Career gapping round the world: Viv McLaughlin

I'm not planning a life-changing experience, but who knows...
Viv writes...

" I’m now 38 years old and I’ve always been more interested in having a good time and a good career rather than settling down to marriage and kids. Spending time travelling is something I’ve always thought about doing when I was younger but I suppose I just got caught-up in my career.

For years I said to myself 'I’ll do it soon' but never had the nerve as I was lucky to have a great job in a sought-after industry where I was paid a good salary and was doing quite well moving up the career ladder into management. To be honest I got too used to having a good comfortable lifestyle to bother about actually doing anything other than booking the odd two or three weeks away for a holiday. I guess the fact that all my friends were more interested in getting married and having children rather that whizzing off round the world with me did not help move things along.

Then the reality hit late last year that in June this year I’d have been working for 20 years and I wondered what had I to show for it other than just the same as almost everyone else I knew - apart from the obvious kids, a husband and trips to the local DIY superstore.

So, with my mind made up and with nothing really important that I could think of or find to deter me, I set myself a time frame in which I could reasonably sort everything out at home and work and settled on departing in October 2005 - which is also just before my 39th birthday. Now my ticket is booked, the car is sold, the flat will be rented out to a close friend who’s already moved into the spare room, I’ve given my notice at work and leave there on 30th September - my Managing Director has been really great about it and thinks it’s the best thing ever. He's even offered to give me my job back in October 2006, that’s if by then I’ll still want it of course!

I see this whole trip as a treat after 20 years of hard labour so I’m not planning to work - but maybe that might change when I’m on the road with no money. I’m trying to keep my plans pretty open at this stage - which after years of working in a job where planning is key is proving hard for me to adapt to.

I know for certain that I’ll be travelling from Bangkok to Bali overland during my first month because I’ve already arranged this as part of my ticket. I’ve booked with a company who specialise in small group tours and, as I’m going alone it sounds like a really good starting point for me because it’s like independent travelling but with a bit of security (and it keeps my parents happy - yes, they never stop worrying). Also, I know that I’ll be celebrating the last birthday of my 30s in Kuala Lumpa as it’s where I’ll be on that date according to the tour schedule.

After the tour I hoping to spend a little bit more time in Bali and at the moment I’m looking into the Bali Homestay Programme in Tabanan and will probably arrange to do this for before flying into Cairns. Once in Oz I’ve got a couple more internal flights - Ayers Rock and Melbourne - but even at this stage I’m changing my mind about these flights. I’m planning to go to the music festival ‘Big Day Out’ in January and I guess I’ll go and see a few bands at some local gigs too as I travel round. I’ll probably get one of those cheap backpackers rail cards for a month and I’ve already arranged my VIP card.

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The other thing I certain about is that I have to leave Australia via Sydney after three months as being 'so old' I’m only allowed a Visa for that amount of time. I fly into Christchurch, New Zealand and then have to eventually fly out of Auckland and what happens in between is still to be sorted in my mind. Then it’s on to Fiji to do a bit of island hopping and explore the beaches.

In June 2006 I fly back into London then it’s straight out to Europe for three months, as even though it’s on our doorstep I’ve only visited via the usual tourist routes. Again not much planned out for this part of the trip yet, I just know I want to start in Seville and I want to end up in Istanbul and whatever happens in-between will just happen.

I guess my aim with this career gap year is just to enjoy the ‘whole’ experience and live life a bit. At the moment, for me, it’s a big 'well-earned' holiday. I’m not looking for a life-changing experience but if it comes along - and I manage to recognise it - who knows what will happen!"



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