James Hammond (00:00.334)

Hello and welcome to this week's episode. I'm doing something a little bit different today. I'm going back in time to episode one, which is called Why I Travel and Why You Should. And I've got 10 points from the episode that I recorded back in 2021 that I'm going to revisit and give an update in 2025. Quite cool idea. I've got AI to pick out 10 very interesting points that might have changed. And for the first time, I'm revisiting and republishing some content.

As you know, I've got, I think, nearly 300 episodes approaching that way anyway. So this is the first time I'm recording and reacting to my first episodes back in 2021. Now listen back, four years later, it kind of feels like an open time capsule really. Some of what I said still makes perfect sense. Other bits make me laugh and a few predictions, well, they don't exactly come true. So in this episode, I'm pulling out those 10 key moments to give you some reaction. So whether I disagree,

agree or have a completely new perspective on it and could be as honest as possible in this episode. Welcome to the Winging It Travel Podcast, your weekly ticket to the world, dropping every Monday and hosted by me, James Hammond, proudly part of the Voyascape Network. This is a travel podcast that throws out the itinerary and dove straight into the raw, real and unpredictable essence of global exploration, chasing moments over milestones, those spontaneous encounters, immersive sounds.

and unforgettable stories. Whether I'm hiking up volcanoes in Guatemala,

James Hammond (01:32.022)

camping under the stars in British Columbia.

met incredible people, seen breath taking places and collected unforgettable stories. I now get to share them with you, alongside some of the most diverse and well travelled guests from around the world. Expect engaging conversations that bring fresh perspectives and inspiring travel tales. There are also raw, reflective, subtle episodes where I share personal insights, practical tips and honest stories from the road. This is a podcast for travellers, dreamers, backpackers and anyone who's ever thought, what if I just went for it and travelled? If you're looking for stories to tell, tips to share,

and experiences to inspire, then you're in the right place. There's so much travel content coming your way, it might just spark that trip you've been dreaming about for years. You can find Winging It, a more fantastic travel podcast from around the world at voyescape.com. The link is in the show notes. Let's go and explore the world. Think of this as a conversation to my younger self and think about this. This was recorded back in the middle of COVID and so much has changed since then, since 2021.

gonna be interesting to revisit those topics and yeah, I've got some things written out here. I've got some script written out, but I'm also gonna react in real time and see what I think as I record this episode. So let's see what I've learned along the way. Hello and welcome to Winging It podcast, episode one, why I travel and why you should. First of all, wanna kick off and say thank you to everyone who's sent some messages this week. And when I released that I'm gonna be doing a podcast and it's been very humbling and I hope I can create some content to keep you interested.

keep you listening and get those downloads in. Also want to mention for this podcast that I realize that COVID is a huge hindrance to travel. Hopefully the vaccination program will be rolled out as quickly as possible and we can travel this year, but at least next year. So that gives you plenty of time to get that travel plan together, get saving up and get on the road next year. I certainly intend to. So first off, I'm dipping in here to the first point, which is about COVID travel predictions. As we know back in the day, COVID was a huge hindrance to travel.

James Hammond (03:35.728)

and I was hoping that vaccines would reopen the borders soon. So I started this podcast in February 2021. So I must have recorded this around then or March. And my question now is, the borders and entry rules evolve the way I expected? What surprised me most about travel, if it's bounced back or not? So the borders did return eventually, right? To normal on the whole, with some countries wanting to approve for vaccines after the pandemic. But I do remember traveling in those early days after the pandemic, and it's still a of a nightmare.

The rules change, famously Boris Johnson changed rules on Boxing Day and we're in the UK and we had to scramble to get a flight out back to Canada to escape. And also certain countries did want proof at the border long after I guess the second or third lockdowns had finished. In terms of travels bouncing back, that is an interesting conversation. I do think it has bounced back almost to pre-COVID levels, but an extra cost to the traveler in terms of money.

I think hostel and hotel prices are an absolute disgrace in comparison to those days in Western countries and it's hard to travel locally I find. In Canada for example, if you're thinking about traveling from Vancouver to let's say Victoria on a long weekend, you're forking out two, three, four hundred dollars minimum a night for hotel in Victoria. The ferries get booked out way in advance and it's just expensive to go anywhere. So I do think it's a bit harder and in terms of sustainable travel or thinking of travel from an environmental point of view,

This is a hot topic over tourism as much at the forefront now of a lot of issues and discussions with Venice introducing certain rules and Barcelona's population kicking off. So I do think that's a good thing. I think this was out of control pre pandemic. So now there's certain rules for very popular places in the heights of the peak season. Actually is what we needed before the pandemic. I do think it got out of control. If you think about to those days in terms of like places like Thailand, they to shut Maya Bay.

And with certain sites that anchor what just like getting way out of control. Now they are trying to curb tourism to be as profitable as possible, but not to the detriment of the environment or the local population. And it's overdue these types of rules and conversations on the whole, a good thing for travel. But we spent a year in 2023 and didn't budget high enough because of the prices of travel. And we're a little bit out of touch, I'd say. Now I'm not, because I learned from that trip, but we realized that having a home base is important.

James Hammond (06:01.326)

I mean, I mentioned this in the podcast before, if a pandemic happens again, and you just need to go back somewhere, a home base is crucial. And hence, while we're now trying to save one before we do any slow travel in the future. And the younger generation, are they traveling as much? Are they a put off maybe by recessions, pandemics, future recessions, house prices, wages are stagnant? Do they think travel is so much of a luxury these days that they just can't justify spending the money?

And due to how expensive it is in a lot of countries, I can understand why. Saying that, I do think there's countries in the world and areas of the world where value is still to be had. You just need to work harder and find that in your travel planning. So overall back to 2021, did COVID change travel? I think it did. Are we seeing repercussions of that now? Yes, because we're getting updated figures. It's kind of back to normal travel now, back to pre-pandemic levels. And I think the travel industry has a choice to make here.

in terms of especially pricing for people, are they going to go back to a reasonable price for a normal person or are they going to stick it to high prices and price people out of maybe who are lower working class to travel? And maybe it's just a middle class, upper class thing, which maybe it always was, but I do think back in the day it was a tad easier. Going to kick off also here with who I am because I would anticipate hopefully that some people listening do not know who I am, but thank you to everyone who is friends and family, et cetera, who are listening.

