Kellen James of Shanghai CHINA

40. Featured Traveller 

Kellen James

TESOL Teacher : Science and P.E. Teacher : Traveller  

(Shanghai, CHINA)

                               

“A beer at every destination is quite a sensation; it causes a creation of massive amounts of elation ” 

Kellen is an example of a happy-go-lucky type of person. A young man who appreciates anything and anyone while on a journey. Very easy going!

Flag of the People's Republic of China

When asked of his favourite destination, he did not give a direct answer, instead, he expressed his love of the diversity and uniqueness of each individual places.

Although the question seems tough and not easy for him to share, he did a revelation about Barcelona to be truly unforgettable with Japan South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil to be his next to explore.


Kellen likes to save money that made him do most of the walking. "There are many cities especially in Europe that offer free walking tours. Most importantly for walking... get a hostel in the city centre even if it's a bit more expensive. Budgeting is huge. Planning is...secondary. I like to save money whenever I can. I've found that the biggest money saver is to buy pregame drinks at the supermarket. If you haven't figured that one out yet, consider yourself a travel noob", he said. 

As for planning, "I have a general idea of what I want to do in certain locations, but I'm always open to improvisation for new plans. If you get too stucked to the textbook, you can miss some cool stuff because of blinders you're wearing", he concluded.

If you want to read and discover more of his escapades in countries like England, Thailand, Laos, United Arab Emirates, Scotland, Spain, Ireland, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, Greece, France, The Netherlands, United States of America, Canada, US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Bahamas and Aruba, visit his blog, Kellen James Travel. Simply say hello. You will be glad you did! 

Important Note: Kellen moved to China very recently, His travel blog and other social media pages will be inactive temporarily. 

* * * * *

My name is Kellen and I like to have fun. I also hate sitting in a cubicle. In fact, after I graduated from the university in 2013, I was only able to stand a "real job" for 10 months. I decided to move to Thailand and very recently decided to move to China. Will I ever go back to a desk job? Probably. Well, maybe. I don't know. What I do know is that I'm 24 years old and I'll never be as young as I am today. I want to take advantage of that.

The normal routine bores me. My current aspirations include living for myself today and helping others to attempt to do the same. Too many people are caught up in the notion that they have to graduate from university, get into the workforce, get a spouse, have kids, and wash, rinse, and repeat the process from generation to generation. I think life is about living it the way that makes you the happiest.

I fell in love with travelling while studying abroad in 2012 when I lived in Manchester, England. From there, I was able to travel to over a dozen countries and destinations.  I was able to experience new culture and see things I'd only read about. St. Patrick's Day in Dublin? Amazing! Queen's Day in Amsterdam? Outrageous! I had the opportunity to do things I'd never dreamed of doing and it was the best semester of my life. After the 5 months of it were over, I returned to the university, completed my degree, but didn't feel accomplished. I still had the travel bug.

It didn't take long for the bug to show symptoms. I got the itch to go somewhere I'd never gone before:  Asia. I lived and teach English in a mid-sized Thai city about an hour from Bangkok. Now, am currently teaching in Shanghai, China. The best part about Asia is how different it is from Europe and I can't wait to explore it extensively.

My favourite aspect of travelling is the balance between what you expect and what you don't. The best part is that you really never know what the ratio of the former to the latter will be.

Of course you plan to see the coliseum in Rome, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, or the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. What you don't plan is being in the middle of a riot in Athens, being invited into VIP for free at a concert in Thailand, or almost being murdered in an Italian ghetto. (Okay, the last one sounds bad, but since I lived it's an awesome memory.)

When people ask me about my travels and ask me what they should expect when they go, I smile. Travelling is all about what you make of it. The landmarks aren't going anywhere. Your experiences revolves around how you approach your time abroad and who you surround yourself with.  In the end, the only thing that matters is if you had the best possible time for you. not for anyone else.

In a sentence: If you think travelling will give you more happiness, stop making excuses and do it!

If you are reading this and you hate your job --- quit and do something you enjoy. 

From the desk of: 

Freddie Miranda

A blogger and a Canada-based freelance writer. He shares the value of his travel experiences and discoveries with his friends and fellow travellers. Share your passion, join and visit him. Send him a message if you will @ fromatravellersdesk(at)gmail.(dot)com.

Watch for these blogs! 

They all have been travelling for many years and I can guarantee that all of them have travel tips that all of us can learn and benefit from.  I have to thank all other fellow travellers who have responded to my invite.  I will definitely publish your stories as soon as I have completed the details.

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Are you a traveller who would like to share your travel story with our blog and our readers?  Then, I'd love to hear from you! 

Please email me at fromatravellersdesk@gmail.com