Can I still do that?
For travellers with curious minds and overactive imaginations.
At some point on a muddy hill in Thailand, surrounded by twenty-something backpackers effortlessly bounding uphill while I concentrated mainly on staying upright, I found myself wondering what exactly I was doing there. Not because I didn’t want to be there. I did.
But I wasn’t the youngest, the fittest or the most adventurous person on that hill. I certainly wasn’t carefree. I was too busy worrying about slipping, falling and making a complete fool of myself.
Then I reached the top. It occurred to me that this wasn’t the first time I’d worried my way through an adventure. Somewhere along the way, I’d become a reluctant adventurer.
Welcome to Tales From The Road Ahead, a travel blog for travellers with curious minds and overactive imaginations. Here I share honest travel stories, practical advice and adventures from around the world through the eyes of someone who often wonders if she’ll cope, fit in or make it to the top, and who then goes anyway.
You’ll find glaciers, safaris, chaotic cities, group tours, comfortable adventures and the occasional questionable decision. You’ll also find plenty of pre-trip anxiety, because half the battle is often convincing myself the trip was a good idea in the first place. Come along and find out what happens when curiosity wins the argument.
The story behind this blog
If you’ve ever worried you’re too old, too unfit, too anxious, or insufficiently whippet-shaped for adventure, you’re in good company.
Will I Fit? Will I Cope? is how I became a reluctant adventurer who spends a surprising amount of time wondering whether she’ll cope, and then goes anyway.
Latest adventures
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Thailand travel mistakes to avoid (from someone who made most of them)
Thailand is an incredible destination, but it’s also surprisingly easy to underestimate the heat, overpack your itinerary and discover that your idea of spicy food bears little resemblance to Thailand’s. Here are 11 travel mistakes I made (or came dangerously close to making) and what I learned from them.
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Three Chiang Mai tours I loved for very different reasons
There are plenty of ways to spend a day outside Chiang Mai, but I only had time for three. Fortunately, they turned out to be three very different adventures, each memorable for its own reasons. If you’re wondering which tours are worth your time, here’s my take.
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Memorable places to stay in Thailand that are worth the detour
Comfort, character and unforgettable settings: these are the places to stay in Thailand that I believe are genuinely worth seeking out.
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Going to a Harry Styles concert with my adult daughter: practical tips, crowd survival and unexpected feelings
From ticket-buying battles and concert etiquette to earplugs and exceptionally well-dressed giraffes, here’s what I learned from going to a Harry Styles concert with my adult daughter.
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Erawan Falls: exhausting, humid and completely worth it
Erawan Falls is one of Thailand’s most beautiful waterfalls, but reaching the upper levels is far more exhausting than many travel blogs admit. Here’s what the climb really feels like, how difficult it is, and why I still think it’s absolutely worth visiting.
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Driving to Poland without a passport: a study in disproportionate panic
A forgotten passport, a rising sense of doom and several jokes about Polish jail cells: here’s what happened when I accidentally crossed into Poland without my passport, and what travellers in the Schengen Zone should know.
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The Bangkok to Chiang Mai sleeper train: magical experience or sleepless night?
When my twenty-something backpacker daughter casually announced that she’d taken the overnight sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, she made it sound wonderfully simple. You book a bunk, climb…
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Can I still walk on an Icelandic glacier in my fifties?
If you’re 55 or older and wondering whether you can still safely step onto glacier ice, the answer is yes. With the right tour, preparation, and mindset, hiking a glacier can be one of the most rewarding adventures of your life with no extreme fitness required.
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A Chiang Mai cooking class: can I still be trusted with a wok?
A Thai cooking class in Chiang Mai, with a market visit, lots of cutting and stirring, yellow “Team Natty!” at total strangers and a feast at the end.
Not sure how fast you want to travel anymore?
A short quiz to help you plan trips that feel enjoyable, not exhausting.