In that time we covered 4 countries (Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam & Cambodia), explored 14 cities and encountered countless new people (tourists & locals) while coming to terms with the new cultures and centuries of history.

This time has opened my eyes to the power of travel to transform our lives, in part by leaving elements of our identity behind and absorbing new ones on the road.

A large part of our identity is where we live, who we surround ourselves with and what we do day-to-day. When travelling, particularly over a longer term, we abandon these external influences on who we are and instead can focus on who we truly are as a person.

We often leave behind some of our habits, be they good or bad.

You may change your sleep patterns – becoming an early riser to ensure a productive day of sight seeing. Or instead you may transform into a laze-about. Sleeping all day, or at least till you shake off that hangover from a night of mingling with new friends.

It may be spending habits. Although travel can be expensive, chances are you will leave behind your poor daily spending habits. Without your regular coffee shop nearby you skip the $4 morning pick me up, do not succumb to the fast food temptations.

Your daily exercise habits, or as is more often the case lack of exercise, is often thrown out the window. The daily commute and hours behind a desk can be replaced with exploring a new city by foot, mountain hikes and bike tours. Be aware the temptation however to lounge by the beach or pool and work on your tan the whole time.

Let’s not forgot diet either. When traveling it can at times be easier to eat healthy, your regularly on the move so you tend to grab quick easy and unhealthy snacks. Or you can slow down a little and eat as the locals do – the healthy ones at least. I’m shamed to admit its a rare day when I indulge in fresh fruit but it was so abundant and cheap in most cities that I simply couldn’t ignore. Though I had a few cheat days I was for the most part eating local healthy food from small family restaurants and the awesome street vendors (particularly in Thailand).

As you travel take time to realise the bad habits you have successfully left behind and ensure you do not fall back into them once you return. From the small things like not checking your watch every 5 minutes

Also be aware of bad habits you may be picking up whilst exploring the world. For many travel brings out the inner cheapskate

Travel can be a powerful catalyst for life change because the act of travel effectively throws out the script of our daily lives.

Re-asses values, different perspectives and belifes as you are confronted by new ways of life – cultures and experiences. Most importantly enjoy yourself. Travel is an amazing thing.

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While on my trip I managed to tick off a few more of my lifetime goals – you can see my updated list here and subscribe by RSS or email updates to see the upcoming posts about my travel experiences.

As any self respecting sports fan is bound to do, during my youth I hunted down autographs from the star players that I revered whenever an opportunity arose.

Sorting through my library recently I found my old autograph book and postcards bundled together. Looking through them I was reminded of the thrill of the hunt for a star athletes and realised the parallels with travel for me.

Two obvious similarities spring to mind:

Anticipation

The anticipation of a new travel destination is very similar to meeting an idol.

Sports stars, particularly to young impressionable minds often become large than life role models. You wonder if they will meet your expectations, the person you idolised may give you a cold shoulder, be rude and shatter your perfect image.

In just the same vain, how could that dream destination possibly live up to the hyperbole. How could it be as idyllic, relaxing or scenic as it has been described by others and visualised in your own mind.

Discovery

Discovering a new sports star on the rise is akin to stumbling upon an untouched new destination not yet spoilt by the guidebook trail.

I watched sportsmen in the junior and state categories that were performing well and observed their rise to the top echelons of the sport. It gives you such a sense of connection between you and the player – almost akin to that of a parent who observes their child grow to meet their full potential.

There is a similar satisfaction again to finding that little piece of paradise unspoilt, whether a whole town or quaint little eatery with superb food and welcoming service.

Related Memories

One of my earliest memories as a die hard sports fan ironically was while on holidays with extended family, all sitting around the house we were renting cheering on the Australian Cricket Team as they played the West Indies in the Boxing Day Test (a big deal to many of my fellow Australians). In between breaks in each days play I would run outside with my cousins and pretend we were playing in the match on TV, imitating our heroes and the opposition.

I recall just a few years later climbing aboard the touring English Cricket Teams tour bus after they had finished the days game. One player kindly introduced me to the others around the bus before showing me the door as they drove off.

Even more unusual than the bus hijacking was being ushered into a car racing teams garage to meet the driver by his wife. The racer, a former world champion, was in a very bad mood after his team made a mistake that caused his car to breakdown. His wife quickly cheered him up and got him to sign my book and show me around his race car as it was being repaired for another race later in the day.

This is the primary reason I set and follow my goals. Before the start of each new year I review how i preformed on my goals for that year and set out my direction for the year to come.

So without further delay here is a summary of how I performed on my goals last year and what I plan to achieve this year.

2008 Review:

Travel was a major focus and I fell short in my goals. I did not make it overseas as I had planed but did a fair bit of domestic travel instead.

My finances were another area of focus. I significantly increased my savings despite suffering a major setback in losing my job early in the year. I made some progress in my freelance writing career and paid blogging. The recent financial dramas affected my passive income, I just fell short of target monthly income. I re-evaluated my desire to buy property. Also failed to create an ebook by the end of the year.

I made major progress in my health, losing 16kg and improving my diet and exercise. Gave up alcohol for 6 months and am happier, healthier and maintaining a stress free life.

Relationships are vital to me and I was happy with my result there in terms of friends, family and intimate relationships.

I had a lot of fun and adventure. Participated in several car races and lapped the most famous circuit in Australia.

All in all it was a pretty good year. Achieved quite a lot, fell short on a few things which will be corrected this year. I enjoyed the journey and am satisfied with what I achieved.

2009 Goals:

This year is about getting all major facets of life in alignment and becoming a well rounded person.

FUN & TRAVEL

Have an incredible fun filled year, with lots of adventure, exploring new things and continuing to enjoy my favourite activities. I am to complete at least 4 fun goals from my lifetime list (things like rock climbing, paragliding, etc. I will post these up very soon).

Travel to at least 3 states (excluding my home states) of Australia, including at least 1 state I have not been to. Travel to at least 3 new countries and spend a minimum of 2 months overseas.

RELATIONSHIPS

Make new friends who are in tune with my desired life style and spend more time with my valued friends. Enjoy fun and enriching romantic relationships. Continue to have great relationships with immediate and extended family.

MONEY & WRITING

In 2008 I made some good progress on my freelance writing career, this year I will dedicate more energy to it. Ease focus from paid blogging and push myself to get back to true paid journalism. Finish draft of first novel by July. Continue to improve this blog and write great posts to share with my readers.

Aim for $400 a month passive income by June – though December is much more realistic. Currently at about $130.

Create my first online product by February. Stay tuned for more on the ebook I plan to launch soon, I’m sure it will be a tremendous help to quite a few of my readers.

HEALTH

Continue to lose weight – target of 90kgs. I currently weigh 110kg. Keep improving diet and exercising for 30minutes plus,?? at least 5 days each week. Continue to improve strength and endurance through weights and cardio (explore new cardio sources such as rowing and boxing and increase variety). Also incorporate more stretching to increase flexibility, perhaps yoga.

So that’s the plan, stay tuned to see how it unfolds.