The last time I went backpacking, I had just finished my PhD. I had been living for free in student accommodation as a welfare tutor, and I had next nothing in terms of wordly possessions.
I remember thinking about what to do with my stuff, I already had a self-storage in the UK, since my Mum had recently emigrated to France. But since I had no major possessions, this was big enough for my clothes and small items. I had a car, but I gave this to my Mum the day I was due to go. I think the hardest thing I had to arrange, was to cancel my monthly Sim and get a PAYG Sim…! Life was simple…
Believe me, it is not simple now. This time is much different. I have a house and a mortgage, I (had – and will go into that later) a car, I have countless subscriptions and regular bills set-up, a house FULL of posessions, personal items, PLANTS (coming out of my ears), a spider, and of course, my cat, Rupert… Honestly, the mountain of things I have to arrange and organise is overwhelming. So overwhelming at times, I want to just cancel the plans and stay here. It would be SO MUCH EASIER!
I have to constantly remind myself, I am not doing this so my life will be easier. Life is not about being easy… Life is about… well… anything you want it to be about. And I want my life to be about learning, exploration, adventure, fun, laughter, love. None of those things are necessarily easy.
Unfortunately, almost every good thing in this world, to have it, to achieve it, to ‘make it’, is a hard journey to get there. So, above all, I am SURE it will be worth it in the end.
So what steps did I take? What challenges did I face? and how am I (eventually) overcoming these challenges?
The Trigger
I had always wanted to go travelling again, it’s a very liberating experience, which is a privilege to have the opportunity to do. You learn so much, meet so many fascinating people, try new things, new foods, new experiences, have no stress, pressure or deadlines, and you truly get to explore yourself and the things you love.
So yes, I had always planned to go again… “in the future”…
When was “the future”? I don’t really know. 2025, I used to say, which is not that far away now, as we are in 2024. But it was still a fair distance away. I did have a savings plan, which was even called “travel plan” in my Chip account. I had a number in mind for how much I wanted in there before I would feel safe and secure enough to quit my job.
But then 3 things happened:
1. I met Dave
I met Dave in November 2023, and he had just come back from a year of travelling after also saving for a long time and quitting his job. Things hadn’t quite worked out for him, and he had returned to the UK briefly to reassess his life plans. We hit it off straight away, and fell into that whirlwind of love you often see in movies. I had a holiday to Kenya and Tanzania booked already and invited him along, and after knowing him for only 1 month, he came with me! We made a plan – a REAL plan – to go travelling together, after June 2025, things were real, but still far away. And we were very exited, but then…
2. My apartment was burgled
On our second holiday to Iceland over Easter 2024, my apartment was broken into. They smashed my window to gain entry, stole my car – which had been my pride joy, and all my jewellry, including a very sentimental gold Pandora bracelet I had been collecting since age 16.
I think when someone invades your home – your private and personal space – it changes something in you. I didn’t want to be here anymore. I didn’t feel safe or secure. But also it changes your perspective on things. At the end of the day, all they took was “stuff”. Some asortment of material possessions I had assigned with meaning. But in reality, they don’t have meaning. The Pandora was sentimental, but the memories I have of going on holiday with my Mum, or her teaching me to drive a car, or how to sew, or just sitting gossiping by the fire – they are what’s really important. The experiences and memories, way more than material goods.
And finally;
3. I had a minor health scare
Everything turned out to be absolutely fine, and actually, it was a blessing in disguise as it meant I had “the full MOT” as Dave likes to call it. But an abnormal test result after a doctors appointment fast-tracked me through a screening program, and for a few days (thank god it wasn’t more), I was convinced I had cancer.
It might sound melodramatic, but it’s hard to explain what it feels like when your own mortality and fragility is displayed in front of you so clearly. All I could think about was, what if I do have this? How will my life be then? How will my priorities shift? What will I do with my life?
And I knew, if my diagnosis had been different, and I was given a few months or years to live, I would DEFINITELY be off travelling and making the most of my life (from my perspective). As travelling truly is my happy place.
So why was I not now? Just because death wasn’t looming over me imminently… Sorry to say, it’s still coming. It will get us all eventually. We only have a preciously short life, and it can be taken from us at any moment, sometimes without any prior warning at all. So why wait? Why wait until it’s too late to do the things you love? Until you’re too old? Too tied into responsibility?
Why are we all not doing EXACTLY what we want, to have the most fulfilling life, ALL OF THE TIME?
Well… Society doesn’t allow us… And we are a slave to money… but that’s perhaps going slightly too deep for this blog post haha
I am lucky, I have the money and opportunity to. And although my bank balance isn’t showing the EXACT number I wanted it to, it’s still a very privileged amount to have, and enough to free myself for a substantial amount of time.
