Spontaneous nights out + travelling = unforgettable memories

One of the only photos I had from that glorious night

There is something about a spontaneous moment that catches you by surprise and inevitably ends up giving you an experience you'll never forget. If the mood and setting is just right its no doubt, that the second you decide to let go a little and let life take you on an adventure, you'll make an unexpected yet welcomed memory. I learnt this on my trip to the UK & Ireland 2 years ago, where I had one of the most spontaneous, drunken and unforgettable (even though I don't remember half of it) nights of my life. 

It was a Monday or Tuesday night in London at the end of March; I had just finished a 16 day Contiki of the UK & Ireland a couple of days before. It was amazing, I got to explore places I had dreamed of going to for a long time but best of all, I met some incredible people who have become my best friends. That night, there was only 3 of us from our group left. We went downstairs to the London Pub from the Royal National (the height of class and elegance as all you Contiki people would know), meaning only to have a drink or two and call it an early night. It's funny how naive we were, 2 Aussies and a Kiwi thinking we'd only go for one drink. As you could imagine, one drink turned into about three, and by this time we were looking for another spot. So we walked down the street and found a little pub to have some more drinks. It was an okay place, but the crowd was rather like a Monday night back in Australia, dull and uninteresting. We were sitting there quite content when one of my friends suggested we go to Picadilly Circus and this is when the night truly began. 

We got off the tube at Picadilly Circus and immediately started looking for a pub. It turns out; there wasn't a pub in sight. So we walked around a little bit, took some photos in the M&M store, brought a wireless phone charger and decided to go elsewhere. Then out of nowhere, a light descended from the heavens and lit up a place called 'The Zoo'. We could hear music coming from inside and saw girls and guys looking their best going into the blue-lit darkness. So we decided to see what the fuss was about and paid 10 pounds each for entry. Mind you; I was surprised we got in looking like we did. Both my friends were wearing thongs (flip-flops for you Americans), and we were all dressed super casual in jeans and jackets. No one in their right mind would ever let you into a club looking as we did back in Australia. It wasn't until we got downstairs that I realised why they let us in and why it was called 'The Zoo'. 

The place was filthy and overcrowded, but the drinks were so cheap, and the music was banging that we really couldn't complain. If my somewhat distorted and blurred memory remembers, Long Island Iced Teas were 7 pounds each, so we had about 3 of those each. Then I vaguely remember Vodka Red Bull's being 3 pounds each, so we had about 4 of those each, and then there were several rounds of Jager bombs on top of that. Even though the floors were sticky and the lady in the bathroom wouldn't let me have paper towel without paying for it, we danced and drank the night away and just enjoyed being with each other and living in the moment. 

It got to about 2:30 am, and I had lost all control of my legs and could barely stand my drunken ass up. So we left the Zoo on the hunt for food, and everything was closed, but me being the hungry white girl that I was, went and knocked on the window of a Burger King asking a man named David to "open up." David didn't open up, but my friends did get a video of the whole meltdown. We still were on the hunt for food when we came across a homeless lady and her Border Collie that had a little blue coat and bandana around its neck. The dog was holding a sign in its mouth, saying something about needing money. The lady gave us a whole schpeal about needing cash by a particular time, or the dog would be taken off her. None of us was convinced, but we were drunk and therefore generous and gave her some money and me being the dog-loving person that I am burst into tears and had a big meltdown over the fact that the lady probably wouldn't use the money on the dog but for drugs. Did I mention that I'm sometimes an emotional drunk? 

Before finally finding a Mcdonalds, we came across a homeless man wanting some change as well, but we had given all our cash to the lady with the dog. So my friend gave him some paracetamol and mints, and I gave him my perfume (it was almost empty, and I wasn't suggesting that he smelt terrible in any way, it's just all I had to give) and a hop-on-hop-off London bus pass that I wasn't going to use. I still wonder to this day, if he used the bus pass? Then we get to the Mcdonalds where we lined up outside to go inside only to line up again, which I had never seen at a Mcdonalds anywhere before. We get our food, sit there barely able to keep our eyes open while stuffing our faces and soon after hopped in a London cab at about 4:00 am to head back to the Royal National. I got back to my bed, closed my eyes and smiled at the incredible night we had just had. 

It's funny to think how a supposed casual drink or two turned into a night that was as fun and wonderful as it ended up being. I honestly believe that a night such as that can only happen spontaneously and would never be as memorable if it were planned. The decisions made were done through impulse and in the spare of the moment, and we just went off the excited and adventurous feeling we had at that very time. Allowing yourself to go with the flow, when you're feeling safe and comfortable can open up your travels to new experiences that may not have come your way otherwise. Thanks to having those moments of spontaneity, I have a memory that makes me smile and keeps me yearning to travel, every time I think about it. 

-JK