When we first went travelling together all the way back in 2005, it was the thing to do at that time in our lives. We had just graduated from university and many of our friends were also packing backpacks for an exciting nomadic adventure. After years of hard work and study we can understand why the majority of British students take gap years before diving into the never-ending world of work.
It felt good to be part of that majority.
Visiting Christ the Redeemer in Rio, Brazil
Fast forward 11 years and it’s all changed. We’re still on the road, living our dreams, but all our friends who we once shared that travel affection with have gone. No longer can we meet up with them on the other side of the world, share travel stories or join each other for a crazy experience.
Hvor er de?
They’re all at home, purchasing big houses, having babies and advancing in their successful careers. They’re living normal lives and we’re certainly no longer part of the majority. In fact, still travelling in our mid thirties puts us in the very small minority.
So why aren’t we back home in the UK living “normal” lives? Why are we still travelling in our mid thirties? We’re thankful you asked!
Travelling around Wanaka Lake, new Zealand
We Can’t work out Down
We’ve tried, but we just can’t work out down. once we had experienced that initial year-long Australian backpacking adventure in 2005, our lives would never be the same. We returned home in 2006, thrilled to see our families, but after a few weeks of normality we had this aching urge to get back out into the world again. We had well and really been bitten by the travel bug.
Since that return home we have continuously been packing our backpacks for multiple year-long trips around the world. We can’t stop. Each time we return we think maybe, just maybe, this time we have got it out of our system.
Darren at vacation home Nova Milfontes, Portugal
Men nej. We’re now on our newest exciting exploit. earlier this year we purchased a one way ticket to Asia with no plans to return home anytime soon. We’re travelling using our largest savings pot yet and plan to hopefully make some money along the way. We’ve accepted the fact that travel is to be part of our lives forever and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Related: 30 ways travel changes in Your 30’s
Livet er for kort
It’s a cliché, but we feel life really is too short. too short to be living in one place for your entire life. too short to be caged in an office, working 9-5 (or longer in our case) in a job you don’t enjoy. maybe working in that job year after year after year. Or worse, FOREVER!
We couldn’t live that way. Not when we now know what else is out there. travelling has opened our eyes to so numerous other possibilities. To other types of lifestyles we didn’t even know existed.
Shelley exploring the Colca Canyon, Peru
It’s a morbid thought but nobody knows what’s around the corner. Tomorrow we could be hit by a bus or develop a fatal disease. If that happens then we don’t want to be sorry for not doing the things we wanted to do together. even if we’re lucky enough to reach old age, we don’t want to be sat in our old people home with those same regrets. We’re making the most of our able-bodied years before it’s too late!
The world is too outstanding to stop Exploring
Armchair travel through the viewing of documentaries or the reading of blogs isn’t enough for us like it can be for others. we all live on an amazing planet and it’s simply too outstanding not to explore for ourselves.
Amazing Landscapes
We’ve delighted in some awesome experiences together. From a jeep safari at the world’s largest salt flat in Bolivia to sleeping under the stars in India’s Thar desert. From island hopping in Thailand to driving the great ocean road in Australia. We still travel now to acquire much more memories of these once in a lifetime experiences.
At the Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia
Amazing People
It’s not just the landscapes that are amazing. There are some outstanding people in the world that are a delight to meet. fascinating and friendly locals who live completely different lives to those in the western world. The highlights for us include Sri Lankans, Fijians and the fantastic children in Cambodia. Without our ongoing travels we would not have the pleasure to meet these outstanding and welcoming people from different corners of the world.
Amazing Food
Food has become a massive part of our travel enjoyment. We haven’t always been foodies but travelling the world has opened our taste buds til nogle fremragende retter. Gennemse travle fødevaremarkeder, touring fristende gadevogne og finde en skjult lokal kok er noget, vi glæder os over utroligt. Den store mængde af forskelligartet og velsmagende mad rundt om i verden indebærer, at vi aldrig savner den klassiske britiske fisk og chips eller en komplet engelsk morgenmad.
Spise Panchos i Santiago, Chile
Vores rejseliste fortsætter med at vokse
Jo meget mere vi rejser, jo længere vores rejse bucket list synes at få. I løbet af de sidste 11 år har vi rejst til følgende amter:
Indien, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodja, Vietnam, Borneo, Bali, Australien, New Zealand, Fiji, Forenede, Stater, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Brasilien, Frankrig, Tyskland, Belgien, Holland, Danmark, Spanien, Portugal, Italien, Tjekkiet, Polen, Tyrkiet, Marokko og selvfølgelig England, Skotland og Wales.
Hidtil skal vores foretrukne land være Sri Lanka.
Darren – Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
Sikker på, at det er en fremragende liste, men du burde se størrelsen på listen over steder, vi stadig vil besøge! Vi kan ikke stoppe nu.
Huset, babyer og erhverv bliver nødt til at vente
Vi er begge for klar over, at vi ikke får nogen yngre. Vi ved, at tiden kunne løbe ud, hvis vi vil have en familie. På en måde er rejser vores baby. Vi elsker det og bruger vores liv til det. Måske vil dette ændre sig i løbet af de næste par år, men for nu elsker vi at leve vores liv på denne måde og have børn er ikke noget, vi i øjeblikket vil have.
Relateret: Skal vi have en baby?!
Det store hus og karrieren? Godt vi kunne ikke passe mindre for dem. Vi ved, vi er de lykkeligste, når vi rejser, så hvad kan der være meget mere vigtigt end det?!
Du kan rejse også!
Mange mennesker giver op på ideen om at rejse, fordi de tror, at de ikke har nok penge eller ikke kan synes at redde. Både Shelley og jeg har aldrig været i høje betalende job. Faktisk, for størstedelen af vores tid, der arbejder mellem ture, tjente vi temmelig lave lønninger i forhold til London-gennemsnittet.
Selv da har vi stadig været i stand til at spare for flere årslange ture, mens de bor i en af de dyreste byer i verden.
Vi blev engageret i Dubrovnik, Kroatien!
Det har ikke været let, men hvad vi forsøger at sige er, at med noget hårdt arbejde, engagement og ved at lave et par ofre, kunne du også snart booke dit fly rundt om i verden.
Vores venner og familie regelmæssigt quiz os om, hvordan vi sparer så mange penge i så korte tidsrammer. We’re living proof that ordinary people with ordinary incomes can save enough money for epic travels.
Vi er faste troende, at hvis vi kan rejse den måde, vi gør, så kan nogen. even if you believe you’ve missed your chance because you too are in your mid thirties or older. You’re never too old to travel. Det er aldrig for sent. kom med os! ?
Kan lide det? Pin det! ?
Ansvarsfraskrivelse: Geder på vejen er en Amazon Associate og også en affiliate for nogle andre detailhandlere. Dette indebærer, at vi tjener provisioner, hvis du klikker på links på vores blog og køber fra disse forhandlere.