Politics is a difficult subject. People get angry, upset, offended. People rarely agree 100%. That’s because politics is basically just opinion. “I think we should do this this way, or things should work that way.”

Politics makes the world go round. It’s literally how the world is run. The rules you have to live by. Whether or not you can visit a country, live there, love there, work there, whether or not you can get free help when you need it, whether or not the air you are breathing is safe, whether or not you have the right to an opinion. They are all rules, made up, invented, by people (or a person), who had a similar opinion.

The word “Politic” comes from the Greek 🇬🇷 polis meaning “city” and then politēs meaning “citizen”. Another Greek iteration, Latin, Old French, and you get to the late Middle English word “Politic”.

Using the definition of “Politics” as: “activities associated with the governance of a country or area” or “relationships within a group or organization that allow particular people to have power over others”, I think culture and religion can also be included in this, two more sensitive subjects.

If politics makes the world go round, what that really means is “opinions” make the world go round. Opinions can have positive or negative impacts. Opinions can make other people’s worlds stop. It just depends on your gender, race, sexuality, wealth etc. etc. as to which receiving end you are on.

I have been in Asia for nine weeks now. I have heard religious beliefs that are sexist, I have seen what, in my opinion, are damaging practices, that are explained to me as “It’s our culture”.

Opinions form beliefs form politics and religions and cultures. 🔃 This is why travel is inherently political.

I would probably never travel to Russia , for example, as they have laws, (simply, rules based on people’s opinions), discriminating against LGBT+ 🏳️‍🌈 people. People are murdered.

I have been to five countries on my adventures so far, with another five to go. Politics affects me. It affects everyone. In almost every aspect of our day-to-day. Politics (poor government infrastructure funding) means I will have a bumpy ride back to Kathmandu tomorrow. 🚌

I have been thinking about what sort of blog I want to have, and rather than the shallow “Oh look where I’ve been, isn’t it pretty, #livingmybestlife” posts I sometimes see, I want to do something a bit more nitty-gritty. My opinion versus everyone else’s different or slightly similar opinion.

As a woman, I’m not used to my voice being heard, the opinions that come from it being worth even less 🤐 But I have a bee 🐝 in my bonnet about the state of the world at the moment and the experiences I have had so far which seem to perpetuate the problems.