Torn between settling down and chasing adventure?
I’ve always struggled to navigate this feeling. From backpacking across continents to sailing the open seas, building businesses, and ultimately finding an odd way to create a life of freedom with our family. It wasn’t always easy.
This Blog will share the stages of my life where I felt pressure to choose between the expected and unexpected:
You’ll learn the choices I made and the reasons for making them. Where the outcomes have been positive and where we’ve made mistakes and had regrets.
Like many, we followed the “expected” path—university, stable jobs, homeownership. Yet, every time we tried to settle, adventure called us back.
From road-tripping through Canada and managing outdoor centres to navigating the challenges of parenthood and online entrepreneurship, we discovered a powerful truth: life is meant to be lived on your own terms.
This is the story of how we transformed our passion for travel into a sustainable lifestyle—one that allows us to explore the world while raising our children. If you’ve ever dreamed of breaking free from the ordinary and designing a life filled with adventure, this journey is for you.
A Childhood of Adventure
I grew up in a family that loved to travel, and I was lucky to have many opportunities to explore the world. My sense of adventure and love for travel came from my dad, and we joined him on as many work trips as possible. I was always happiest when experiencing something new—especially outdoors and meeting new people.
Early Adulthood: The Travel Bug Bites
At 18, all I wanted was to travel. But with peer pressure and parental expectations, I found myself heading to university instead. Before that, though, I got a taste of real adventure—a summer spent crossing Canada from coast to coast on Greyhound buses. I stopped in all the major states, but Banff stood out the most. Sleeping in the woods, hiding our food from bears, chopping wood for the fire and sauna, and washing in a cold stream in the morning—it was exhilarating. That trip confirmed what I already knew: travel was everything I had hoped for. Even now, I still tell stories from that experience. Canada remains high on my list of must-visit places. Though it’s not the cheapest destination, sleeping on buses and staying in youth hostels helped us stretch our budget. (Not sure I’d attempt that with a family now!)
University summers became my playground for adventure. I travelled across Europe, worked at Camp America, and took an Amtrak journey along the U.S. East Coast. Every trip was funded by hard work and savings—I always prioritised travel over other luxuries. After university, I saved every penny and set off on what was meant to be a year-long round-the-world trip. That quickly turned into 18 months. With a working visa, I picked fruit in New Zealand, managed a ski shop, and babysat—all to fund my next adventure.
I ticked off countless destinations, but I soon realised that even after indulging my wanderlust, my appetite for travel only grew. Coming home was tough. My friends were settling down, buying houses, and building stable careers, while I felt like I didn’t quite fit into a “normal” life. To balance my need for adventure with practical responsibilities, I took a job managing teams abroad. This allowed me to travel while working and saving for my next trip. I spent a month on the Isle of Wight, six months in the South of France, and four months in Cyprus. It wasn’t the same as full-time travel, but it was a start.
Mid-20s: Finding Love & A New Way to Travel
By my mid-20s, I felt the pressure to “settle down.” (Spoiler: It’s a myth—you’re never behind or ahead, just on your own path.) But I’m glad I returned because that’s when I met Nick. We worked together at an outdoor centre, spending our days off climbing mountains, paddling rivers, and chasing adventure in the Lake District. Luckily, Nick shared my love for travel, and after a year of knowing each other, he convinced me that working on sailboats was the perfect way to explore the world while earning money.
The only problem? We had zero sailing experience. So, we took a Yachtmaster course, learned the ropes (literally), and set sail. During the course, we sailed between the Channel Islands, France, and the UK. Afterwards, we landed what we thought was our dream job—managing an outdoor adventure centre in Wales. It meant putting sailing on hold, but it came with a decent wage, the freedom to take children on outdoor adventures, and a huge activity site to live on. For the first time, we “settled”—but not for long. The routine crept in, and we found ourselves itching for more. Our solution? Extended travel breaks. With a flexible boss, we managed long trips—weeks in the Maldives, Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia, and even a seven-week trek in the Himalayas, where I took a yoga course. We got married and had a six-week honeymoon in Bali and Borneo—plus countless weekend getaways. But even that wasn’t enough.
