Hello all,
Originally from England, United Kingdom, I am an Old School Backpacker.
Back in 1986, aged 18, when big hair and shoulder pads were in fashion, before the internet, i was fortunate enough to take a year out backpacking. That year turned out to be 11 years. Yep, that's right, eleven years backpacking around the world.
I traveled across six of seven continents, living out of a backpack, picking up jobs here and there, experiencing food, language, culture, and life before the internet. Before smartphones. The world seemed a much bigger place then, and much of it was still remote, you really could get off the beaten track.
In 1997 I returned to London, briefly, to work and save money. Then three years later I settled in the Caribbean. Became a qualified scuba diving instructor, and opened a dive shop. During all that time, from 1986 to when i retired from diving in 2013, photography was one of my keen interests.
This recent period of Covid lockdown and isolation has caused me to reflect on those years backpacking. Perhaps it's being forced into lockdown which makes one want to travel all the more.
Feeling that 'itchy feet' sensation again and an overwhelming desire for 'wanderlust' which i suspect one never loses, lockdown inspired me to look through my old photos, reminisce, and fantasize about picking up where i left off and living out of a backpack once again. Although, now in my mid fifties, backpacking and roughing it is probably not as easy as it once was.
I decided to share some of my photos and experiences with the world. Perhaps these life experiences, the stories, the pictures, may reach someone out there in cyber-land, impact some people's lives in a positive way…at the very least, make you smile.
I hope you enjoy my sharing of memories
RipeBanana. 
