So, it’s been a while.

I know, and I do apologise for my neglect.

I didn’t feel I could just start posting again as if nothing had happened without referencing the last couple of years of inconsistent communication, so this little post is just that – an acknowledgment and an explanation – before I plunge headlong back into the joy of blogging!

I had always hoped that this blog would be self-propagating in the sense that, as I enjoyed  reliving some of my favourite experiences and sharing knowledge, that it would also lead to new adventures and journeys in itself – and indeed it did.

A few years ago I found myself invited on a number of familiarisation trips, as they’re known in the industry, to explore and report back through my blog. These started close to home around Oman and Kuwait,  and then began radiating out, to Sri Lanka, Turkey and The Philippines. I hadn’t even thought about proactively reaching out to companies, these were purely requests coming from people with stories to tell that were hoping I would share, and of course I was honoured and delighted – this had been what I had been working towards and the time and effort was paying off…

As I travelled more and more however, my work began to slow down – my clients in the UAE wanted to see me regularly, they weren’t happy with email and phone call support alone. My routine was non-existent and I missed some element of stability and continuity. I therefore decided to give more love and attention back to my clients, work on my business again and get back into a routine which would enable my passions to meet in the middle – where I could still get to travel and explore, but keep some roots and a semblance of home life and routine.

Around this time, I met someone who also contributed to my desire to be at home more. I wanted time to get to know each other, and as our relationship developed, my travel habits understandably changed.

I had always been a very independent traveller, a lot of my journeys were alone, or at the opposite end of the scale in big groups, now I was looking more to couple’s trips – unchartered territory to me previously.

I’ve never really thought about it before, but I guess I had always been a selfish traveller – not that it had ever been an issue as I had been the only one travelling! I got to decide when I went, where, with who, what activities I indulged in, how much money I spent, and as I worked for myself, how often I could go.

I’m not the same traveller as I was before.

Now I make considerations and compromise much more – not because I have to, but because I want to. We decide together where we go, what type of hotels we stay in, and what we do during our visit – and I’ve had some amazing trips as a result, incorporating elements that I may not have done before.

All of this has been an incredible journey in itself, and one that I certainly wouldn’t change, and as our journey has progressed, I now feel I’m back at the stage where I want to start writing again – putting some time and effort back in to this blog and into my own social media.

So thank you for those of you who stayed with me, and apologies for being inconsistent – I’m back on it again now, though obviously from a slightly different viewpoint, and have plenty to update you on, and plenty more adventures planned ahead!

I don’t think people say it often enough, but I genuinely thank you for reading, and hope you’ll stay with me for the next post, which will be out this weekend!