Tag Archives for " Lifestyle "

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Making connections: “It’s not what you know…”

You probably know the phrase, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” In house sitting this is often the case.

It’s important to register with some of the main house sitting websites, especially when starting out on your house sitting adventures. However, this probably isn’t the only way you will find great house sitting assignments. Networking and word-of-mouth will also produce interesting possibilities as you expand your horizons.

Sometimes the best opportunities come via the most unusual set of random connections, and you never know where these contacts might lead you in the future.

Our current house sit is a great example of this. It was never advertised as we were contacted directly by the people managing the property. They wanted to know if we would be interested in overseeing a luxury holiday resort in Fiji for a month during the off-season, so they could go on holiday. They also had two dogs that would need caring for too.

So how did we secure this amazing house sitting assignment?

As we flew from Australia to Fiji I thought about the chain of events that had led to our connection with Sue and Lloyd, the managers of Serenity Point.

In 2012 I was living on a little island in the Caribbean, just off the coast of Panama. I was planning three months away over the summer in Canada, and needed a house sitter, so I sent out an email to friends and contacts. “Who wanted to live on a tropical island for three months?”

None of the people I contacted directly could actually take me up on the offer, as they were tied down by work and other commitments.

… it’s who you know.”

However, my friend Ryan in Australia eventually put me in touch with Cameron, another Aussie who had time on his hands. A couple of months later Cameron arrived in Panama to take over as I headed north.

I returned three months later to find that Cameron had integrated well into the local ex-pat community and had developed a big group of friends. One of those friends was Sam. She was house sitting my neighbours’ house, and when Cameron departed Sam and I became friends.

By the time my neighbours returned Sam had managed to secure another house sit, looking after a beachfront resort which was closed for a couple of months. The owners of the resort were taking some time off for a well-earned break, and Sam had to meet them to finalize arrangements.

As we were both heading to town on the same day Sam and I shared fuel costs by boat-sharing, and when Sam went to meet the resort owners I said a quick hello, before settling down to wait for Sam to finish her meeting.

A month or two later, when friends came to visit me in Panama, Sam emailed her property owners and asked if it would be OK for her to entertain us as guests at the resort for a night or two. I’d only said a brief hello to the owners, but they were kind enough to give us the go-ahead to stay at the resort, which was closed for business at the time.

Later, when Sue and Lloyd returned from their trip to the States I bumped into them at the local jungle restaurant, and made a point of saying a big “thank you” for allowing us to stay at their beautiful resort. Over the following months we kept bumping into each other and began to build a friendship.

A year or so later, Sue and Lloyd sold up and moved on, but we all stayed in touch via Facebook. When we saw that they had taken over the management of a beautiful spot in Fiji we expressed our envy.

We never expected to be invited to come and look after their dogs, Angus and Bella, as well as oversee the resort and staff during the off-season. So you can imagine our excitement when we realised that their dates fitted perfectly with our schedule in Australia and we quickly secured the dates by booking our flights.

As you build your network of contacts, and as more people become aware that you are often on the lookout for interesting assignments, you too may be surprised by a wonderful offer out of the blue.

We’d love to hear your story in the comments section below. Tell us about a connection that landed you an unexpected house or pet sitting assignment.

  • February 17, 2016
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House Sitting in the UK

It was tough leaving the USA and even tougher selling the RV, our home for six months while we traveled around the southern states. But now we were back in England looking forward to house sitting in Reading.

I had grown up close by, so it was interesting to see how Reading had developed from my memory of a dingy, soulless town into a vibrant, modern city.

We were looking after an apartment that overlooked a park and the River Thames, just a short walk across the bridge to the city center. We had no car but we really didn’t need one here as the we could almost see the train station from our balcony!

This is one of those house sits that nearly didn’t happen. We were scheduled to look after Karen’s country home and her dogs for three weeks while she traveled. But a personal issue meant that she had to cancel and so no longer needed a sitter. However, she knew that we were flying in from the US and that it was too short notice for us to easily secure another assignment, and so she offered up her second property that was in the process of being sold.