So I'm going give you a brief personal history and we'll just go from there. Wing it, as they say. So yeah, I'm James. I done a music degree, which I would probably say was almost pointless. I got through it. It was four years. To give you an example of why I didn't like it that much, I had to do an X-Factor style weekly performance. Imagine this, you're trying to learn a song for the week, you go up, random people, so you've got a drummer, vocalist, et cetera. Never rehearsed, you've to go up.

played a song to almost perfection and never rehearsed as a five or foursome like a band. My status, I never missed one, but it caused quite an anxiety in there. But it did actually get me good marks because I gave it all, I'm pretty good learner and I didn't really try and follow it off. So yeah, I've that four years at the music college and then that was in London and midway through is when I wanted to go traveling, but I'll come to that in a bit.

James Hammond (08:24.467)

But since then I've had various office jobs, absolutely pointless, no interest in them. And I keep thinking, what am I going do in my life in terms of work? Great question. Still figuring that out. But hopefully this podcast and my website, my newsletters is a start to maybe something in the future. Who knows? We'll keep that in the back of my mind. I'll give you some facts and figures of where I've been travel wise. I have been to roughly 50 countries, roughly because I say that sometimes you dip in for a day or two. Does it really count?

I'm counting it, but some people wouldn't, I wouldn't say I've actually seen that country, but I've been there. So I'm counting it. Point number two. So I'm saying here in 2021, I've been to roughly 50 countries, knowing that I did quick stopovers and deeper trips. And 2025, has that changed the tally? What are the post 2021 countries or regions that changed my perspective the most? I don't really count countries, but UN and other countries included, I think I'm around 75. terms of countries that changing my perspective, Lebanon was an eye opener for me post COVID.

A mix between struggles and wealth, trying to grasp the country from a culture and politics perspective. Met people who are deprived, which shocked me a little, but then saw Ferraris driving about in Beirut, went to places that I advise not to go to, learned a lot about their views, how they live, their future dreams, and how they see Lebanon and the countries around them. And now due to the instability in the region, it's now probably not a safe place to go, unfortunately, but I found the people so charming and I heard from all sides in Lebanon.

So that's the Christian side, the Armenian side, the Muslim side, and different groups of people in there as well about how they see the world and how they're getting on right now. Very interesting, learned a lot. I just realized that nuance and complexities exist for people in these countries and it's not black and white, it's not easy to solve. But what would solve things is to stop killing each other. That would be a good start. Nepal in Langtang Valley was a reminder of how powerful nature can be. Hiking the Langtang Valley, seeing the original sight.

where the original village was just bulldozed by an earthquake and a landslide was pretty eerie but awful as well. And meeting people in the new Langtang village who used to live there and hearing about those experiences, that was eye-opening in terms of a nature perspective. I think, yeah, countries have increased, but I think perspective, culture learning, getting to know people, more purpose in travel has got better since 2021 for sure, and since starting this podcast.

James Hammond (10:52.467)

done three work visas, including the third one now in Vancouver and Canada. And I'm currently here, actually just over two years on a permit and we've applied to stay a little bit longer. And the reason being is I want to earn more money to go on a bigger trip, which was going to be this year, but COVID has kind of prevented that. So currently in the planning phase for my next trip, more to come on that. I can give you a little facts and figure from a previous trip. I remember sitting in Singapore airport, bored out of my mind waiting for a flight. I do you know what, we do some stats here.

And this is one where I left in 2017 and came back the end of 2018 with Emma, my partner. And here are some facts. It was 72 weeks long, the whole trip. We visited 15 countries. We've 31 flights, pretty grim. And we covered, this is absolute approximation here, 78 a half thousand kilometers. In that period of time, we've done 40 weeks of work for working and 32 weeks of traveling slash trips.

done three summits in that time, Mount Kinabalu, Mount Fuji and Poon Hill. The highest point was Mount Kinabalu at 4095 meters. There's a picture on my website in a gallery section where you'll see me and Emma absolutely mongering after climbing that full trek in probably one and a half days. I've never seen Emma that ill, but here we've done it. We got to the top and as you found the way down the hardest part, was absolutely struggling at the end. I'll talk more about that later.

Probably roughly spent £12,000 on our traveling there. Favorite country was Japan I put here. Favorite cuisine was Nepalese. Love that. An update on this. Did you still hold out? If not, what are you thinking in terms of your favorite places? I'm actually going to break this down into certain things within travel that are favorites. So Nepalese cuisine is still number one choice for me, I think. I loved Albat. It's very close to Indian food, but the Momo's make it number one for me. But I don't normally do favorites overall, but let's break it down.

since the COVID pandemic. So the most surprising country was El Salvador. Safe now, back in 2021. Not on the cards. Now is on the cards. Love the place. Very safe to travel as a solo backpacker. Love my time there. Amazing people, amazing activities, amazing value. My favorite city is New York City. That doesn't change. We went there in 2023 on our road trip for two days. Loved it, could have spent a week there. The best views, I think I can't decide. It's Cando, New Zealand. Just unreal nature.

James Hammond (13:19.335)

Best place to live, still think is Australia. Best coffee is probably... I'm probably gonna go to Amman actually. Amman had a surprising amount of cafes which were super trendy in little souks but great tasting coffee and it's up and coming. Best activity was a hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia. That was pretty cool. I know it's cliche but you've got to do it. It's amazing. Best beaches, still the Cook Islands. That's before the pandemic.

Most underwhelming country, Bali, and it still is probably number one. Number two, though, since the pandemic is Cyprus. Didn't rate it that much. Most magical short trip was Jordan. We road tripped for two weeks and you can feel your itinerary there. Loved it. In terms of overall road trip, think Canada is hard to beat because we spent eight weeks traveling the country that we're now residents in. But New Zealand again, North and South Island are just incredible. The most unsafe activity was one prior to Covid. That's the Yasa volcano in Vanuatu.

