Do you remember that epic moment in ITV’s Sanditon where Sydney declares his love for Charlotte?
I know I’m not the only one who has watched this several several times over #swoon #sandition #sogood #whataline #theojames https://t.co/wyAnrgV9uv
— Tayo | The 5 to 9 Traveller (@5to9traveller) October 13, 2019
Well, that moment inspired me, making me sit up and think about what brings me pure joy and I kept coming back to the word…
ADVENTURE
Life is one big ol’ adventure they say – full of ups and downs. Because I now think of life this way, I just see all opportunities presented to me as a fun way of learning about the world and learning about myself. I regularly say to myself “how can I be bored in a world that is ever changing?!”
Adventure presents itself in many forms, and every one of them matters, whether it is me randomly taking a contract job for a week in the riverside town called Ipswich to explore a new part of the UK;

or taking a different route home after work in busy London to stumble on autumnal scenes that warm my heart,
or booking that big and spontaneous trip of a lifetime for four months in South America

Travel has shaped me beyond ways I could not have even fathomed and made me resilient. When Lola Akinmade, an award-winning Nigerian photographer and travel writer, questioned a room full of women as to why we travelled and stated – ‘travel is an avenue of your passion’, I was in no doubt that it is because I love adventure and travel is that avenue to channel that love.

Through my travels, I’ve done A LOT and I still have a lot more to experience and learn. On 23rd November 2019, the world lost Barbara Hilary, an amazing adventurer who at the age of 75 was the first African American woman to hike to the North Pole. What a legacy to leave and I hope I can continue my own adventures well into my 100s, showing others the importance and power of learning through travel.
Travelling brings me true joy and I believe,
‘I am my best self, my truest self, when I am learning about the world.’
Forever adventuring,
The Five to Nine Traveller
xxx