I have had money problems in the past, and one thing I can tell you about this is that once you have been given the black mark against your name, it can be difficult to remove it, even if you have changed your ways and become good with money.

This has created all sorts of problems for me, as the circles that I socialize in see money as an important part of their everyday dealings, and if you cannot appear to be on par with them, you will soon be forgotten about. This may seem a little strange, but it is just the way it is. I play a lot of womens football, and a couple of years ago I ended up in a very embarrassing situation when I was unable to pay for my room whilst away on a tour.

All of my credit cards had been cancelled previously and I was just using my local bank card. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t realize that my current card would not be accepted abroad. I went to pay for my room, and in front of a whole bunch of ’football buddies'of mine, my card was declined. Then I had no way of paying for the room. This is when the questions started to come in about why I didn’t have a credit card and so on. I managed to dodge this by saying that I had lost my card, but in reality it was because I had a terrible credit rating due to my financial problems with credit cards in the past.

After this I read about how to get a prepaid credit card from this useful blog http://www.eniginstories.com/enigin-scam/ and I wish I had known about them sooner, as I could have avoided that whole scenario. The cards are accepted all over the world, but luckily they do not involve any credit giving, so are available to people in my situation. I now use my prepaid credit card whenever I need to pay for something, and the rest of the guys do not even know that it is not an ordinary credit card.

The whole thing might sound a little odd to you, but trust me, if they thought I was effectively broke, or had racked up loads of debt before, they would treat me a lot differently than if I seem as wealthy as them.

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Travelling while still a student most of the times directly means that you are a budget traveler. Being a budget traveler has many limitations and only one benefit. The one benefit is to be able to visit most of the places you really want to visit. The worst limitation of a budget traveler is not to being able to hire a guide, which means that one has to depend on travel sites and large format print maps. Unfortunately, when you are visiting places not that well mapped, there is the danger of getting lost. Thankfully this never happed to me, but it did happen to some of my friends.

It happened when we were in Nepal, in a place called Nagarkot. That evening I chose to stay in the hotel, but couple of my friends went out to eat. One thing about Nepal is that not matter where you eat, food is very yummy, but the only problem is that they take a long to finish cooking. It is actually good if someone takes time to cook, it means that most likely the food is fresh. Anyway, this restaurant they went at took a long time to serve the food. Finally after the food came, they ate at their pace and paid the bill and came out. The problem started when they came out.

They were surprised to see absolutely no street lights and total darkness outside. To say the least they were scared. It was so dark that the light from their cell phones barely made any difference. Finally they started walking towards the hotel. After some time of walking to the right direction, they realized that by this time they should have reached the hotel. They started panicking and called me. I asked them their location. They said they must be near the hotel. There was absolutely not a single soul in the street. Nepalese are good people, but being in the dark and not knowing where you are can still be scary. Thankfully a police officer happened to come by; they could not speak his language, but the name of the hotel was famous. They told him the name of the hotel and he walked them to the hotel. My friends thanked him with tears in their eyes. In the morning when we came out to enjoy the natural beauty of Nagarkot, my friend found his water bottle that he had left at the place they were lost; it was right at the back of the hotel.

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One of my stops on my journey of exploration recently was Mount Brandon. Now many of you may not have heard of this lovely place so let me first say Mount Brandon is located on the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, in west Ireland. Ireland’s ninth highest peak, Mount Brandon is named after Saint Brendan, who is said to have climbed the peak nearly 1500 years ago. He glimpsed North America, and set sail for it, eventually arriving there seven years later.

Mount Brandon is roughly in the middle of the larger chain of mountains called the Brandon Group. The mountain’s craggy shape is due to being pounded by glaciers during the ice age. It is just under 3000 feet high and is said by many climbers and walkers to be amongst Irelands finest mountains.

The east side of Mountain Brandon features a series of rock steps with corresponding linked glacial lakes on each step. Each of these small lakes gets smaller as you ascend the mountain. There are at least ten lakes, some with charming Irish names. This is a well visited place and surely you can envision not vehicles can go beyond a certain point which means no road traffic accident claim will be necessary but you will have to walk the rest of the way.