That was hairy, almost falling into the lava. And the kindest people for us is Japan. I think that still is number one. So there's a little update for you since COVID. Let's go on to the next one. Toughest moment was the danger zone on Mount Kinabalu climb. And to give you an example of this, you climb in the dark because you're trying to get there for sunrise. And you leave your little base camp, which is about 3,300 meters up. And you've probably got another 1,800 meters to go. But it's in the dark.

So you have your torch light, you have your guide and you just go one foot in front of the other. And we come to this place called the danger zone, signs everywhere. Don't stop and don't go to the side. Keep going. Okay. Fair enough. There's a rope. So you pull yourself up in the rope up this rock. I'm like, what the hell is this? And I'm putting myself up and like, Oh, I thought this was a walk up summit. Anyway, we get, we get past it and we get to the next stop where people can stop and have a break and breathe it before you make the final climb.

And the first thing I remember is people were chundering everywhere, crying. People were just knackered. I was like, what the hell have we got ourselves into here? Anyway, we plowed on the actual next bit is up, but it's actually pretty flat. So we've got to the top and the scramble for the last like hundred, 200 meters up some rocks. I had to climb some rocks and Emma said, no. said, you know what? No way you're coming up. So forced her to the top. Anyway, back down it's now sunrise and it's now light.

James Hammond (15:40.113)

And you get to see the area where you do your danger zone. I'm not kidding. There is drops either side. No, there's one bit of rope to maybe hold you. But if you had a gust of wind or someone pushed you, you're not surviving that. I, I couldn't believe I was seeing Emma was like, my God, what would we do? And then we spoke to a fellow hiker on that Blake, a seasoned hiker. To give you an example, this guy, he got to the summit in record time that the guide said, because he out.

pace his guide. mean, these guys do it every week, right? Australian guy come back down and said, what about the danger zone? He's like, me, that is health and safety out of the window. I've not experienced that before. And that was pretty hardcore. So yeah, that was the toughest moment. I mentioned in Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, the danger zone story, which was hiking up to pretty much the top. And that was so hairy. Has that changed? my risk threshold hasn't changed, but I guess it's been a bit different.

I mentioned Lebanon before, we saw protests there, got a bit scared in the protests because there's water cannons out by the army, didn't want to get in broad in that. Had too much of those in previous football tournaments, had gunshots as well. Actually alongside there's an evening where it's actually fairly normal, just like a little fair going on, a lot of people hanging about. But some people had those little fireworks and were letting them off. I just got some sort of rational fear about fireworks, I don't really know why. I was more scared of that than the gunshots.

But those couple of things, I guess, were a bit sketchy and equivalent to the danger zone story in Mount Cannibale for different reasons. But I still think you should dip into adventures. That's where you learn the most about yourself, as travellers, as people. We tried to wild camp in Oman in the heat. We learned a lot about our relationship and about camping. And it was very tough indeed. And I remember freaking out about the ants on the floor. They're huge. I look at them like calling to their tent. I just remember kicking off like that.

But it's so peaceful, no one about. Probably too quiet actually for my liking. No facilities, so you're learning how to dig a hole to have a poo and cover it up in the sand with a spade. Very earthy. But these are the things you should strive for because you do get the best stories from those type of experiences. But try different adventures and activities. So I'm really looking forward to trying power gliding. That's my next thing top of my mind. I don't know where in the world I'm going to do this, but I really want to try it out and I think I'll love it.

James Hammond (18:05.715)

So I think the odd adventure like that will really help your travels. And also just think because of COVID, if that happens again, pandemic, that's a year, 18 months out of your life. If that goes that way again, you've got to go now and get those experiences in. I'm telling you, but we'll come back to that point later in the episode. On that whole trip, carry on. Favorite coffee, Tanna coffee, which is on the island of Inuatu. I love that coffee. Back in the day, I used to drink coffee with sugar. Now I don't. I used to just drink that stuff and I actually try and buy it now.

when I'm on the internet when I can. And I will be talking coffee a lot in my podcast. So I hope you like coffee. By the way, if you have milk or sugar, get rid of it. Favorite beach. I had to say Cook Islands, paradise. How do you, how do you define paradise? Cook Islands, I couldn't define anymore. The island of Achey-Tachy, if you ever get to look, it's actually my gallery on my website as well. It was pure talk-wise clear, clear water. And I'm talking like you can see into it.

There's classic white sand spits that go out and we actually done some kayaking and some snorkeling. was unbelievable. The last bit of facts about this was on that trip, we took, well I took 9,000 photos. Still haven't sorted them out. So all in all 50 countries, five out of seven continents and three work visas. Yeah. So why do I travel? Got to go back to 2010, summer in Norwich. We were back because obviously it's between semesters and I was seeing a girl at that point who said to me, do you know what?

You should look into like going abroad. It's quite cool. What do you mean? Because I went traveling for three months. was like, what is traveling? So well, I'm starting a teaching job. I've done my degree. I had a bit of time and saved bit of money and I thought I'd go to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and US for three months. I was like, what was that? Didn't really resonate that much, but I thought I sound pretty cool. And then she broke up with me and I thought, Oh, do you know what? Bit of a shitty year. I will book a spontaneous trip to Australia. Cause I know some of my friends.

Titch and Tishel were going to see the Ashes cricket in Australia. So this is the end of 2010 going to 2011. I thought Australia. Yeah, she mentioned that before. Do you know what? Yeah, let's go for it. So the game details of Paul Mavelle, travel consultant at the time. I don't think he does anymore. Rank him up and pay for the trip, the flights and accommodation and money I did not have, but done it anyway, put it on a credit card. And then, yeah, so that was

James Hammond (20:34.489)

sort of in December, so I if I get through the next two months, second year, my degree doesn't really count much towards the end, but this is wing it through to then and then get on that flight. And I must admit, got on that flight, pretty buzzing about the trip. And when you had a sheltered life in Norwich and on the streets of London, which the streets of London are grim anyway, but when you kind of experience, you think that's it. And then you get to Australia and it's like blue skies, warm water, amazing beaches. Everything's done right.

