Celebrating your birthday abroad

The majority of people in the world love to celebrate their birthday whether it’s batting a piñata in Mexico to getting bumped in Ireland . Well I for one have always loved birthday celebrations from childhood to adulthood. However, as time goes by I have noticed how a simple birthday celebration at home with close friends and family is dying out. Nowadays people seem to go to the extreme of purchasing elaborate birthday cakes decorated to express people’s personality type or favoured hobbies. Moreover the day is marked by taking part in death-defying activities such as bungee jumping or skydiving, or large venue hire with party planners. To top it off the experiences are all shared and published on social media to show people what a great birthday they had. Most of us are guilty of this at some point in our life, possibly forgetting whats really important and that there are less fortunate people out there that might not be able to provide these gifts to their children, partner or grandchildren. Our time abroad certainly made us appreciate family and friends at home but there are benefits to celebrating your birthday abroad as we will discuss in birthdays and backpacking

Celebrating your birthday abroad. Boats, Beers and Balloons.

As today is my husband Declan’s birthday I thought it would be an appropriate time to
reflect and talk about birthdays and backpacking. Together with my family we never made a fuss over our birthdays, we usually celebrated at home, with mam making the cake, dad utilising his chef skills to provide snacks and food while my sister and I do the decorations as my brother orchestrates and ensures that we do a good job. This has been the typical birthday scene since I remember but on my 25th birthday I decided to do what everyone else does. I wanted a “show off” or elaborate birthday celebration which in the end I gratefully received. Yes it was fantastic but was it all worth it? I can honestly say NO.

That is not to say I wasn’t appreciative but it made me realise how the clichéd simple things in life are best. My husband on this occasion had to organise a personalised decorated birthday cake that cost a fortune for something half eaten, my dad was under pressure as he had to cook mountains of food, my sister had to decorate the house like it was the Queen’s birthday and I myself got all stressed out and worked up trying to make sure everything was perfect. In the end for what exactly? We still had a good night but that was because after and hour or two I just decided to dump this stupid idea of having a full-blown birthday party, to relax and just enjoy the company like a normal night in.

Since then I have celebrated my birthday abroad on two occasions and so has my husband. My birthday definitely was not the same celebration as it was living in Canada, Poland and Ireland, as my birthday in early February is usually in the midst of winter. My first birthday backpacking was celebrated in Perth, Western Australia, with my husband Declan and our close friends Emma and Sean and their lovely children Rory and Aishling. A simple cake, card and flowers from the supermarket together with a fabulous evening sitting back sipping on a bottle of sparkles was perfect, not to mention the glorious weather as my birthday for the first time in my life was celebrated in summer time! It’s not many times you can say in life that you have celebrated your birthday during opposing seasons!

My second birthday abroad was celebrated with my husband on Mactan Island in the Philippines, a birthday I will never forget and for the second year in a row celebrated in summer.

This is a small island with locals living their lives without the trappings of luxury or excess. During the day you will see men working either on the farm or driving tuk tuks, children in school and woman cleaning their homes and feeding the animals. In the evening an exquisite atmosphere is created with people gathering at local shops sitting outside watching TV and having drinks, dancing at a bonfire with music blaring while others sell homemade food on the side of the road. On the day of my birthday we arrived in this small village and not knowing what was out there we decided to explore and find a nice restaurant where we could celebrate my birthday with a nice meal and drinks.

Unfortunately there were none around us so we decided to go with the flow and grab what we could, we found a small bakery shop with a seating area inside and got served instant noodle soup from a packet with curious locals watching us eat. We then picked up some chicken necks, yes chicken necks, for Declan from a roadside stall, a hotdog and some local beers from a service station. It was then back to our apartment to watch some TV while we enjoyed our junk food and beers. Despite it being simple, no fancy dinner, presents or balloons it was one of the most memorable birthdays I have had and it’s not one that maybe will replicated in the future.

On both of these occasions in Australia and The Philippines I decided to go back to the “normal” me and celebrate the way I always did in the past, the simple way keeping it basic and just going with the flow. As I didn’t have my family with me on these occasions it made me appreciate even more just how lucky we are to have them in our lives, how lucky we are to have the money to even make a cake and enjoy a drink or two, how fortunate we are to have true friends that genuinely want to be there with you and most importantly how lucky we are to be healthy and living to see another year. I now see why my husband doesn’t care too much about celebrating his birthday, as the shadow of Cystic Fibrosis sitting on his shoulders ensures he celebrates life each and everyday, but that’s not to say he’s in a great mood each morning!

Somehow having CF makes you look differently on the world and somehow it highlights some positives, you can read his recent blog on the positives of having Cystic Fibrosis or my blog on Travelling with Cystic Fibrosis through a partners eyes. As he has always been a lover of travel he fondly remembers the occasions when he got to spend and celebrate his birthday abroad.

His first birthday abroad was when he was turning 25 and was on a year-long career break travelling the world.

He celebrated a quarter of a century on a boat in Fiji in the South Pacific with his friends. Judging from his pictures it was an amazing experience. Fiji is a honeymooners dream destination, not to mention many people, but here he was 25 years of age, island hopping aboard a beautiful boat, sipping drinks and eating delicious food while being sung ‘Happy Birthday’ by the crew. The boat day trip was a surprise gift from his friends but a memorable experience nonetheless. Declan’s second birthday abroad was celebrated in Perth, Western Australia, during our year-long stay.

It may not have been boats and beers but a nice meal in the city followed by a romantic walk through one of our favourite parks, Hyde Park, which ensured it was a birthday to remember. Our Irish and Australian friends also made the celebration more special in the days that followed. Again I know he missed family and friends at home, which is normal on such occasions, but as an Irishman if you are going to turn 33 anywhere in the world it should be in Australia. (The locals like to laugh at how we pronounce 33, turty treeee). We were fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel and celebrate our birthdays abroad. As I mentioned above some aren’t as fortunate with family, friends, money or health. Cystic Fibrosis is a horrible illness and to all CF’ers out there I see how a birthday can mean more than just another year on the clock, it is also a celebration of fighting another year, with Declan turning 34 outliving the CF’s life expectancy when he was diagnosed back in 1999.

So next time you do decide to throw a big ass party think and remind yourself what truly is important in life? And start appreciating what you have because for me now I am grateful to have loving family and friends and an incredible husband which I know will fight to the very end for me. If you are away from home make some memories, birthdays and backpacking can go hand in hand.

Happy Birthday Declan, Love you and always will. Paula xxx

If it is also your birthday today, June 17, Happy Birthday from the Continent Chasers. Have a blast!

Celebrating your birthday abroad