The end of annual leave

Where to begin, Ivan and Jane have rented their house, sold, given away or stored the majority of their personal belongings, given up their jobs and are now living in a little over 6 metre long motorhome called 'Daphne'.

We have been travelling for just over 5 weeks, through France, Northern Spain and are currently in mid Portugal, heading slowly south. This is an adventure of a lifetime for us. When Ivan first mentioned going travelling and "getting away from it all" he was in a depressive state, off sick from work and exhausted by having to worry and care for Jane, now recovering from a serious lung condition. 2017-18 was life changing and a very difficult time for both of us. It was probably not the best time to be making life changing decisions as momentous as this. However it planted the seeds and from then on we could not shake them.

Both in recovery we decided life was too short. Let's do it! Our dreams of living, exploring and traveling in a motorhome was born and we worked hard to make it happen. 30 years of living in the same house and having micro adventures most weekends and holidays meant we were not only in a position to financially make it work by renting our house out, we also have the mindset to want to travel and see the world while we are still young and healthy enough to make the most of it.

In January 2019 we set off after the mammoth task of emptying our house. After a few weeks on the road we are happy and content to slow down, explore each place we visit as thoroughly as we can, meet different people and, most important of all, STOP, LOOK & LISTEN. We love taking in the air, wondering at the night sky and learning about nature, history and cultures. Each day we walk or cycle 3-4 hours, learn new things that astound us and make us thankful to be alive, eat healthy fresh food and have learnt to relax.

We hope to continue this lifestyle for a few years. We have a lot of things we want to do and places we want to see. Life for us had improved immeasurably and to cap it all, we dont have to ask for annual leave from work! This is our life now and its wonderful 😍. We will keep you posted.