Home

After 192 days away and a journey home consisting of 6 days, 3 coaches, 3 airplanes, 2 taxis, 1 train and countless panics about loosing my passport... I'm home.

And home is so nice, so quiet, so calm, so full of family and my dogs and typical English spring weather. It's all the home comforts you dream of while on the road.

It does remind me however, of how long i've actually been away, and how often I'm away. I've essentially forgotten how to entertain myself while in a place I know. Entertaining yourself somewhere new is easy, it takes very little effort, there's places to see and things to do that are pretty or interesting. Entertaining yourself somewhere you have spent a relatively substantial amount of time is a lot more effort.

One of the things travelling and working on ship never prepares you for is your return home to a life where nothing has changed but at the same time everything has. As you get older it's increasingly hard to find time to meet up with friends anyway I've noticed, let alone when you're completely out of the loop for so long. It's like trying to wriggle your way back into peoples lives as you become an 'in-person friend' again who needs more time than a quick 5 second online response.

After 4 days I'm already thinking about my next travel plans, if everything works out.