HODOPHILE – Definition – Hodophilia is derived from the ancient Greek words hodo which means journey and philia, which means love or attachment. Simply put, Hodophilia is the love for travel and journey. Extending this on Hodophiles, a hodophile is someone who has a love for travelling and adventure.
Meeting Jon Gray, a teacher by day and travel enthusiast in his spare time, I couldn’t get over how many countries he had visited. Whenever he returned from a half-term break, he would tell me of his holiday adventures. Seeing how he supports the local independent scene in Portsmouth, I knew he would put that same enthusiasm into the places he visits. I decided to sit down with him and find out all I could after asking him so many questions and also gain some tips on travelling around the world.
Childhood Holidays
Growing up, Jon said his parents always made sure they had a holiday somewhere in Europe every Summer. His dad would rent a car and they went off to explore the local cuisine and visit local sites. Travelling from a young age gave Jon an insight into booking a holiday, exploring that area and enjoying the local cuisine.
While studying for an accountancy degree in his 3rd year, Jon said he felt the urge to explore more of the world. He packed a bag and jumped on an aeroplane and didn’t look back. Jon met a girl on the way, she told him about a modern classic book called The Alchemist. It spoke of opportunity and following one’s dreams, which resonated with the student at the time and made him feel compelled to travel whenever he could.
After returning home from his trip, Jon realised that all the post-graduate jobs had gone so he had a rethink. Having taught maths in Nepal on his year-long break away from home, he decided to train to become a teacher and so over the last 20 years, he has been a maths teacher and also more recently Head of House. This kind of work has allowed him to go off and explore the world.
118 Countries and Counting
I asked Jon what it feels like to travel so much and he said that it feels amazing. To say he has travelled to over 118 countries, really does feel like an achievement. The hodophile said, “I can’t say here are my top ten favourites regarding the countries I have visited, as they all have their special memories for various reasons.
“Every country I have visited has local people that are just lovely and make you feel good about your holiday. They offer you kindness and an insight into their way of life. The first place I went to by myself was Nepal, which holds something special to me as I think I always had a fascination with Mount Everest. I got to explore the base of the mountain and it stayed with me.
“I then got to go and visit Tibet which sits on the other side of Everest and so I can say I have seen Mount Everest from both sides. Tibet has always been a favourite of mine as it is such a spiritual place. Cyprus is the last country to visit where I can say I have now toured around the whole of Europe, all 46 of them.”
The Travel Guide
Scouring through the bookshelves that are heaving with Lonely Planet books from all the countries the teacher has been to, I asked Jon why he always has to buy one when going away. He said this travel book was something he always took when there was no World Wide Web and it became a habit to buy for his trip. These travel books often go out of date quickly but the facts they include inside make them worth the money.
What is handy about the Lonely Planet series is that when you are offline and can’t use your phone in some remote places, you still have your travel guide to look through and guide you on where to go. Jon said that the top highlights in the books aren’t going to change that much, so it is a great starting point for getting the most out of that country.
Food Inspiration
Chatting about the food that Jon finds on his travels, he said that the local cuisine truly makes his holiday every time. He likes to go find that back street food place that serves great food for a good price.
Speaking of street food, Jon said, “Street food is just incredible and there are food stalls that have been doing the same thing for like 20 years and mastered what they serve. I once went to Bangkok and ventured down an alleyway where the tables and chairs were all plastic but the food was some of the best I have ever tasted in my life.”
Chatting about whether Jon likes to come home and cook after visiting that particular country he said, “Yes I love to do that but I never get it just right as it is hard when these chefs are cooking their dishes day in, day out and I come home and try to recreate that. I love cooking programmes though and you will find me either watching a cooking or a travel programme, that’s my thing.”
Talking of favourite food in different countries, the avid traveller said he loved Argentina for the red wine and steak! While in Singapore, he ventured into the sidebar at Raffles and had the best-ever Singapore Sling! And he loves the food in countries where they use a small amount of ingredients but make food so well, like in Italy and Greece.
Jon said he will never forget being on holiday in Crete as a youngster with his family. They headed off to the roadside to buy perfectly ripe nectarines and ate them with Greek yoghurt for lunch. These simple food tricks stayed with Jon and he thinks it is a great tip to find local produce while away and enjoy simple food that tastes amazing.
Travel Influencers
One of Jon’s biggest influencers was Anthony Bourdain, a chef who loved to travel too. He created a series called Parts Unkown before he died that covered little-known areas of the world. Celebrating diverse cultures and food exploration and sharing a window into local citizen’s lifestyles, it was Jon’s love of food and travel all in one programme!
Watching Race Across the World, Jon said that even though he has travelled extensively, he still gets excited about the programme and feels the need to experience what he sees on the telly! You can see that the travel bug never leaves him and he said that he will always be inspired by travel programmes.
Making his way across a country by train like seen on the hit series Race Across the World, Jon said that it is such a great way to travel for relatively cheap money and everyone should think about taking a trip by train if they can add that into their holiday
Holiday Tips
Being a nervous traveller myself, I asked for some holiday tips that we can all take on board. These are the tips Jon talked about.
Always research the area you want to travel to. See what that area has to offer. Jon said he likes to find a place and research it. See how people live there and their way of life. Being knowledgeable about the area makes it less nerve-racking to visit.
Use platforms like Reddit where you can put in a question and get first-hand advice. Talk to people who have travelled to that area or country.
Being a very supportive person of the local independent scene in Southsea, Jon carries that integrity abroad. He tends to book a little bed and breakfast or guest house that is run by locals. This means the money spent goes back into the local economy and you usually get an insight into the best local cuisine places to try and authentic things to do.
Safety Tips at night are don’t wear an expensive watch out at night and only carry money for that evening. Don’t take an expensive camera out at night with you and don’t go down a road or alleyway that isn’t lit up.
Working hard as a teacher means the only time Jon has to read a book for pleasure is on holiday, but he always makes sure to pack a good book and over the years has read some real classics. His advice is to read at least one book while travelling so when you come home, you have memories of the book as well as your travels.
If you want more travel tips from Jon you can follow him on @southcoasttravels where he will be happy to help with any questions. He set up a Just Giving page on there to help Cancer Research so if you do get really good tips, you can always donate to a good cause along the way.
Next on Jon’s hit list are
Mozambique
Lesotho
Eswatini
Venezuela
Iraq
Where are you going to go and visit?