Transport is nice. The roads are big. It just felt like this place. So anyway, so I went to the trip. I got pretty boozed up, saw some sites, saw some cricket, the worst of being. think Boxing Day was probably the best day of that whole tour for England. Catching all those wickets from behind Australia on that first day. And I barely remember it all, but some great times. then I kind of thinking I need to come back here. So that is when the switch flipped.

Got back to London, cold, grim, snow in London. And I straight back into my course. was like, I just don't want to do this anymore. But I forced myself to get through the course and actually put a plan together to save some money. So this will be working in the summers and also getting a job in my last year. I the work visa. I knew I was going to like great, done. So my, my interest in music flipped from being, I want to be in the music industry as a guitarist of like having no interest in that at all.

and just want to travel. So yeah, so I booked ahead and then my last eight years of travel kind of confirms that, yeah, I'm pretty obsessed with travel. It's only the only thing I'm really interested in. I was interested in football and coffee and cricket, but in terms of a career or something I want to work in, it has to be travel. I'm fed up with doing these office jobs. I'm like, okay, so now doing this podcast, get some stories out there and just see where it goes. I thought about this over a day and I said to MSR,

footballers, would I want to be a footballer? Every time would be yes, but like, but if that means I couldn't travel freely, would I want to do it? I don't think I would. Money is not really an issue. It's not a thing for me. So if I could help people travel and get out and see the world, I think that's what I want to do. Okay. Yeah. Here we've got money and the freedom mindset. I did say in this episode that money is not really an issue. If I could help people travel more freely, that's a life goal. Do I still believe that? And have I changed my view since that? Do you know what?

James Hammond (23:00.185)

I have a little bit. I mentioned before that travel is very expensive now. I sort of this chat with Ross Borden, the CEO of Matador Network on my podcast. And it feels like the days of saving money with like an entry level job or not very well paying job, quitting that job and going traveling for like, I don't know, two, three, five, six months is much harder these days because the entry level jobs just don't cover enough expenses as well as trying to save for a trip.

So now on, I don't think I could quit my job and travel with no income. I think those days are over. So money is an issue, but I still want to help people travel more freely. I think if you're in your 20s, trying to save a couple of years to go for six months is still viable. I think 20s are where you definitely take your risks and early 30s as well. I get those work visas in, make a trip of it for two years, work different jobs, meet different people, get different skills.

I think that is still a thing, but as you get into the mid 30s and late 30s, I think you start to realize that slow travel is the best way to travel. I want to couple that with having a home base and earning my income. For reasons like if I went to Spain for two months and I just need a break to do some content creation or just go and see some friends, I can dip back to my home base. If I need to sit down and not spend money for a while and just save a bit with my income, I can do that as well with my home base.

These three are so important going forward now. And I think that just comes with age and experience and traveling to lot of places. I've been to 75, right? That's a lot of experiences, a lot of countries in the bag. I've still got loads more want to see and do, but I'm happy where I'm at right now. And I need to concentrate on the business side to get the next phase going, which will take a few years, that's for sure. So maybe stating that it's harder for youngsters to travel. I think so in the conventional sense, but what the youngsters do have is a Gen Z generation.

is they have social media and TikTok and a hustle culture. I heard the stat of the day that 40 % of Gen Z people invest stock markets, stocks and stuff like that. So they realized that the normal conventional way of going to university, getting a degree, saving money, it's just not working because they see my generation struggling big time. So now they've got little side hustles on the go. They've got TikTok they can make some money on. There's a whole cohort of travelers on TikTok.

James Hammond (25:23.865)

who just run tours and people travel them on TikTok. So that's a new thing I'm not really entertained, but I younger generation have got that going, so that's great. And they're bringing groups along with them. Maybe that's the new future of travel with AI. It's going to be interesting to see. But as I said, I think they are adapting and maybe we're still early days after the pandemic. So maybe in a few years, we'll start seeing the new generation really come into the fore, get those work permits and do a different way of traveling.

unlike the traditional way that my generation and maybe the generation above have done before. But as I said, I'm 36. I love everything that travel brings to me. I still crave it every day, but I'm a tad more tired. I need my space. I need space to work in for creative projects. And I think the quitting job, travel six months with no money, start again are gone, but it doesn't mean travel is gone. I'm just doing it a different way. So yeah, so I don't like conventional office jobs. They all bore me.

kind of creative historically due to my music degree. So yes, I thought, do you know what? Let's get out there, see some new cities, see some mountains, see some beaches, people and culture, and try and go to as many places as possible. So that brings me to booking my first trip, 2013 to 14. A guy in my course called Mike Butler, I don't know he's much on social media these days. I have to ping him to get listen here, because a lot of stuff I'm going to describe is with him in it. He said to me, I want to come on my trip. I was like, oh.

Right. Okay. Yeah. Cool. Let's, do some, do some planning. And he at this point had already been to Nepal and done Everest Base Camp, which is a great achievement. It's actually my list of things to do. And he said to me, where'd you want to go? said, Oh, you know, I want to go back to Australia, New Zealand. I want to go see some beaches in Fiji. He's like, Oh, I really want to go to Asia and Bali. I was like, where? He's like, you know, South East Asia. I'm like, I'll be honest.

I kind know on the map where that is, but I don't really know what you're talking about. He's like, no, let's put it in three months. I want to go. I was like, cool. Okay. We do three months there. Three months in Australia. So we popped down to our STA travel agent and she's like, great decision. Like, yeah, let's do that. So she booked us some flights and then some accommodations and trips. And the first place we stopped to was Bangkok. And when I got to Bangkok, I literally had no idea what to expect. It was like,

James Hammond (27:45.755)

probably a train crashing into you like in terms of a culture shock. I was like, what is that smell? What is this crazy place? There's no rules on the road. Everyone's trying to get you to go in there to Turk. I'm like, whoa, what is this? Me and Mike had to laugh. So we got put in this hostel called Lab D, which is opposite on the road. Or it was anyway, it's now closed. I'm actually going to do a podcast on this week because it's such a great week there. And I'll give you a bit of a high level overview of this, but.

