A good traveler has no fixed plans

Indeed, this seems to be the maxim that has defined many of travels abroad and thus far it has yielded a wealth of fascinating experiences.

At times these experiences have been negative and sometimes dangerous, more often they have been positive, but more importantly they have been never been dull. For this reason I would urge other travellers to adopt such an attitude for at least part of their trips abroad.

This is not to say that I scorn at people that book package holidays through their local travel agent and bask in the Spanish sun sipping pina coladas, or those who venture to far-flung places with an organised tour, provided with an hour by hour itinerary and a tour leader to grumble to when the bus seats are not as comfortable as they could be.

It is just an entirely different practice and consequently its value should not be understated.

Four years ago, at the age of nineteen, I embarked upon my first real travels abroad. My destination was Egypt . A completely inexperienced traveller, and somewhat daunted by the idea of going abroad alone, I booked an eight-day trip with an adventure tour operator.

I arranged the trip relatively late and the friendly sales assistant informed me over the phone that a return flight on the final day of the tour was out of the question. The earliest flight available would be three days after the tour ended.

What would I do completely alone in Egypt for three whole days, I thought to myself. Isn't it going to be dangerous for a nineteen year old female stranded in a foreign land and culture? Maybe I should just forget the whole thing.

By this stage, however, I was too excited about the prospect of camel-riding, pyramids, and sailing down the Nile to forgo the trip, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I ended up spending not just three extra days in Egypt but two incredible months...