Returning home and reflections

(photo: Just landed back on the Isle of Wight)

It's Saturday, the 24th of September, and we have been home for nearly a week. Next week we return to work. The BA flight home, overnight from Cyprus, was almost uneventful; Jacqui had a supposedly 'random' last-minute full bag search moments before going through the boarding gate, but that was about it. We stayed overnight near Gatwick and got a quiet train back to Portsmouth, watching the late Queen's funeral on our phone. A taxi took us from the station to the Hovercraft, which then took us across the Solent to the Isle of Wight, where Jacqui's daughter, son-in-law and grandson met us to drive us home.

Returning, we both pondered over the past six months. It had been a great success, with only a few minor health and travel problems. The time had passed, yet equally much of it also seemed distant. The enormity of our 80,000 km journey is still hard to comprehend. Only when people ask us where we have been, and we recount our journey does it sink in. It also reminds us of places we had considered but didn't make - Japan, Cuba, Argentina, the Philippines, and Cambodia, to name a few. Perhaps it's the making of a future list?

We made new friends, saw ancient and modern wonders, travelled to great heights and dived into the oceans. We travelled by moped, numerous taxis, cable car, train, underground, boats, foot, minibus, coach, and bike. We visited 19 countries, took 26 flights and slept in 58 beds. Across all these journeys, we also enjoyed each other's company and shared it with others too through our blog, phone, facetime and Instagram posts.

Even as we arrived in the UK that morning, with a new PM, new King, news of record heatwaves this summer and inflation now rife, we renewed our appreciation of the country. It's green, clean, has excellent infrastructure, is full of history and culinarily diversity, and is wealthy (by comparison) familiarly home.

Would we do it again; yes, maybe in smaller chunks. Would we recommend it; definitely.

Short personal reflection - Martin

We titled our blog 'While we can't, and it's truer on return than when we left. The country lost a queen, and I lost two friends to cancer before their time. A massive part of my bucket list is now ticked off, and I feel pretty pleased with myself, kind of content. Only as the months go by will I know how it has changed me; I feel it has; I'm just not sure how it will play out.

Jacqui has been great company. Her determination has particularly struck me; travelling is not a holiday; it can sometimes be hot, humid and relentless. If you had seen her face, looking back at me after our dive in Krabi, you would know why. I had thrown up six times. I was exhausted from what felt like a treacherous dive and wanted to be on a sunbed. She was exhausted too. As the boat tossed in the 10ft waves and I pondered the hour sail back to the harbour, she looked back at me with a reassuring adventurous smile that said, 'you'll be all right, I'll make sure you are..oh and don't forget, it's all part of the adventure!.

Long personal reflection - Jacqui

If you'd told me ten years ago that I'd be making a world trip, I'd have said you were bonkers. I've always watched the world from a distance, just doing the standard summer holidays and watching the rest of the TV documentaries or adventure films (like Indiana Jones), imagining myself there. As a young child, I secretly had the ambition to be an archaeologist; I couldn't have ended up in a career further from that!

Thanks to Martin, his encouragement, great ideas and organisational skills, we did it, and I pinch myself every day - what an achievement. We work hard, we've saved hard, and there's been an element of luck too, but we went to most of the places we'd planned - during the tail end of a pandemic!

I do feel different. I feel more resilient, I think I could manage now without many of the frills I've become used to, and I've realised just how lucky we are to have been born into the families we have and live in our country. We've seen people who live' hand to mouth' yet have a big smile on their faces - why do we get so miserable about the most minor and material things?

Some of the simplest things make all the difference when travelling, such as a good washing line and water filter bottle, which was an absolute godsend in the heat. It's not a holiday - travelling is quite different.

Some observations on travelling:

When you make a big trip, it's important not to fill every day or week - you still need to rest and do your washing etc.

Wherever you are, local people really appreciate it if you learn just a few words in their language.

Some things are genuinely international - speed bumps, food delivery bikes (like Uber eats), jeans and trainers!

The impact of covid has been tough across the globe, more so in deprived countries where they didn't have healthcare and financial aid in the UK - some of the stories we heard were heartbreaking.

Plastic is everywhere - littered across beaches - we really need to do something about it fast.

And finally - wherever you go, people have smartphones (even those with no shoes on their feet!), and everyone is glued to their phone. It's pretty amazing how addictive it's become!!

I've had a fantastic time, Martins has been great company, and we had a blast.

I'm glad to be home and catch up with friends and family. I've missed them a lot. I would do it again, definitely, but not for as long as we did - maybe a few weeks at a time. I'm also glad we did it when we did because we aren't getting any younger and some of the trips were tough work.

Would I recommend it - absolutely, you only get one life, do it WHILE YOU CAN!!

Martin & Jacqui October 2022