Strange Encounters on the Traveller’s Highway #1: An Introduction – Europe

An Introduction

“Even disasters – there are always disasters when you travel – can be turned into adventures”

—Marilyn French

“Don’t panic”
—Douglas Adams

“Could you please provide me with evidence of that?” The immigration lady at Heathrow regarded me with distrustful eyes as she delivered the request. I stared back blankly, unsure how I was meant to prove that I had $5000 sitting in my bank account back home. I asked her if she knew. With an icy, yet slightly victorious sneer she said, “You must show me three months worth of bank statements.”

The start of my big year abroad didn’t look like it was going well, as I certainly didn’t have anything resembling bank statements with me.

It was 5:30am London time. Twenty hours previously I’d departed from Sydney, having farewelled family, girlfriend and friends. The plane trip had been uneventful, other than the fact that five meals in total were served and I’d gotten no sleep. It was 3:30pm according to my body clock; I needed sleep desperately, and I was in no mood to be thrown out of England before I’d even fed a squirrel.

As my adversary waited for my answer, I contemplated the traveller’s life and the year that lay before me.

A fair proportion of my childhood was spent travelling with my family. I certainly appreciated it but my priorities were muddled back then. I wished that my family was like other families – with a brand new Ford, microwave, video player and television remote. We had none of those, not even a beta video player, but we saw a lot of the world, something most of the other families hadn’t seen. Little did I know then, but the travel bug had been firmly planted in my brain. The future would see me dishing out my hard earned savings to travel on a regular basis. The future would see me spending my non-travelling days planning the next big trip. The future would see the joys of travel shaping me as a person.

I spent the year of 1998 backpacking through the United Kingdom, Europe and North America. I had talked about doing this since I was a teenager but life always seemed to get in the way. Or, more correctly, weak excuses (or the lack of balls) got in the way. One reason for finally getting into gear was the sudden death of a school friend. I realised with a jolt that I wasn’t invincible, life could indeed be short and there wasn’t room to wait any longer. So I quit my job, bought a backpack and hit the road.

The motivation for this coming trip is plentiful. I have always loved England, so I decided to see it in more detail, working casually along the way. There were several places that I regretted missing last trip. Ireland, Greece, and Turkey had been on the cards but time and money constraints got the better of me. Later this year, my girlfriend Nadia will join me to experience their wonders, so this time they won’t get away. After six months, my presence will be required in Toronto, Canada to complete the final semester of my university degree as an exchange student. Nadia will also be on exchange, but in Ottawa. I have always liked the idea of university exchanges. You continue to work towards your graduation, but get to live and play in an exciting foreign city. I will also be using Toronto as a base for travelling through Canada and parts of America.

I am fascinated by people. I’m unable to pinpoint the exact reason why I love travelling but one thing I love to do is observe, absorb and record the unique characters of the road. I have discovered the world to be full of wild, wacky and fascinating people. I also love how the ‘road’ always bumps or curves when the sign says it should stay smooth and straight. It suddenly looked like this trip would be no different.

“Sir, sir, do you have the bank statements or not?” I snapped out of my reverie. The immigration lady glared at me, tapping her fingers. I pleaded with my sleep deprived brain to get me out of this situation. I had visions of returning to Sydney so quickly after I’d left, my family looking up in shock from their breakfast as I trudged through the front door, my year long holiday ended in utter and spectacular failure. And then the answer came to me. Rummaging through my backpack, I found my credit card and travellers’ cheques worth £1000. I slid them over to her in place of the statements, attempting the famous “puppy dog eyes” manoeuvre as I did so. She picked something up from her desk. I had visions of her snapping rubber gloves to her hands as she mouthed the most dreaded words ever to be put side by side – “cavity search”. But it didn’t happen. In fact, she picked up her stamp, stamped my passport and told me I had been granted entry to the United Kingdom, land of hope and bloody glory. I didn’t wait a second longer; I scooted through without a backwards glance. And so began my adventure.

Feel free to email me at d_hackett22@yahoo.com

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