Four to six months of the year overseas, living out of a suitcase, hotel room to hotel room ... yep, it's the start of another season, and I am excited, fresh and raring to go.
Travelling with me never has a dull moment. It's an adventure, a challenge. I've been keeping myself on my toes - and others on theirs - since 1987.
I have lost a lot of valuable goods with my ''no worries'' attitude: visas, wallets, phones, even passports. Once I even found myself in a different country from what I had planned (if you have been on European trains, you may know what I'm talking about).
So, when it comes to travelling I have to have a lot of attention to detail and be a bit smarter than the average bear.
This is especially the case when racing, when we might have a 15-hour time difference. As we get on these long-haul flights, we immediately set our clocks to where we are heading. If it's night-time there, but the morning in New Zealand, we know we have to get to sleep, and try to adjust as quickly as possible to the time change.
I have a specific nutrition plan on my travels, eating as healthily as possible and staying hydrated so I don't feel like a sack of potatoes coming off the plane.
But, after you go from country to country, race to race, your body just becomes a little confused about the time zone.
''What do you want? Make up your mind - you're either in the United States, Europe or New Zealand,'' it tells me.
People always say: ''You must see a lot of the world.''
Well, in a way we do, but mainly this is how it works:
1. Get picked up from the airport.
2. Straight to the hotel.
3. Adjust to time change.
4. Get unpacked.
5. Go to race briefing.
6. Pre-race dinner of pasta and pizza (loads of carbs).
7. Get a good night's sleep.
8. Up and race.
9. The next day, we leave.
Really, there's not much time to explore. The few days before a race are mostly spent resting, in bed watching movies to save as much energy as possible (this usually means taking a taxi to go any further than a block).
We do train in some amazing places. And, er, in some places a sewer rat would find difficult.
Lesson 1: Never base yourself in a busy city for training. Places like Hong Kong or Tokyo can lead to an unwanted appearance on the Without A Trace television programme.
The most beautiful place to train, without a doubt, is Wanaka. My home, my training ground, my life.
But it is also good to explore the world, to see how other people live, to try to understand their circumstances or their religions or their cultures. Sometimes, it's not about passing judgement, but about acknowledging our differences, at the same time as realising how lucky we are to live in this stunning place.
• Tony Dodds is a Wanaka triathlete preparing for the Commonwealth Games. Visit his Facebook page (Tony Dodds AKA Doddsy) for a chance to win a month's worth of drinks and some gear, thanks to his sponsor, Pump.
