Tags
Anything is possible, escape the matrix, Minimalism, Narrowboat, Narrowboat living, Travel, Voluntary simplicity
In April 2017 we asked ourselves, what would we do if we could do anything? The answer was stop working and go off travelling.
Just less than a year later, in March 2018, we left good jobs, sold our house, gave away most of our possessions and went to South East Asia, mainly India, for a year. Here are my India highlights.
Getting from April 2017 to March 2018 was scary at times. B, a fellow blogger and now friend who I met here on WP, sent me the Rilke quote above which is useful now too.
Before we left the UK we bought a narrowboat to live on when we get back. It is moored in an area that was unfamiliar to either of us, we spent two very happy weeks on it before we left.
It’s natural to feel some anxiety about our return home (in less than a week!) and there have been times when it has tipped into fear. With regular meditation helping I have recently experienced it as excitement rather than anxiety, and the future being unmapped as seeming expansive and joyful rather than scary.
I’ve channelled my anxiety into getting this week’s and next week’s blog posts prepared and scheduled. The following week I hope to be back with an update re life back in the UK and on the boat.
I am not full of doom and gloom about returning to the UK, I’m excited about seeing friends and family. My son has done amazingly well since we’ve been away, as well as facing his fears and getting his teeth done, his career as an artist has taken off, and his work is being exhibited in New York in May, see flier below!
Thank you very much for reading
For photographs of the trip see Instagram travelswithanthony
Rachel 
I have loved reading about your travels, thoughts and wisdoms.
See you soon.
Safe trip back. Xx
Thank you! Thank you for supporting me!
Yes, see you soon! Been busy shopping for warm clothes! xxxx
Wishing you a safe journey and looking forward to seeing you both!
Thank you very much Helen, looking forward to seeing you too! xxxx
Well at least doing the vacuuming and dusting won’t take long when you get back.
That’s true! It’s a small space so less to clean but being small means it looks messy easily so we’ll have to be tidy!
Fingers crossed everything isn’t mouldy. Step one light the woodburner and air everything!
How is your back?
All settled down again it seems, thanks for asking. Mrs Bryntin thinks it’s a shame that it has sorted itself out, she was looking forward to some spine straightening.
Ha ha! Glad to hear you are ok.
The UK will be better for your return. Hope you bring some nice weather with you. Looking forward to your next part of your blogging journey.
Thank you very much! Been shopping for boots, hoodies etc! Not looking forward to the cold having been used to the heat for a long time! Thank you for reading and following the journey!
It’s really interesting to me that you’re feeling anxiety about returning home. Maybe it’s because you’ve become a full-time traveler over the last year and you’re not quite ready to give it up. Good news about your son, I hope his exhibition is a great success!
Thank you, we are very proud! It’s partly that, and being used to doing very little, and partly the fact that we tore up our old life and now have to follow through on making a new one!!! But we are here to have an interesting life!
Gosh, nearly home. You must be feeling mixed emotions, but what a blast you’ve had. Have so enjoyed reading your adventures. Looking forward to tales from the river bank 😉
Thank you so much! Yes, bit of anxiety not least re going from 36°C to UK temperatures! Thanks for following the journey!
My guess is that you will be fine when you get home, although you will miss your travels. And congrats to your son! Having his art displayed in New York is huge!
Hi Ann, I think you are right, we loved being on the boat for the two weeks before we left and a bit of us was sorry to leave. Once the initial dusting and airing and sorting out is done I think it will be a lovely time. Thank you, we are very proud of my son’s achievemens. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I can so understand feeling anxious although as you recognized it can feel so close to excitement and sometimes it’s actually the latter. Or both.
It’s just amazing what you did, following your dream and I have loved witnessing it unfold here from when you were still packing up your house (when we first “met”) to seeing you in person in Tokyo to now. Can’t think of the right word but it seems almost surreal.
Your journey has been such an inspiration and I’m glad I got to share a little part of it. I will always treasure my memories of spending time with you here.
Looking forward to the next stage and following your life on the houseboat xxx
Ah thank you B! Thanks for encouraging me when I needed it most!
While I envy you the freedom of chucking it all and traveling, I know myself well enough to know I could never live on a narrow boat.
Congrats to your son and his blossoming art career!
Thank you. I have always fancied living in a small/unusual space like a gypsy caravan, railway carriage, tiny home etc, so this is kind of similar. Do you dislike water or is it the space that would put you off?
Thank you- my son is in New York right now!
The space. Definitely the space. The older I get the more I feel the need to… spread!
Space is a challenge! We still have more stuff than we need/can manage even after such drastic decluttering! But travelling taught us you don’t need much really, and getting rid of stuff can be therapeutic.
It can. I love a good closet purge….
But not that much! I envy you the ability to de-clutter on a massive scale.