No idea what to expect, but we got there and the vibe was a backpacker vibe, quite young, outgoing, bit of drinking, everyone out in Bangkok seeing as much as they could. I thought, great, this is awesome. And we met so many people in that week. I don't want to get too much away for the actual podcast for this week, but as a whole, we arrived, met loads of people, lots of drinking, lots of sites saw in Bangkok, quite a bit of pying, got scammed a few times.

And the fact that at the end of the seven days or seventh night, we're like, we should leave. because we're so comfortable there and these people come in and out every day, new people got kind of addictive really. So we had to get a move on. But as a whole, that trip for six months with Mike was awesome. we saw so much stuff, met so many people, no responsibilities, saw a lot, done a lot. And to throw in the mix there, I had no camera. I had no smartphone.

I was kind of a bit behind the times like in terms of being a show with lifestyle up to that point and also technology. was like, I don't need that. And I kind of regret not having a camera, but actually I don't because all the memories I have is in my mind and that's hence why I'm doing this podcast. Right. And I get all the people that I met on that six months to put their input into this because they've got photos I probably haven't seen. I know someone we met a couple called Jack and Lara. Jack had a memory stick of all the photos of probably

three or four, five weeks that we traveled with him and Laura and he lost it. So I was devastated about that, but it's just an unbelievable time, free time. Like I can only give you an example where Facebook, I'd only go on when the hostel had a computer, not a laptop, a computer where I can log into Facebook. I kept in contact with no one. I was just completely free off doing what I want. And it's quite liberating to be fair. And that sort of feeling is something you can have when you just get out there.

James Hammond (30:08.859)

and stop doing the norm that society wants you to do and that is your nine to five job, saving yourself for the weekend and then you enjoy Saturday and you get to Sunday. like, oh, I've got to back to work on a Monday. I was kind of free of all that. And for that six month period or five and a half months, I can only look back on great times. It was an unbelievable time. And so yeah, no social media, no smartphone and everything from that period. I had an iPad, which I never used. It was impractical.

going to the Grand Palace and get your iPad out now, that's not happening. Yeah, this is a big issue, right? I've mentioned here smartphones. So I talked about traveling with no social media, no smartphone. And I kind of hark back to that quite a lot because I see it as a golden period actually. Even a contradiction the point I made before about the Gen Z generation. But this is my generation, right? And it's a huge issue. Like where's my balance today between documenting everything for my YouTube and podcast and being present? What are the rules and tools I use to keep sane?

A huge topic, maybe for me and a lot of other people. Because phones stop you from exploring on the spur of the moment. It stops you wandering random streets. Not knowing where you're going is pretty exhilarating and scary at the same time. Meeting people at hostel and just chatting instead of going on the phone and exchanging details straight away, you get to know the person first. All these things are hard to come by these days without the phone being involved. So the things I do to make sure I try and be as present as possible.

is that I do very little research on the place I'm going to, just enough to get me by. I book a lot of free walking tours. I book some high adrenaline activities to get those experiences. I hike in nature. I love views. I'm working for the food I'm going to try. I speak to local people and local markets and local food places. I don't get an eSIM. I try not to and rely on Wi-Fi. That's a good way to not always be on your phone. And I have rules about looking at my phone, maybe just in late in the evening, then a full day of exploring.

That's the time to look and maybe early in the morning for breakfast. I walk everywhere and I try and stay in social hotels or hostels and homestays as well. In terms of documenting for my podcast and YouTube, that is challenging actually. And the way I do it is I have an area or an activity I do first. I don't document it. I enjoy it. And then I try and redo it with the camera. Not always possible. If you're doing something like paragliding, you have to do both at the same time. But for walking tours, I maybe book one one day and enjoy that.

James Hammond (32:30.724)

And then the next day I book, probably someone different, but the same walking tour and then record as I go. And I think that's the best way to experience the place you're in, meet the people and be present with them and also get enough content for my podcast and YouTube. So yeah, now I collect sounds all the time and make sure I can create those immersive episodes of my podcast. I love interviewing people and getting live reaction. So I try and work it out as best I could for me and for you as a listener and a watcher. I'm just going to stop right there.

because if you're enjoying this episode, it would mean the world to me if you could rate and review the podcast. Give it five stars on your podcast app of choice. It really helps more travellers find the show and also promotes the show for free to more people. And if you would like to support me and the podcast, you can buy me a coffee for five dollars at buymeacoffee.com. Every sip helps fuel more travel stories.

The link is in the show notes. Let's get back to the show. Unbelievable time. And that kind of goes on to my next topic of why you should travel because you've got to be honest with yourself. Are you one of those people in your job and career where you think, do know what I would love just to get out of this semi little lifestyle and just go out there for three months. Little sabbatical, maybe convert your apartment out or your house, or you just even quit your job and just

Go and be free for a little bit because there's nothing to regret about that. You can only gain from that sort of experience. When I decided to go, I think six months was always on my mind. And on that first trip, I was traveling six months with £6,000 and I probably ran out five months in and had to get a job and had to quickly get down to Melbourne. But I had no responsibilities and nothing to hold me back or where to go. I think being in that sort of mindset can only benefit you because you learn either something new about yourself

or people that you travel with, new experiences. You can't buy that. And I think you can only get that when you get out of your comfort zone. End of day, it's not a rat race to see how much money you have or how much property is your own. Yeah, like they probably would help to have someone to live, get money. But you only young once. And if you don't get a move on with it, you'll get to 40 and you're naked, right? And you've probably got kids or et cetera. And it's just not as easy.

