Basically all of you should be here now!

Hello Friends

Welcome to the first of my retrospective travel journals, and greetings from my home town Sydney. The date of this journal is the very day I boarded a flight to San Francisco for my first overseas trip, following an emotional farewell with family and friends. I had recently graduated from university, and was working two jobs while squirrelling money away in the bank to prepare for an extended trip overseas. Finally the big day arrived and it was time to pack up my troubles in the old kit bag, in preparation for the first ever overseas flight to discover the joys of world travel!

Recently a dear reader sent a kind message, asking whether there was a journal he could refer to that gives a background on myself and my philosophy of travel. I hope this journal serves that purpose, both as an introduction from my home town, and also providing the opportunity to lay the foundations for the two decades of travel that have followed. As a young man I embarked on this flight way back in 1986, and since then I've been privileged to visit many of the world's great travel destinations and experience all the joy and frustration, the exhilaration and fascination, the alienation and ultimate enlightenment that is the life of a traveller.

The Rooney's are a large family of Sydneysiders. We were born and raised in this beautiful harbour city, the gateway to Australia and one of the world's most glamorous travel destinations. Growing up in Sydney meant a life of endless summers, backyard cricket ... and school of course! Writing this journal is a somewhat cathartic experience, because on reflection there is nothing I can identify in my background which bought about my life time passion for travel. I was a happy and healthy Aussie kid, a kid perfectly at home in my family and community, with no great interest in other countries, except for a fascination with beating England in Test match cricket which my father drummed into me from an early age. Just for the record I can still recite the great Don Bradman's aggregate of test runs and his batting average, and who can argue with the statistics of possibly the greatest sportsman in history. "Our Don Bradman, well I ask you is he any good?" Those lyrics are from a famous Australian song in the 1930's, but I digress...

So as I came towards the end of my university studies I began to develop an interest in taking an extended overseas trip and my closest friends were of a like mind. Yet my lifestyle was to diverge somewhat from the predictable path that seemed to be my destiny, partly because I decided to take a gamble as a young man in my initial choice of travel destinations. I was not planning the trip to England for work and then heading off to explore Europe, which is the typical travel itinerary for young Aussies (including my friends) as they prepare for their first overseas trip. Instead I was looking initially to the United States for the possibility of further study (an idea that quickly faded from consideration) and then planning to travel to Japan to try my hand as an English teacher.

So what is it that makes certain people so passionate and well suited to overseas travel, and others not so much so? My only travel experiences prior to heading overseas on that cold July morning two decades ago came from family holidays. My family embarked twice on the famous train journey across the Australian continent to Perth courtesy of my father's career in the railways, where we marveled at the scenery while crossing the inhospitable Nullabor plain during memorable train journeys that took several days. These family holidays were to visit relatives of my mother who was born in the capital of Western Australia. Other than those trips our only real travel experience came from when our parents took us on camping holidays to Urunga, a coastal resort town in northern New South Wales. These trips do not serve as a great travel apprenticeship in my opinion, but one thing I've learnt is that no-one is ever really prepared for their first trip overseas. I guess I had a few things in my favour as a budding young Aussie traveller; in the form of a friendly smile, reasonably good people skills, a natural curiosity and a sense of humility.

But in hindsight these character traits are at the heart of all serious travellers. When on the road it's not possible to compare the circumstances and experiences you will confront to life in your home country. In my opinion this is a counterproductive mindset, and will lessen the enjoyment derived from being overseas. I believe my travel ethos has served me well over the last two decades and remains relatively simple ... greet people with a smile, call everybody friend, actively engage in the culture and lifestyle of the countries being visited, be courteous and respectful at all times (particularly to officials) and be enthusiastic. Does this work for me? I'd certainly like to think so, because two decades after embarking on my first overseas trip I'm counting down to my next trip with as much anticipation and enthusiasm as ever.

Clearly as an Australian I'm aware that I live a privileged lifestyle, in a world where poverty and destitution is still prevalent in many countries. My philosophy of travel is based on the strong belief that I am a citizen of the world, as well as being a proud Australian. I have an ongoing desire to make a contribution; to learn about the world and it's inhabitants, to share experiences and cultures, and in the process hopefully become a better person. There are three great passions in my life, which have been constant pursuits through my adult years ... music, dance and travel. Of course I love Australia too, and feel blessed to be born in this beautiful country. Aussies are renowned for being cheeky and slightly rebellious, so it is with apologies to the writers of our national anthem that I offer you my variation. After all, any national anthem that has the line ... "our home is girt by sea" is bound to attract it's share of comment...

Australians all let us rejoice for e i e i o
With golden soil and wealth for toil, the rest I just dunno
Our land abounds in natures gifts, of beauty blah blah blah
In history's page let every stage, never thought I'd get this far
In joyful strains then let us sing la-la di da di da

Come and visit Australia dear reader,.......... basically all of you should be here now!

"The finest harbour in the world, in which a thousand sail of the line may ride in the most perfect security." Captain Arthur Philip, upon discovering Sydney Harbour.

As I commence my travels, until next time it's signing off for now

Tom

Note: Feel free to post comments on this site, providing they are relevant and polite

---

---