm a bit slow off the mark, but I'm not fully comfortable asking for handouts to keep my travels happening.
So why do I travel?
The first life moment was late 1965. My parents emigrated from Glasgow to Sydney, Australia, spending six weeks on a migrant ship. I still have memories of Port Said, passing through the Suez Canal and when our migrant ship crossed the Equator and the onboard nautical-themed antics of the crew.
1986 saw me do my first round-the-world trip, spending six months living out of a backpack. In 1990 I decided to return from Sydney back to Scotland, and by doing this, my Australian residency expired. I travelled overland, as much as political restrictions and the first Gulf War would permit.
These breaks from the normal day-to-day life always get my brain ticking over, and although it would still take a few years for the eureka moment to happen, I was on my way.
Like most travellers, I had a bucket list. I had a bucket list before I knew it was called a bucket list. Bratislava was on that list, and now it was crossed off. Here's an odd story (I warned you about these tangents!). In the early 1990's I was given a load of Readers Digest magazines. They have never been my preferred read, preferring to see them in doctor's surgery waiting rooms etc. I flicked through them anyway, and one article caught my eye. It suggested you create a travel list and cross these journeys off the list one-by-one.
Years later I was in Ontario hosting a tour group. I was having lunch, with a representative from our local hotel supplier, in the lovely town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. I mentioned to her how I was looking forward to seeing Niagara Falls, as the falls and the planned helicopter ride were both on my bucket list. She amazed me by digging into her handbag, and pulling out that same Readers Digest article.
It's a small world.
I hope readers enjoy this site and my Youtube channel, maybe learn a few travel tips along the way, and learn to accept my dry sense of humour.