We dreamed of travel and adventure but had to squeeze it into weekends and holidays. Life seemed to tell us that our value lay in working hard, but Nick and I made a vow on our wedding day: “We’d always make life an adventure.”
Turning 30: The Parenthood Dilemma
Then came the next big life shift—parenthood. We both wanted kids, but felt the unspoken pressure to settle down. We moved to Devon, bought a house, and embraced “adulting”—probably for the first time in our lives! The first year felt like an adventure as we explored our new area with our baby. But slowly, the routine set in. We had everything we were “supposed” to have—kids, a house, stable jobs—but something was missing. The travel. The adventure.
Just as we decided to sell everything and hit the road, the world went into lockdown. Trapped. It was a gut punch—one minute, we were about to show our family the world, and the next, we weren’t even allowed to drive to the next town. But instead of waiting, we built our escape plan. We poured our energy (and our unused travel funds) into an online business. Slowly, our efforts paid off. When the world reopened, we were ready.
Mid-30s: A Bold Move
Just as we prepared to travel, our eldest was about to start school. We didn’t question it—we just followed the crowd. But school drop-offs, working in opposite directions, weekends filled with chores and homework… it wasn’t the life we wanted. Worst of all, our son wasn’t thriving in school. So, we did the unthinkable, although we thought it over a lot—we deregistered him. The following week, we set off on a nine-month slow travel adventure with our young children. It was the best decision we ever made. The kids thrived, we felt like ourselves, and we were finally living life together, not in separate directions. We have many blogs and vlogs on this part of our life.
We returned home expecting our third child, but tragically, we lost our son at 36 weeks. It was the darkest time of our lives, and it took months to even begin to heal. That chapter deserves its own space, We looking to build something similar to this for families overcoming the isolating grief of baby loss. For now, I will say this: life can still be beautiful after trauma and grief even though at the time it’s the darkest, heart-wrenching journey.
Now & The Future
Two years later, I’m 39 and pregnant with our fourth child. We’re currently choosing to stay at our home base—at least until our baby is born and we’re ready to travel again.
For our 40s, we’ve built a life we love. A life where Nick and I work together, share parenting responsibilities, and travel when and for as long as we want. We home-educate our children, giving us complete freedom. We work in the mornings while the kids study and in the evenings after they sleep. We have grand travel plans, including another full year on the road while our children still want to explore with us. But we know that one day, they might choose home life over adventure—and we’ll support them, just as they support our dreams now.
Lessons From the Journey
- The biggest risks always brought the biggest rewards.
- Chase your dreams—life is short.
- Be grateful for what you have while striving for more.
- Your path is yours alone—age and expectations mean nothing.
- Work hard for what you want, but don’t lose yourself in the process.
- The only limits in life are the ones you accept.
- After grief and trauma, life can still hold beauty.
- No matter your age or stage of life, there’s always time to live the way you want.
This is our story so far. And the adventure isn’t over yet.
The Adventure Continues
Our journey has been anything but conventional, but every twist, challenge, and leap of faith has led us here—to a life of freedom, adventure, and deep connection as a family. We’ve learned that true wealth isn’t found in material things but in experiences, relationships, and the courage to live on our own terms.
As we step into our 40s, we remain committed to designing a life that excites us, raising our children with curiosity and exploration, and never settling for anything less than extraordinary. The road ahead is unwritten, but one thing is certain—we’ll continue to chase adventure, embrace the unknown, and inspire others to do the same.
Wherever you are on your journey, know this: it’s never too late to break free, rewrite your story, and create a life that truly fulfils you. If our story resonates with you, maybe it’s time to start your own adventure. Because the best stories? They’re the ones you choose to live.
