A Chatteris man who overcame his travelling nerves and is now living in Raglan, a surf community in New Zealand, is publishing his first book to help ‘shy’ people overcome their fears and see the world.
James Smith, whose background is in film-making, has travelled to Hong Kong, Australia, Guernsey, Thailand and New Zealand over the last two years.
As a result of his experiences, the 26-year-old - who went to Cromwell Community College - has written a book titled ‘The Shy Guy’s Guide to Travelling: Overcome Your Fears and See the World’, in which he shares some of his own stories.
James decided to write the book because “so many of my friends have said things to me like ‘you’re so brave to do what you do!’ That mystified me at first - all you really need to do to go travelling is book a flight and then get on it, does that need bravery?”
“Then I thought back to before I decided to leave England and remembered that I was apprehensive and nervous about my first trip alone.
“I’m an introvert, and making that step was a big deal for me.
“Now that I’ve done it, I can say without hesitation that it was the best decision I’ve ever made, improving my life in numerous ways.”
James says he wants the book to help other people who consider themselves as ‘shy’. “Whether that means being an introvert or just anxious about the money, relationship and career aspects, I want them to know that when they finally get out there - they’ll see it’s all worth it in the end.”
James said the book is aimed at “young people who have thought about travelling but where something is holding them back.
“In the first part of the book, I describe in detail many benefits of going travelling that most people don’t think of, including improving your career and social life.
“Then I go through many of the obstacles that we perceive stop us from going travelling, such as lack of money or the fear of being lonely, and show the reader how to overcome those obstacles.
“It is meant to be both an inspiring and practical book – I’d love for it to give readers that little push to start their own travel adventure.”
To buy the Kindle version, which costs £3.25, visit http://amzn.to/2m4VNvF
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