It has been brought to my attention that we have been on the road for over 1,000 days. ONE THOUSAND DAYS! What a weird looking number that is. We left Australia in April 2012 and are still moving. In ten days we leave Ireland and head towards Thailand where we will base ourselves for a few months. We plan to rent an apartment for a month or two and live life in Asia…all the while writing, editing and earning online.
It has been an emotional time back here in Ireland. We only planned to be here for a couple of months but ended up staying over six. I even took up gainful part time employment dishing out pints in The Stags Head in the city centre for a while. We lived back with my mother in our old family home. One of my sister’s is there with her daughter and another sister just returned home with her husband for a while! Bedlam!
Ireland has changed little since I’ve been away. Porter is still being guzzled, footballs are still being kicked and the Irish female’s propensities towards ostentatious stylish clobber, continues unabated. The whirl of revolution is to be sniffed lightly in the air and the fact is that there is a feeling of immense positivity lingering in the crispy oxygen. When I left here over six years ago at the beginning of 2009, the words “doom, gloom and recession” were the order of the day. This has changed.
There is a fine feeling here in Ireland right now. As I travel on I do so knowing that people are in love with life again. The bigger emotion is one of open minded excitement at what is in store. Sure we all have our problems, but nothing is insurmountable. Spending the last 180 odd days of my 1,000 days travelling in Ireland, has been as educational as any of the others I have spent in further far flung towns and countries.
Living as I do from a suitcase these days means that I lack the stability we normally associate with life. I have an unpredictable future which means I cannot count on anything long term. This would scare the bejaysus out of a lot of people. It means you cannot plan long term. It means you don’t have regular and predictable routine. It means you cannot join clubs or play team sports. It means you cannot hold down a regular job. This is an intimidating list of what is not possible.
But what is possible is that one Monday afternoon, you can sit with your wife and decide that you are going to stop planning a six month trip to Africa and instead book ONE WAY flights to Thailand. It means that you can spend some great quality time with those you love without getting stuck in a rut. It means you can pick and chose the climates of the world you would like to live in and not be victims of the whimsical disregard of the inclement Irish weather.
One thousand days later I am in a similar financial position to when I began the trip. I have written a book, filmed over seventy different projects and have earned a moderate income from our websites. I have progressed as a poker player and am able to grow my hair as long as I want without giving a shit about what anyone thinks about it. I have freedom. I have the freedom to create the life I want with my wife. We earn money online and our eyes are open to the amazing possibilities this internet world is providing.
The last three years has seen us travel through South, Central and North America. We have spent the last year seeing family and friends in New Zealand, Australia and Ireland. In ten days we are heading into the far East where we will base ourselves for six months. It is freedom but it is not for everybody. It is a certain type of industrious and relentlessly hard working freedom which involves a constant ability to create. It needs motivation, inspiration and an ability to keep going no matter what comes you way.
Here are some occasions when you should pick up your passport and travel:
- you are stuck in a rut
- life is boring you
- you are not living well
- you have a broken heart
- you are looking for fun and adventure
- you want to learn about yourself
- you want to meet new cultures
- you want to experience the exotic
- you want something different
People have excuses for everything. There are a thousand and one reasons to stay in your regular job. There are a million good reasons for having a regular life. But, if you think you might like to try something different, then all you have to do is hit the road.
You never know…it could last a thousand days or more.
This entire website is the most self indulgent rubbish I’ve ever come across !! I’ve stopped drinking and started a website to tell people how cool I am as a result ?? Get over yourself…………. The pictures, the silly so called articles and pathetic story telling and sad efforts to tell people that you think outside the ” box ” stink of an ego manic who hides behind a false persona ! This is really sad in lots of ways. A colleague told me about your website, story and travels and I’m amazed that you even have the 300+ followers on FB . This is total nonsense, you should be either ashamed of yourself or congratulated for a long winded joke. Pathetic.
Cheers Conor. Tell your colleague thanks for the recommendation. Sorry you don’t get why I did this. I started this to help me deal with getting sober 6 years ago. It has spiralled many ways since then. I have received thousands of email and comments and messages from people who the site has helped. Maybe not as much lately, but I have been busy with other projects. I think for myself and I do have a large ego. But this is no joke. I have 300+ followers on Fb and 1000+ on twitter. Whatever. I am amazed you are amazed. Get over yourself princess. At least you took some time to comment. Good luck.
Good man John. I am inspired by your ability to live life on your own terms. Looking forward to reading your book
Cheers Marc…appreciate it!!
Great book – a real buzz on how you have changed your life around.
Send my regards to Conor below – “haters gonna hate”!!!!
Good man John. It’s a great book and a great story of how somone can overcome big problems and still get on with it and live a great life. Good luck to you and serena. I hope it stays good for you always.
You’ll always get whingers who just like to whinge!!!!
And the dubs just beat Monaghan last night.