The world is a book

I have a love affair with travel. I am infatuated by the beauty found in every country around the world. I am head over heels for airports, planes, maps and suitcases (yes, I have many and despite traveling often I haven’t mastered packing light, as my husband would attest).

My desire to travel started early, when my parents and I moved to Australia from Sri Lanka. I still remember my parents breaking the news to my grandparents who were devastated, but the eager traveller I was beamed with happiness and ran around shouting “we are going on a plane!” I don’t think I helped the situation at all but my grandfather, Charlie, who also loved to explore, saw the opportunities that awaited and gave us his blessing.

My family are keen travellers, my father in particular. When I was younger my dad and I would go on many adventures. We would get in the car and just drive, we had no plan, no map (this was before GPS), no sense of time (which would get us in trouble, always being late for dinner), just the need to discover. We stopped in little towns and big cities and would learn about every place we visited.

I met my husband whilst traveling and the two of us continue to travel as much as we can. When our daughter was born friends questioned, “How are you going to manage? You can’t travel with a little one” and we thought why not? (Note: first rule of parenting, create your own rules!) Before the age of one our daughter had been to four different countries. She adapted to the hustle and bustle of the strange and exotic places and delighted in meeting new people. She acted as if she was seasoned vacationer. Memories that would last a lifetime were made on this trip as she met her great-grandmother and her international family.

We live in an incredible world, there are pockets of splendour even in the most chaotic destinations. My husband and I have family in Sri Lanka and South Africa. We adore these countries and are captivated by their, at times, “organised chaos”. I remember my husband’s first trip to Sri Lanka, the drive from the airport to my aunt’s house was the most amusing drive. My husband was at the edge of his seat as a bus came speeding towards us and weaved at the last minute. The unspoken road rules of Sri Lanka is truly fascinating and adds to its whimsical charm. My husband soon found appreciation for drivers in Sri Lanka and has since confidently driven a tuk-tuk down the main road in Colombo with me at the edge of my seat.

This month I had the opportunity to travel to the Pacific Islands and meet some truly exceptional people. Travelling exposes us to the magnitude of the human race and forges respect for all individuals. In each country you see life being lived in an entirely different way and this shift in perspective can have tremendous advantages to how we perceive our everyday reality.

I gain so much from traveling and I find I always evolve through the experience. Leaving the known can create space for what’s to come. Through traveling you re-evaluate your own circumstances and uncover different layers of yourself. It tests and strengthens you and it propels you forward on your own journey.

Charlie’s Adventures was born out of my appreciation of travel (in the words of St Augustine “the world is a book…”). As I write each of Charlie’s Adventures I feel grateful that we live in such a glorious world. It is uplifting to know that something remarkable is just a plane ride away or as my dad and I found, a short drive down the highway – no map or GPS needed.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTH

Canberra City News (interview):

Canberra Weekly Magazine (have you heard):

Creative Kids Tales (pitch ya book and emerging author):

Pitch Ya Book

http://www.creativekidstales.com.au/authors-illustrators/pitch-ya-book

Emerging Author

http://www.creativekidstales.com.au/authors-illustrators/ckts-emerging-authors/1821-jacqueline-de-rose-ahern