I ask all guests a series of questions that I normally ask myself after I come home from travelling, these questions are aimed to give some insight into how these travellers accomplished what they did. These questions also will help you find out if your style of travel matches well with this guest.
What led you to this destination?
Laura and her friend Tanya narrowed their potential destinations down to New Zealand Thailand and India. Tanya wanted to do a tour which is something that Laura wasn't originally a fan of. They looked at contiki but found it much to expensive. Free and Easy ended up being a much cheaper option. Laura learned about this from a friend who did work.
At any time was there a reason to leave, ever uncomfortable?
Other than the series of events that led to Laura’s departure from India. When the tour group was in Thailand one of the girls in the group was raped by some guys at one of the bars. That obviously put a scare into the group having that become a reality was a super scary moment. Many people considered leaving but eventually the girl stayed with the group and the other members were able to work through it.
If someone wanted to take a trip like the one you have gone on, what advice do you have for that person or people to execute a successful experience?
Laura would definitely recommend looking into the trips Free and Easy provides. One thing Laura was surprised by was that the trip turned out to be a major party trip. Everyone was drinking most nights. Laura is always looking for the more cultural side of a place but she has no complaints about the tour she went on regardless of the drinking
Were there any surprises during your trip that were contrary to your beliefs?
Everything other than the events in India was very straight forward.
Did you run into any trouble while there?
They make it very easy in Thailand to access your money and do whatever you want or need to do while there. Laura was not limited by any of the factors that you may be such as inability to access money or transportation or internet, that never was an issue.
What did you discover there that was off the beaten path?
Laura often did not eat in the typical tourist restaurants but would go and explore outside of the tourist hub for different spots, such as shawarma spots and places that offered local cuisine. During her stay in the lake bungalows she found that was very remote and not connected to the rest of the typical Thailand vibe.
Do you think you found out anything about yourself that you regularly would not have?
Worrying about what people expect and think of her has been an issue for Laura as it has been for many. She found that going there and being her own person brought a little clarity to her own life.
If you went with anyone on this trip what role did they serve for you?
The people that Laura went with were the perfect travel companions the love and support they all gave each other during the trip and activities. Having a big group made it easy to access different people to do different things, if she had ever grown tired of her friends then she could have easily been able to have other partners in crime so to speak.
Did you spend any extensive time with the locals, what were they like?
During the time spent at the lake the locals had spent the most time with the groups. Most of the group leaders also knew the local people in each stop of the tour which made it easy to make friends and connect. Everyone Laura met was incredibly friendly, lots of people Laura ran into loved to speak english and practice their english.
Did you try to blend in to that local atmosphere, or act more like a tourist?
Laura tried to blend in where she could but it became very apparent she was not from there. She was with the bungalow crowd when the king passed away and that was special to be able to share that respect with those people. When it came to the language it was very tough to even learn the basics hello and thank you were hard to do. And reading the language was downright impossible for someone there for a limited amount of time.
How did your country of Origin influence your behaviour when travelling?
Being in Thailand in a time of mourning was a very interesting experience. Laura would try her best to respect the sorts of things maybe expected of a local but not of a foreigner. An example of this would be when Laura opted to not go to the full moon party out of respect to the king’s death.
Was maximizing Utility to cost a priority?
Yes definitely, Laura found that it was easy given most of the trip was prepaid.
Would you save or spend more in the future?
Laura would definitely spend more in general on seeing the North of Thailand. Spend less on restaurants and less also on souvenirs.
What was the approx cost of the trip, how did you save for it?
The cost of the trip was about $2000 and $900 additional on the trip. Laura lost around $5000 on the India experience. Laura saved her tips from working as a waitress for 2 years to pay for Thailand. And she worked during the summer full time and part time at pita pit during the year.
After the experience, was it easy to justify the time spent doing what you did?
“Hell Ya”- Laura Weir
Why are you so attracted to travelling?
She is just so curious about everything is out there. Reading about the different cultures and environments that are all over the world makes her more and more interested in what she can see.
Are you a vacationer or a traveller?
Definitely a traveller, but does not mind a mix of the typical vacation and adventure travel.
Any new technology that you used while you were there that seemed helpful?
maps.me is an app similar to the google maps saving destinations and downloaded maps features.
When people ask you about your trip what do you tell them?
Laura always tries to be honest with her experiences. Whenever someone asks she always tells people that for her India was terrible and Thailand was almost a perfect trip.
Is there anything that has been part of this trip that you have not mentioned and why?
During this time Laura was concerned about how in detail she was with how she recalled all the events rather than leaving anything out she says I now know everything.
How did you connect with other people on the trip?
The group was all pre planned and met lots of different travellers and tourists doing the same things that they were doing. But having the group there made it kind of unnecessary to go out of your way to connect with travellers unrelated to the tour group.
What kind of mindset did you have to make the trip the best it could be, what consistent action did you take to continue the ball rolling when it comes to positivity?
Having an open mind about each day and reminding herself after she has been in a funk. Consistently working with her friends to put themselves in a good mood.
Where do you think you will be heading next?
Possibly Costa Rica with Tanya for 10days or Miami for the same amount of time.
Who are YOU when you travel?
Laura finds that she may be a little more adventurous during her exploring. Possibly more friendly because seeking comfort with other people is almost necessary when travelling.