{"id":2276,"date":"2025-06-06T15:47:22","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T14:47:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theoptimistmagazine.co.uk\/?p=2276"},"modified":"2025-06-06T16:04:01","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T15:04:01","slug":"how-backpacking-positively-influenced-one-womans-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/theoptimist\/2025\/06\/06\/how-backpacking-positively-influenced-one-womans-life\/","title":{"rendered":"How backpacking positively influenced one woman’s life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Anna Cross has an incredible story to share of the year she spent travelling the world – the good, the bad, and the beautiful.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve all considered it, let’s be honest – thinking about how perfect it would be to get away from normal life and escape to countries halfway around the world, for a well deserved break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After seeing the incredible her friend was having abroad travelling, Anna Cross<\/a>, 26, from Peterborough decided to plan her own year-long adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before setting off for her adventure in 2024, she spent over a year saving money and researching all of the advice into the countries that she would soon be acquainted with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said: \u201cI booked my flight and that was when it was real, thinking \u2018Oh my god, I\u2019m actually going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did so much research about all the common scams too, so I was prepared. If I didn\u2019t do as much research, I think things would\u2019ve been generally more surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite enjoying her social life at home in Peterborough, she said: \u201cI just wanted something different and I thought \u2018If I don\u2019t go now, I\u2019m probably never going to go\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI knew it was something I needed to do. I had no mortgage, no boyfriend, no kids – so I could just go. You never know what\u2019s going to happen later on in life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A surprising friendship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After Anna\u2019s Dad posted on Facebook asking for recommendations for her East Coast trip, they were connected with a family in Australia, whom Anna would go and stay with during her Australian trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually they recommended that she go stay with their godmother, Annie, 85, who lived on the Gold Coast, as it was a more lively area. Annie would go on to be the biggest influence in Anna\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom April until September I was living on the Gold Coast of Australia and it was crazy. I didn\u2019t know her but I met her and we got on so well. Now we\u2019re like family, we talk all the time. She was the best part of the whole year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI ended up staying there for five and a half months, rent-free, which was insane. I got so lucky. I was so grateful because you do not get an opportunity like this randomly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With an unlikely bond formed, Annie helped Anna get locked into a restaurant job, helping her save money for her next travel steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are enjoying this story – try this story on Jeanie, who changed her life to pursue stand-up comedy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was so interesting to have someone from Australia there for me, because I learned so much more. I met her family, so I had a family there and I didn\u2019t feel as alone. I was invited to birthday dinners and parties; I had a family unit there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had the same opinions, she\u2019s the most open and accepting person in the world, to accept a stranger into her life and take me under her wing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s the person that definitely created the most change within my year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unglamourous parts of backpacking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Anna had several moments of crisis during her travels, from being ill to breaking bones, to being robbed in Thailand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI got so sick, my wisdom teeth were infected, I don\u2019t even know how that happened. Then I got some sort of flu at the same time, and I was calling my parents the whole time saying I wanted to come home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen I cracked my rib, so that wasn\u2019t great. It was my own fault, I fell into a swimming pool a little bit drunk. You don\u2019t know how hard it is being on your own with a cracked rib and a huge backpack trying to walk around and get on boats – it was a nightmare, I couldn\u2019t breathe half the time so that was so intense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite Thailand being her favourite holiday destination, and having made so many friends while she was there, while attending the tourist Full Moon Party<\/a>, disaster struck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were thousands of people on this beach. I didn\u2019t even drink that much because I knew it was a place where people get robbed all the time, so I knew to be careful. Of course, who got robbed? Me!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was dancing and next thing I knew I looked down and my whole bag was wide open, empty. My purse was gone which had all the money I had with me for that time. Thankfully, all my other money and cards were in my backpack in the hostel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was crying my eyes out. Luckily, I had hidden 1000 Baht, which is like \u00a320, in my clothes – so I could at least get back to the hostel and make my 7am boat I was catching.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Five months later, whilst Anna was still travelling through Australia, her parents back home opened her mail, finding something that restored their faith in humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy Dad sent me a picture of a letter I\u2019d received at home, from a girl who lives in Scotland, who had sent all my stuff back, including my old NHS donor card and credit cards, which she had found in a stack on the side of the road. She\u2019d then carried them around with her while she was travelling Asia, then sent them to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhoever had stolen my purse had just ditched the cards because without the pin, it was pointless having it. I just think that\u2019s crazy how kind someone can be. I found her on Facebook and messaged her to say thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An evolving relationship with herself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite the trials and tribulations she faced, backpacking remains one of the proudest moments of her life so far, with so many lessons learned, and her understanding of herself better than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI definitely think I learned that I can now just handle anything. I\u2019ve become such a different person in a way. I\u2019ve done things that have scared me, and now I know I can literally do anything and tackle any sort of problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I realised how much mentally it was going to be, but you definitely learn a lot more about who you are. Forget uni and any sort of career, that year travelling is my proudest thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUltimately, you are alone a lot of the time, and you\u2019ve got to be pretty happy with yourself. While I was there, I was the only person I could rely on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, since returning home, reconnecting with her past life has been difficult for Anna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really know where I am now, because I don\u2019t feel like the person I was when I left, I feel so different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really weird time. Now I\u2019m thinking, should I go travel again, or do I get a career job, but I don\u2019t know what to do for a career yet, so do I go back to Australia and save money there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the uncertainty in her life now, she remains confident in her ability to make the right decision for herself, and is accepting of whatever path life takes her down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many options out there that I\u2019m even more lost than I was before, but I\u2019m more confident in who I am as a person, based on my travelling. I\u2019m more confident in who I am and happy with who I am as a person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m still very much lost, but I think everyone in their 20s is pretty lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advice to those dreaming of travel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now of course there are so many factors affecting someone\u2019s ability to travel, including money, but Anna recommends that others don\u2019t let their fear stop them from adventuring around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe main thing I\u2019ve learned is that you can literally do whatever you want. This world and life is so short, so you might as well just go and do whatever you want because life is short, but also you have so long to build a career, have a family, whatever it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just think why not broaden your mind and see the world? So many people just stay where they are, they might go to Europe and that\u2019s great – but long-extended travel actually changes something in your brain because you\u2019re not on holiday mode anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, I asked Anna what she would tell her younger self, who was about to get on that first flight to Thailand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would tell her you\u2019re going to have the best time ever, but I would also say stay away from the Aussie men, but be open to every opportunity you have while travelling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Backpacking changed Anna’s life – through chaos, friendship, and growth, she found the world and discovered herself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":185,"featured_media":2293,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[536,534,40,538,537,535,155,30],"class_list":["post-2276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recreation","tag-australia","tag-backpacking","tag-nature","tag-peterborough","tag-solo-travel","tag-thailand","tag-travel","tag-university"],"yoast_head":"\nHow backpacking positively influenced one woman's life - The Optimist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Anna Cross has an incredible story to share of the year she spent travelling the world - the good, the bad, and the beautiful.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/theoptimist\/2025\/06\/06\/how-backpacking-positively-influenced-one-womans-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How backpacking positively influenced one woman's life - 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