James Hammond (34:50.51)

So if you're in that phase now, like I'd anticipate the crowd here, maybe listen to this, it's probably what 18 to maybe late 30s. So there's a time and a chance after COVID to really get out there. Cause this new world we're going to travel in, I have no idea what it's going to be like. These places like Southeast Asia that rely on tourism, unless you got stuck there, like they're going to be looking so much forward to the tourists coming back. Up to number seven now. So we've got here advice to young travelers. You are only young once. If you don't get moving, you'll hit 40.

wishing you had got moving. What would I add now? Safety visas, remote work, so travel, language goals, et cetera. I absolutely stand by this. I mentioned before in this podcast that I'm meeting lots of travel creators who are just beginning my age. Nothing wrong with that, but they've got a lot of making up to do in terms of traveling. It's not a rush, but I would say in your 20s, you need to get those work visas and get to as many countries as possible, even though you feel like you don't have as much money, but experiences and the people you meet are definitely worth it.

And having those in the bag as you go into your 30s and 40s, especially if you want to do a travel creator type thing with a social media podcast or YouTube is brilliant to have in the bag. Let me tell you, but a hundred percent. If you're in a crappy job, but you somehow manage to save money, just quit and do it in your 20s. Got to go and do it. Book a work visa, extend the trip. And we're similar as well. What can happen with current events such as wars, financial crashes, insane house prices, pandemics, that travel is necessary.

And you need to learn from other cultures because if we don't learn from other cultures, we're never going to learn how to move forward as a race. So try other ways of living. Learn new customs, new languages, new foods, new bits of admin for countries. It can only benefit you long term and the society overall long term and get out there and see the world as much as possible. I can't emphasize that enough. Honestly, when you get to your 30s, you'll love it looking back at those trips in your 20s.

and how brazen you were and how carefree. Yeah, when you get to your 30s things start going wrong. Health, priorities change a little bit. So you need to get those in the bag. I can't emphasize that enough. And I know it got to a point where it's probably too much, but I don't think as many people will travel these days and all the sites that you want to see will not be as packed as before. I like to think not anyway. I can't obviously guarantee that, but to give you an example, Machu Picchu when I went there.

James Hammond (37:18.116)

could not get a photo of no one in it. The trek was awesome, great group, still in contact with all of them now, but when I got to Fetch a picture and you get the classic shot, it's even though we're there at sunrise and the daytripers haven't came yet, it was just hard to get in there without anyone being in the picture. And it's kind of sad really. And so much so that they actually put a quote on how many people can travel there. So I'm going to give you a quote now from Tim Ferriss, which I do read his book called The Four Hour Workweek. In this book,

He quotes as saying the opposite to happiness is boredom. So are you bored? And if you are, there's a chance for you to get out there and travel next year. Whether you are traveling alone or in a group or with someone else, as I said before, always something to gain. And the amount of people you meet on these trips are kind of like-minded people that you will keep in contact with. Number eight, I've got a quote from Tim Ferriss, the opposite to happiness is boredom. So I used it to justify going after interesting things and not taking the easy answer.

Do I still live by this? What's a recent choice where I picked interesting and what did it cost to return? 100 % agree with this. boredom could actually be a good thing. Maybe the pandemic taught us that being on our phones all the time is not a great thing. And people being at home all the time is not a great thing. I definitely struggled with that. think a lot of people struggled with that. So being bored is something I respect these days. Kids need it. Adults need it because it gets you going. If you're constantly stimulated, that is not good, I think. And the easy answer.

is never the best answer in my opinion. Oh, should I go on that amazing solo trip to Jordan or with my partner? Nah, I feel like it's too dangerous. I'll stay at home and save money. I might do it next year. Nah, easy answer, rubbish. Got to go and do these things. Got to say yes. Should I start a podcast? Oh, it's gonna take a year to get going. Every week I've got edit. It's gonna take, what, two, three hours, four hours, maybe 10 if I'm doing interviews. No, I'll listen someone else.

You've got to say yes, got to go and do the hard things. Doing the hard things is hard, but it's worth it in the long term. Don't have that short term mindset. There are so many people who do nothing with their lives really. That could be a privilege in terms of just saving money and just don't feel like they have the ability to or have the confidence to. Some people are just surviving day to day, which is fair enough. But really interesting people doing really interesting things is quite rare to come by. I like to think I'm quite interested in doing interesting things.

James Hammond (39:47.214)

But I of people who aren't and I do worry for them later in life when they get to that later stage and have those regrets. Don't have those regrets. Don't be one of those people. So figure out what you want to do long term. That could be not just travel. That could be like learning the guitar, being a musician. That could be being a reader and a writer. Don't pick the boring path. Don't pick the easy path. Work towards it and it'll end up being the best decision that you make going long term. So yes, I do agree with that.

concept, but boredom is crucial too for learning about what you actually like and what you don't like. And you can share stories and it kind of lasts forever, right? I still think about that six months, even now when I think about places I've been to. And I've traveled with Mike, with Emma, and also on my own. And every single one of those trips was beneficial to me. And they all had their own qualities. I traveled on my own in South America for a bit.

And I booked my trips there, like some tours on the salt lakes, um, south flat, sorry. And also the lake Titicaca and in Bolivia. And you just meet people in hostels and you just get on with it. You can also choose not to. mean, if you just want to keep the new owner, up to you, but if you're happy, outgoing, and also willing to speak to people, you'll just meet friends. It's so easy. So I would fully enhance the motion that get out there, even if no one's interested in going with you.

So maybe just try it out. Um, if you don't, you'll learn something new about yourself anyway. And I think going into back into professional world or even personally, this will, this will enhance your knowledge of wisdom and also how to deal with different cultures and also give you that confidence to go forward. I have to say COVID is a of a hindrance on travel and I am debating when to leave for our next trip. Um, I'm hoping it'll be next year.

in the summer and I'll give you a little idea of what I'm planning. I think me and Emma are going to leave Vancouver probably mid next year. Hopefully my employers not listen to this because they don't know and we're planning to do a trip with no real timelines. We have places we want to see but we're going to way less flights, a lot more road tripping and the idea is

James Hammond (42:07.18)

I think road tripping, we want to road trip Canada, US and Scotland. think they're the three road trips we want to do. Number nine is a fun one. Road trip plans I had in 2021. So I mentioned that I'm going to be, we're going to plan road trips in Canada, the US and Scotland. Like van life vibe type stuff. I think when I started the podcast, we did have the camper van. So we're starting to think where can we go in this? I think we got it at the end of 2020, roughly.

