Gate 27: As One Stage Ends...

In the concluding part of his Stage 1 Review, Ben reveals whether or not he found the one thing he has been looking for?

Aims, objectives, stages and legs… I realise I can perhaps make this adventure seem a little over the top some times, but fundamentally everything I find myself doing is motivated by just one thing – that is I travel in the pursuit of happiness.)

New Photo Album

Washington, WA, USA (2012)

Bellingham

University District, Seattle

Georgetown, Seattle

Olympic National Park

Forks

CouchSurfing

Bone Stuff

Ben visits a real life Alladin's cave of horrors

The dark had set in perhaps an hour or so ago and as the temperature had dropped it brought with it a shrouding mist that made our welcome that ever more eerie. Most strange though was the complete absence of life. No people, no lights, nothing... just a small bungalow set in the woods, a million miles from anywhere. To say the very least, it was not shaping up to be a typical hostelling experience...

Not Where, Whom

Ben Collins reveals how his first stop backpacking in the USA was made complete not by where he was but instead who he was with

Reflecting upon my time in Canada, I have inadvertently stumbled upon a lesson that will likely permeate this adventure through and through - that is, it matters not where you are but who you are with.

Best illustrating this is by referencing a question I have been asked many times in recent weeks and that is quite simply "what experience did you enjoy most in Canada?"

Vancouver Island: The Cat's Arses

Ben looks back on his eight weeks spent on Vancouver Island and how leaving might be more difficult than he expected


'Ello Love

Ben had been told whilst in Toronto not to expect much from Oshawa, but with 3 nights CouchSurfing on the cards, could this small town in fact be a hidden gem?

This post is potentially unsuitable for Grandparents and may result in some degree of disappointment

Quail Hunting

Ben tries to remember the night that was Whitby, Ontario

CouchSurfing once more, my next stop whilst heading East from Toronto was Whitby, a small(ish) commuter town some forty-five minutes from downtown Toronto where for one night only I would have the pleasure of meeting Laura and some of her most wonderful friends...

The Black Pearl

After a day spent flying above the home of Shakespeare, Ben heads back to Coventry where before his departure he is in for one final surprise

Less than 2 weeks after my microlight flight with a friend's Dad up on Dartmoor National Park I once again find myself hurtling down a runway and bearing witness to the ground falling away from beneath me...

The Goodbye Tour

With his adventure of a lifetime potentially lasting years, Ben was never going to leave quietly

With 70 weeks to prepare for this trip I purposefully made sure that everything was in place a good two weeks before my planned departure thus allowing me to relax and enjoy my final few days whilst I said all my "goodbyes"...

Summer in a Snapshot

Ben takes a look back on what was a very busy summer

Incredibly it has been over four months since I last posted anything in to my journal so I thought it was about time I provided a bit of an update on what has been going on...

Every Rash has a Silver Lining

Ben proves that every rash does indeed have a silver lining

Six weeks have passed since my last post and I can honestly say I have never experienced time pass at such a fast pace.

First on the cards was my Birthday and this year it was the big 2 - 3. I celebrated this milestone as I usually do, surrounded by my sister and friends, eating plenty and drinking to excess. Whilst I don’t remember everything about the weekend in question, I do remember being at a restaurant that openly supported the dealing of cocaine and am reliably informed I played football with chavs and threw sausage rolls at bouncers.