Bec – 27th July 2011

I adore alot of things about travelling…but my most favourite thing… is that whilst broadening your mind you seem to drop your inhibitions and leave yourself open to all sorts of experiences that just happen to you along the way.

I had one of those experiences on the train ride back from Brighton Beach two days ago.

We had all had a long day at the seaside and everyone was ready for a nap on the one hour train ride back to London. I however can not travel facing backwards (due to motion sickness) and decided to move to another carriage.

With Sari on my hip I found the last two empty chairs opposite a lady that was penning what looked like a tomb of a novel in a notebook and I caught myself thinking about the lack of journal writing that I had done.

As soon as we got settled, Sari went off to sleep across my legs and I was looking forward to an hour of quiet dozing.

The two girls…….two rows behind me…. had other thoughts.

What started off as an interesting discussion on how they would design a two week itinerary going around New Zealand very quickly descended into an episode of ‘Two Idiots Abroad’.

I wondered how they could possibly be compatible travelling partners if they couldn’t even decide what direction to travel in.

If I heard the word Auckland one more time I was going to scream … and then it happend…the lady opposite me read my frustrated mind and we turned and both mouthed ‘shut up’ at the same time.

A perfect mirror of my thoughts…and after that the giggles instantly set in.

I learnt she had two boys…Fraser and James and other than the fact that I had a third child..Sari…..we were living the same lives on opposite sides of the world.

With the time we had left on the train we shared frustrations, regrets, joys and sibling issues. I had met a kindred spirit… and all too quickly we had pulled into Victoria Station.

With a big hug Jane farewelled me and walked off to her life.

I wondered that night if I really had met her…. or whether in the twilight of sleep… I had simply imagined this wonderful person whom I had downloaded on.

This is the true travel experience…using every opportunity to make the most of each moment. To learn things about others and how they live their lives. To take what you find and somehow use it to enrich your own.

My children are total professionals when it comes to that. Within five minutes in a place they have made friends..whether it be because the other child was the same age as them or because they had a soccer ball on them.

They have worked out they you don’t even have to speak the same language……….

Acts of friendship speak louder than any words.

Best Of Friends