• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
GO TO EXPAT LIVING SINGAPORE
GET OUR NEWSLETTER

Expat Living Hong Kong HomepageExpat Living Hong Kong

Moving to Hong Kong and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Hong Kong.

Login Pelcro Shop

Menu
  • Living In Hong Kong
      • Living Here
      • Where To Live
      • Schools
      • For Guys
        • A day in the life of a Shrewsbury student
        • 6 Beautiful Boats for a Day at Sea
        • IWD in Hong Kong - successful female entrepreneurs and business women stories - Lavish and RajviIWD Special: Women kicking goals in HK #2
        • Men's tailors in Hong KongOur top picks for men’s tailors
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things To Do
      • What’s On/Calendar
      • Competitions & Offers
        • 6 Beautiful Boats for a Day at Sea
        • things to do in Hong Kong - Art Central 2023Top 35 Best Things To Do In Hong Kong This Weekend
        • What to watch this month – Netflix & more!
        • Kowloon Walled City Park10 must-see historical buildings in HK
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Activities & Things To Do
      • Education & Enrichment
      • Health & Wellness
      • Mums & Babies
      • Podcasts
        • A day in the life of a Shrewsbury student
        • Tackling the issue of kids and online safety
        • Meet the new head teacher at Stamford
        • Things to do with kids on their school break
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Décor
      • Readers Homes
        • Exploring the interiors of HK’s newest hotel
        • What’s in your mattress?
        • Why leasing furniture can be a great option
        • Home news - new furniture , décor and store openings in Hong Kong - Altfield tulipieresHome news: décor, furniture & more!
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Short Breaks
      • Further Afield
      • Travel News & Offers
        • 6 Beautiful Boats for a Day at Sea
        • 10 of the most famous gardens in the world
        • travel from hong kong to macau - new macau hotels - LondonerA guide for your next trip to Macau
        • new hotels and hotel deals in Hong Kong - Regent Hong Kong reopeningTravel News and Hotel Deals
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Recipes & Groceries
      • Bars & Restaurants
        • Pizza restaurants in Hong Kong, takeaway pizzas and delivery - Pizzeria Italiana5 Places to get great pizza in HK
        • Cask whiskies stacked for article on investing in cask whisk for Cask Trade in Hong KongInvesting in whisky casks in Hong Kong
        • International Women's Day – stories of female entrepreneurs and businesswomen in Hong Kong – NanaIWD Special: Women kicking goals in HK #1
        • Oven-Baked Iberico Pork St Louis Spare Ribs
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
        • The latest in laser hair removal, plus great deals!
        • Men's tailors in Hong KongOur top picks for men’s tailors
        • Beauty news: The latest launches!
        • Best lipsticks and lip glosses - reviewsOur reviews: Lipsticks & glosses
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Medical & Dental
      • Fitness
      • Wellness
        • heart health: high cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease10 Key Questions on Cholesterol
        • Fitness the Fast way!
        • 10 great gyms & studios to keep in shape
        • A gastric balloon that can help you lose weight
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
    • Magazine
    • Advertise With Us
    • Close

The story of a frequent flyer

28 February, 2020 by Kelli Shoemaker 2 Min Read

https://expatliving.hk/expat-life-hong-kong-travelling/

We asked our readers to share their stories about any aspect of expat life in Hong Kong. Here, KELLY SHOEMAKER talks about her experiences as a frequent traveller.

Miles, miles and more miles!

In the last month, I’ve travelled about 29,000 kilometres. Those kilometres translate into:

  • seven take-offs;
  • seven landings (thank goodness!);
  • one flight cancellation from Hong Kong to Los Angeles;
  • one flight delay from Washington DC to Kansas City;
  • 2,805 minutes up in the air;
  • three charley horses;
  • four viewings of The Greatest Showman;
  • three books;
  • one dinner with two college roommates;
  • two days with my parents and sisters;
  • 24 hours with a best friend;
  • ten days of missing my husband and my dog; and
  • twelve seatmates, including a federal marshal, a rabbi, one Hawaiian moving to DC (poor guy), a reverend, two Americans going on their first cruise around Asia, a young couple with well-behaved twin babies, an older woman travelling with her friends for their first “autumn break” (not sure if she meant their age or the season) to Mexico, and another couple who spoke no English but smiled understandingly when I used charades to indicate I needed out of the seat row for a bathroom break.

Expat life in Hong Kong – frequent flyer

 

A new perspective

Travelling, while a privilege, is exhausting and takes longer to recover the older I get, not to mention it throws my body into a tailspin for days. And we won’t even discuss my closet and the fact that my luggage will remain partially packed for five days. But I do it for those hours with the people I love – and, as an added bonus, find myself spending minutes with people that I discover I like. These people rarely look like me, talk like me and hardly ever think like me. They are fascinating. They have stories and experiences and names and cultures that unfold before me like a rich tapestry of sounds and colours and textures I’ve never experienced together before.

Living an expat life can feel like you’re living in a vacuum. But as much as I talk about my distaste for “people-ing”, I’m grateful for these interactions, planned and unplanned, that force me to see a new perspective, to get outside of myself and my self-imposed walls.

Don’t let the news media’s fear-mongering or social media arguments over politics fool you. It’s a big, small world out there and people are still looking for positive moments to share – be it sharing the armrest on a 16-hour flight or sharing your hard-earned knowledge on an expat Facebook page. You never know when your journey will inspire another to step outside of their box. And just think, you could be visiting them on your next trip.

Tell us a tale and win $1,500

Here’s your chance to get published – and make some money at the same time. We’re looking for 500-word written contributions on any funny, poignant, practical or even controversial topic that touches on expat life in Hong Kong. Simply email your stories in a Word document to editor@expatliving.hk and we’ll consider them for inclusion in an upcoming issue.

 

See more in our Living in Hong Kong section:

Your guide to Wong Chuck Hang

What it’s like to live in Hong Kong

Are you looking for a job in Hong Kong?

 Subscribe to Expat Living magazine now so you never miss an issue.

Categories: Living Here Living In Hong Kong Tags: expat life Living In Hong Kong Travel

Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox
Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox

You May Also Like

A day in the life of a Shrewsbury student

What to consider when choosing an international mover

IWD in Hong Kong - successful female entrepreneurs and business women stories - Lavish and Rajvi

IWD Special: Women kicking goals in HK #2

Primary Sidebar

  • COMPETITIONS & OFFERS
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2023 Expat Living Hong Kong, All Rights Reserved.