The mighty adventures of a Kiwi

I roamed the streets of Munich, desperately in need of something to take away the throbbing pain in my head, but all the shops were closed. I stumbled across an open Internet café in my search for drugs. I explained my situation to the girl at the counter. “Do you want something special?” she replied. I figured Paracetamol wasn’t too special.

I recently completed a six-week solo trip through Italy and Germany. For my adventure I opted to travel in poverty. This was due to my strong desire to see new parts of the world and my depressed bank account (it was yet to be prescribed any happy pills). You may not have attempted this style of travelling, believing you are too smart to venture down this barefooted road. Good for you. I hope you are enjoying your complimentary hotel chocolates while reading this.

During my trip I learnt that having little money while travelling can be stressful. This stress was heightened by my lack of correct budgeting. How did this happen? It was a classic case of not having a calculator within reach. My brain was also on strike.

My state of poverty while travelling led to many questionable situations. These included (but were not limited to); being asked if I'd like to be a prostitute in return for accommodation (I chose to pass), sleeping on a park bench in a privately owned garden and being offered a shower and a coffee, like a true homeless. Also, let’s not forget being offered ‘special’ drugs in Munich at an Internet Café.

During my six-week trip I had many encounters with ‘the strange’. I slept on strange couches, saw strange sites, tasted strange foods, smelled strange odours. Amongst all the strangeness I was overwhelmed by the amount of people who were willing to help a midget with a Kiwi accent, me. Travelling by myself and with limited funds forced me to step out of my comfort zone and made me rely on the help of those who spoke languages I pretended to understand. It was scary at times, but it changed me. A mind that has been expanded by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions. All travel changes you, but perhaps travelling in poverty changes you more because it pushes you beyond your fears. As a result I saw what a beautiful place this planet that we call Earth truly is. Is it the landscapes that make it beautiful? No. It's the people.