Our house sitting home in Reading

Our house sitting home in Reading

This is what’s so lovely about the house sitting community. On the whole, and I believe because no money changes hands, everything is handled on the basis of trust and respect. People don’t want to let each other down, and Karen was amazing in this respect. When we arrived at the apartment, she’d even stocked up the fridge for us and put the heating on. What great hospitality.

So what exactly is house sitting?

House Sitting is a trend that’s become extremely popular over the last few years. It’s now a recognized alternative to a regular vacation and a great accommodation option for longer term travel.

Some people (and we’re almost in this category), house sit as a way of life. It’s an inexpensive way to visit and live temporarily in different countries and cultures round the world.

Sunny morning on the River Thames

Sunny morning on the River Thames

Instead of leaving a house vacant, home owners use house sitters to care for their property, possessions and pets. This can be anything from a few days to a few months, or even longer. By registering on international house sitting websites such as Trusted House Sitters, you can choose properties all over the world to stay in free of charge!

A mutual agreement is put in place where in almost all cases the house sitter is given rent free accommodation in exchange for looking after the property and pets. Over the agreed period of time, house sitters will make sure things run just as smoothly as if the owner were at home.

Ian and I have used house sitters to look after our own properties and we now frequently take assignments as house sitters ourselves.

We live a lifestyle where we travel the world full-time – we’re part of a new group of people described as “Location Independent” or “Global Nomads”.

We have no fixed abode and house sitting allows us to live in many wonderful locations.

River Thames at Caversham, Reading

River Thames at Caversham, Reading

We spent a three great weeks in Reading, enjoying the last of the autumn sunshine. We took advantage of the hourly bicycle hire, close to the apartment and explored the trails along the side of the River Thames. We also took this time to study for our 150 hour TEFL course, in preparation for our teaching posts in China.

Before leaving we managed to meet up with Karen and her partner and spent a welcome evening drinking beer in a cosy village pub.

Pet Sitting in Birmingham

It was soon time to move on and after a whirlwind visit to family and friends we settled in to our second house sit in Birmingham. We were booked on a TEFL classroom course to compliment our online study and needed somewhere with easy access to the city centre.

The kittens in our care

The kittens in our care

Once again we found a great house sit. This time we were in a well equipped, renovated Victorian house in Sutton Coldfield, where we spent a week pet sitting for two beautiful kittens. We’d arranged this pet sit from Houston, where we conducted an interview with the home owners over Skype. This is a great way to “meet” the home owners and reassure them of your credibility.

How did we get our house sitting assignments?

We found both of our UK house sits with very little difficulty through www.housesittersuk.co.uk (Use code HSMAG15 for a special 15% discount we’ve negotiated through our magazine).

They have a great website and a very good contact management system. Their charge is only £ 29.00 for an annual subscription (updated 2020) – well worth it when you consider we saved four weeks of hotel and rental charges amounting to well over a thousand pounds!

House Sitters UK Website

House Sitters UK Website

And, we saved even more by being able to buy and cook our own food. We also benefited from free WiFi and free utility bills. But the biggest advantage was to be able to live in a homely environment for our stay back in the UK. Having our own space to study and prepare for our TEFL examinations was invaluable. Much as we wanted to spend all our time with family and friends, we knew that we’d never focus on our studying!

House sitting is a wonderful opportunity to get free accommodation while providing a valuable service to pet owners. It’s a mutual exchange and one that we will continue to promote and use over the next few years as we continue our amazing world travel adventure!

You can see our house sitting profile page by clicking here.

  • November 30, 2014

Goodbye to America and goodbye to our RV

Our US road trip is sadly at an end!

We’ll soon be the previous owners of this wonderful 1998 Fleetwood Pace Arrow motorhome. It has just passed 81,000 miles – a low average of around 5,000 miles per year. We bought this vehicle at PPL in Houston six months ago and have just enjoyed an amazing trip of a lifetime. We’ve driven over 5,000 miles and have lived full time in the RV for the whole six months.