Mount Brandon is wonderful for walking. One path, “The Saints Road” is especially lovely, and is popular with Irish Catholic pilgrims, due to the white crucifixes along the path that lead to the large cross on the summit.

Walking enthusiasts can join the many walking clubs in the area that make regular, year-round trips up Mount Brandon. Walking with a companion is recommended, as the mountain can be dangerous, especially when walking alone. Outfit yourself accordingly, and be aware that it can get very cold on the mountain.

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I have obviously got a lot of decisions to make and problems to solve, and I don’t know where I will be sleeping next week or eating tonight. But these kinds of stresses seem a lot less to worry about than those of the modern work life. I definitely won’t be seeking industrial compensation for work related illnesses!

It has made me really consider what I want to do with my life when I finish on my travelling adventure. Is it going to make me happy to sit in an office in front of a computer all day, or working 9 - 5 week after week? Maybe not.

I am not saying that some people cannot be happy doing so, as many are quite content with having this type of job, and it does bring with it a great deal of security. But all this travelling has made me appreciate the joy of uncertainty and change. What is it they say - A change is as good as a rest!

I think that travel definitely opens the mind, and it has made me realise what might make me happy in life. This is not to say it is the same for everybody, as one good friend that I have met along the way has enjoyed her time away from home, but looks forward to getting back into her steady routine when she gets home next month.

Anyway, I digress. all I wanted to say was that being away from the day to day life that we all get drawn into really does let you appreciate what you like and dislike about it, and this can give you the freedom to go back home and change your lifestyle if you are not happy with it or be thankful for what you have if you are!

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Let’s face it: you wouldn’t have considered studying and going around the world at the same time. You can, in a manner of speaking, make quick trips. But then it would be a trip during the vacation time or during an extended break and there would always be a deadline by which time you would need to get back. And if you are ever on one such quick trip, do consider the time you actually spend waiting in airports or for that matter, waiting anywhere.

Fact is this waiting can be utilised in a constructive manner. It might need a little getting used to, but just look around when you are in an airport the next time. You are sure to spot some people furiously working or reading up. In fact doing anything other than whiling away their time……waiting!

Well, if you are a student, you can get a degree and go around the world to your heart’s content, or doing anything else for that matter. You just need to get used to this manner of studying. And you will in a short span of time. You can continue your education without any disruption as it is through correspondence. Believe me, even the best hr software cannot multi-task so well but the human mind can easily adapt to this new line of combing studying in the oddest of places while backpacking or whatever else it might be that you want to do!

Of course there are advantages to being grounded and completing a course, but then think of the time you are losing. Some may even swear by it. Not me; I want to have my cake and eat it too! And I am doing just that.

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I always thought I was a brave person. However, I discovered that my world tour was taking me to all those places where my relatives lived. It was only when my friends taunted me for going on a family tour instead of a world tour did I step out and go to places where I knew nobody.

The tour has also helped me counter my misconceptions. I always thought that hybrid cars were a waste of time. It neither gives the comfort and performance of a standard automobile nor does it help secure the environment completely. However, my trip has taken me on many such vehicles and I am forced to admit that people, even educated people, have the silliest misconceptions.

The sociology degree has helped me observe society better. I often sit in posh cafes and observe young boys and girls carry heavy loads on their heads when they ought to be studying at school. They do not have a choice. There are many of my friends who spend their salaries on fun and joy when donating the same would have helped such students get a better life. It is indeed pertinent to ask whether the educated and matured individuals are pulling their weight as far as their social responsibilities are concerned.

