The End

When I first had the idea for this trip, I thought it would have to last at least a few months in order to learn anything from it. I wanted to be away for a while because I thought it would immerse me in the whole thing, and maybe develop me. Plus, I thought that more time = more stories to tell to make me more interesting at parties (not that I ever go to any).

I had the view that going away for just a couple of weeks was only a brief holiday, and thought that even 6 weeks wouldn't be enough for whatever it is I thought I would experience.

Maybe that was narrow-minded. Maybe I didn't want to be just another backpacker interrailling around Europe and wanted to be a bit different. Sounds about right to be honest.

Now I see that it doesn't necessarily matter how long you're away for. You could have a startling epiphany on a long weekend in Bruges. Two weeks in Egypt might give you a different perspective. Me, I've learned a lot during my time away (including such useful information as the word for peacock in Italian) - but I just as surely know that now is the right time to leave, and that I don't feel the need to stay any longer.

Part of me thought I should stay in Europe longer because a) that was the plan, b) it felt like cheating just spending 6 weeks away, but also c) I felt like I was cheating by making such a big deal out of my trip (I've pretty much milked it for the last year), only to return home to my friends in a matter of weeks.

But time seems to pass differently when travelling. Days seem to be much longer, and two days in a city feels like a week. Similarly, my week at the riding school felt like a month. That morphing of time, combined with my rather short attention span, means that I realise now I don't think I will ever go travelling for a long period of time. At least, not until my attention span increases. Any tips?