Reflecting on my 8-week Churchill Fellowship, not only did I learn an extraordinary amount about outdoor trails, experiences and spaces, I also had the chance to learn about what it takes to undertake an international study trip (a first time for me).
Someone mentioned to me at one point during my travels that I probably needed a trip to just prepare for the tip and I actually couldn't agree (in principle) more. There is so much going on, way too many unknowns and only so much that you can actually know until you experience it for the first time.
To help others, I thought I'd offer 10 bits of advice and associated tips for those looking to undertake a Churchill Fellowship and/or an international study trip of another kind. Obviously, these experiences are from personal experiences and circumstances, so they may not apply to everyone, but hopefully they can be of some help!
1. Focus
When I left Australia, I was so focused on getting answers to my questions. That’s what I genuinely thought was the best outcome for such an opportunity. While undertaking learning and increasing my knowledge was important, I soon realised it shouldn’t be my priority. I was really grateful that my first stop was New Zealand, where a culture of mateship is alive and well. I’m forever thankful to the many people who I met in New Zealand, who without trying reminded be that it was actually the experiences we share and the relationships we make that matter most. For the rest of my trip, I was less worried about getting the answers I was after, but rather committed to getting to know people and hoping they would value our new relationship enough to save my details in their contacts!
2. Communications
I do not regret spending the money on SIM cards in each country (just ensure your phone is compatible and unlocked). The access it gave me, especially to data, made life so much easier in organising myself on the go (directions, organising meetings etc.). While free and accessible Wifi networks are common, having instant information at my fingertips was a lifesaver on more than one occasion.
I’m also a strong advocate for Google Maps. The ability to download and save maps offline on your phone (for when coverage is not available) is incredibly handy. Better still, Google Maps allow you to save/star destinations (into categories) so you can plan and prepare well ahead of time, and then readily access this information when needed.
3. Travel
When travelling, there isn’t much you can’t do from your smartphone. Downloading the relevant apps for airlines, accommodation, public transport etc. makes this much easier, especially when when plans don’t go to plan. Apps got me out of a jam on numerous occasions and while I can’t advocate for every one, I found the ones I used to be very informative, they securely stored personal and payment details, they keep records/receipts and I even often found them more user friendly than the website.
I’d certainly recommend signing up to loyalty programs (and then unsubscribing from annoying marketing emails). Loyalty programs are a great first step in being recognised for the upgrade or receiving discounts.
I used a relatively even spread of travel methods - fly, drive, bus, train, Uber… However, if I had my time again, I would avoid driving myself. I personally found that I stressed less and was often more productive when someone else was transporting me, even if it took a little longer. In most instances, I found transport cheaper and/or more readily available than here at home. I loved using these moments of travel to rest/think/plan.
4. Pre Reading & Research
I quickly learnt that even though each country I travelled to were western, developed countries like Australia, they were also very different to Australia in obvious and unexpected ways. I’d certainly encourage you to do your pre-reading on each country (even if it’s just the relevant Lonely Planet). Unlikely you’ll know everything but you’ll at least inform yourself and relieve some unexpected stress when faced with new situations. I personally made a habit of spending the last hour on the plane reviewing my notes on the country I was flying into.
5. Accommodation
It’s ridiculous that with a bit of research and planning, you can save so much on accomodation. There are always good deals out there, between boutique hotels, AirBnB's (my preference), combined booking sites and speaking with local people.
I also encourage you to be realistic about what you actually need from your accomodation. For example, many facilities and services might sound great, but what is the likelihood that you’ll actually need them? Focus on what’s important to you, and then book accordingly. For example, I had a few situations where I would say return to Vancouver late at night from Whistler for an early flight to Calgary the next day, so I just opted for a hostel, because all I needed was a bed.
With the money I then saved on accomodation, it meant freeing up funds to take on more experiences!
6. Organising Schedule
I’d certainly recommend using both a calendar and planning app with time differences available. In my opinion, I just don’t know how else you could organise yourself for 8-weeks across numerous different countries (and time zones). I used my Apple iCloud Calendar and the itinerary app, TripIt which I was both really happy with! I’ve also heard really good things about the Rome2Rio app.
An oversight I made more times than I wish I had was to not factor in travel time. Just because it takes a certain amount of time to travel a certain distance in one country, isn’t the same in another - doh! I found Google Maps to be the most reliable (as the Googlians are always watching and monitoring us) in not only selecting the best route, but informing me of any delays and overall, being accurate in travel times.
Knowing whether to make meetings a standard hour or pushing for longer was probably the greatest challenge I regularly faced throughout the trip. It’s hard to get the balance right, aspiring for a good connection and engagement and the unknown of how the interaction will play out meant a lot of ‘trusting my instinct’. Thankfully, I was so lucky to really only have one meeting that didn’t turn out great and the many of the others I left feeling like I could have hung out with that person or ogranisation all day!
