My default mode is crusty old cynic, but I went a bit goose bumpy this morning. Having now been back in the UK for 9 days after her 9 week Ozzie tour, our STA Explorer known as The Australian Adventurer, George, has posted a summary of her trip, reviewing the itinerary, tours and experiences, and the impact it’s all had on her life. This paragraph is one excerpt:

We’re really proud of ourselves in that with the help of STA Travel we made a plan, had an itinary that worked and we stuck to it. At no point did we backtrack because of a hangover or tiredness and at no point did we mess everything up. There was no tour missed, no bus missed, no party missed and no rock unturned. We explored every avenue we could and we did it our way. The two girls from London have officially backpacked up the East Coast of Australia and honestly had the time of our entire lives.

… but it’s really worth reading the whole thing, as it’s an emotional, individual and inspiring paean to the joys of Australia in particular and travel in general. It makes me want to wave some kind of flag, to be honest.