So here, we go, it’s happening now… we’re not waiting a second longer than we have to…
My Home
I bought my flat in 2019, and with the help of my Mum and Julian, I did it up exactly how I wanted it. I fitted a brand new kitchen, with oak worktops 😍, a sage green tiled backsplash (which I tiled and grouted myself), spruced up the bathrooms, invested in all matching beautiful furniture, perfected my office… how can I give this up. Well… again… it’s all just stuff.
So I’ll be renting out my place – furnished – to help relieve some of the removals. And the rest of my personal items, I’ll be putting in storage. We’re currently in the process of packing, consolidating, and selling/getting rid of. It’s a slow process, and half of the things I have, I dont use or wear often or even at all, so it’s actually quite cathartic. But it’s hard to let go of some things…
I am using a management company to help me rent out, a local firm. They helped to find a tenant, get the application, receive deposit, and monthly payment. They also helped me get all the safety paperwork in place beforehand, like electrical safety etc. And they will manage any issues whilst we are away, so I don’t have to worry about the flat at all. They charge a % of the rental income, and so far, it’s been absolutely worth every penny.
My Job
This is very difficult. Not only do I love my job, but I worked insanely hard to get into the position I am in now. So, it seems crazy to just walk away from all that. But what is the purpose of life? Is it really to work? At the end of the day, it’s just a job, and arguably, there are more important things in life.
I understand that I am coming from a position of absolute privilege here – that I have enough in savings in order to not work for a period. And that’s a very unique opportunity. But the savings did not magically appear in my bank one day… I have had to plan and save for this moment. So I hope for the briefest of times (hopefully at least one year) we can both escape the hand cuffs of the rat race, and find a life more fulfilling.
We do both have back-up plans and fall backs. And we talked at length about “the worst case scenario”, which for us both would be running out of money and needing to come home, having to temporarily stay with family and get just any old job to get up back on our feet. In reality, the “worst case” is not actually that bad…
My Car
Well, my car was stolen, and insurance aready paid out, so this is sorted for me! Haha! But Dave still has his car, and so he will be selling his before we go. To make things easier, we will sell the car in advance, so he has time to complete paperwork and change addresses etc. And then we will hire a car for the last weekend of moving out.
My Bills and subscriptions
Most of these can be cancelled, I have cancelled water, electric/gas, broadband, council tax, TV licence – as these will all be covered by the new tenants. For things like Netflix, NowTV, Prime – I don’t expect to be watching TV any time on the road, so these are all cancelled. I had a few regular charity donations too, but with no regular income anymore, I also cancelled these 😔
I also cancelled my contents insurance, and will instead need to take out landlords insurance.
Everything else just needs a quick Change of address.
Changing Addresses
The tricky question with travelling, is where do you “live”? I am renting out my place, and I got consent to let from my Mortgage provider, but this is now no longer my addess, because my tenants live here now… So I have asked my grandparents if I can “live” with them. And once we move out of here, I’ll change all my addresses (bank, mortgage, pensions, savings account, driving licence, other legals, etc) to their address.
Technically speaking, unless you officially emigrate and stay in one country for longer than 3 months, with the intention to “live” there, the UK will always keep you as a resident. And you’ll still qualify for NHS treatment at home or abroad. We applied for a GHIC as well, but we also got long-term backpackers travel insurance separately too.
Almost all of my services linked to the address are paperless. So my grandparents shouldn’t be bombarded with mail. And there should not be any impact on their living situation either.
Rupert and Spid
Which brings me to the last problem… Rupert. Ru is my little baby, and without him over the last few years living on my own, I am not sure what I would have done. It’s a very hard decision to leave him. But it’s not a permanent move, we are coming back. And if we don’t, and we find somewhere we want to stay long-term outside the UK, then we will come back and get Ru and take him with us. This is a non-negotiable for me. I won’t leave Ru.
But, for now, I am very fortunate to have supporting friends and family, and Pete has said that he will take Rupert, with the support of my grandparents (when he wants to go on holiday etc). So I am eternally grateful to him, and I know Rupert will love being back with his big brother Chip again.
Dave’s brother will also take Spiddy (a little jumping spider I have had for about 18 months). Which is also a huge help and we are very thankful.
And that’s that, it’s pretty much everything done, right now the only thing I am worrying about are my plants! Do you know anyone who wants a 7ft Cheese plant?!?!
Travelling is one of the most rewarding and enriching experiences in life, and I know all the stress of the last few weeks and months will be worth every effort.
But more importantly, I know any new challenges that arise will not be faced alone 🥰
Thank you to my friends and family for supporting me always. And to Dave for inspiring me (us) to take the plunge!
WISH US LUCK!
Travel Alchemist 
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