I arrived in London on a direct flight from New York in the summer of 1986; sometime in early June. I had spent the previous few months traveling across America from west to east; coming to terms with a sense of euphoria that is so often the companion of travel and relishing every moment. It was new to me.
A complete and utter feeling of freedom that provided a natural high; one that will be chased forever…like a rainbow. I am sure comparing a passion for travel to drug usage is a little over the top but there are definitely some parallels.
Travel can become all-consuming and in my early years I sacrificed more than one relationship or job opportunity in order to satisfy the craving. To chase the sun over multiple seasons, to seek out unusual destinations, and experience things most would never.
It was a thrill ride and I was not looking for it to end any time soon. In fact my arrival in England was the start of an amazing chapter I feel lucky to have had the good fortune to be a part of. A chapter I knew was extra-ordinary from the very beginning.
I took some time to reflect on where I’d been and how I had arrived at this moment.
Traveling the US from coast to coast had always been my focus from the moment I decided to embark on this adventure.
The possibility of accidentally running into Keith or Danny Partridge, living a California dream with the beaches and bikinis, stumbling onto a ghost town in the desert, or gambling as a high roller in Vegas were all part of it.
Some of these thoughts were embedded from childhood with others coming along later. In a way forming layers of impressions and fantasies that had little chance of ever coming true.
Los Angeles was where I first touched down on US soil. I would spend my first week in Anaheim where I would visit the usual tourist suspects. At night I would hit local clubs.
I have two very distinct memories from that time.
One was that the all night partying supposedly going on in America was pure fiction. Bars closed earlier here than back home in New Zealand and they were strict; carding you wherever you went.
That bubble burst in a hurry!
The second is of a girl I met at one of the nightclubs. She was sitting at the bar and seemed to know everyone. Long blonde hair; gorgeous. Just the way California girls are supposed to look, right? Straight off the beach and out on the town.
We got talking and had a couple of drinks; she even bought one round which was a pleasant surprise; I was very impressed. She told me she was a model and had recently been in Playboy magazine. I was lapping it up in tandem with courage and confidence brought on by the gin and tonics.
She certainly looked the part with her golden lochs, tanned skin, broad white smile, and infectious laugh.
This was America and I was here! Life was good.
To top it off she was nice; sexy to boot. I asked her to come onto the floor and dance with me. I didn’t have many lines and even fewer moves but figured dancing was a good way to keep things lively. Her smile was replaced immediately by a scowl. If her look could have killed, I’d be dead.
I guess everyone else in the bar knew but how was I supposed to know.
It was dark.
She spun around on her stool and asked if I was joking. I hadn’t been but could see why she might think so. I apologized profusely. I had no idea. We talked a little longer and she explained she had lost both legs in a car accident.
I am not sure what prompted her photo spread in Playboy but she was in it. The barman pulled out a copy and there she was.
But now my feet were firmly planted in London, England.
At first I took on temporary jobs as all us antipodeans did. A barman at the ‘Tom Cribb’ in Leicester Square, a clerk at a no-name law firm, and an analyst at the now bankrupt ‘Drexel Burnham Lambert’ investment bank; home of the junk bond king Michael Milken.
Then, with the travel bug biting firmly and me growing tired of cubicle life, I decided to take to the road permanently; that’s why I went abroad in the first place. I could have stayed at home if working in an office had been my dream…but it wasn’t.
I handed in an application to one of the tour companies in London.
Top Deck Travel and their conspicuous orange and beige colored double-deckers became home for a good part of my twenties. I rode high on the second level of a bus and with them I would get to see more of Europe than I ever imagined.
From Paris, Barcelona, Munich, Rome, Athens, Dubrovnik, Istanbul, Geneva, Brussels, Amsterdam and every city or small town in between. Every tourist attraction and culturally significant landmark both bitter and sweet I was fortunate to visit multiple times; re-living each experience through the eyes of the newly arrived.
Those years were a perfect intersection of age, inexperience, wonder, curiosity, and fearlessness; combined with the inability to suffer a hang-over, boundless energy, and a ceaseless appetite for the opportunities lurking on the greener grass around the corner.
It kicked my passion for travel into high gear. I am exhausted just thinking about it 🙂
Flat Tires and Slow Boats 
What a great remembrance, Tim. Even now, I wish I could work for a tour operator! What adventures, you’ve had! I’m happily jealous!
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I cooked on some of the last decker trips in Europe. To this day it was the best job of my life! The lowest paying but definitely the best. Experiences like that cannot be taught in a classroom. Great post!
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Yes, the pay was lousy but it was a great time for sure.
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I am blown away with all the traveling you have done. The life teachings you have learned along the way you can never replace. Seeing how all cultures live and experience life has to be rewarding.
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Very few things have ever compared Arlene.
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It is a quite personal post! I got back to cubicle life after 4 years of a break. It is been only 2 months now but my mind and my body feel tired already. I keep telling myself it is a great opportunity, but somehow I am not convinced…And it is like a drug actually, and it does make you sacrifice not one relationship or job opportunity…
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Just know that the world is not going anywhere and you can always get back out there whenever you want 🙂
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When I grow up I want to tell a story like you! 🙂 very captivating, I enjoyed it and felt I was along for the ride. The travel stories we collect along the way make for the best experiences and lessons learnt in life. You sure seem to have your share, look forward to reading more.
