The travel bug bit me young when I took my first trip to Bali with seven friends at age twenty.  It was nineteen eighty-seven, but the memories are still vivid.  It was my first time on a plane, and I remember having some fear about the flight and what to expect.  The trip was the typical right of passage Bali trip for young people which consisted of hanging out at the pool bar during the day and pub crawls in the evening with a couple of touristy things thrown in for good measure.   By the end of that ten-day trip one thing was for sure, I wanted to see more of the world! 

Completing University was my priority but travelling the world was never far from my thoughts.  With the final exam done in November 1990, by April I was on my way to London with an open return ticket on a working holiday with a friend.  We left London on a Ferry with our backpacks, a two-man tent and a “Let’s Go Europe” book.  We picked up a car in France and took off for the next 3 months soaking up the history and culture of countries like Spain, Germany, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands.  With no money left in the bank it was back to London to work and save for our next adventures. 

It felt like the world was at your feet, we went to Pamplona for Running of the Bulls, Edinburgh for the Military tattoo and weekends in Amsterdam just because!  We hired a Britz van and toured around Scotland, Wales and Ireland.  The highlight by far was a trip to Egypt sailing on the Nile River, riding donkeys in the Valley of the Kings and camels around the Pyramids.  I surrendered my twelve-month ticket and stayed for a total of eighteen months.  

Travel was in my blood now and although happy to be home I continued to travel, and on any given plane trip home I would be planning my next trip.  A husband, mortgage and two children couldn’t tame the travel bug in me.  There were trips with the kids in Australia, the USA, Canada, Asia and one final trip as a family for five weeks to Europe.   

I’m an empty nester now and satisfied we have made some amazing memories as a family, and in the words of Oscar Wilde I have the mind set of “Live with no excuses, travel with no regrets.”  Already as a couple we’ve had an amazing trip to Sri Lanka, some down time in the Maldives, Fiji, and Hamilton Island a fascinating tour of Turkey, Jerusalem, Cyprus and Rhodes. 

In the spirit of embracing exciting and new experiences, ConnectedTravel is a way of turning my passion for travel into a business that will inspire and enable anyone, on any budget, to go and see this wonderful world we live in.  It’s said when you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.  Using my experience travelling in luxury, on a budget and everything in between across 5 continents and 42 countries, I want to help you plan your next trip, because after all travel is the only thing that makes you richer and all that is required is a Sense of Adventure!