You deserve an explanation as to why it has taken me so long to write a blog post – given that my last one was in November last year, 5 months ago. 

Part of the answer is in that last blog post which you can find here, and partly it’s because I have been really wondering if I should carry on with it.  I had decided that I would end the blog last month as I thought that was when my contract for hosting ran out – but it seems it doesn’t until 2025!  So given that I have paid to be here and some people have said that they miss the blog and others don’t see my posts on social media I have decided to make a come-back.  Hopefully I can post more regularly than I have done in the past and in order to facilitate this, I have decided to teach one class less per day on Cambly and use that time to write instead.  As this means I am losing some income, so I hope it will motivate me more.  In addition I will try and, at least, get the blog to pay for itself, so I am going to look into ways to monetize this; but don’t worry, I won’t be putting adverts in.

One of the changes that has happened since I last posted in November 2022 is the rise of ChatGPT and similar.  I have been playing with this since I discovered it a few months back and have mixed feelings about it.  I am hoping that I can use it to improve the visibility of posts, but I am not looking to have posts written by AI as I am sure you all still want the human touch!

One thing I did do though was to ask the question – what is the point of doing blog posts and within the answer was the idea of becoming an “authority” on a particular subject.*

Now I have never thought of myself as an authority on anything!  

I guess this might be for 2 main reasons.  First, because of my poor self-esteem and second because of my experience as a Careers Adviser.   When I trained as a CA and by doing continuous updating as part of the job, I got to know what is involved in a whole range of jobs, from being a journalist to working in an abattoir.  However, I could never call myself an authority, as the people doing these jobs, day after day, would always know far more than me.  So I became the person who knows a little about a lot of things – and I think that has stayed with me throughout my adult life.

So what am I an authority on … well me!  That sounds obvious, but in reality I need to check myself all the time.  For example, on the travelling front – I am a sixty year old, lone traveller who happens to be a white male, is English speaking, straight and has an invisible disability (if chronic IBS can be called a disability.)   Why does that list matter?  Because my experience will be different, both positive and negative to others.  I have white male privilege so less susceptible to sexist or racist comments or harassment. I know that the experience of women travelling in certain countries would be different to what I would experience and I am guessing that my age and nationality would make a difference as well.   I don’t have to be in fear of showing my sexuality in countries where being gay is illegal and in some cases still invokes the death penalty.  It is not obvious to people why I might need to go to the loo urgently and perhaps to use the disabled one.  I can’t climb up four flights of stairs to my digs easily in places where they don’t have an elevator.  I could go on.  My experience is my experience and will be different from others – even unique.

Also, although I have been travelling for four years now (including the 18 months spent locked down in the UK) I have yet to venture out of Western and Central Europe on this “trip.”  So I have had it relatively easy in terms of travel, food etc.  Using buses instead of trains will be much more challenging, especially those without toilets.  Eating in countries where the hygiene standards are perhaps not what they are in EU countries; getting to grips with the dreaded (by me) squat toilets when the inevitable diarrhea does strike.  Also I am very aware that if my journey has to be abandoned, it’s not the end for me.  I am now (just recently) receiving a state pension and with my income from my work-based pension I would survive (just) in the UK and be able to live adequately in many countries around the world.  Not everyone is in that position, and the more time that has to be taken up in working to provide the means to travel inevitably means less time to actually travel.

So I am going to try and reposition the blog to record my journey good and bad and my thoughts along the way and to try and help others who may be starting out on a nomadic lifestyle or indeed any new lifestyle post addiction to gambling or anything else.  I will be looking back on how I have coped with things like language issues, deciding on my route, loneliness (not such a big deal for me) and food and toileting (yes really!)   You will be able to see where I get it right and, I have to say, more often, where I get it wrong – like in these past posts on Brussels and Bilbao.  I hope the blog will inform and entertain and perhaps even inspire and if you would like to dialogue on any of the issues I raise, please feel free to get in touch with me, I would love to hear from you.

NLS

* the actual answer from ChatGPT was as follows: 

The point of writing a blog is to share your ideas and opinions with the world. It is also a great way to become an authority on a particular topic and to connect with like-minded people. Additionally, blogging can help you hone your writing skills, increase your visibility online, and even make money through monetization strategies.