So what routes did I actually drive? I think you probably know if you listen to podcasts. We did a big calendar US road trip in 2023, 14 weeks. Went to pretty much every province in Canada by three, four maybe actually. And six weeks along the I think it's I-19. Can't remember now. Going across the middle, top half of the US. Amazing. The open road, no real plan. Roughly go here. Let's try and find a campsite. It's just the ultimate freedom.

And I stand by this that I think road trips are possibly my favorite way of traveling along with train travel. There's something about the freedom of it meeting people all on the same boat. Love it. But if we went again in 2023 for road trip across Canada, US, for example, I would have more money. I would have left a month earlier in the summer and put extended that trip, probably by another four weeks and saw more things on our list that we didn't quite get to.

like Newfoundland, Labrador in the east and we didn't get down to Utah and Southern California to start the 101 back up. We got like midway. Those things I would have changed, but hey, as I said before, I miscalculated how much travel would be. Even road trips come expensive. One thing that surprised me most, campsites. And we didn't really get into the free ones, like the rest stops, the gas stations, the Walmarts until later in the trip. We should have done it earlier, but a bit scared.

and we would have saved money more that way. But hey, learnt a lesson. We now know what to do in the future. Road trips in Jordan and Oman before that were super cool. New country, new rules, but great to drive in. Very easy. Apart from the speed bumps in Jordan, they caused a bit of chaos. Nearly went flying on one road, but loved it. I would highly recommend anyone who wants to go and see a country, go road trip it. Oman has great roads, the cheapest gas you'll ever find. Jordan almost equally the same. So Scotland is high on our list. So is the West Coast and Australia.

James Hammond (44:32.964)

I think Taiwan is on the list, especially the East Coast side, Georgia and Armenia down there and New Zealand again. We did road trip back in the day, early doors, North and South Island. I think we went for five or six weeks and then two weeks at Christmas and probably a after. So in total, probably eight weeks, I reckon in total in that country alongside my experience. I feel like I've seen a lot of that country, but there's more to go and see and do. Loved it. We have a campervan here now, which has actually been converted into a campervan. So it's a Toyota Sienna, which is like a big car.

but it was actually kitted out now to have a bed at the back and it's got a cooker and a fridge and all this sort of stuff. And if that stays alive for 18 months, we will come back and use that to go down to US and also across Canada. And the fact that you're free on the road, no real plan of where to go, maybe even choose that day, is something that really appeals to me. Because before I've always had a flight booked and I had to get to somewhere at a certain point. So this is really exciting and

I've actually got a little page on my website called travel where I've kind of listed the countries and their rough plan, but that's still under construction really. But the timeframe of that could be a year to 18 months, depending on budget. So hopefully we will have enough to go for that long. And also this podcast will be carrying on on that trip. And the idea is this podcast is going to be recorded and sent out with people that meet on that trip or just what I've done that week or that day. I think that's a pretty cool idea of real life travel.

and give you an example of maybe like a diary of what we've done. So yeah, hope to see you all there at some point and then please get in contact if you have any plans or any thoughts of where you want to go and I'll be happy to share maybe some rough timings of what we're planning to do as well. I've got a random story here, my friends this last week asked me to, quite a good question. How many countries in the world have eaten baked beans? I love baked beans. I probably have it four times a week and it's just one of those foods I'll never get bored of.

But I've got a little story in the pool. So we've done our trek to Poon Hill. I think it's a five day trek. I was absolutely hanging off that trek. You climb as high as almost Mount Kindle Blue, it's about 4,000 meters. And you can see Everest on a good day, but you normally see Annapurna, which is the one that's in the top 10 highest mountains in the world. And it's actually part of the Annapurna Trek trail, which is anything little as one to 20 days, I think you can do as much as you want. And it sort of goes around the mountain. Anyway, Poon Hill was one of the first things you would do.

James Hammond (46:56.205)

And it's a hill, but it's still 4,000 meters high. And it was unbelievable that trek. Anyway, we get back to Kora where you have your little base camp and your little place to plan and get your hiking gear together, et cetera. I'm going to a restaurant and I was like, oh, I'm just gagging for some baked beans. Anyway, we get some Nepalese cuisine on the go, but I think I was probably changing my mind. I was going to have a burger, I think. But I saw on the menu, on their breakfast, they have baked beans. I was like, did it as a side.

So the geese are over and they said, Oh, do you have any baked beans on the side? Like pointing to the breakfast menu goes, Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I can sort that out for you. I was like, Oh great. I had no idea the price. And actually the price is quite important to how much I got. So the actual price of this baked beans was probably about a dollar. Now in the pool, you can have a full or you can eat meal for one to $2. So this was quite an expensive side. And I was kind of expecting like a cup of baked beans. It comes through.

And I kid you not, it's probably like the size of an egg cup of baked beans. I actually counted, I think I had six beans in there and we all were just absolutely cracking up laughing here. Like we couldn't believe that this is going to last one mouthful and I've been gagging for some baked beans and it just, it just had to take a photo of it and I had to try and find that photo, but I couldn't believe it. And yeah, I just had to have those baked beans, ate them in one mouthful and I was kind of satisfied I guess, but the story was quite funny at the time.

And the last one, here we go, it's going to be controversial this one. I said baked beans in the pool was the perfect comfort food. I still try and seek those out because I love them. Comfort foods I now hunt for everywhere are roughly the same. A few more have been added in. But I am going to go controversial here along the baked beans line and say that despite me trying so many cuisines around the world, authentic cuisines there in the country and loving them, British food is the best.

