Category: Travelblog

Excited, nervous, happy, knot-in-the-stomach, impatient, overjoyed, sad…. today my emotions jump from one extreme to another. Today is the big day. Tonight, I’ll board the first plane of many, many planes to follow that will fly me around the world. I will leave behind all that I know in exchange for the unknown.

“To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before” – well, that Star Trek line is clearly exaggerated but I sure feel like boarding my own private Enterprise! Although it makes me feel truly alive and full of energy, it also scares the sh*t out of me.

It is exactly the reason why I insisted on making this a solo adventure though: to face my fears and just get going anyway. To experience what I already know deep down: whatever happens, I will be able to deal with it, as long as I let go of expectations, but above all, let go of the need to be in control (as if you ever could, really!).

And so, I will leave behind my sweetheart, my house, my dogs, my job and simply take that first step. It comforts me though that my late dad will be watching over me. For years I have seen him go through the same emotions, every time he was getting ready to travel to the unknown, leaving behind his family. And then listen to his stories of what he had experienced and discovered in these far away countries once back home.

Today’s date is not chosen randomly. I chose it to honour my dad as it is his birthday today. Thank you, dad, for passing on to me the curiosity bug. I promise I will make good use of it!

A bit of a paradox, but this whole ‘solo adventure’ aspect to this epic trip, turned out to be a huge reminder that I am not an island. I am surrounded by people (close and afar) that have been counting down the days with me, are excited with me, and who will accompany me on my trip – albeit virtually.

Therefore, let me not end with a good bye. Just a ‘catch you later’ will do.

 

p.s.: to the aspirant burglars out there reading this, there will be house/dog-sitters so don’t bother.

When you have, like me, won the birthplace lottery you cannot ignore the fact that your luck was pure chance. You did absolutely nothing to be that lucky.

Another fact you cannot ignore, is that there are millions of people out there who did not win that lottery. Luck was not around when their birthplace got decided. And they too did absolutely nothing to deserve that.

Ever since I came to truly realise that sobering fact, I knew I would not be able to live happily without at least trying to correct some of that imbalance. So, I started doing voluntary work, give my time, make donations, etc.

From time to time people praise me with my ‘selfless’ good deeds. Truth is, they are not that selfless. According to evil-genius Joey from Friends there even is no such thing as selfless good deeds.

I could write here that sharing some of your luck is a wonderful way of showing your gratitude towards the universe. Sounds great, doesn’t it? You can almost hear the violins playing in the background. But if I’d really want to convince you, I’d simply point out that doing good does you good. Whilst improving another human being’s chances of having a decent life, you will also greatly improve your own happiness knowing that you made a difference in that someone’s life.

The cool thing is, as I wrote here, you do not have to be as rich as Bill or Melinda Gates to be able to do so. You are way richer than you think. Whatever it is you give, your time, your money, your knowledge, the bottom line is: share it! Just like mommy and daddy taught you when you got a new toy.

Speaking of toys, I remember as a kid my upcoming birthdays were always preceded by the thrilling anticipation of the gifts I would receive. Of course, I would make damn sure my family and friends received crystal clear hints of what would make me happy. I was thinking, why change now?

As you know, I will not be around this year for my 50^th birthday, being busy travelling around the world and such. However, this does not mean you cannot still give me the best birthday gift ever.

There are four organisations that do a fantastic job making this world a better place and I have been supporting them long enough to know they effectively make a difference. It would be wonderful if you would donate to one, if not all four, of these organisations. Click here to learn more about the organisations and register your gift.

Remember, there are a lot of unlucky people out there. You can make a difference by sharing some of your luck and in the process, get lucky yourself all over again!

 

Two months left to go before take-off to …. where again? Hm, let me check my i*tin”er*a*ry. I will tell you this: piecing together my itinerary proofed to be as difficult as pronouncing the word itself!

As fun as “around the world in 50 days” sounds, it is nothing short of a logistic nightmare. Try putting a flight schedule together that:

– fits the idea of 5 continents/10 countries (so basically 2 countries per continent);
– has preferably only one stop maximum from one destination to the next;
– keeps (where possible) the total travelling time between destinations under 24 hours;
– assures you’ll sit in reliable planes as opposed to flying coffins;
– does not completely empty out your savings account.

I must have changed my itinerary at least a dozen of times. The order of the continents? Do I go in eastern or western direction? Which countries? Which places/cities? So, so hard to choose! And then when you start connecting destinations you quickly understand that whilst the world seems ultra-connected, flight wise …. not so much. Did you know for example that flying across the African continent is like driving on a seemingly straight road only to be surprised by unexpected deviations? No kidding, to go from e.g. Congo to Morocco your quickest options is to actually leave the continent and travel via Paris….

It really is a time-consuming activity, not in the least because it is simply impossible to not give into daydreaming of what lies ahead. But, it is also a lot of fun working on that delightful puzzle and it is therefore with much joy that I present to you my chosen itinerary.

*drumroll*

Starting from home in Mauritius on 10th of April 2018, I will visit (in order):

Asia – Myanmar and Japan
Australia/Oceania – Fiji Islands and Australia
North America – USA and Canada
South America – Peru and Brazil
Africa – Zimbabwe and Morocco

to end back home in Mauritius on 31 May.

 

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Update 14 February 2018:

Well, it is done! Tickets booked and issued with the fantastic assistance of the peeps at Indie BootsnAll.

The final itinerary looks as follows:

From 1. Mauritius –> 2. Myanmar –> 3. Japan –> 4. Australia –> 5. New Zealand –> 6. USA –> 7. Canada –> 8. Peru –> 9. Brazil –> 10. Zimbabwe –> 11. Botswana –> back to Mauritius.

Excited!!!!!

Next year in May it will be 50 years ago that I came into this world. Let me just pause here and say ‘wow!’.

What a journey my life has been so far. I have stood on mountains of joy, crept through valleys of drama, while zigzagging around or crashing through the many obstacles one finds on the road of life.

And here I am today: grateful.

Grateful for the sheer luck of being born in a peaceful country, with all my body parts intact and functioning, not having known poverty nor hunger.

Grateful for my family, my friends, my colleagues, my mentors (some of you may not even know you’ve been one to me) and those who were just passing through but left their mark forever. For even though I have worked hard, very hard, for all I have accomplished in my life, it has never been a solo endeavour. Without you, without them, I would not be the person I am today.

So, my dear reader, you will understand why I called my website “I am not an island”. We are linked. My presence and acts have influence on your life and yours on mine – be it good or bad. This link we share is not limited to those in our immediate circle of movement. It applies even if we find ourselves on opposite extremes of the globe.

It occurred to me that whilst being grateful is important, for it to really dazzle with the right amount of sparkle, giving back is key. Help out those who are less fortunate.

To truly mark my upcoming milestone, I came up with the idea to travel around the world in 50 days: 10 countries across 5 continents. Yes, me who is afraid of flying.

The sparkling bit is to use this journey around the world to ask attention and fundraise for charities that are close to my heart.

This website will be the place where you can follow me during the preparation and hopefully brilliant execution of this bat shit crazy idea.