I’m about to turn 54.

And I’ve just decided to take a gap year.

Yep. A whole year off work to travel around Europe in a van.

That sentence still feels a bit surreal to write.

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How This All Started

It began as a pretty simple idea.

I went to my boss and asked for three months off to travel. She approved it immediately.

Which was exciting… but also slightly dangerous.

Because then she said:

“If you want more time, it’s better to take it all at once.”

So naturally, I went back and said:

What about a year?

And… she’s going to approve it.

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Equal Parts Exciting and Terrifying

This is one of those moments in life where everything hits at once.

• Excitement
• Fear
• “What am I doing?”
• “This is amazing”

I’ve already:

• Paid a deposit
• Bought a van in Europe
• Booked flights

So this is happening.

There’s no backing out now.

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The Reality of Getting Ready

The dream part is easy.

The reality? Slightly chaotic.

I had six weeks to pack up my entire life.

That meant:

• Clearing out my house
• Donating books and belongings
• Sorting what stays and what goes
• Getting everything ready to move out

And then there’s the life admin.

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The Unexpected Costs (No One Talks About This)

Travel isn’t just flights and accommodation. It’s everything you need to sort before you go.

Suddenly I was:

• Getting new glasses (and discovering multifocals are not cheap 😳)
• Booking dental work (hello fillings)
• Organising health checks
• Paying for things I hadn’t even thought about

At one point I genuinely thought:

“I might not be able to afford this trip… because of glasses.”

But then I had a moment.

What’s the alternative? Not going?

That wasn’t an option.

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Letting Go of My Old Life (Literally)

One of the hardest parts wasn’t the logistics.

It was the emotional stuff.

I sold my van—the one that really started my whole van life journey.

I packed up my home.

My son is moving in.

And I’m leaving behind:

• My partner (just for the year!)
• My routines
• My “normal” life

It’s not a clean, neat transition.

It’s messy. Emotional. Real.

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The Countdown Is Real

At one point it felt far away.

Then suddenly it was:

• 10 days to go
• 7 days
• 5 days
• 3 days

And then…

Last day of work.

That was the moment it really hit.

This isn’t just a trip.

I’ve just pressed pause on my entire life.

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Why I’m Sharing This Journey

I’ve had a YouTube channel sitting there for a while.

And I love filming and editing.

So I thought…

If I’m doing this anyway, why not document it properly?

But more than that, I realised something important.

When you arrive somewhere new, everything feels overwhelming:

• Where do I go?
• What do I do?
• Am I doing this right?

But by the time you leave…

You get it.

You’re confident.

You know how it works.

So maybe that’s what this journey is about.

Helping people go from:

“I have no idea what I’m doing”

to

“I’ve got this.”

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The Emotional Bits No One Sees

There were also some quieter moments.

Saying goodbye to our rescue kittens (after six months of caring for them).

Packing up the last pieces of home.

Spending time with family, knowing I won’t see them for a while.

It’s not just adventure.

There’s a lot of heart in it too.

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So… Am I Actually Doing This?

Yes.

One more sleep.

And then I’m on a plane to Europe.

No fixed plan.

No real itinerary.

Just a van… and a decision to say yes to something big.

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What Comes Next

Next up:

• Picking up the van
• Learning to drive on the other side of the road 😅
• Figuring it all out as I go

If you’ve ever thought about doing something like this…

Let me know.

Seriously.

Because maybe this isn’t just my gap year.

Maybe it’s the start of something bigger.

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