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Glad to have you along.
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Your travels have certainly given you some great memories – doubly good with the double decker job. When you were talking about the blonde in the bar I couldn’t wait to hear how she would respond to your pick-up line. Now that certainly was a lesson to share wasn’t it?
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Super post, Tim! You truly have a knack for storytelling. I’ll be trying my hand in Oct when I’ll be leading a group of chocolate lovers over to Hawaii. Wish me luck!
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You have such a passion for it Doreen you already have the luck. What could be more fun than a tour of chocolate.
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I remember all guides from the times I was taking bus tours (good old college times) as old[er] ladies and gents with surprisingly forgettable personalities. I fell out of love for this type of traveling long time ago probably in part because of the guides. Looking at the pictures and reading about your experience shows how unlucky I was.
Seriously though, great writing. You should write a book.In pre-internet days, it would be called memoirs, but these days I guess it would be e-memoirs (e-book, you know 😉 ). Cheers!
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Thanks ET and AT; much appreciated. The travel guiding I did does sound a little different than the ones you endured. I am not sure most older ladies or gents would have been able to keep up…or have the desire to.
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Tim — When you got to the punch line of your story at the bar I thought it would have one of two endings: she was a hooker waiting for a gig or that she was a transvestite. Shows you where my mind is!
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Sorry Jeannette, didn’t mean to lead your mind astray or are you saying it was already astray.
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OMG – the girl at the bar – how, well I guess embarrassing, but how were you to know? You have had a life full of adventure and I enjoy your stories. And, I leave for London in mid-June for 8 days. Delivering my oldest daughter to the University of Sussex in Brighton Beach for her summer studies through UCLA exchange program. We are spending a week sightseeing first, then I head back and she returns in late August. Can’t wait!
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How I envy you. I would try the tour guide thing if I lived in a bigger city. Who knows? Maybe it could go over in Boise, but would be much more appealing to think about if I lived in Seattle or San Fran.
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London was the perfect city for it Jeri; so close to so much.
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When I was in high school, I was really into the idea of becoming a tour guide or a flight attendant. Growing up, I realized that as much as I love to travel, these wouldn’t probably be for me. Still, I bet you don’t regret anything from those years. 🙂
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Not a single minute Vlad; it was a great time.
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Sounds like a great life! 🙂 Congrats.
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Loved your story and hearing about your younger life. Wasn’t all those lessons we learned in our youth just great fun, no matter how they turned out? lol The whole storytelling process, as I tell you every time, is just sexy. I totally feel you are in the wrong profession and should be burning up the romance novel best seller list for life. You have that gift. That is special.
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Those are extremely nice words Melody and certainly confidence building; I will keep this comment in mind as I continue to write my way through my life. Who knows what will be the end result. Thanks.
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Such an amazing story! Thanks for sharing. I am like you, at a very young age I saw the world, never looked back. Funny story about the California girl!
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Quite the adventurous time you had there Tim. As you said I’m exhausted just thinking about it, but then that’s what your twenties are for. How fantastic to get the job with the double decker tour company though. What a brilliant way to see so many places AND get paid for it. I’m sure it wasn’t all relaxing, but sounds pretty sweet for that time in your life.
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You’re right A.K., it was the perfect job for a guy or girl in their 20’s with an itch to see the world.
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Beautiful memories, Tim. So the ‘travel guide’ position got you exhausted pretty soon. I know it’s sounds more exciting than it really is, but hey, you’ve got to see some wonderful places and learned a lot. Right? As for the ‘gorgeous’ California girls… that’s just a dream of the young boys from across the ‘pond’. Unfortunately the reality is pretty disappointing.
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Nice one Tim. What great memories. Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed reading your post x
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I love they way you drop your memories into your writing like that, little snippets from a former life. And I love those orange buses, we don’t have them quite like that in the UK any more. My first job (ok, actually my second job) was as a tour rep on a bus in Europe, scared me silly to have to do the whole microphone thing at the front, but it set me up for a life of travel so like you, I’m grateful for it!
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and it really does feel like a former life 🙂
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I live in Europe, so I already visited many countries of this continent, that’s why I need to visit other places like Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Africa, Canada, the U.S. and so on.
I have a particular interest to visit Fiji because I heard that there I can find an ancient tribe of indigenous people who can initiate me to know the spirit world.
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I hope you find what you are looking for Jeniffer. It a gorgeous place that’s for sure.
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Such interesting stories…what wonderful memories Tim. To think of all you’ve done, all the people you’ve met. It’s a rich rich soup, to be sure. I’m enjoying hearing about all of it. Yikes though…how could you know about the model! Surely, she knew that? I hope?
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I think so Jacquie. She calmed down and warmed up pretty quickly; the death stare left as fast as it arrived.
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Wow, what a ride is right. What great memories all this brings for you. The life lessons alone you gained along the way are as good as a college education. 🙂
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