Handing my notice in one month before travelling was the best feeling in the world.
I remember feeling giddy with excitement. I wanted to run, to shout, to tell everyone what I was doing ... but I had to wait. I couldn't sit down, use the computer or even string two sentences together. My mind was like a butterfly, whatever distraction I chose for myself kept fluttering back to an incomparable sense of euphoria.
Then there was this strange feeling a week before travelling. Something I have honestly never felt before. It was like the last week of a normal everyday life - something you have been playing the role of for so long - before you embark on an entirely new chapter...
You know when you're thinking about something and then you find you have gone on a complete tangent, wondering how you even got to something so outrageous? I remember it all started with a "James, you will be over 10,000 miles away in Fiji this time next week". Then before I knew it, I was looking back at my 24 years of living and coming to the scary conclusion that 'travelling' was the first free big-life-decision I have entirely made on my own.
We are all restricted growing up. Whether it be the confines of Nursery, Primary School, Highschool, our choices are minimal. After that, the majority of people just go with the crowd by opting for further education, getting a job or taking an infamous 'gap year'. There suddenly becomes a point where you're no longer herded like sheep and free to make any decision you want. Travelling is an option most people completely overlook, but it was certainly something I have been passionate about for a long time now.
The saying goes "you go with the Devil you know over the Devil you don't". Look at work as an example. This is something we all do every day and is usually the hot topic for a good moan. However, in most cases, the feeling of comfortability in a job far outweighs a familiar prodding from the Devil's pitchfork. Knowing that when 5 o clock hits you cannot be prodded anymore. I think that's what made the last week such a new feeling, knowing that there is no 5 o'clock in travelling. It hit me that this is something completely unfamiliar, on the other side of the world and most likely out of our comfort zone.
I then had to remind myself that this is the reason why I'm travelling; to experience something completely new and to get a better understanding of my next steps in life. It wasn't long before the feeling of excitement retook hold, made even better with everything we had planned for the best send-off possible...
So Long, Farewell
In our first goodbye, there was a trip to Aigburth in Liverpool. The perfect, most central location for friends and family to share our excitement for our travels ahead. Still, though, we were so grateful for everyone who made the journey, we couldn't have asked for a better turn out! I will never forget Grandad Tom, who took the bus from Birkenhead to then walk across Sefton park while there was a festival on, all this effort just to be there for his Grandsons short-term farewell. This was made even more meaningful as I remembered Grandad Frank making similar efforts to be at the exact same place for my 21st, 3 years ago.
Overall, the night was just what we needed, it proved the right medicine to remedy the last-minute nerves. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my Mum and Jem for covering the catering costs - feeding 40 people wouldn't have been cheap and in turn, saved us from dipping into our travel fund! Thanks to Baby Bro also for sorting his "Bangor University" music playlist.
Our next goodbye was the night before we left for travelling; The Last Supper at Cafe 26.
We savoured every bite; not knowing if we will get another meal as good as this one! It wasn't just the food we appreciated, I loved the fact Nana and Johnby could be there too. They couldn't make our trip to Liverpool due to health concerns, so it was great to sit and chat with them all night.
(CAFE 26 PICTURE)
The day leading up to travelling was very surreal. Waking up to a cup of tea in a nice comfy bed is something I also tried to savour, as I thought that would be important to me. Looking back now (a week into my Fiji holiday) the best thing about waking up that morning wasn't any of these things at all, but instead the value of being free from any doubts or second thoughts. This is truly something I'm in complete appreciation for as things really were hit and miss for a while with my health. I'm so grateful to FINALLY have the opportunity to travel the world.
In my previous book, I have touched on the importance of family and how it has always been a priority in my life. The day of travelling was perfect justification to why I have lived like this, as all our immediate family were there at the Airport to wave us off.
For the most part, I don't like goodbyes. I never know how to react or what to say usually. You would think that now I have said a thousand goodbyes and would be well practised ... this time, however, everything came around a lot more naturally. It had a very emotional and sobering feel to it, saying goodbye to the people I care about so much. It was also said with a party celebrating in my mind; knowing that we were about to go live the dream.