Our journey is just coming to an end, but if you are considering buying an RV, this article contains some information that might help you with your buying decision. Whatever type of RV you decide to buy, we hope you too get to experience life on the road in the same fine style we did.

Original Specification and add-ons

Our vehicle came with all the original paperwork and maintenance records going right back to the day it was bought as a brand new vehicle. The original owners paid for all of the optional extra add ons, which made it a very high specification model.

•    Awning made by Coleman Faulkner
•    Power roof vents
•    Extra TV in the bedroom
•    Dual air conditioning system
•    Powered hydraulic leveling jacks
•    Remote electric mirrors
•    Rear vision camera system
•    Higher quality interior trim

On comparing this model with some of the other vehicles of a similar age and type, we found everything to be a very high quality and finish. The value of the extras alone totaled $12,000 in 1998. The original price paid for this vehicle with all the add-ons was over $77,000!

Ian’s favorites

“With previous experience of driving big trucks (in the mines in the outback of Australia), I have tended to do most of the driving on any narrower or trickier roads. I am also the one who usually parks the vehicle wherever we stay for the night. However, Vanessa, after very little practice, has learned to drive the RV with ease and confidence.

The back-up camera is a great assistance. You can set it to just come on when you select reverse gear, or you can have it on all the time, so the image doesn’t go off when you come out of reverse gear – this is often a big help when positioning the vehicle at a fuel pump.

But above all, my favorite feature is the leveling jacks system. Once parked in place, from the driver’s seat you can simply set the vehicle level using the power jacks and the spirit level on the engine hood.

Many times at campsites we watched people with blocks of wood or plastic wedges, setting them under the wheels, guessing the level of the vehicle, before driving up onto these precarious platforms. They would often repeat the operation over and over until they got it right.  See picture above. No fun in cold or muddy conditions.

The power jacks are quicker, safer, and so convenient. You don’t even need to get out of the RV if it is raining – just level-up from the driver’s seat when you park, then put the kettle on!”

Vanessa’s favorites

“We took a long time to decide on this particular RV. I really liked how well looked after it was. In comparison to many others, there were no smells of stale tobacco, damp or other odors. However, one of the main things that influenced me was the design of the bathroom.

I liked that you could close two doors to create a large bathroom giving complete privacy in that area. Or you could close just one door to make a large en-suite bathroom. With hanging space in two additional wardrobes it is a good practical use of space. But the toilet does have a door and is enclosed for privacy.

The whole bathroom area dries out very quickly because of this open design, so it never has that damp musty smell that many smaller bathrooms acquire.

The bathroom sink is easily accessible too – if the kitchen sink is full or in use, you can still refill the kettle, or rinse something off in this extra sink.

I also like the kitchen area. The fridge is a decent size, and there’s an oven too, not just a microwave, as you’ll see in many older RVs. If you can’t run the generator (campground restrictions), the option is there to use the gas oven. There’s a microwave too, of course. The finish on the table and counter tops is lovely. In fact the whole RV is very well finished and I really like the window blinds with their day and night options.

The vehicle always felt very secure when we locked up at night. The windows are pretty high and we could double-lock the door. We checked and with the night blinds down, no one could see in. This really has been a lovely cozy home for the last six months and I will miss this nomadic lifestyle.”

Maintenance

During our six months of ownership we had only one major problem to deal with, when the radiator sprung a leak. It was the original 1998 radiator, so it had done very well.

This was replaced with a brand new unit at Texas Fleet Maintenance in Austin. They did a great job, and we haven’t had any overheating issues since, even on the steepest grades. We climbed up over 11,000 feet on the I-70 across Colorado from Grand Junction to Denver with no problems at all.

The only other job we had to do is top up the hydraulic fluid for the jacks. It’s an easy job which takes just a few minutes.

We have lived in this RV through extremes of temperatures from 40 degrees to well over 100 degrees. We have experienced torrential rain and storms with not a single leak to be seen. We’ve used the heating system and the air conditioning extensively and found them both to be more than effective in their respective temperature ranges.

