the sell out

I’ve done it. It’s true. I’ve sold out.

I finally booked August’s holiday and after all the to-ing and fro-ing, what did I book? 5-star Thailand.

It was dirt cheap, which is what I can afford. It’s Asia, which is what I love. But it’s 5-star, which is what I seem to have gotten used to and I don’t like to settle for less these days.

Once upon a time I didn’t care. I had my backpack on and as long as I had electricity and running water I was set. Once I even flirted with a hostel manager to secure a spare bed in the staff rooms after I had been left without a room in a fully-booked city. I did what I could and lived on the thrill. Now I couldn’t think of anything worse.

I’m staying away from Khao San Rd on this trip (well, it might pay to visit anyway) and I expect King beds, welcome cocktails, spa baths and 24 hour room service. My main aim in Bangkok is to acquire tailor made fashion and jewellery, then we will head down to Hua Hin to to lie on the same beach as the Thai royal family.

The silly thing is, I’m really not spoilt. Though I say I couldn’t think of anything worse, sometimes I actually feel like doing it again - because travel isn’t about the creature comforts, even though they’re nice to have sometimes. It’s about the experience, making new friends, learning new things, forming new memories. Every time I head away I come back a slightly different person because of thethings I’ve seen or done. I may get the opportunity to try the nicer places sometimes because of my job, but where I sleep is never the bit I rave about when I come back.

The purpose of this trip is to spend some much needed time away with Boyfriend. We have been working so hard and we're so strung out. Plus, this will probably be our last getaway for a while as life will be busy for the next 18 months or so, and there will be some massive expenses to boot. I just want the kind of holiday where everything's taken care of and we're free to roam around, shop, lie on the beach if we want to and not have to worry about where we're going to sleep tomorrow night.

And after writing that last paragraph, the concept isn't actually sounding too bad to me anymore...