Apart from this being my all-time favourite Pink Floyd song, this phrase seems to pop up in my life frequently. I’ve also used it a lot, in a genuine way. When we’ve stumbled across a perfect landscape or beach to camp at my other half and I have quite often remarked ‘(insert names)…would love this place’ and we can picture sharing a walk, a drive, a meal, a happy hour with good friends and family there. Some places or settings have just screamed out to us of certain people in our lives that we could easily picture joining us and loving it.

Sharing the experiences when travelling adds another dimension to it don’t you think? The discussions, the laughs and appreciating nature especially, in good company makes it all the more special. We’ve shared many a great sunset with friends which make you all the more thankful for how lucky we are to live where we do and have the lives we do.

Unfortunately we can’t always share holidays with friends and loved ones but that can also make for special times. When you connect with strangers who share a common love of a spectacular view it warms your heart too. There are people I will never really know and probably never see again, but for one moment in time we shared a fabulous travelling experience that was just perfect and I will always remember. Hopefully we’ve added a bit of fun to their holidays too!

‘Wish you were here’ also has another meaning to me and that is as a catalyst for me to delve into something that drives me today.

Way back in 2006 I entered a photo competition that ‘The Australian’ newspaper ran in their ‘Weekend Australian Magazine’. The title of the competition? Well it was ‘Wish you were here’.  The call was for photos that showed the diversity of Australian landscapes from beach to outback and everything in between. It was held in conjunction with Tourism Australia.  I had mulled over the competition for weeks not thinking I could have a worthy photo to enter, but finally on the very last day for photos to be accepted I decided to give it a go.  I had a photo that I’d taken on a family holiday in the Northern Territory and the light in it and story it told really spoke to me so I entered not really expecting much to come of it.  Just feeling brave to have entered.

To my absolute shock, weeks later I received an email from one of the judges to let me know that my photo had been shortlisted in the competition and would be one to be judged for the major winner in its section of outback landscapes. My shot wasn’t the ultimate winner but to me it was amazing to have this acknowledgement so I was beyond thrilled.  Then as the cherry on the cake a while later I found out that a series of photos entered in the competition were going to be used in a calendar that would go out as a free insert in the Weekend Australian paper at a later stage, and yep mine was one of them.  Just as chuffed were my husband and son who featured in the photo and were happy to wear the joint title of Messrs. September for 2007. To this day it’s one of my favourite photographs and sits on my website landing page.

Hence my love for the phrase ‘Wish you were here’. Oh and should anyone be thinking of launching a magazine with that title…..I have an endless supply of photos and stories for you.

Just let me know and I will be a regular contributor!

Happy Travels

Glenys