I don’t really know what to write.. maybe that I’ve cried almost non-stop for the last five days whilst saying a temporary goodbye to some of my favourite people, and before that at least once a day since I made the decision to go travelling again?? I’m doing it again, but for longer this time. I’ve packed my backpack and I’m off, starting in Cambodia (via a long layover in Dubai, do I count that?!).

I’ve referred in a few of my posts that 2024 has been a bit rocky, it hasn’t really gone the way I thought it would (and that might be a bit of an understatement!) and I’ve really had to take a step back and think about how I just take a bit of time for me. So I’ve left my job and I’m going travelling! The last time I took off for a bit longer was in 2018 and I absolutely loved every minute of it (except for when my Australian visa went wrong in Denpasar Airport in Bali). But, on the whole, I had the best time and met some truly incredible people and I am so excited to be going again.

Travelling really is my thing. I imagined this year going really different from this, but this isn’t a bad thing. I’m actually really glad (in some kind of way) that it’s ended up like this and I’m getting some time out to do what I really love. I just haven’t felt like me for a little while and I haven’t really been able to work out how, fully, to get back to me. I started boxing which really helped me, as well as some other bits and pieces but always felt like there was something still missing, and when I got home from my last trip to Malta, I felt so lost, but in a weird way, I knew what I was missing and just didn’t want to accept that travel was it. I still remember the day after I got back from Malta I went to a work conference for a few days and I literally felt like I was hiding something the whole time, anyway, a week later I’d booked a one-way ticket to Cambodia and everything started to fall into place (with lots of added emotion).

Now that journey is starting. Currently sat at Gatwick Airport crying (obviously) and thinking about if I’ve definitely made the right decision and if I’m actually ready, but, as a few people said to me, I’ll never know the answers to them questions, I’ve just got to go with it now and see what happens. But with that, I’ll be back posting a bit more regularly again as I take on the world, well, starting in South East Asia! Catch you after my first stop in Dubai.. Mads x