A Bull Abroad

*China: Yunnan Province - Tiger Leaping Gorge*

ZK7 spoke to the adventurous and truly inspirational Chloe Bull (24). She shares her experiences of what it is like to study, work and travel internationally.

Instagram: Chloe_Wanders_

What inspired you to travel?

I think from such a young age I always knew I wanted to travel and work abroad. I remember always saying that to my parents. I never knew exactly what I would do or how I would do it though.

What was your first solo trip?

It was when I worked in a hostel in Portugal. This actually came about because I was broke at the time but I knew I wanted to travel. I heard about a website called ‘Workaway’ and went on that. I wanted to learn to surf at the time as well and I saw this vacancy at a surfer’s hostel on the coast in Portugal and thought ‘OMG, that sounds perfect.’ I sent an email saying I am really interested and they replied saying great. Then I literally booked a flight for the following week and went. So yeah, I didn’t really spend much time deliberating about it or anything like that. I just thought I would go and it was amazing. I was there for about 6 weeks. I had realised you really can travel around on your own, so it all started from there really.

I think a lot of people worry about doing things on their own but yeah, I just didn’t think about it too much and just went for it really.

What happened after Portugal?

I was going into my last year of uni and I met a girl who I became really good friends with. She had been to the summer school in Malaysia the previous year and I had seen her photos because I had her on Facebook and thought ‘oh what is that? It looks really cool.’ She told me about it and said she had a really great time basically. And my broke student mind thought but I bet it is expensive. But then I heard that she applied and that she got a bursary and the uni paid for her flights, which sounded really cool.

Obviously, I was a bit concerned because I was in my third year and I thought will you be able to go after you have graduated. I didn’t know if that was a thing. I went to a study abroad fair and found out about it and just applied. Then I got accepted and ended up flying to Malaysia in the summer. It is still one of my favourite trips to be fair.

There were two girls who I met during summer school and they both planned to visit Thailand after Malaysia. I had booked flights back from Bangkok like a month after finishing summer school, with the thinking I would travel thereafter on my own but we ended up travelling together. We went to the Full Moon party on Koh Phangan, which has got to be some kind of right of passage, so that was cool.

Then I came home to the UK in August. I’d graduated by this point and thought ‘OMG! What am I going to do? I have got to start real life now.’ That was a difficult moment of realisation I have to say.

What happened after graduation?

So by this point, I had already applied for a teaching job in China with a company called Opportunity China, who recruit for different schools. They helped me start setting up interviews for jobs in China but at this point I was still uncertain as to whether China would be the right place for me and I needed some time to think about it.

Meanwhile, I started working at a charity called Talkback, which is actually where I am working now. They employed me as the Communications Officer, which was great as before that I was just working in a pub. The pub was fine but not really what I wanted to do, so it was good to get a job a little more aligned with my career goals.

I managed to secure a job in China with a company called York English which I started in March 2019. It was meant to be a 12-month contract but I was there for 9 months. Though it was cut short, I feel quite lucky even to get that experience to be honest.

What is the worst accommodation you have ever stayed in?

It was when I was in the Philippines, in January 2020, when it was Chinese New Year and Corona virus broke out. I had already booked my accommodation for a short holiday but ended up staying for longer.

The hostel we were in was completely booked up but they said they had an outhouse and that we could stay there if we wanted. It was a private room effectively in a really nice hostel, so I was like perfect. So, I agreed to stay there thinking it would be great and it was literally infested with cockroaches. There was a cockroach in my bed and I could not sleep there. I ended up sleeping in the common which was not great.

What are your travel essentials?

1: I would definitely say an unlocked smart phone, so you can put a local sim card into it.

2: I have no sense of direction at all, so Google maps is my go-to.

3: A raincoat, as especially in Asia you never know when the next tropical rainstorm will come.

4: Mosquito repellent. I remember in China I got bitten to death. It was actually awful.

