Why do I do what I'm doing?
Why do I do what I’m doing?
I’m sure many people have thought that over the years of me, and occasionally, so have I. Earlier this week was one of those times.
Moving from place to place is one of the most expensive parts of a nomadic life today. Especially if not thought out in advance.
The past week was a transition time for me from Bangor, Ireland, to Exeter, England. Neither of which location is a tourist hotspot, in my way of thinking.
Tourist destinations are expensive and come with increased security concerns. And what they offer isn’t of interest to me. Often a question I get at the locations I’ve chosen is, why here?
Bangor offered communing with nature, seascapes, serenity, and a local community. All of which I loved, and is God created. A video on my last day there
Exeter is a college-based location set in southern England, making it warmer with less cloud cover. It interests me, most of which is man-made.
Both locations are close in proximity when viewed from afar, but in reality far apart.
My options were varying combinations of trains, planes, ferries, and buses. One of my chosen default filters is to avoid flying. It is usually quicker and possibly cheaper, but there are no views, little interaction, inflexible schedules, and weather issues.
I arranged for my destinations to have same-day departures and arrivals. Largely because when I book them I’ve had little planning, it is to transition. I always use public transit, using the Rome2Rio app to find routes. For this trip, flying takes about 6 hours, while using a mix of trains, buses, and ferries takes about 23 hours. Flying seems like a no-brainer at the outset except the time of flight and days of the week really work or don’t.
I chose the latter as it’s slower and offered an overnight ferry, 10:30 pm to 6:30 am. I selected a lounge with reclined seats and limited numbers. The lounge I liked had only about 30 recliners well spaced apart with a side table. Large-screen TVs playing past Rugby or Australian football, without sound, and lowered lighting. It would have been great, but the chairs on the ship reclined at the same angle as in an airplane. That fixed position just wasn’t comfortable on the long haul. There were only about ten of us in the lounge. Mid-night, I noticed all but a couple of us were sleeping on the floor as there was ample room to do so.
When I fly virtually, no one talks to one another as noise has a limiting factor. Yet on ground transportation like this journey I’ve had many interesting conversations. On this trip I met three very interesting people with great conversations.
A family man living in Belfast, originally from Africa, and married to a woman from Ireland, both well educated and on a family holiday in Bangor. Another young lady, from Hungary and working in the medical field in southern England. Another woman near my age from New Zealand visiting family in southern England. And more, each with an interesting story to tell when asked.
The countryside flew past, as did the hours when you’re sharing with another. Making the journey more expensive in time, which I have. Probably similar in cost but much more memorable.
Memorable experiences are the real why of why I do what I do.
That said, I’ve already planned the next transition in a month with a tad more pre-planning as the distances are greater.
A video on my first day in Exeter, England
P.S. Check what you’ve put in the app you use. On the train trip to Exeter, the train ticket was for a stop several miles past. Fortunately, I noticed and departed in time.
In Exeter, the address I had copied was wrong, taking me to a location 30 minutes away, causing a taxi as I felt used up energy wise. Why it auto-populated the address wrong I really don’t care, just check before you depart.