"A sense of purpose occasionally has its place when traveling,but for the most part its seriously overrated."
Pete McCarthy
McCarthy's Bar
Of course the hardest part of a trip like this is the finances, especially when you're a single mum with very little money. I would like to say I saved hard for years, but I didn't. I did save as much as I could, but very quickly realized I just didn't make enough money to save enough. I won't recommend what I did to anyone else as it wasn't a good financial move, but I did what I had to do, I really wanted this trip! I was also sure I had a permanent job to come back to.
About 18 months before we planned to go, I took out a personal loan and transferred the whole amount into a high interest ING account. I paid the the monthly amount plus some extra as a direct debit out of my pay. I have always been able to live pretty cheaply, so I just did without the money. Of course the full amount still isn't repaid and I still have a couple of years to go (told you it wasn't a good financial decision), but I think the trip was well worth it. When I put the money into ING I knew I could not touch it until it was time to pay for the trip, no matter how tough things got.Another thing I found hard about the trip was the fact that I was the only adult traveling with my child, and even though we were traveling in quite safe countries, there was always the chance that something could happen to me. The thought of my son being left alone in a place where he knew nobody was a horrible thought. Even when two adults are traveling you still need to think "what will my kids do if something goes horribly wrong".
There is probably not much you can do except to trust in the kindness of strangers and that was something we really noticed while we were traveling. There was always someone that would help us if they could, many times we asked directions or advice and most of the time people really wanted to help! It was great for my son to see, most people are good.
Every day I made sure my son had all his information with him, a note with our names, phone number, passport number, emergency contacst for relatives back home, and a cousin's number we had in London. I would suggest if you are making a trip to a foreign country and you don't have a relative or friend there, to ask around before you leave until you find someone that knows someone you could ask for help in an emergency. I'ts not hard to find a contact in the UK! We also had a week in Rome staying with a friend, so my son had all her details and ours in English and Italian.
I think to travel these days you do need to be able to get out of your comfort zone, not just with all the crap that goes on in the world, but also as a woman of forty. When I was traveling in my twenties it never crossed my mind that I should be cautious or wary. I guess that is what responsibility does to us. I must admit I am a big fan of getting out of my comfort zone, I think change and even a little bit of danger now and again are great for keeping us out of a rut. Of course, some people find it harder than others to get out of their comfort zone, but the harder it is the bigger the reward is!
Also before you go check that your travel insurance is more than adequate and it would be worth checking out the Smart Traveler website. Another thing I did was to take my mobile phone with me and made sure my son knew the emergency number and how to use the phone. It would be nice to wrap our kids in cotton wool and never let them into harm's way, but really is that the best way to live? I think we should have the adventure but keep our kids as safe as possible, and don't keep them in the dark about what you're doing and where you're going - make them part of it.
