‘WHY DON’T WE JUST SELL EVERYTHING AND TRAVEL?’
Izzy Kelly, 54, and her husband Phil, 52, sold up in 2018 to take a road trip adventure – and are still travelling.
For years, I’d worked hard to build a good life and have a comfortable retirement.
But suddenly it dawned on me – what if that day didn’t come.
Running a stressful business setting up care homes, I met people of a similar age to me who were suffering with dementia. It was incredibly cruel.
Alongside our busy work lives, Phil and I had also renovated a number of houses. It was time-consuming and left little time for us to enjoy the fruits of our labour. Phil had lost his mum when she was 56 so time began to feel limited for both of us. One night I said, half-jokingly, ‘Why don’t we just sell everything and travel around Europe in a motorhome?’ He surprised me and said, ‘Let’s think about it…’ The more we talked, the more sane it sounded. Four months later, we were on the road in our new motorhome.
We only intended to travel for two years, but it soon dawned on us that we wanted to travel for longer. However, living off Phil’s military pension would only take us so far. So we set up our blog The Gap Decaders, to share our tips for people wanting a similar adventure.
Phil and I have been together for 20 years, after meeting when I was based in the Falkland Islands as a contractor and he was in the military. We have a strong relationship but living in a metal box together 24/7 has been a challenge, especially in the wet, cold days of winter. In the past, we’d have breaks from each other at work or socialising with friends and could leave the house after a row to cool down. We’ve had some humdinger arguments but the situation has forced us to confront and overcome any disagreements.
We’re much stronger for it.
My gap year has made me less judgemental and more welcoming. I’ve met people I might have avoided in the past. Everyone has a story to tell.
A different way of life
My life had been spent climbing the career ladder and I suspect I came across as cold. I’m a different person now. Since setting off four-and-a-half years ago, we’ve visited over 40 countries.
During the pandemic, we got stranded in Spain for seven months. Now things are closer to normal, we aim to get back to Britain at least once a year to see our loved ones.
The best advice I can give anyone thinking of a golden gap year is to be realistic. It’s not romantic, you don’t become a better person or find happiness overnight. But it can show you there are different ways to live.
Yes, we had the big fancy house, nice cars and jobs – but now we have less we’re enjoying life more. One day we might stay put for a while, but it won’t be this year. We’re off to Morocco, Spain, Italy, Croatia and the Balkans.
‘We’re enjoying life more with less’