About Travel Chook
Exploring new destinations is incredibly exciting. Everything about it makes me feel alive, excited, and filled with a sense of wonder. Beautiful old cities and sweeping mountain landscapes thrill me to the core. If even slightly encouraged, I would talk about travel constantly, which must bore the daylights out of those for whom travel is a mere afterthought.
Growing up in one of the most fantastic places in the world, the gorgeous Melbourne – (Victoria, Australia), I was fortunate to experience the most magical autumns. I’ve always loved beautiful places, and Victoria has so many! After moving to sunny tropical Queensland, it was hard not to miss Melbourne, but then again, Queensland has the most amazing hinterland and spectacular swimming beaches and crystal clear rock pools.
Treasured travel memories include a combination of those in my own backyard and those from faraway places like Delphi, Santorini, Bernese Oberland, and Glacier Bay.
I’ve spent thousands of hours researching travel itineraries and dreaming about the next trip. It’s actually scary how much time is spent researching and planning trips. But time is limited, and I want to get the most out of each one. When you spend so much time researching a place and planning, it can feel like you’ve already experienced it to some degree, even before you get there – I love that.
Travel contributes to happiness
Research has shown that even travel planning and anticipation of travel provides much happiness.
Consider the benefits and happiness you can get from traveling which come from all four categories:
- the time spent planning your trip
- actually taking the trip
- documenting the trip in photo books or online
- memories that last forever after returning
- sharing travel experiences with old and new friends for the rest of your life
That is a lot of positive experiences and happiness to be had from travel. It affects many aspects of one’s life and connections.
I am a big believer in taking time out in each place to just breathe, soak it all in and create special memories to last forever. Each big trip gets its own photo book so that when I am eighty I can look back on it and remember. Even now, I take out my photo books once in a while and I am just smiling the whole time as I peruse them. It brings back memories as though it were yesterday.
Top Five Favourite Travel Memories:
- Hiking around Grindelwald (Switzerland)
- Spending an ‘alone’ moment in an old cliff top monastry in Meteora (Greece)
- Being dazzled by the views from the clifftops of Fira, Santorini (Greece)
- Getting lost in Venice (Italy) alleyways late at night when everything was quiet and the streets empty
- Standing out on the rocks in Kaikoura (South Island, New Zealand) with wild seals set against a background of snow capped mountains meeting the ocean
The heart skips a beat at each memory and there are so many more. No doubt this list will change and evolve over time. Every time I flip through my trip photo books, I am transported back to each place like it was yesterday – a great feeling!