I am going to be very honest with you all, the only exciting thing about travelling for me is when I get to come back home. I can't even pretend, I am so big about my personal space that I wish to teleport myself, just the way I am in my room to anywhere I need to be. This thing called 'packing' should be a course studied in schools especially for people like myself.
I travelled over to my sister's place one time and the first thing she said when opened the door and saw all the bags I came with was " You're so tiny! What do you need so many bags for? I could never!" That was when I knew something had to be done about my packing routine. I see typical Hollywood movie scenes where someone gets an urgent call to catch the next flight to somewhere in particular and the person ends up having a box with barely any clothes and a small backpack. I wonder how they cope with so little, then I remember it's just a movie, I mean no one really pack up like that...right??
For me, I need an entire day to convince myself that I need to get my things together. When I actually start packing up, it's like I need everything. The first packing phase is getting everything I think I need to fit into my box and realizing that I can't get the box to zip completely without breaking the zipper. Then I have to start taking off a few things with a heavy heart, the mental stress is real. The only time I try to do the light travelling exercise is when I know I'm definitely going to travel alone. I always travel with one or two persons and they are usually of great assistance helping out with my bags.
Hitting the road is the next thing after packing up. I always travel by road using buses. I've travelled a few times by sea and never by air. The hardest thing about travelling by bus is sitting for hours and not having enough legroom on the bus for a tall person like me. It drives me crazy and I think that's the major reason I hate long distance journeys. Drivers of commercial buses in Abia state will stop at nothing to get a full bus. The passengers are packed up in the bus, shoulder to shoulder. Trying to ease the stiffness you feel by moving your body or trying to stretch your legs every time would be irritating the people you're sitting with.
One thing I can never bring myself to do while trying on a bus is sleeping. I don't know how people do it but I can't sleep while travelling. I need to stay awake the whole time because I don't want to wake up and find out that my phone or any of my stuff is missing. I also have so much to see throughout my journey and the excitement will never allow me to sleep no matter how tired I am. I always make sure to secure a spot by the window. Now let me tell you something about the window spot, first off you are sure to get the fresh air from the outside. The second is enjoying the views and having a chance to take pictures of whatever you may find interesting on your way, and lastly, my Nigerian brothers and sisters will surely relate to this one, buying things like snacks or whatever is best done if you have a spot near the window.
Travelling by sea however, is something else on it's own. I travelled to Cameroon sometime ago by sea using a speed boat and the experience will remain ever green in my head. The funniest thing about that journey was how we wore tubes across our shoulders to keep us afloat in case we experience a wreck. The idea was for our safety but then the men on board kept on making jokes about how we'll all look like a bunch of amateur ducklings if we fall into the water.
The whole time, I had this elderly woman sitting next to me and gripping my hand so tight with her face down. She was so scared to look at the large water body and she kept shouting "Jesus!" every time she gets. We had a little problem with our speed boat half-way through the journey and the woman kept blaming her husband for suggesting the trip. When our boat stopped moving entirely, the husband said her numerous complaints was the reason behind it. I can vividly remember the relief on her face when I told her when have arrived at the destination.
It was more fun during my journey back. The sea was favorably calm and there was any boat problems. Traveling is something we may need to willingly or out of necessity. However the case may be, it's best to do whatever works for us through the journey
Thanks for reading!