Matthew Birch Media Matthew Birch Media TRAVEL | ADVENTURE | PHOTOJOURNALISM | FILMMAKING
“No one ever yet was the poorer in the long run for having once in a lifetime, let out all the length of all the reins.”

A humbling journey that was undertaken over 4 months through 6 different countries; I left home with the desire to shake up my perceptions and gain a new perspective of the world. What unfolded was a backpacking adventure that was also synonymous with my own deeper self discovery and greater sensitivity to other people and their stories.

A journey of this nature is not as glamourous as many may suspect - budget travelling can feel like a draining full time job at times, especially when things go badly, or when you are scared or unsure and simply so far away from the comfort and safety of home and the life that you know when in places that feel like a different world completely. But to think that these trials are unfair and unexpected is to be naïve. If you are travelling to seek some form of evolution it is only by nature that this growth comes from getting out of the comfort zone. Embracing the ebbs and flows of the journey with open eyes and acceptance seems to be a genuine path to becoming a more grateful, compassionate and understanding human - something that will be a never ending pursuit.