As much as it sucks… expect for people to cancel and have back up plans so you don’t waste the time available to you. It’s just the unfortunate reality that things happen, even when you’ve travelled half way around the world to meet someone! Back up plans don’t have to be another meeting, but maybe an experience.
7. Meetings
It sounds obvious, but amongst what can often be repetition and fatigue on an adventure like a Churchill Fellowship, it’s important to remember to actively show interest and appreciation. I also had to continually remind myself to be grateful and humble - many people took time out of their day to meet with me, and that means a lot. You can demonstrate this through simple actions including active listening, taking notes, asking questions relevant to their points, and/or buying them coffee/lunch.
I found everyone of my 70ish interactions with different people to be different - go figure! It’s really important to remain flexible, go with the flow and prepare to adjust your plans and preconceived ideas accordingly.
Certainly have and be guided by key questions that you’ve prepared but as mentioned above, try not to make them your primary focus. Use them to guide you, but not control you. Allow conversations to be organic and free flowing.
Take lots of photos! Think of your report and how a photo might be able to tell the story instead of a paragraph of words. You can save a lot of luggage weight by photographing documents/brochures (so easy with smartphones). Also remember that photos can mean nothing to anyone else except you, and that’s perfectly okay!
8. Processing Learning
8-weeks of research… meetings, reading, experiences… will fatigue anyone! Have a way to process your thoughts but also find some peace and clarity in your head. For me, it went hand in hand with my research topic, but getting out for a walk everyday (even if it was just walking to and from dinner) allowed me the chance to just think, reflect, and review what had gone on in the past 24 hours!
Reflect on your notes regularly. Make adjustments post conversations as you come to to appreciate and understand what was actually shared with you.
I’d recommend having a way to try and summarise your day for future reference (eg. report writing). For me, I held myself accountable by committing to posting to social media (almost daily) - see my Instagram Feed here. This not only recorded the day for me, but allowed me the chance to engage and share with others and then invite their feedback and/or questions.
9. Self Care
As I mentioned above, as much as I thought I was indestructible, that my brain capacity was limitless when it came to consuming my passion and how could such an amazing opportunity fatigue me… it did! Make time for yourself and do it more often than you think. And ensure that time is restful/peaceful.
Make your last stop something you can get really excited about! 8-weeks is along time and without sounding ungrateful, travelling the world for that amount of time isn’t as amazing as it sounds. You get lonely, tired, stressed, fatigued and a whole range of other emotions. I’m so glad I put my stop at the Mountain Bike World Cup as the last thing I’d do - I was so excited to attend that the thought of being their trailside often kept me positive, optimistic and energised.
Don’t get consumed by the small things. Especially trying to decide what to eat and drink. Try new things, tastes, ways of doing things - but don’t overthink it. You can only genuinely care about or focus on so much in a day and sometimes the less-important things just have to not-matter! If it doesn’t work out, it’s likely never to be as bigger cost as you imagined it would be...
10. Finances
Fellowship opportunities like the Churchill Fellowship will often mean managing large amounts of funds, that the Tax Man will want to know about and with accountability to those who raised the funds of your behalf. I always tried to never take this for granted and remain aware of the privilege it was to have such an opportunity and to spend the money accordingly.
I’d certainly recommend finding an app that can manage your overall budget expenditure, breakdown your expenses into categories (so you can view how much is spent on accomodation, food, travel etc), convert into local currencies and allow you to photograph receipts and make notes etc. I used an app called Travel Wallet and found it to be brilliant - it even backed up to iCloud and I could download both to a spreadsheet and image files at anytime.
If you haven’t got an accountant, you really should get one - even if just for your trip. Especially if like me and your Fellowship extends over the financial year period, it can turn into a real fiscal mess. An accountant will ensure you stay on top of all your expenditure and assist you in not paying anything extra to the Tax Man when it comes to declaring your Fellowship as income (which you legally must do). I’ve been really lucky to have a good mate who is an exceptional accountant, and has looked after me beautifully! If you want his details, I’m more than happy to pass them on!
What have I missed?
Do you think I've missed something? Agree with what I've said? Want further clarification? Or even disagree with me? I'd love to hear from you!
The Winston Churchill Trust
This opportunity to travel around the world, learn from international experts and share in once-in-a-lifetime experiences wouldn't be possible without the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.
I'm especially grateful to the Trust, as well as those from the Churchill Fellows Association in South Australia and those who supported the establishment of the Terry Lavender Scholarship. To receive such a Fellowship, let alone this scholarship is a really humbling privilege and it is a real honour to be able to recognise Terry Lavender in this way.
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