Instagram: Chloe_Wanders_

Do you have any personal safety tips?

I think a lot of people have concerns and quiet rightly but I also think being a girl and going out anywhere on your own, you have to have your wits about you. I went to university in Nottingham and there is quite a high crime rate there, so I think wherever you are, you need to think about personal safety. Obviously, if you are travelling on your own and you don’t have anyone you trust around you, then you do need to think about it a lot more.

If I was on my own for example, I wouldn’t go out and get really drunk or anything as I know that would be a really bad idea. To be totally honest I’m not always the most careful but luckily I haven’t gotten myself into too much trouble.

What has travelling taught you?

I think just to be open-minded. Some of the people you meet might not be the normal type of people you are used to meeting. I think when you are at school you have friendship groups where you are all similar but when you travel you just need to expect the unexpected, as you could meet people of all ages and cultures.

Sometimes we project our western values onto things. Like before I went to China a lot of people said the Chinese do this and do that. I just respond, well I don’t know as I haven’t been there, so I am not going to go with any preconceptions. Yes, China is completely different but that is not necessarily a bad thing. You have to understand that different cultures are just that. Different.

If you could have a famous travel companion, who would it be?

Probably David Attenborough because I’d love to learn about all the animals and nature from a pro.

What is your happiest travel moment?

Wow that is a difficult question!

When I was in China, it was the first Christmas I had ever spent away from home. I don’t really get home sick at all to be honest but that was the one time I was in a foreign country and I didn’t have family around me. I was a bit apprehensive and thought it might not be a great Christmas. I only had one day off for Christmas as Chinese people don’t celebrate it and I didn’t feel particularly Christmassy in the lead up.

I ended up having a surprisingly lovely day.

We all took part in cooking the Christmas dinner, all squeezing into my friend’s tiny apartment. All the apartments in China are tiny. I remember trying to get all these random tables and chairs down this small lift.

We drank loads of mulled wine and we had a weird mismatched dinner from the things we managed to find from the local supermarket. It was very far from a traditional Christmas. When I looked around the apartment, I thought I have managed to make a family for myself over here. I might not be with my family but I felt really lucky to be with my friends. So overall all I had a really nice day.

In the evening we managed to rent out this rooftop café and we invited our teaching assistants and they bought their kids. We were all drinking and dancing. It was amazing!

What is the most amazing sight you have ever seen?

There is a place in China called Yunnan Province and I went on a trip there to do this hike called Tiger Leaping Gorge. It was not something I would usually do. We hiked all day and got to this place called the Halfway Guest House where we stayed the night. Honestly, the views were amazing as we were surrounded by mountain peaks (cover photo). I would say that view was definitely up there. It was so beautiful.

What advice would you give to first time explorers?

I would say don’t over think it and don’t get bogged down in the details, like where you are going to stay or what you would do if one thing or another goes wrong. Don’t let it stop you from travelling. Just book a flight and go!

You will meet people and you will find somewhere to stay. Don’t let anything hold you back. You will have a great time, so just do it. The second thing would be, make sure you have travel insurance because I have ended up in hospitals too many times as I can be quite reckless.

All sorts of things have happened. I had a motorbike crash in the Philippines. Once after a night out in Malaysia, I don’t know what happened but I woke up with a gash and had to have stiches. As I have grown up, I think I have got a little bit better.

What is the last travel photo in your phone of?

The photo is of a dog called Topi. I was in Bali when the lockdown was starting back in March and I ended up coming home to the UK. I’d met this girl and we were renting a villa together and she fostered a puppy called Topi.

Honestly, she was so cute and I ended up crying when I had to leave this little puppy (and my friend as well of course).

What do you want to do next?

With my degree in English and Philosophy from the University of Nottingham and experience as a Funding bid writer for Talkback, I am now in the process of starting my own copywriting company. I’m hoping to be able to work freelance so I can continue to work and travel.

Follow Chloe on Instagram: Chloe_Wanders_

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