Travellove: The Call To Adventure

We all have days when we sit at the desk and look out of the window and think... Is this it? Is this what life is about? Many of us then have a little scout around the web imagining great adventures and luxury hotels. This usually results in an unexpected spend and the realisation that in three months we could in fact be in a foreign land or, in some cases, in a crappy bed and breakfast thirty miles away. The days where I get a little 'Is that-ish' have resulted in adventures to Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Thailand... I call it the 'Woops' affect which is based on the 'Oh shit I am bored let's go on a random adventure that I can't necessarily afford - but who cares we are all going to die anyway!' I have to admit Antarctica was a serious 'woops affect!'

Tonga

Well I had one of these days - again. I was working with spreadsheets, financial incidents and listening to the general politics of grey people with labels such as executive director and managing director (notice I use small letters -oooh rebel) and I thought BOREDOOOOOOOM! I wondered off into daydream and had a very odd moment where I imagined the men in their 'Budgie Smugglers' (swimming attire) and the women in some Carribean waters splashing around actually having fun. It wasn't a nice sight in terms of how they looked after themselves. Yet it was a lovely sight to imagine them happy. The thing is I wondered what would actually make them happy because most looked like they carried a stagnant smell under their noses. It was in that moment I had a bit of an epiphany. I was missing fun and adventure in my life. Really missing it. So I had one of those 'be careful what you wish for moments...' This is a serious woops moment: I thought to myself... 'What I really need is to be made redundant.' Well strangely a -restructure took place a few weeks later and I said to my boss, 'erm... if a redundancy option comes up please can you suggest me...' Oh dear! Wooooooops! His response was laughter. 'You are far too useful. You will never get it.'

Pi Pi islands dive

Admittedly I was a bit gutted and sat considering which holiday I should book that might result in being stranded in a luxury location and having to work remotely for at least the year. How could I take the laptop on the paddleboard? Luckily a friend of mine had invited me to her wedding in Italy. So this became the next holiday to dream about.
A month of so later I went on holiday and returned to discover that my boss, of close to seven years, was going to move jobs the following week. This was rather out of the blue and then... imagine this: a woman who resembled Shrek was drafted in. While we were in a meeting I looked at her and thought 'this lady is going to be my ticket out of here.' I had such a strong feeling about it...

Aerial of Namibian desert with door removed from plane. Do not recommend no door!!!

That week a few odd things took place: my manager moved role, the new boss did not ask me anything about my job and there were rumours around the office about a restructure and jobs being slashed. That night I met up with a friend and said to her 'you know what I have had enough. I am going to look for a new job....' The following morning I was called into an office and advised that my role had been put forwards for redundancy. Now Poker is not my strong point, but that day all I could do was try and imagine a giant tortoise eating porridge and bananas. The look of horrification (I invented this word) did just the job. The manager studied me as I imagined a large tendril of tortoise spit filled with porridge and banana oozing from the giant tortoise's mouth. Inside I was jubilant and externally it appeared as though I had entered a room full of flatulent orangutans after they had eaten sprouts. The Shrek lookalike asked me how I felt. I could hardly say queasy because an organutan farted or I am imagining tortoise drool. So instead I said, 'I don't know whether anyone told you that when I need to process something I go to the gym. The repetition enables me to work things out.' She was kind in her expression and realised making people redundant can't be a pleasant experience. So I took myself off to the gym and shimmyed all the way there...

Cambodia - smell under nose expression has been around for centuries!

When I returned to work on Monday I was escorted into an office and advised that I would have to go on garden leave for three months. My response: Giant Tortoise + pea soup with sweet potato drool to hide general jubilation. For three months I could not go and work for another financial institution. Instead I had to be available and on call. You know what I did during that time, other than stand up paddleboard? I completed three children's books: The Hairy-Legged Mystery, Tingle Dingle and The Little Mischiefs and Elora, The One Winged Fairy and The Last Baby Giggle. At the same time the audio productions were made too. In fact I worked 9-5 as an author but was most definitely available (even if it involved taking my phone paddleboarding with me). I also spent time with a marketing genius who taught me the details of SEO and how Amazon advertising works. That way I could set up my books to sell while I travelled. Amazing... So why do I tell you this? Well the call for adventure came and over the next months I will be posting some travel blogs. I can't say too much at the moment on what type of content. Instead I intend to travel and continue editing the books I am working on... Hopefully some of the locations will be a real inspiration. I will also post some of my previous adventures... That way if anyone is having one of those 'office gloom' moments then at least you will have something to help you make a 'woops affect travel decision!'