My careergap journey

My careergap journey
Heather Lush writes...


'At the age of 45, I gave up my job, gave back my car and, having sold my house the year before, decided to go travelling for year.

I considered myself to be halfway through my life, and thought it was time to discover what I wanted to do with the rest of it. I was disenamoured with my career as a buyer with The Gadget Shop, and working full time I felt that I didn't have the time to think seriously, which is why I started my journey. I call it a journey not a holiday, because for me that's what it is.

I have been travelling for just over 10 months. I am currently in a wonderfully picturesque place called Monteverde, up in the cloud forests of Costa Rica, where I’m studying Spanish. I feel that if I can speak Spanish, I will have the opportunity to learn so much more about the country and the people. Costa Rica is beautiful. I’ve wanted to visit it for many years, and it has fully met all expectations. I've seen cities, beaches, cloud forests, rainforests, dry forests, amazing countryside, volcanoes, and the wonderful wildlife which never ceases to amaze me.

Click here >> for Costa Rica information
Click here >> for info about learning languages overseas

My journey started in South Africa, where I spent six weeks. I hostelled for the first time in my life in Cape Town, breaking myself in gently by starting in a single room. After seeing how things worked, I went into dorms. I found them to be an excellent way of meeting people and the majority of the hostels that I have stayed in have been great. Others have been an experience, but then that's what travelling is all about...

Click here >> for South Africa information

Next I did an overland tour with a tour group. We started in the Kruger National Park and went up through Botswana to the Victoria Falls, coming back via the Okavanga Delta. Seeing wild animals in their own environment and at times just crossing the road in front of us was just fantastic.

Click here >> for overlanding information


After South Africa, it was on to Australia for the next five months. I started in Perth where I took part in the WWOOF scheme (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) for the first time. I investigated wwoofing before leaving the UK and thought that it would be a good way to see how some Australians lived. I was right. I ended up wwoofing three times, once in the wheat-belt outside Perth, once in Darwin and lastly in the Adelaide Hills. Each experience was different and taught me new things.

Click here >> for WWOOF

I did all the things that you have to do when you visit Oz... Ulluru, Fraser Island, the Whitsundays, Byron Bay, Cairns, climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge, jumping out of a plane... when I left, I felt as though I had done enough.

Click here >> for Australia info

After Oz came New Zealand, which is a stunning country. I took the Stray bus to do this part of my journey and it turned out to be a good choice. I met a great bunch of people, and was able to see a lot of the South and North Islands in the short time that I was there. A month wasn't long enough, but because I wanted to spend Christmas and New Year in Fiji I didn't want to extend my stay.

Click here >> for info about the Stray bus
Click here >> for New Zealand info

Fiji to me was the most wonderful experience. I was fortunate to be at Nabua when Elizabeth, Linda and Sunjit arrived. Linda is filming a documentary about Elisabeth and Sunjit. Sunjit spent the first eight years of his life in a chicken pen and then the next 20 in an old people’s home tied to a bed where he was found by Elisabeth. His strength of character just shines out and I felt so privileged to have met him.

Click here >> for Fiji info

I then spent a few weeks in the US visiting friends and family in Miami and San Diego, before coming on to Costa Rica.

I have had so many different experiences, none that I would change as I have learnt from every one of them. I have enjoyed travelling on my own, being able to do what I want when I want without consulting anyone else, and if I need company it's always easy to find. I have met so many amazing people, lots who will remain friends, others who were transitory, but I am lucky to have met them all during my journey.

The thing I have missed the most is being able to pick up the phone and have a long chat with my friends and family, but they have kept in contact via email and will all be there when I get back.

Have I found what I want to do with the rest of my life? The answer is no, but I have discovered what I don't want to do. I now know that I want a job that makes a difference.

All I can say is that if you want to take time out, take it, no matter how old you are. There is so much out there to learn, so many wonderful people to meet and just so many fantastic places to see. Happy travelling to everyone, be it for a day or a year.'