Tara the Traveler

As many of you may have seen, on Monday I compiled such a fun post for this blog based on TRAVEL . On my travel and on some other amazing bloggers travels. I linked up with some really awesome people - but only AFTER hitting that convenient pumpkin colored publish button (Halloween is just 22 days away.. but hey, whose counting?) I met Tara. 

She is just down-right hilarious. I read every single one of her blog entries back to front (per say.... you know, as you can't technically do that in blog world...)

The best part about it all is that her blog is brand-spanking-new(ish). Based on her exciting and thrilling new adventure of quitting her 'soul-crushing' 9-5 job, selling all of her belongings (besides her beloved collection of books... I'm sure most of us can relate!) and skipping off into a tropical, Asian sunset with her man.

Sounds like a dream, right?

Wrong.

Tara will take you through the nitty gritty of it all. The gruesome, gory details that accompany every epic adventure.

It is a dream too, though. She tells stories from her experiences across the globe - the good times and the cringe-worthy bad times that will have you practically beetroot red and on the floor laughing.

Working in a fine art gallery, we get tourists strolling in throughout my own 9-5 working day all the time. Foreigners always have a huge appreciation for art - and after all this natter about travel lately, something happened today that very nearly tipped me over the edge of the mountain of responsibility, commitment, priorities and stability that I've been balancing on.

A group of travellers came trudging through, dragging their worn-out, tethered boots along the gallery's old hard-wood floors.

It's a miserably cold and wet October day in South Africa but even so, they were sporting tiny little white shorts with bronzed legs completely unfazed by the chilly nip in the air.

Their top section seemed to be a bit more cleverly dressed. Over-sized, brightly coloured hoodies. Tatty hair pulled back in careless pony-tails. Rucksacks with just the essentials a backpacker would need, slung across their shoulders.

I stared down at my branded, too-tight jeans. Tugged uncomfortably at my stylish winters coat and patted my slicked back boring hair in envy.

I see tourists wandering in and out all day long - but today it only fuelled my rapidly spreading fire to fly off into my own sunset... to touch new ground, smell new smells, sample new foods. Get completely lost and enjoy absolutely every minute of it.