It’s taken over two weeks, but I finally had my “how have I ended up here?” moment.
Sitting poolside at a swanky hotel in Muscat, Oman having just spent £32 on a pizza, sprite and some ice cream (Oman is spenny!), I was scrolling through Instagram when I saw a post which said “how do I become a stay at home? Not a stay at home mum, just a stay at home where I don’t have to work” and I thought “yeah, I want that… wait.”.
It suddenly occurred to me that I don’t any obligations any more, and this year is just for me to have the best time possible. I don’t need to worry about work, or bills or any of those serious and boring adult things because this year is about seeing the world.
So how did I end up in this position?
Just over two weeks ago I left the UK with plans to visit around 30 countries this year. The idea came about around a year ago when I realised that I could spend all my time working, and saving money with the idea of maybe moving house, and going on the occasional trip to keep myself happy, or I could go and see the world because you just don’t know what’s around the corner. Safe to say, the second option definitely looked like the more fun thing to do.
Next up was work. Amazingly, this was the easiest part! When your line managers are into travel and know you are too, asking for a year-long career break doesn’t really come as a surprise! A few forms later, it was all signed off and in a years time I have a job to go back to. Although, I will have turned into an insufferable “during my career break…” type person, so not sure whether they’ll want me back!
Lastly was the money issue. When I tell people my plans, I get asked “are you rich?” to which the answer is a resounding “No!”(despite what the £32 lunch tells you…). Over the last year I’ve been saving every penny I could from working overtime and reducing my daily spending to put as much aside as possible. According to my planning spreadsheet, I have just enough to cover the year, and for anything else there’s credit cards!
Ultimately, it’s all about what’ll make you happy. I will fully admit that the few weeks before I left were the most stressed I had ever been. Trying to pack your entire life up to live out of a backpack for a year, while trying to get your cat to settle in with your parents (unsuccessfully I should mention, she disappeared for over a week but has returned now!) isn’t exactly for the faint hearted. But now that I’m into the thick of it, it was the best decision.
Four countries down, 26-ish to go!
