I remember the first time I went on a trip to the countryside. Tell a lie – this was not my first trip, but it was the most significant. It was a trip to Devon with my best friend and her family; I think I was in year ten at the time so at the age of 15. Six years later that experience has imprinted on me.
On this particular trip, we stayed at her grandmother’s cottage which was literally a two-minute walk from the beach. It was a different experience; the signal was very bad so we did not spend much time on our phones. We spent most of our time on the beach, taking walks up the cliffs, and as it was near a holiday camp site we went to a few of the events that they had going on.
I am a Social Work student; I don’t really broadcast this. I have a passion towards helping others since I was a child but I haven’t always known this – at the time I was interested in all things media/photography based. When I think about it, this trip invoked that passion I had when I was a child. Luckily enough I brought a book along with me – I did not intend on reading it to be honest, but with no signal we were quite limited in terms of what we could do. We spent some time together taking turns to read chapters of the book. The book was based on a real story of how this man ended up in prison for killing his step-father for abusing him and his siblings as a child. Ever since this has become a significant moment in my journey.
I have noticed that when I travel I get the most inspiration. Just the space to breathe and have a break from our fast-paced life allows me to think and reflect on life.
Since then I have been on quite a few more trips one being the beginning of the year to New Forrest. This, however, was a part of my university work placement I went with my students on a residential. Again, I was inspired engaging with the young people gave me a chance to remember why I started my course and remove some of my anxiety and doubts.
Towards the end of August, I went to Bournemouth for the weekend.From the beginning of summer, I told myself that I would go on a weekend break. It was a nice break, but it was not like the other trips as I had a re-sit assignment to complete. I used the time to get this done without any distractions then took a trip to the beach before coming back home.
Sometimes, we just need to get away and have a break from reality. Not all of us have the luxury of being able to afford holidays and breaks abroad. For something more affordable there is always the option of just visiting another city within your country. I love visiting the countryside and anywhere out of London. I would recommend taking a break to the countryside.
Have you been on any trips to the countryside? Where would you recommend going? Please leave a comment below with suggestions.
afianatasha 