Nothing promotes an understanding of different cultures while reinforcing our shared humanity better than travel - Liam Rudden

AMSTERDAM was not for me. Or so I believed when I first visited the city of canals a little more than three decades ago.

The volcanic 'moonscape' of Lanzarote

But then, it was the first time I’d travelled abroad. Looking back, it seems impossible that it took me until I was in my 30s to venture abroad.

Travel wasn’t something we did as a family, the costs were prohibitive, and as a kid the furthest afield we managed was Dublin, the birthplace of my mam.

Once we flew, a very expensive option for parents with three children, there were no cut price airlines back then and Aer Lingus knew how to charge.

Usually, it would the boat that took us ‘home’. A day long trip that started with an early morning half-cab taxi ride to the Waverley followed by a train through to Glasgow where we’d pick up the coach to Stranraer, cross from there to Larne, and then coach it down to Dublin.

Which is why, for my 35th birthday, I’d decided it was time to see a bit more of the world. Lanzarote was my destination, a location for many films and TV series, I wanted to see its volcanic ‘moonscape’ for myself. When the travel agent convinced me I’d save a fortune if I let her take care of everything, which meant only discovering where I’d be staying on arrival, the adventure was complete. Thankfully, the private villa that was home for the next week was perfect and I fell in love with the Canary Island, which has since become a second home.

Not bad, considering I very nearly cancelled after that Amsterdam trip. A prize in a competition won shortly after booking for Lanzarote, it had left me less than impressed with world travel. Whether it was the rioting drug dealers that saw us locked in a tiny ‘bruine kroeg’ (brown bar) until the danger passed, or the desperation of the ‘ladies in the windows’, I found the whole experience dispiriting. I should say, I’ve been back since and developed a fondness for the place.

The joy of coming to travel later in life is that you see the world with an almost child-like enthusiasm. Something I hope never to loose. Since those early trips I’ve been blessed to work as a travel writer. From Hawaii to Beijing, Penang to KL via Lyon, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Kiribati, Brisbane, the Great Barrier Reef, New York, Oslo and Turku along the way, I’ve immersed myself in cultures I never imagined I could.

Consequently, if there is one thing I miss most about lockdown, it’s the to explore a new environment. Probably why I‘ve spent every evening of lockdown watching CBS’s brilliant TV series The Amazing Race - 11 teams of two race around the world finding clues and taking on challenges in the hope of finishing first and winning a million dollars.

It’s like a seriously pumped up version of the BBC’s Race Around The World and you’ll find episodes to watch on YouTube. As a travelogue, there is nothing better and, as in all the best trips, you get to meet the locals. That’s something that has never been more vital than at present. They say travel broadens the horizons, it certainly promotes an understanding of different cultures while reinforcing our shared humanity.

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