The Travelling Tales of Jess: Keep Calm and Travel On

I have never been able to stay in one place for a long period of time. Even when I was younger I was always eager to go somewhere and do something.

As I've grown older, that desire to travel and fly off to far away lands has only grown stronger, and I have found myself growing disinterested in things that used to captivate my attention.

2014 has already brought its fair share of disappointments for myself and my family. The disappointment in my University course, the disappointment of my dick-head of a father, the disappointment of my sisters German exchange; however I am about to set out on an adventure.

Earlier this year I decided I no longer wished to fulfil my childhood dream of completing a degree in Folk and Traditional Music, eventually becoming musician who would live out of a suitcase and hopefully tour. The music business is hit and miss, and if I am honest I have lost interest in playing and performing; I lost the spark that inspired me in the first place.

So, I applied to Law School. The idea of becoming a barrister had always seemed thrilling, and I am sure that everyone who knows me will agree I love a good argument. In January, I received an offer from Keele University, near Stoke-On-Trent (England). I asked around and Keele is considered a great Law School, and honestly I'm excited to move away from home, and start a new journey. My entire life has been devoted to music and whilst I am sad that for now that part is on hold, I can't deny the joy I feel when I think about all the job prospects Law will bring me.

It's a whole new adventure.

As I am still at University, however not required to complete the year or graduate with any specific grades, I am leaving.

Jetting off around Europe and having a 5 month travelling trip before I settle into academics once more.

For a 19 year old English girl, I feel I'm relatively well travelled. I've been going to Turkey every summer for as long as I can remember. As a child, my family holidayed in Majorca, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Kefalonia, so by age 6 I had already been to quite a few places. When I grew into my teens and my 5-year younger sister started to mature a bit, we branched out of our traditional holiday destinations, heading to Tunisia and Turkey. My mum adored Turkey, as did myself and my lil' sis, and we've been going back ever since. I'm even going there for 2 weeks this summer *squeal*!

At school, I travelled to places my parents didn't want to go. Skiing was something I fell in love with, and went skiing in France and Norway. My mum and sister have always been sun fanatics, but I must admit I'm more of a winter person; skiing was definitely for me. When I have kids, they will ski.

School also took me to Barcelona, Paris, and other regions of France that I can not remember.

Music groups allowed me to go to Scotland (not really a huge travelling achievement), the Shetland Isles and America, by far my favourite travel destination so far.

When I turned 18, I applied for and completed a summer for Camp America, at Camp Watitoh in Massachussetts. It was the experience of a lifetime, and I will never forget my summer there. I travelled round New York, Massachussetts and Florida. I am determined to return to the USA one day and roadtrip across all of the American states. That's the dream.

I also have family and friends all across the world. Canada and New Zealand are the two main ones that spring to mind, and I will DEFINITELY be checking those countries out in the (hopefully) near future.

Past travel pictures:

Turkey 2012

Tunisia 2011

America 2013

New York

Boston

Summer Camp

For 2014, I'm sticking to 3 countries in Europe.

France, Germany and Turkey.

Technically I will also be in Switzerland, but that's just for a flight transfer so it doesn't count.

For my travels (bar Turkey) I used a site called Workaway (http://www.workaway.info) and if you want to travel/volunteer, this is DEFINITELY the site to use. Basically you can look through thousands of hosts, who provide food and acommodation in return for some work, and then message them! You can even pick what sort of work you want to do. I have always been very horsey and have ridden horses since I was 3, so I chose to work with horses. In 3 different regions of France, and one in Germany, I will be spending an average of 1 month at each, working with horses, children, animals and helping out with general household chores.

To say I am excited is an understatement.

Here are some pictures of where I will be staying whilst abroad:

France: 27th March-6th May