My name is Michaela Pollard, I’m 32 years old and my biggest love in this world, (apart from my dog Winston, who will probably get mentioned a few times throughout this site) is Travel!
I was brought up in the beautiful countryside of Hampshire, raised by an incredible family, with friends that you keep for a lifetime, working in hospitality around the corner from my home. Until one day my world was turned upside down. I, like a lot of girls in their 20’s, had my heartbroken by someone who, I thought, was the most amazing person in the world. How wrong was I! Yes, it was horrible and I wouldn't want to go through that pain again but if it wasn't for him, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
I picked myself up, brushed myself off and packed up my bags. I took the leap of faith and travelled solo to Sri Lanka to work alongside the gentle giants of Pinnawala Elephant Sanctuary, and here I caught the biggest bug known to man, the one that you just can't shift no matter where you are, who you are with or what you are doing. I caught the Travel Bug!
I came back from my trip with a whole new lease of life, I had a new passion, new plans, new dreams and there was nothing holding me back. I worked two jobs until I was able to give them both up to travel South East Asia where for 6 months I woke up as the happiest girl in the world, no day was the same! I explored bustling cities and tranquil countryside, I got my hands dirty building houses in Cambodia and taught English in a shack on a beach in Goa. I made new friends from different walks of life and even had my best friend from home and my brother join me for parts of my trip! I did the whole touristy thing, I wore elephant pants, I had a photoshoot outside the Taj Mahal and I partied until sunrise at the full moon party on Koh Phangan but I also spent time in local villages, lived with local families, camped on the Great Wall of China and even ate Pig’s Brains! Don’t get me wrong there were some dull moments, we got lost in India, I sprained my ankle falling off a stage in Cambodia and I got homesick once or twice but none of that made me not want to be there. I felt more at home when I stepped off the plane in Cambodia than I have ever felt in the UK. It is crazy how a country so out of your comfort zone can make you feel so comfortable. There is where I realised there's so much more to life!
Six months later I touched back down in the UK, and decided it was time to move out of my family home and gain some independence. My folks probably thought “finally, you are 29 years old”. They definitely weren't expecting me to be moving out of the UK, to a third world country 6,200 miles away! 3 weeks later I was there, a place I will forever consider my home, Cambodia!
I spent the best 3 years of my life in Cambodia, I moved out as a Tour Guide so not only did I get to travel all the time but I spent each day showing other people why Cambodia was so incredible. We spent time in the Capital teaching them about the harrowing history of Cambodia, built houses alongside local villagers where we experienced ‘the real’ Cambodia and partied on the infamous pub street of Siem Reap. We took stunning sunset river cruises down the Meakong Delta and spent evenings on the beach watching amazing fire shows, drinking local beer, eating seafood and laughing non stop! I had to pinch myself to make sure it was real more than once a day. On my days off, which weren’t often (although my job felt like a constant holiday anyway, how many people can say that!) I spent time with my Siem Reap family, made up of other like minded people, all out there living the dream alongside beautiful friendly locals, I volunteered in a village school where I met my lovely khmer family and spent a lot of time on the islands just watching the world go by with sand between my toes and a beer in my hand. As I said before, things can’t be good all of the time, along with the ups there's usually some downs. I remember a few tears to my best friend because I was homesick, having my heart broken again and ending up in hospital a couple of times (remember to always keep hydrated!) but mainly I woke up everyday on cloud 9 and smiled every time I opened my eyes, appreciating the life I was living. I still get the same butterflies now, my heart races and I adapt this ‘coat hanger in the mouth’ smile, the same as I got the first time I stepped out of Phnom Penh airport, (yes even with the mental traffic, beeping of horns and heat that hits you so hard you sweat within minutes), these small things are what makes Cambodia so charming, and I can't wait to get back there again!
Living in Cambodia was an incredible experience and one that molded me into the person I am today, but, I think for most - there comes a time when you want to return home and create some roots.
So I came back to England, brought a puppy (as you do!) and tried to get back to ‘reality’. It has been 3 years now and there is something still missing. I do get my holidays in (pre covid) and have been back to my beloved Cambodia a couple of times but I still miss waking up in new places and exploring new things. I've tried the Independent Travel Agent life, which probably wasn't the best idea during the year of lockdown, but it didn't scatch that itch.
So where does that leave me? Right now I'm home, being a good rule abiding girl, with my gorgeous pup keeping me sane, helping out a good friend with her new sustainable travel business (Cornwall Discovered, for anyone that wants to take a sneaky peak) waiting for the pubs to re open again..... to be able to go to work not to drink..... I've got old! But what about my love for travel? Well as most of my friends know I love talking to anyone who will listen about my travel experiences so thats it, I've decided to write a blog!
To begin with this blog will just be me throwing back to past travel experiences mostly around Asia but with fingers and toes crossed by this time next year you will be able to join Me and Winton and our best friends as we discover Europe for 4 months (unfortunately no longer due to Brexit and dog entry rules) and our very own UK for 2 months!
Fingers crossed in a few more years I will be working my way from London to Singapore by land and sea, why take a plane when there are so many places to visit along the way. Stay tuned for updates on this one!
For now I want to say a massive thank you for checking out my new site and I look forward to chatting away about everything travel!
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