Riding a bucking bull on first night in LA

Looking back at that shy timid  26 year awkwardly arriving in Los Angeles for my first ever stay in a hostel and first time properly travelling by myself, I remember awkwardly sitting in the hostel lounge nervous,jet-lagged and scared to talk to other people. Since then I have spent over 18 months staying in hostels, from the sandy beaches of playa del carmen Mexico, deep amazonian jungle in Ecuador, The rice fields of Pai in Thailand to the old town of Edinburgh Scotland which I currently call my home (for now).

Enjoying Tulum Ruins Mexico

I’ve had some amazing travel adventures and experiences, Living the life of a nomadic traveler, From North, Central South America, Australia, South East Asia and now Europe. But I still feel like I have only gotten a tiny taste of what this planet has to offer.

Then there is this blog, I originally started it as a way to let my family and friends know how my travels were going and to inspire other’s to take the leap of faith, Follow their dreams and escape the norm and travel the world. This blog has definitely been a labor of love,t I have poured so much of myself and hours beyond count into. But it is not without reward, Living the life of a travel blogger has taken me to some amazing places from over 5 travel conferences across Europe where  I found my tribe and got to connect with other bloggers and digital nomads who are also on the same journey that I am on.

But  unfortunately living the life of a nomadic traveler and blogger is not all amazing sights and fun times, After 4 months nonstop travelling on the road  at the end of 2013 and early 2014 I found myself in Edinburgh broke, jobless and burnt out from both constant travelling and blogging. I felt like I needed a holiday. But I was already on holiday! What does someone who is on holiday do to go on holiday? For me, that involved allowing myself  to take a step back and give myself a break to enjoy experiencing the amazing city of Edinburgh Scotland which I decided to settle in and am currently working in. Allow myself to not worry about every cent or penny like I would when I didn’t have a job and was travelling on the road.

Arthur’s Seat Edinburgh Scotland

I Have learnt a lot in my 8-month working holiday here in Scotland. All of which I will go into when I do my 2014 yearly round up post coming very soon.But the one thing I think that sticks with me the most is, You don’t have to be constantly travelling around the world travelling from country to country to meet amazing local people and experience new and amazing things. There is so much all around us, We just have to look.

Me at Cliffs of Moher Ireland

Exciting New Chapter!

So after a bit of a break I’m happy to announce that some exciting big changes are going to be happening for Nerd Travels, A lot of my blogger friends who know me will know this has been a LONG time coming, But I have finally decided to make the leap to video and after finally after a lot of hard work have the video equipment I need to make this dream a reality. Although I do enjoy writing it has been more of a means of telling my story and getting information across then a true passion of mine. Coming from a Video game animation and visual effects background video is a more natural fit for me. This doesn’t mean that I am going to stop writing entirely, far from it there will continue to be many written posts on Nerd Travels, Just expect to see more video content.

I have some very exciting video projects in the works as well as some incredible Christmas and New Year plans which I will be announcing very soon.Plus there are so many amazing things European adventures including my extended stay in Edinburgh which I can’t wait to share with all of you.

Thanks to all my amazing friends, family and followers who have shared this journey with me so far, And I can’t wait for this exciting new chapter, To share more stories and adventures as well as travel tips and, of course, new video’s and vlog posts.