Catrin Explores

Hi! I’m Catrin, a 20 year old from Wales in the UK who has a huge passion for travelling, the outdoors, and experiencing new things!

This website is a place to document my travel experiences, advice, tips and tricks whilst travelling, and itineraries and things to do in different destinations across the globe.

My love for travel started at the age of 15, when I went on a Camps International trip to Borneo for a month. During that time, we helped teach English to teenage girls, helped build and cement the foundations of a community centre for a local village, and build bridges in another. We also planted trees in the forests to help combat deforestation.

It really opened my eyes as 1) I came to the realisation that there is a lot more out there than home, 2) the things that I was experiencing are things that are once in a lifetime, and 3) I take what I have for granted. It was after I came home that I made the decision to try and do this long term rather than head to uni. As soon as this trip ended, I was saving up for my next.

It took me a little under a year to save up for my next trip, which was supposed to be to Sri Lanka. However, due to local issues near to where I was supposed to be staying, the trip was cancelled and I had the opportunity to choose a different destination to go to instead.

So my next trip was to India. The trip was in 2019, after my AS Level exams when I was 16, and I went with a company called PMGY. For the first 2 weeks I volunteered in Delhi teaching English and Maths in slum schools, and helping out at local orphanages. I spent my 17th birthday here which was pretty special (handmade saris to wear, and gifts, cake and celebrations from the children!) I then headed south to Kerala and spent my time travelling, learning about tea plantations, different lifestyles, and wildlife.

Then COVID hit and I became a bit stuck.

2020, the year when everything started shutting down, was also the year when I was finishing my final year at school, and sitting my final A Level exams. School shut in March, and lockdown started before my exams were supposed to be sat. Predicted grades were given (which didn’t impact me too much luckily!) but it also meant that travel along with everything else had stopped. During this time, I got a job working at McDonalds, trying to earn some income for my next adventure, waiting for the lockdowns to lift.

And when they finally did, I found another passion of mine: outdoor education! I found a job starting in September of 2020 as an outdoor instructor in Malvern, England. It started off as an apprenticeship, and in all honesty, not many groups came through for those first 6 months. But when they did, leading sessions like zipwiring, kayaking, and abseiling was awesome. I stayed at that centre for 2 years before deciding that I wanted to get back into travelling and exploring the world.

So I started looking for places to travel and see new things, alongside outdoor instructing, and I found a super cool centre on an island called Motutapu Island in New Zealand, which is where I could spend the next 9 months working. The job involved leading sessions like climbing and high ropes, but also activities which I hadn’t run before like snorkelling, paddleboarding and sailing! I’m finally coming to the end of my time working at the centre, and I’m looking forward to spending 6 weeks in a van exploring the rest of the country before heading home!

Who knows where the next adventure will take me, but as soon as I find out, so will you!