Buying an old vehicle is often considered a risk, but we are very happy with the decision we made. It is, however, important to buy a vehicle that has been used regularly. More problems occur with vehicles that have been in storage for long periods of time. Low mileage doesn’t always mean low maintenance. It’s better to find an RV with slightly higher mileage that has had regular use, regular services and regular system checks.

If you are thinking about buying an older RV – in my opinion don’t hesitate. Use common sense, drive the vehicle, check out all the systems and make sure there is a comprehensive history. Ask lots of questions.

Or you could visit PPL in Houston – we would happily recommend them to anyone. All vehicles are sold on consignment, so there is no pressure to buy. No high powered sales people on your case from the moment you enter the door – as was our experience in some other centers!

Our road trip was a great, once in a lifetime experience and if you follow in our footsteps, you too could soon be eating breakfast, as we did,  on the edge of The Grand Canyon!

Our journey

Over the past six months we covered over 5,000 miles and saw some amazing and beautiful parts of the US. We spent a couple of months visiting the lovely state parks of Texas and then traveled west toward and along the border with Mexico.

After a brief visit to Guadalupe Peak on the Texas border, we journeyed on to The Grand Canyon where we spent a couple of weeks exploring both the south and north rims.

Then on to Bryce, Zion and Arches National Parks before finally heading to the higher, cooler mountains and ski towns of Beaver Creek and Vail.

We headed back to Houston before flying to the UK. We met some amazing people along the way and experienced unrivaled hospitality from  the American people. We certainly hope that we might someday experience our “second” trip of a lifetime and find another wonderful Pace Arrow to experience a different area of the US!

  • September 30, 2014

Hiking across the Grand Canyon

Whenever the Grand Canyon is shown in the UK, as a tourist destination, it is promoted alongside Las Vegas, suggesting that the two American locations sit side by side on the Nevada/Arizona border. I was so sure that a visit to the Grand Canyon would be just a short coach trip from the gambling capital of the world that it came as quite a shock to discover the south rim of the Grand Canyon was actually a 270 mile drive away!

It was even more of a surprise to find that a trip from the south rim to the north rim was a five hour trip and a further 220 miles! Traveling in a 34ft RV that managed only 5-8 miles a gallon, meant that some serious planning was necessary to ensure we didn’t blow our entire fuel budget visiting just one National Park!

As we headed through the massive Indian Reservations to the eastern end of the canyon, we considered our options. We really wanted to visit both south and north rims, but I’d also hoped to fit in a visit to “Sin City”, to gamble some cash at the poker tables! Still for now, we needed to concentrate on keeping our large oversized motor-home safe as we negotiated the steep windy roads up through the stunning Kaibab National Forest.

When we finally drove into the entrance of park, I expected to see the canyon ahead of me. But it was soon apparent that there were still a good few miles of driving before we would reach the Desert View area of the canyon at the eastern edge of the canyon. However, it was well worth a preamble.

After parking the RV we found ourselves just a short walk from the unprotected edge of what was one of the most awe inspiring views I have ever encountered. A vast wilderness encompassing 277 river miles (446km), extending up to 18 miles across to the north rim, and a mile deep to the Colorado River. This view really does take your breath away, plunging you into a deep, silent meditation as you try to comprehend the two billion years of geological history that stretches before you.

As the second most visited National Park in America, around five million people visit the Grand Canyon every year, many of whom do no more than take a brief tour of the Mather Point Visitor Centre. They head in droves to the protected edges, pose for their “selfie”, or share cameras with other visitors as they try to capture their silhouettes against this famous backdrop. But there is so much more to do here and we were in no rush to leave this park. It was an easy decision to bypass Las Vegas and save this city for another visit.

We checked in easily at the Desert View campsite (7438ft), which is run on a first come, first served basis and provides 50 sites. If you arrive early in the morning you have a better chance of securing a good spot, and we were soon settled into a secluded site that would be home for the next few days.

