I am 66 today! And while in years past I’ve marked this day away from home, this year I’m celebrating in London—albeit fresh from Bulgaria which ranks at 97 countries visited in my lifetime.
A traveller at heart. But am I an intrepid traveller? A concise definition drawn from dictionary sources states that an intrepid traveller demonstrates resilience in the face of unexpected challenges—whether navigating language barriers, braving harsh climates, or improvising when plans go awry—and welcomes each twist as part of the story. They explore new places with fearless boldness, undeterred by hardship or uncertainty, and deliberately seek out off‑the‑beaten‑track adventures rather than the usual tourist routes.
Do I qualify? To some extent. I haven’t summited Everest, but I did trek the Annapurna Circuit.
I haven’t set foot on Antarctica, though I came close in Tierra del Fuego, and I’ve ventured into the frozen expanse of Svalbard in mid‑winter—while Greenland is on the horizon, “before it flies an American flag!”
But travel with a dog—that’s another level of intrepidity. It demands extra resilience and boldness to push literal geographic and physical boundaries. Take Darcy and me in Svalbard: we only learned at the local vet that animals aren’t allowed on the island. Oops!
Since Darcy, and then George, and now Lulu, we’ve explored 39 countries together. Their companionship makes every journey richer—even if it means sacrificing entry into yet another church or museum exhibit. I’d rather pound unfamiliar streets with them at my side.
Lulu and I have just returned home from our Turkish and Bulgarian adventures. Though it was my third visit to Turkey, it was my first with a dog and delighted at how much they love dogs. Bulgaria was a complete blank canvas for me—I knew no one there and went in with no expectations. That’s the thrill of new destinations: fresh sights, new knowledge, and the chance meetings.
Dogs are instant ice‑breakers and they start conversations. Also, the customary necessity of visiting each local vet gives me a window into local life, as these clinics are woven into residential neighbourhoods.
One of the things I have also noticed is when we are travelling together, maybe because everything is unfamiliar, they are more attached. They seem to know how it works with trains, planes and hotel room stays. They worry whenever I am out of sight and they want to sleep right up close. I feel that our travels is a way of building our bonds too.
I have to admit that while I draw up a list of places I wish to tick off and dream of adventures afar, each time when I travel to an unknown country, there is a little trepidation, a flutter of unease, especially when bringing a dog. There had been times when I’ve learned the hard way that in some cases, I needed to pre‑register them before arriving at the country. E.g. Malta.
They have quibbled over Darcy’s size; even George at times, but with Lulu it’s been far more straightforward. One look at her and they know she will fit in the carrier. And she has proven to be a very good traveller – and she definitely gets all the attention and an amazing ice-breaker. So while George will react to other big dogs, Lulu just gets on with it.
How did it all begin? When I left Malaysia at 19 years of age to pursue a higher education in the US, I did not set out with a goal—but the travel bug got me as soon as I left home. The world is big and there’s a lot to see out there and I am just curious what’s out there. With the internet today, we hear a lot about what happens in other parts of the world and sometimes we think we know all about them from the news. But nothing beats visiting these places and see the more human perspective and learn about it’s history through people, and to broaden my perspective on things.
So having visited 97 countries to date, it’s fun to try and reach 100. Wonder where to next to do that. I have a few ideas – some of them are far-flung places without the dogs, some a bit closer and therefore with Lulu and some rather insignificant places but I am just curious as to how they exist. And I do not intend to stop at 100. After all I am only just half way since there are 195 countries in the world.
Though I am at home this birthday, the celebrations had already begun with a hot air balloon flight over the amazing landscape of Capadoccia in Turkey, an early birthday gift from the Harari family. That is definitely a bucket list tick and one I will ling cherish and remember.
There’s still another bucket list to tick off before the month is over. And there are still so many more. I am in a hurry to do as much as I can – preferably with dogs.
P.S. I count them as countries when they fly their own flag. E.g. Svalbard is not counted as a separate country but The Vatican is.
I visited East Germany in 1989, it was a week before the Berlin Wall came down.
I lived in Hong Kong in the mid-90s, and visited Macau before they returned to China – they had their own flags and even now they still have their own flags.
Stay tuned for more news from the Intrepid Dog Traveller.
