Last week I shared some big news. Brian and I are leaving New Zealand to travel Europe for six months.
l also promised to share the reasons why the thought of doing this trip brings me out in a cold sweat.
Here goes.
5 Reasons Why I’m Scared To Travel (but am doing it anyway):
1: The war
I’m not stupid. I know that right now is not the best time to travel to Europe. And I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that I’ve typed into Google: ‘If the Russians dropped a bomb would it hit Greece?’ Because I have. Many times. The answer, by the way, is yes.
2: My book
How am I ever going to find the time to finish the book that I am writing?
Brian says that I can do it on the go but the thought of that leaves me cold. I haven’t told you this but I am currently experiencing a dry period. And I’m not referring to alcohol.
I can’t write.
The words won’t come out. Getting sentences out of my head and down onto paper feels like I’m giving birth to an oversized ostrich. One with really fat legs.
3: Covid
I’m not so much scared of getting Covid, I’m scared that New Zealand will throw a tantrum and close the borders again. Leaving me stranded in Blighty forever with no way of getting a repeat prescription for my contact lenses or testosterone cream.
Me. A blind, brain fogged wreck.
4: The kids
I’m close to my family. Very close. Almost to the point of borderline freaky and obsessive. If I had my way Tessa would be in a tower with Rapunzel and Sonny and I would fly around Neverland together forever. Him in his pyjamas and me in Wendy’s nightie.
Even though they are staying with the best person in the world (my mum) and I know that they’ll be absolutely fine. That’s not the point. I know they’ll be fine. My fear is that I won’t be.
5: Money
If you’ve been following me for a while you will know that Brian and I have spent the last three years on a mission to become location independent. And by Jove, we’re succeeding. We have managed to create multiple streams of income with a number of businesses that can be operated from anywhere in the world.
We own and run two blogs (my main travel blog, and a pet blog). We have a weekly Youtube channel. Two podcasts. A drop-shipping business. I have created three different courses, Brian and I have created a moving to New Zealand membership site and, as we speak, I am in the throes of setting up an intimate paid Mastermind Group for women who are determined to create the life they desire.
So. That’s a lot of balls to juggle.
And those balls are far easier to manage when you’re sitting still in one place. Quietly and safely. Aka at home in the spare bedroom with a nice cup of tea.
Because what if it all stops? What if I get to Europe and the travel industry goes bust and no one buys a dog anymore or wants to move to New Zealand. What then?
Stranded. With no money. No job. And no kids. Blind. Foggy. Terrified. Old.
These are the thoughts that go through my head. Daily. Usually at 3 am.
These fears are the reason why, when Brian suggested this wonderful trip, my stomach lurched and my left eyelid twitched. These fears are what tempted me to tell Brian (numerous times) to sell the air tickets, stick the newly purchased car on eBay and forget all about this silly, stupid idea until the time was right.
No trip to Europe for six months for us. No sir. We will stay in New Zealand thank you very much. Nice and safe with Jacinda and good wifi and belly pork pies.
But.
Hang
on
a
minute.
What if I looked at these fears differently?
What if I reprogrammed my thoughts and took a different approach? What it…
1: The War. Version 2
Any kind of war is hideous and terrifying. Especially when it involves a country that has access to a big red button that could destroy the world. No one wants to die.
But.
On 15 March 2019, which is now known as one of New Zealand’s darkest days, a terrorist open fired on a group of Muslim worshipers attending prayer meetings in Christchurch. New Zealand lost 51 of its people that day. 51 people were killed and 41 others seriously injured. In New Zealand.
In the same year, in a Wal-Mart store in Texas, 22 people had their lives snatched from them and 24 others were injured when a man open fired in the store. In a Wal-Mart store. In America.
Lyon, France. The same year. A man on a bike dropped a bomb outside a bakery seriously injuring 14 people. The youngest being an eight-year-old girl.
I could go on but I won’t. My point is this. Yes. The thought of being caught up in a war is terrifying. But so is living underneath an active volcano knowing that it could erupt in the next fifty years (Mt Taranaki. Where I live). And so is getting into a car and driving at night in the rain.
You get my point.
2: My Book. Version 2
What if, without the distractions of the house and the kids and the mundane day to day tasks such as cleaning the bathroom and folding the laundry, my creative juices begin to flow?
What if I’m inspired by the long sunny days in Europe and write every day until my hand drops off and my book is completed?
What if I can say in the final chapter: ‘This book was written from the front seat of an old car while driving along the dusty roads of Italy.’ How cool and hip would that sound?
3: Covid. Version 2
New Zealand has only just opened its borders. I can’t see them closing the gates again anytime soon. And if they do we could take a trip to Thailand and live like kings for $500 a week. I hear that Chiang Mai is beautiful at Christmas.
4: The kids. Version 2
Could there be the slightest possibility that this time away from my kids might make them appreciate me a teeny bit more?
They might even start picking their towels up off the bathroom floor and putting hearts next to my Facebook posts instead of leaving me on seen.
5: Money. Version 2
I have a travel blog. I am about to travel to some of the most sought after destinations in the world.
If you are a Pinterest guru like me, you will know that the countries of Ireland, Italy and Greece rank far higher than any other places on the globe.
I will go to Italy and write. Share news. Give tips and advice. Impart up to date information to other travellers (the ones who are hanging out for another year, just to be sure). I will help people feel at ease.
I will be doing the things that I love more than anything else in the world. Eating, travelling and writing. My income will triple because I am brave and brilliant and Brian and I will retire. Just me and him and our baby pet ostrich.
The one with the really fat legs.
What has all this got to do with you?
You ask why I’m sharing these thoughts with you? I’ll tell you why. Because you and me my friend, are exactly the same. We are no different.
I know (for a fact), that were I to put you in the same position and ask you to leave everything behind: your kids, your house, your dog, your ‘security’ and drive through Europe for six months in a car with no air conditioning (and you with your hot flushes and all), you would have fears too.
Nelson Mandela famously said: ‘May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.’
And right now I am filled with hope.
Hope that by having you join me on this journey, watching as I rephrase the fears that threatened to postpone my trip, you will be inspired to step forward. To do your thing. To feel brave.
Because you are much, much stronger than you believe yourself to be. Period.
Wherever you are in the world, whatever you are doing, no matter what money you are earning or how you are earning it; regardless of how strong your marriage is or how many hormones you have departing from your body. You get to decide. You are in charge of your thoughts. You get to write your future.
You.
So. Are you ready? Are you with me?
I certainly hope so my friend. Because you and I are off to Greece…
Quote to remember. Always.
When you change the way you see things the things you see change.— Dr. Wayne Dyer
I may be quiet for a few weeks. Packing and all that. But until next time,
Liz x
PS. We LOVE Housesitting. Want to Try it too?
If you have been following this podcast for a while, then you will know that we have just returned from six months in Europe and Asia. While we were there, we did a lot of housesitting. We are constantly asked how we did this and if we can share the website that we used. So here it is:
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