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Although this part of my life is filled with not only the wonderfully enlightening experience of travelling the world and broadening my horizons it is also slightly stressful fitting in my student work at the same time. The thing is I knew that I really couldn’t afford to do both separately. The wonderful thing about doing this is I’m managing to get my degree at the same time as getting some amazing life experience. My friends who are studying at universities may have the benefit of being based in one place to concentrate on their studies but some of them have never had the chance to go travelling before their study. Do you really think that with all the way things are in England with it’s current financial climate people are really going to be in a position to take time out of working to travel after studying for three years? It is getting so competitive the only time you’re likely to get a chance to travel is if have a job that pays you enough to justify taking a holiday once or twice a year. Once I’ve finished my studies I would have managed to get a degree alongside three years of world travel, I may have to fit my dissertation in whilst being on a luxury Kenya safari but at least I’d have got those experiences that I’ll never forget. If you’re thinking of getting a degree but also want to travel I’d really recommend doing what I have been doing for yourself, I don’t in any way regret it.

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We all have watched movies where people land up at airport taxi Heathrow and walk in to find that the plane is just ready to take off. However, the real life often involves waiting for a large number of hours in the airport. This can be a really frustrating experience for an individual who has not done this in the past.

Airports are high security areas and you cannot roam around wherever you want. If you do so, security may take excessive interest in you that can be very bad for your trip. You may be held in preventive detention unless airport security is satisfied that you do not pose any threat.

Further, you would not be alone in the airport. There would be hundreds of travelers with their bag and baggage waiting for their flights. The last thing you want is to get up from your seat only to find that an old lady has spilled all her coffee over it.

An experienced traveler is one who knows how to stay entertained in airports when waiting for the flight. You may not always have the right magazine in your hands or the right game in your laptop. The best option is to develop an interest in people. If you can observe people around you and keep track of what they are doing, you will find yourself being entertained for hours at a stretch.

Another option is to go back to the traditional approach and make new friends when you are waiting for your flight to take off. This will help you overcome any further interruptions in the journey after you have boarded the flight.

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Car leasing has saved my life. If I hadn’t have bothered to get a car whilst travelling around Scotland recently I would never have been able to meet a very kind man who gave me a valuable history lesson.

I was up in the Highlands at night the other day because I was hoping to view one of the most spectacular shows on earth – the northern lights. It was also an excuse to use some material for my sociology degree. I’ve never lived in the mountains so I thought my trip can double up as both sightseeing and study!

Of course if I had bothered to do my research properly then I would have realised that the Northern Lights in Scotland can never really be seen in the summer months. A local in the town of Inverness told me that I’d have to come back in the winter to gain more of a chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis. His name was Jim and he was very kind about it when explaining the phenomenon to me. It’s been around since the atmosphere was first formed and that it would be around long after we are all dead, and obviously it can only be seen during the winter months. Considering I’d embarrassed myself by thinking I would see the lights in the summer, I was relieved.

He did however take the time to tell me all about his life and where he’d lived over the years. Even though I was bummed out that I’d have to wait four months before having a chance of seeing the northern lights, I was pleased that the trip wasn’t wasted.

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Travelling by train is not as cheap as it used to be, in the UK at least. Whilst I’ve been bumming up and down the country avoiding being stuck in one place for as little time as possible, I’ve discovered that it’s been cheaper to travel by car in a lot of cases.

I rented a Honda Lexus hybrid for a decent price in Glasgow the other week and its done wonders in saving me so much money on bus and train fares. As there are more and more hybrid cars on the road these days, I felt like I wasn’t only saving money; I was doing my bit for the environment. Whilst many may find that smug, I merely find it satisfying. This is the first time I’ve mentioned it anyway so it would be hard to accuse me of smugness.

With the car I was able to explore a lot of the harder to reach areas of Scotland including Loch Lamond and the Highlands. I can’t really begin to describe just how beautiful the countryside in Scotland is. At one point I stopped my car beside another loch where the water was so still it looked like God had dropped his mirror from heaven on the ground. I saw more in my car then I could ever see on a train or bus. Simply put there are places in the world where you need a car to get around. Scotland is one of them and if I hadn’t rented a car, I would’ve missed one of the greatest shows on earth. Truly stunning!

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