It’s quite interesting to note just how arrogant some travellers can come across as when sharing some of their own experiences and advice about how best to go about exploring a particular destination or perhaps how to take care of the organisational side of planning a trip. To avoid ever coming across as such, this is one of the reasons why this platform is named Confused Matthew.
Yes, my name is Mathew, but I’m not as confused as what I make out to be. The only thing I’m really confused about is actually just how there are people roaming the face of this planet who seem not to harbour the same desire to travel that many of us do. Perhaps I shouldn’t refer to them as “roaming” this earth then, because that’s exactly what they’re NOT doing. They’re sitting still, relatively speaking of course, when one considers just how much of the world they cover in relation to its size.
Anyway, each to their own…
Something else I’m confused about is just how on earth I’m going to be able to one day say that I’ve covered more than my fair share of this naturally beautiful earth we find ourselves on, especially since I really feel as if I’ve not even explored the mere tip of the iceberg with regards to travel.
My Bio
For a bit more background about myself, let me take you on a journey that will have us going back to my childhood, where and when I believe the travel bug bit me and bit me HARD!
I grew up inland, in one of the suburbs of London, but only for the first few years of my life, after which time my parents split up and I moved across the Atlantic with my mother to live in Canada with my maternal grandparents for a considerable amount of time further. It’s a sad story with a happy ending though, because that made for somewhat of a journey of great self-discovery and of the discovery of the vast natural beauty of the world, because as was the case when we were all still living together as a happy family in North London, we used to religiously visit my paternal grandmother down at the coast.
My mom and I would fly over to meet my dad and then we’d all go down to the coast and this went on for years and years until my parents actually got back together!
Given how things had played out domestically, my parents kind of felt a little guilty for “putting me through an entire divorce and remarriage,” but I was there and I totally understand how difficult circumstances can get at times. In any case, their guilt had them giving me a chance at somewhat of a second childhood, because we started travelling as a family of three, all over the world, as soon as I transitioned into early adulthood!
How lucky am I?
So yes, I guess you could say I do indeed come from a position of privilege, but only as far as travelling goes, because if you were to visit my parents’ house with me one day you’d find a very intimate and cosy setup which some people might refer to as being extremely modest. They’ve instilled in me the valuing of experiences over material things, which is why you’ll sometimes find me backpacking barefooted as a symbol of this valuing of experiences over material wealth.
What’s Confused Matthew all about?
So as what I hope will become your frequent visits to this blog, what you can expect to read all about is everything and anything to with travel and how it affects our lives. From personal travel experiences, reflections on how I made it through some difficult times to make certain unlikely trips happen, and stories about the amazing people I met while travelling, all the way to cookie-cutter travel and destination guides, travel advice and information about all which the travel world has to offer.
I hope to see you soon and regularly and I hope that every single visit has you coming away with some valuable information which you can use to better plan your trips and see as much of this beautiful world as you can manage.