David Johnson safely returned from his adventurous nine months globe trotting.
The two questions he is often asked is "How could you leave for so long?" and "What was the highlight?" To the first question he responded that the internet allows you to keep in touch, but it doesn't allow for long distance babysitting. And as for the highlights, although it is difficult to compare things that are so different, for him Iceland and Egypt were the standouts.
He then went on to answer the Why, How and Where of his travels.
WHY?
- to leave the security of home
- to travel to places less common
- to see if he could survive retirement
- to do something significant to mark the end of his work
HOW?
- they rented out their home (so they couldn't come back...)
- Ann's parents left them an inheritance, and they loved travelling, so it was a way to honour their memory.
- they stayed in a lot of self-catering accommodation
- they joined the National Trust (giving them access to historic buildings, parks and gardens, and free parking)
- they decluttered their lives
- they planned an itinerary which was a mix of self-catering and guided tours
WHERE?
Greece, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Croatia, Norway, Russia, U.K., Egypt, Iceland and France.
David shared some amazing photos, and a few of the hiccups (on smaller planes your luggage allowance may be significantly less than the 22kg you've packed; the hub system adopted by airlines may mean the distance of your flight increase threefold and so does the travel time; sometimes the ferry may not exist).
And I guess he did enjoy himself because he is leaving for his next adventure, this time to Patagonia, in March!