http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/november-2011.html
http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/masterplan-update-1-olympic-special.html
Four months have passed since I started Life Begins @ 40 and while Laura and I still have 16 months until we are officially 'off', our plans have developed a little bit further since November.
What is concrete is that leaving teaching (full time in a school) was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. Through a number of educational companies that I now freelance for, I am still getting the 'buzz' of teaching and working with young people but with none of the crap that goes with it. I have also experienced a record breaking month this March, earning more than a normal month when I was in a leadership role in a school but money was never a motivation for my resignation, far from it in fact. Instead I craved a change in lifestyle and an escape from the claustrophobic bureaucracy and bullshit delivered by people who don't understand what education is really all about. Thankfully I have achieved my goal of a stress free life while still doing the job I adore.
In two months I start rehearsals for the opening and closing Olympic ceremonies and have to admit I'm getting more and more excited with each passing day. Below is a nice piece that our local paper did on me.
Laura also had a nice article done on her in the same paper. See below.
So back to August 2013.
Our house will be going up for sale in July this year and when sold Laura and I will rent until we leave. We anticipate that the rent and additional bills will be significantly less than we currently pay with our mortgage and hope to be able to save some additional monies for our travels.
We also have a new idea about what we might do when travelling. We might look at travelling between August 2013 and February 2014 and returning home for March, April and May where I would be able to earn well (while staying with friends and parents and paying very little in rent) and head off again in June 2014 until the following March. The thought of being able to reply to the question "what do you do?" with "I work for three months a year and travel the rest of the time" fills me with immense excitement.
Of course much depends on what happens with Laura and her travel photography business. We both hope that she will be able to secure some contacts and work before we head off. Again, the unknown is exciting.
As far as destinations go, it looks unlikely that Bhutan will be a destination initially although we might look at it in the future. We are at least in correspondence with the project and they have our cv's.
Spending a good few months in South East Asia is looking like the most likely first port of call in August 2013 and I'm trying to convince Laura to do the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing and then visit Hong Kong on the way down to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. Laura has also found some exciting voluntary eco-tourism projects that we could get involved with which would satisfy both our desires to get positively involved in communities and do some worthwhile work.
There may be some other possibilities too. As I blogged in http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/encp-education-summit-abuja-nigeria.html I was invited to the ENCP education summit in Nigeria in February where I met some very influential educationalists and feel excited about the possible opportunities that may come from that.
I am very aware how often I have used various forms of the word 'excited' but I offer no apology for that. It was an enormous decision to give up a career but the truth is that I've never been happier.
It's mine and Laura's fourth wedding anniversary tomorrow and I'm so pleased to say that it still feels like it's our first year. Long may that continue.
What is concrete is that leaving teaching (full time in a school) was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. Through a number of educational companies that I now freelance for, I am still getting the 'buzz' of teaching and working with young people but with none of the crap that goes with it. I have also experienced a record breaking month this March, earning more than a normal month when I was in a leadership role in a school but money was never a motivation for my resignation, far from it in fact. Instead I craved a change in lifestyle and an escape from the claustrophobic bureaucracy and bullshit delivered by people who don't understand what education is really all about. Thankfully I have achieved my goal of a stress free life while still doing the job I adore.
In two months I start rehearsals for the opening and closing Olympic ceremonies and have to admit I'm getting more and more excited with each passing day. Below is a nice piece that our local paper did on me.
Laura also had a nice article done on her in the same paper. See below.
So back to August 2013.
Our house will be going up for sale in July this year and when sold Laura and I will rent until we leave. We anticipate that the rent and additional bills will be significantly less than we currently pay with our mortgage and hope to be able to save some additional monies for our travels.
We also have a new idea about what we might do when travelling. We might look at travelling between August 2013 and February 2014 and returning home for March, April and May where I would be able to earn well (while staying with friends and parents and paying very little in rent) and head off again in June 2014 until the following March. The thought of being able to reply to the question "what do you do?" with "I work for three months a year and travel the rest of the time" fills me with immense excitement.
Of course much depends on what happens with Laura and her travel photography business. We both hope that she will be able to secure some contacts and work before we head off. Again, the unknown is exciting.
As far as destinations go, it looks unlikely that Bhutan will be a destination initially although we might look at it in the future. We are at least in correspondence with the project and they have our cv's.
Spending a good few months in South East Asia is looking like the most likely first port of call in August 2013 and I'm trying to convince Laura to do the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing and then visit Hong Kong on the way down to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. Laura has also found some exciting voluntary eco-tourism projects that we could get involved with which would satisfy both our desires to get positively involved in communities and do some worthwhile work.
There may be some other possibilities too. As I blogged in http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/encp-education-summit-abuja-nigeria.html I was invited to the ENCP education summit in Nigeria in February where I met some very influential educationalists and feel excited about the possible opportunities that may come from that.
I am very aware how often I have used various forms of the word 'excited' but I offer no apology for that. It was an enormous decision to give up a career but the truth is that I've never been happier.
It's mine and Laura's fourth wedding anniversary tomorrow and I'm so pleased to say that it still feels like it's our first year. Long may that continue.
Finally found time to check out your blog (hotel room with work).
ReplyDeleteUltimate respect for the travel plans m8. You've stepped back and seen the bigger picture of what is important to you - and gone for it!
Can't wait till our next face to face catch up so I can do a proper interrogation!
Den x
Cheers Den - kind words. See you soon X
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