Unlike Mather, there is no shuttle bus service at this end of the park. This means a car or bicycles are a necessity if you want to explore all the viewpoints. However, there are not nearly as many people, and you are much more likely to find a quiet spot on the edge of the canyon where you can watch the spectacular sunsets. We made this even more romantic by buying a bottle of wine, and some snacks from the well-stocked store to enjoy the hour spent gazing into and across the canyon.

If you are lucky, as we were, you may see an electric storm way off in the distance, and be able to watch lightning zigzagging across the night sky. Of course, lightning close by results in a dramatic evacuation – electric storms at this height and exposure are the main cause of death in America’s National Parks. Just look for the scarred trees that litter the rim to see the power that is unleashed!

We spent the next morning exploring the Desert View visitor area and the prominent Desert View Water Tower. Built in 1932 and designed by architect Mary Colter, it was constructed in the style of the ancestral Puebloan people of the Colorado Plateau. Along with the Kolb brothers, Mary Colter is a notable contributor to the park’s history and we found the easiest way to find out more about her legacy was to attend a ranger talk.

Every evening the park rangers take turns to bring life to the history, culture and geology of the park. Sat in a small ampitheatre overlooking the rim, we spent the pre-sunset hour listening to tales of adventure, daring, struggle, toil, survival and death. The rangers really do work hard to passionately share their own love of the Grand Canyon and I was soon experiencing the strength of emotion that this wilderness bestows on its visitors.

We spent one of our days cycling to both Navajo Point and Lipan Point. Again there were relatively few people along the route and we were able to clamber across the rocks for more accessible views of the Colorado River. This end of the park offers more unprotected access, but extreme care should be taken if you venture beyond the safe areas. A steep uphill climb took us on to the Tusayan Museum where we were given a glimpse into Pueblo Indian life in the Grand Canyon some 800 years ago. A self-guided trail leads through the adjacent Tusayan Ruins which gives some insight into what was once a thriving Puebloan community.

After a few days exploring all that we could at Desert View, we traveled west 25 miles to the Grand Canyon Village at Mather Point. We hoped to get a last minute camping slot in what is by contrast, one of the most difficult campsites to find space in. People book months ahead and unless you can be flexible, it is a risk to just turn up without a booking. We were prepared to travel out of the park if necessary, but were fortunate that a cancellation had just been registered and our next RV campsite was secured.

How different it is at Mather Point, the central hub of the Grand Canyon. Here you will find all the lodgings, restaurants, administrative offices, and any number of safe rim trails, museums and other cultural, historical, and geological sites. After the relative peace of Desert View, Mather was quite a shock. We were stunned by the sheer number of people visiting from all over the world. But, it was reassuring to see that the “village” was well spaced out over a large area with trees and green areas masking the “tourist” nature of this site. In fact, it is situated over such a large area that a free shuttle bus service is in operation to ensure that you can get to all the different viewpoints and trails, easily and quickly.

Another option is to hire a mountain bike, but be warned – some of the roads are a little steep! There is a new cycle route down to Tusayan which we explored, arriving just in time to watch the stunning IMAX film that shows many of the inaccessible views of the canyon and Colorado River. It was a downhill ride for about 8 miles so we opted for the shuttle bus back to avoid the long uphill return cycle! If you can’t find accommodation in the park, Tusayan provides further options. However, the shuttle does close at the end of summer, so check dates and times before booking.

It is from the central village that the famous Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails meander down steeply to Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon. These trails are not for the fainthearted or ill-equipped hiker. In fact, you are advised to only tackle a short 3 mile out and back trek, as the steep descent and subsequent ascent is more than a lot of people can comfortably manage. It is quite fun to see the excited, relaxed faces on the way down, replaced by exhausted, pain filled expressions as they return in the 90 degree heat! I have to admit that, as fit as I was at this point of our travels, I found the steep uphill climb from Indian Garden a considerable challenge!