Yep, I've said it. If you're just switching off right now, totally get it. But hear me out. The roast dinners, sausage rolls, scotch eggs, English breakfasts, fish and chips. You can't hate these foods. They're deep fried, taste unbelievable, salty. Like what else do you need? Let's put that aside because that is arguably biased. Let's go with foods that are actually great. So when I went traveling, I loved

James Hammond (49:21.793)

Vietnamese fried spring rolls, veggie spring rolls. They are actually my favorite snack. Beans is an accompaniment, I'd say. They're absolutely up there. And fried momos are insane too. So those two things do rival baked beans. But the Vietnamese cuisine, for example, I'm not a noodle soup person. So as a whole, it's not a favorite. And in terms of momos, I mentioned Nepalese is a favorite. It's probably number one. Then I've got Thai food, Mexican, Indian and Lebanese.

All great foods, missed them, would never say no to trying them again. I just think comfort foods, people love and people get biased because they miss certain foods from home. Nothing wrong with that at all. I think they're wondering what we're laughing at, but I need to say when I smash in a fault in every time I have baked beans, it's quite a lot different, right? So come to the of the podcast nearly. So I'm going to probably point out why my website and my Instagram. So my website has all the updates for my...

twice weekly newsletter, this is me trying to attempt to write something that will inspire you. It's not going to be a four page blog, it's just an email with some tips or a story or something that I experienced or something that you could add into your trip or not do. I've actually released the first one to Friday Just Gone and I've actually attached a link to it on my newsletter page on my website so you can go there and have a little read if you like or you can sign up on my homepage, up to you.

Next podcast, I'm actually going release these on a Monday. I think Monday is a good day to hopefully get some inspiration and some thoughts about travel out there. And this will be released on the 15th of February and then Monday every so on. Also, I'd like for you to get in touch. You can see my Instagram page, James Hammond travel or my personal page, if you know me personally. Anything you want me to discuss could be anything from countries to experiences, to trips, to hiking.

cuisine, budgets, et cetera. You tell me what you would like to hear and I'll try and add it into my next one. Also, finally, I don't know how important this is, but every podcast I hear is like, rate my podcast. So if you can rate it on whatever platform you're on, please rate it. I'll keep a loose eye on it. Probably going forward, I'll probably pay more attention, but for now, just do what you can. And I've got a few quotes. I love quotes. Gave you one from Tim Ferriss earlier. And this quote,

James Hammond (51:47.511)

World quotes are from Jimi Hendrix and he was the initial inspiration for me. So that's why I a music degree. So I played guitar for 10 years, got pretty good at it and now I hardly ever play. But I still listen to him because his lyrics and his songs just kind of resonate with me. One lyric in his song says, are you experienced? Have you ever been experienced? And I want to quote that because you can be experienced in your job, in your daily routine, in your little bubble, but are you really experienced as a whole?

Like if you were then to book a trip to Nepal and do a hike, I reckon you gained some pretty good experience of that and take it back. And that'll give you an extra bit of learning that you probably thought you never had. So I wanted to leave you with that quote. And another quote of his is, have only one life to live. I might not be here tomorrow, so I'm doing what I am doing now. Surely this has to be like, do you know what? Let's change it up. Let's get out there. COVID pending obviously. So I want to those two quotes to fester in your mind.

and really get you thinking about what is next for you. Is your current lifestyle, are happy with it? If you are great, no problems. Are you thinking about traveling or have no idea where to start? Well, hopefully I can help you with that. And I want to help you plan, maybe budget. And you can contact me, as I said, any platform you want. There's also a contact page and website on the homepage. You can chuck in a message in there I'll get back to you and give you my experience of how I planned my trips and how I booked and how I budgeted.

So please get in contact. I hope you enjoyed the first episode. The next episode is yet to be determined, but I'm probably more likely to go with Luv D as I mentioned earlier on because they've actually closed that hostel that I love and it's my favorite hostel in the world. So some people who listen to this might not know that. So I might be getting in contact with some people during the week, but have a great week. Have a think, look on the map, pick some places, get in contact and let's get out there. COVID.

pending. Stay safe, catch you later. Bye. So thanks for tuning in to my revisiting of episode one. I hope you liked the bits I didn't go into. I think they still stand true or are interesting to hear. I've got to start repurposing content because I appreciate that people come and listen to the podcast probably from the last 10 episodes and not gone to the early ones. So I thought I'd share my first one I did on the podcast. Still gets downloaded today actually. But thanks for tuning in. So that's a wrap.

James Hammond (54:15.137)

It's while listening back to those thoughts and seeing where life and travel has taken me since then and some things I still stand by completely, others I've totally changed my mind on and a few predictions age pretty badly. What hasn't changed is why I started this show in the first place, to share the highs and lows and lessons from a life built around travel. So if you enjoyed this, looking back at this episode, let me know and maybe I'll make a series out of it and revisit more soda episodes back in the early days with extra perspective again since then.

Thanks for listening to the podcast. If stuck with me from day one, I really appreciate you more than you know. Let me know if you listened in from the early days. Love to meet you guys. Anything new here, welcome aboard. Plenty more stories, adventures, immersive episodes, sounds, guests coming up, and loads in the back catalog to get caught up with as well. Make sure you leave a five-star review on your podcast app. A written review is even better as well. That is a free way to help the podcast.

If want to donate to the podcast and help reduce it, then Buy Me A Coffee is available with links in the show notes. So until next time, keep exploring, keep questioning, keep learning, keep winging it. I'll catch you in the next episode. Thanks for tuning in. Cheers. Thanks for tuning in to the podcast episode today. If you've been inspired by today's chat and want to book some travel,

If you head to the show notes, you'll see some affiliate links below which helps support this podcast. You'll find Skyscanner to book your flight. You'll find Booking.com to book that accommodation. Want to stay in a super cool hostel? You'll see Hostel World down there too. You'll find Revolut to get your travel card sorted. Click the GIGSky link to get your eSIM ready for your trip. And more importantly, you'll find Safety Wing Insurance to get that travel insurance for your trip. There are many more to check out, so when you click that link and book your product, a small commission goes towards me.

and the Wigginit Travel Podcast. Thank you in advance and enjoy your travels.