1st blog post – My Journey of Self Discovery – The Start

Ever wondered what it’s like to leave everything you know?

To go away and never to come back?

I did….. This was the start of my journey of Self-Discovery.

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You may remember, I originally wrote some blogs back in 2015? Despite gaining over 25,000 views on one particular piece, I feel these were, in most part, constructed without purpose. Merely penned while on the move, radically scribbling down my day-to-day adventures and typing them up as more of a journal.

Fast forward nearly seven years. I have decided to re-release them, adding parts, taking bits out, and giving a sense of direction to each one.

Not only will I be recreating my original writings but I shall give actual hints, tips, help and advice in which I have gained over the last several years to equip you with a formidable arsenal of information so you can tackle your travels head on, and not come face to face with many of the troubles I have encountered.

This is Episode 1. I hope you find what I have to say useful, exciting, and more than anything fun. Please like, subscribe, share, and if you wish to read the entire series, become a member on this amazing platform.

Thank You.

August 2015: On my phone at my mother’s house, I booked an open/non return ticket to Thailand. Not to do anything too outrageous. To be away for a maximum of a month. I didn’t want to do the whole Full Moon Party thing, or to get drunk every night visiting Ping-pong shows. What I needed was to have a trip away, volunteer for a few weeks, go off the beaten track, and conclude it all chilling on a beach before returning home.

That was it – I set the script. I could have just gone for a few weeks’ recess in Mallorca and spent time on the strip in Magaluf. Raising hell away in BCM or Mulligans Bar – And that I had been on many of these holidays before, it shows nothing about life and respect.

Rewind to December 2014: I conduced my Mechanical Engineering qualification. It was time to reward myself with a quick break away before returning home and making a career in the field I had just qualified in.

The intense burning desire that was glowing so bright deep inside me, showing that I needed something to discover. To visit an Asian metropolis of 10million, a rice paddy field, a village in the depths of a jungle, something, anything.

A step out of my usual farm boy country style comfort zone to get a sense of realisation. Then come home a better person.

My Explanation to Going Away to my Mother:

I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth and had a fantastic childhood.I thank you for that. But I knew nothing about respect. To learn about the world was so important to me – I needed a wake up call. It’s always been a dream of mine to explore a country that is worse off than the one that you brought me up in. To realise how fortunate I am. I am not going long. Only until I realise who I am.

– Upon booking my ticket in August 2015.

My Influences
So many of my friends were discovering more than what was just in their own backyard inspired me.

In particular Dan Day, Jamie Lambert and Jack Almond, who feature on this website.

Something admired so much to me. The experiences they were having resembled something epic!! They were having the times of their lives!

All three have been huge inspirations for me. Dan Day for his around the world travels, and Jamie and Jack for how they were spending most of their time integrating with the local people in Cambodia and Thailand.

I had been following their travels via social media for years. This is what I believe assisted in the ignition of this burning desire I had deep inside. They played their part in lighting the torch for me to follow before today passing it on.

I had featured blogs from both Dan and Jamie on an old website I named Live Forever in South East Asia. Reading and watching their content had me captivated. It blew me away, seeing what they had conquered further afield from our lonesome sleepy town.

I had a goal set in my head.
It was more than a goal.
It was a dream.
A lifelong dream.
Even if it was just
a quick ‘flash-pack’,
It was something
I just had to do.

Once I made my mind up where I was going, I just needed to save. I worked 12-hour days, away from home, for 6 days a week for a few months.

This took me to the point of near exhaustion.

Then the day comes, where I booked that ticket at my mum’s house:

While slurping on a cup of tea with her, I received a notification on my phone – they had paid me. I checked my account. I had reached my financial goal. A set amount I had planned to last me the month away – and now I had reached it.

It was at this moment, when I booked my ticket.

Only a week later, I was leaving from London Heathrow, onto a connecting flight from India, and on my destination in Thailand. This was to be the start of my month long adventure….

I thought.

Thank you so much for reading.

Ashley Paul Cox