We packed in as many of the view points as we could during our three days, walking and cycling along the rim and making full use of the shuttle service. Our original plan had been to stay at Phantom, the famous ranch hidden deep at the bottom of the canyon, and close to the equally famous Colorado River. However, we discovered that this also required advance booking, up to a year ahead, and so it seemed extremely unlikely we would get a last minute cancellation on the dates that we wanted.

The more research we did, the more the idea of back-backing into the canyon began to appeal to us both. We had the time and we could be flexible. We would have to apply for last minute cancellation permits, and that might mean waiting a few days. The more we studied the trails, the more adventurous we became. Until finally, we decided that we would travel around to the North Rim after first visiting Bryce and Zion National Parks.

This would allow us to build up our fitness while hiking trails in these mountain parks, before tackling the 45 mile hike from North to South Rim and then after a couple of nights rest, back from the South Rim to the North. Only 1% of visitors venture across the canyon and even less attempt the return trip. But we wanted to stretch our capabilities and spend as much time as we could deep within this wilderness landscape.

Our plan took shape. The summer weather meant we could travel lightly. Just a lightweight tent, some cooking gear, food, and a sleeping bag – all provided inexpensively through a visit to Walmart. In fact all our equipment cost less than one night at in a shared dormitory at Phantom Ranch.

We left Grand Canyon excited, knowing that within just three weeks we would be parked up at the North Rim contemplating a once in a lifetime adventure. The north rim is much quieter because of its remote location. It was a long drive from Zion National Park to the north entrance. It was also a lot cooler due to its height at 8500ft. We were assured by the campsite hosts that the temperature at the bottom of the canyon would still be close to a challenging 100 degrees Fahrenheit!

We arrived early at the permit office and collected our queue number. It wasn’t long before we were sat discussing our route with a qualified ranger. She had a cancellation the next day but only had space at Phantom campsite for 2 nights, not for Indian Garden where we had planned to spend our second night. However, she convinced us that a two night stop after the long 14 mile trek down would give us plenty of recovery time. It would also give us time to explore the riverbanks and the shorter trails along the Colorado River.

We set off in the early morning shade, on a trail that was almost deserted once we had passed the three mile marker. The track hugged the side of the canyon walls, and required steady footing as the fall off the narrow path was far and long. The landscape changed constantly as we descended deeper, and the canyon revealed a beautiful sequence of rock layers which provide a unique window on time. We stopped for a break at the Cottonwood campsite and picked out a great site for our return trip. The sun was hot by this stage and the final eight miles to Phantom seemed endless as we followed a stream down towards the riverbed.

When we finally saw the sign for Phantom, after a long 14 mile hike we were pretty exhausted. We were longing to set down our backpacks and rest our weary feet and aching backs in the ranch restaurant before setting up camp. Tiredness made the rest of the day a blur and I don’t think I have ever been so keen to get into a tent and fall asleep!

The Ranger was right – a day of rest was very welcome after the strenuous hike and we enjoyed sitting on the banks of the Colorado River soaking up the sun before rising early the next day to start the 8 mile ascent back up the Bright Angel Trail to Mather Point. By the time we reached the south rim we felt like seasoned Grand Canyoners and were proud of our achievement. We spent two days resting before descending back down the Kaibab Trail, again to camp at Phantom. We then took two days to walk back out to the north rim spending a stormy night at Cottonwood camp.

It is hard to explain the sublime delight of spending time in the Grand Canyon, and we have already started exploring more adventurous hikes along some of the less used trails. This is a special place that promotes a special sense of belonging and I would urge everyone who is thinking of visiting to put this high on their priority list. It was one of the most awe inspiring experiences of my life and one that I would happily revisit at any time.

For more information about park opening times, campsites, hotels and hiking permits, visit: http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm

  • September 20, 2014
7

From Peckham to Panama

Stepping into a new life

I’ve always embraced change and I love a bit of a challenge, especially if travel is involved. But this was a change I certainly did not see heading my way as it rose on the horizon, swallowed me up and transported me 5,396 miles across the North Atlantic Ocean!

