Traveller Profile - Richard from 'Highlander Abroad'

Our traveller profile for the month of March is Richard. Read on to be inspired by his travel stories…

My name is Richard John Currie, I am 43 (almost 44) and I come from Aberdeen in Scotland. I started backpacking when I was 32 years old, before that I had never really been on an adventure holiday. Always played it safe and went to places like Cyprus or America with family or friends. I did a big job which paid a heap of money and I decided instead of wasting it in the local bars I would push myself and go backpacking. None of my friends were really interested in going backpacking so I had to do it alone. I booked a ticket to Vietnam and a return ticket from Thailand 12 weeks later and went on the holiday of a lifetime. I visited Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. I absolutely loved Cambodia so I spent almost two months there, first travelling and then working in a bar for a month (big mistake because I was drunk all the time with customers, but was still a wild experience).

After returning from my adventure, I took a long hard look at my life and decided that I was much happier in Cambodia than I was in Scotland. Over the next six months, I prepared for my big move: living in Cambodia on a permanent basis. I sold all my belongings, said goodbye to my family and friends and I was off. I don't a variety of jobs in the eight years that I lived in Cambodia: I worked in film production (that's my background), I was a teacher and I even bought and ran a guesthouse for a year (that's a whole other story). After Cambodia I lived in China for two years, I was actually there during the pandemic and as you can imagine this put a damper on the whole experience, I was a high school teacher so you can imagine how much red tape we had to dance around during the pandemic. Sadly I experienced a death in my family and had to return home to Scotland for family support, I was basically stuck in Scotland for six months till I was able to exit to another country and continue my travels.

I have been to several countries including Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Myanmar, America and Ecuador. Right now, I am in Ecuador, I have been here for three months and I love it. Honestly speaking I do not know my next destination; the pandemic is calling the shots. All I know with any certainty is my little sister is getting married in Greece in June of this year so I have to head back over that way in June. After that, I am thinking maybe Cambodia, but nothing is set in stone. I don't know what the rules and regulations will be pertaining to travelling in six months so I will just go with the flow.

You can watch all Richards videos on his YouTube Channel ‘Highlander Abroad’, or connect over Twitter.

Why do you travel?

I basically travel because I love to experience different cultures, I find it fascinating. After living in Scotland for 30 years and never really seeing much of the outside world I really soak up different cultures like a sponge. All of my friends and family (who have never been on adventure holidays to places like Cambodia or Ecuador) just don't understand the appeal because they have never experienced it. There's no better experience than walking outside your hotel and being surrounded by another culture and having no escape, just throwing yourself into the unknown, it's awesome.

Tell us about your favourite place to visit

Of all the countries I have been too I would have to say that Cambodia is my favourite place. Before I came to Cambodia I was in Vietnam and that place was awesome, but I (personally speaking) didn't feel an embrace from the people of Vietnam, they were nice and friendly but I just didn't feel fully welcomed. When I was in Cambodia it was totally different. I immediately felt welcomed, there's a warmth that emanates from the people of Cambodia and I felt it immediately....it just felt like home, and I've never felt that in another country since. While I was living in Cambodia, I would always leave to see other countries, within three days every time I would yearn to be back in Cambodia. I can't describe it. Once you find a place that you love you just want to be there forever. I am dying to go back to Cambodia one day.

What is your favourite travel memory?

That is such a difficult question because I have so many: seeing the sunrise at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, trekking in Ecuador, Zhangjiajie in China....the list goes on. But I will tell you this one memory that has always stuck in my head. My first week in Cambodia I met two guys my age and we went to a place called Kampot south of Phnom Penh. We rented motorbikes and went for a ride in the countryside. The countryside in Cambodia is magical: lush green fields, crisp blue sky and the orange dirt road. I was riding shotgun on the back of my friends Roy's motorbike, and we are speeding down this dirt track, he shouts out "this is amazing" and it was literally the first time in my life that the statement was accurate. It was amazing, it was beautiful, I was free, it just felt awesome. And I remember thinking "this is amazing, and I still have 10 more weeks to enjoy". It was just spectacular.

