Istanbul Backstreets

When my boyfriend and I first got together, we had a discussion about things we considered to be deal breakers in a relationship. Most of them were pretty bog-standard, such as being a smoker or dressing badly (I waived that one for him and his uggers trainer collection!). Others were more niche, like being a Wolves fan (it’s a footie thing..). One of his most adamant deal breakers was that he wouldn’t date someone who didn’t like travel. This caught me by surprise. Who doesn’t like to travel?

According to him, plenty of gals. The idea seems so strange to me though, that you wouldn’t be willing to give up home comforts to experience something a little different and infinitely more exciting. Although it’s probably not the healthiest perspective (at least not on the ol’ bank balance..), I’ve come to think of the days I spend travelling as ‘real life’, whilst the obligatory bursts of work and uni are just a necessary inconvenience.

I think I’d be quite happy living out of a suitcase, as I’ve pretty much done this past couple of months. Sure there’s nothing like home, but why can’t home be transitional?

I’m getting to the stage in my life when I need to start thinking about my future, long term. As my last year of university looms, the 9 to 5 slog seems less and less appealing. Whilst I don’t expect the luxury of being able to travel 24/7 with no responsibilities other than remembering to pack my passport, I’m warming to the idea of finding a job that allows me to work on the move. Perhaps I should go into banking with an international firm? (hell no.)

Blogging is one such career that offers the creme de la creme the opportunity to work as they go. Chiara Ferragni from The Blonde Salad’s TheBlondeSaladNeverStops hashtag is pretty apt. It’s amazing the freedom these little spaces of internet give us, that you can pitch up camp anywhere in the world and keep producing content. My travel posts are always my favourites, I think the content is much richer with context behind it rather than yet another white Kensington facade with no backstory.

So my own, personal life deal breaker? Being tied to one place. I want to go car spotting in Havana, find my Romeo in Padua, and try the weird toilets with 17 buttons in Japan. London, I love you, but I’m not ready. Wait for me, yeah?