I hadn’t long adjusted to my new life living between my weekend home in South Wales and my weekday house-share in Peckham, South London. I was just settling into a great new job at a trendy design company on the Southbank and looking forward to establishing a new lifestyle in cosmopolitan London. It had changed so much since I had lived there as a child and I fully expected it to be my home for the foreseeable future. This assumption proved to be very wrong!

I met Ian Usher after my house mate Kim offered him our attic room for a couple of nights as he passed through London on his return to Panama. She sent me a text message over the weekend to warn me that there would be “a man in the house” when I returned and not to be alarmed. She also sent me a link to some online information, adding that “Ian has an interesting story – take a look”.

Take a look I did and I discovered that he had become “infamous” between 2008 and 2010 for selling his life on eBay after the breakdown of his marriage, and had then embarked on “100 goals in 100 weeks”. He was now living on a small island in Panama that he had bought with the proceeds of selling his story to Walt Disney Pictures and had, it appeared “found love” once again.

I was slightly overwhelmed by the amount of media coverage (that I had somehow managed to miss at the time) and decided that Mr Ian Usher may have a slightly inflated ego! I made up my mind to take an extra day of holiday, leaving Kim to catch up with her friend unhindered.

However, she soon sent another text to say that both a friend and Ian were going to accompany her to a concert and why didn’t I join them so that Ian didn’t have to sit by himself.

“Who’s playing?” I asked.

“Matchbox Twenty” she replied.

That sealed it for me. I had long wanted to see this American band after watching them perform on an epic edition of “Live from Abbey Road” with The Script and Def Leppard a few years back.

Little did I know that this unplanned meeting was going to be the start of a life changing event and the beginning of a new adventure living in Panama, Central America.

Contrary to my earlier poor judgement, Ian was extremely interesting, engaging and considerate and I instantly enjoyed his company. Although we didn’t get to talk much at the concert we did chat until the small hours of the morning back in Kim’s kitchen long after she (unusually) retired to bed. We had a lot in common it seemed and when I finally retreated to my room, we swapped emails with the promise of staying in touch. This was accompanied by an offer from a slightly inebriated Ian to, “come visit if you get the chance, before I sell the island”.  But, I wasn’t really sure it was a serious invitation after so much wine!

Ian set off to catch a plane early the next morning and I had plenty to occupy me over the coming weeks. But we did stay in touch and were soon emailing each other regularly, until I decided that, yes I would take a trip to Panama to explore further the connection that appeared to be developing between us. Ian had some relationship issues of his own to work through, but when this was resolved I went ahead and booked the flight.

I left London for San Jose, Costa Rica to meet up with Ian for a two week holiday. We enjoyed a couple of days in this vibrant capital city before travelling back to his small off-grid island in Bocas del Toro. I loved this laid back archipelago that was still pretty untouched by mass tourism and quickly adapted to the tropical environment and remote lifestyle.

Ian and I realised quickly that we were good together, and it became clear that I would need to make some drastic changes to my life if I wanted to pursue this flourishing relationship. After a couple of fairly intense and slightly surreal discussions, I made the decision to stay on in Panama. What the heck – if it didn’t work out I could always return to London at a later date. Career plans could be put on hold or adjusted – my own happiness was and is much more important to me. Ian was happy with my choice and I set about making the necessary arrangements.

Like Ian I believe that we only have one life and it needs to be lived fully and without compromise. A few practical challenges would need to be overcome and I was sad that it would be a while before I saw friends and family again. However, I was excited to be acting spontaneously and looking forward to a life with Ian in an environment with new challenges, a new community and new adventures.

And so here I still am a year later and I would encourage anyone who wants to make a drastic change to their life to seriously consider taking that jump. Fear lives in the imagination – the reality of taking action is often very different and much easier. Certainly weigh up the pros and cons, but don’t live your life wishing you’d lived it a different way. One day you will wake up and find it is too late.

Go on – take the first step to living the life of your own dreams!

  • June 1, 2014