What's the most important thing you've learned while travelling?

So many lessons, and some of them I learned the hard way. The number one lesson I have learned is we are visitors in other people's countries, be respectful. The amount of people I have seen on my travels who do not respect local people and get in trouble is unreal. There are some disrespectful people that go travelling; rude, obnoxious and just nasty. When I lived in Cambodia, I learned to respect the locals very quickly and I see the same people making the same mistakes. Don't disrespect local people, we are the visitors, we are in their home, act accordingly.

Who would you love to sit next to on your next flight?

I generally like to keep to myself when I am flying to a destination but if I do happen to speak with someone, I love it when it's a) a local person who is from the destination or b) someone who has been to the destination. I don't care how many countries you have been to, it's always nerve-wracking when you first touchdown. The fear of the unknown, you can do all the research and homework in the world, there is always the X-Factor, that one thing that happens that you didn't hear about. Getting inside info is always crucial, you can never get enough advice about the country that you are going to.

What's your best money-saving tip to travel?

I personally love saving money, I'm Scottish and it's in my blood. The best way to save money is eat like locals do, find the local soup kitchens, the local markets and you will find the cheapest food. And it's sometimes the best food. I've meet lots of people who would spend 20 dollars per day on food: full English Breakfast, cheeseburgers for lunch and then a pizza for supper. Within a week they'd be complaining about how expensive a country is and run out of money. Save money on food, live like a local and you will have more money to spend on day trips and beer at night.

How do you deal with the post-holiday blues?

I got post-holiday blues bad when I came back from China, it seriously depressed me and it was 10 times worse because it was during the pandemic. I had the desire to travel but it was just too difficult. The best way to deal with it is to plan your next trip, doesn't matter if your trip is 6 months away or 1 year it will give you something to look forward to. The second I started planning for Ecuador I went from Mr Grumpy to the happiest person alive. Give yourself a date to work towards, it makes every day before that easier to tolerate.

What's one thing you like to do in every place you visit?

I love going to local markets because it's a very authentic experience. Of course, you can visit the tourist attractions in the area, but everyone does that, and you will be surrounded by other western people. Go to a market, immerse yourself in the culture, it's amazing. When I lived in Cambodia, I had a market right next to my place. A huge market where they sold everything and anything. The market was dirty, nobody spoke English, it was overcrowded and hot....but I loved it cos there were no other western people there. That’s a proper cultural experience. Don't play it safe, take a chance and have a wander around an area where it’s just you and the locals.

Travelling can leave a big environmental footprint, how do you minimise yours?

I can’t honestly say this is something that I have really made a conscious effort to go on my travels. I mean I don't throw litter on the streets and try to walk as much as possible. Here in Loja Ecuador, they are making a big push on recycling so I do separate my rubbish into different bins as much as possible.

Plan an around the world trip for us, stopping in one city only on each continent.

Well, all I can do is make recommendations on the locations that I have been to. In Cambodia head to Siem Reap to see the Angkor Wat temple complex, Indonesia head to Jogjakarta and see the Prambanan temples, in China go to Zhangjiajie and see the skyscraper mountains, Vietnam it has to be Cat Ba Island to see Ha Long Bay and in Myanmar see the thousand temples in Bagan. I have only really stayed in one location in Ecuador and that is Loja, and what I can tell you is the countryside is amazing, book a trek and get your climbing boots on.

Thanks Richard for sharing your interesting life story and adventures while travelling. I also had a similar experience in Cambodia and loved my time there. Definitely a beautiful country with beautiful people.

Make sure to check out past traveller profiles here.

Each month an enthusiastic traveller will share with us their personal stories from their adventures around the world. If you would like to be featured in the upcoming months then please contact me at laurathexplaura@gmail.com

What were your take aways from Richard? What did you learn? We would love it you joined the conversation and left a comment below.