The Dream

We’ve all been there.

Didn’t we all experience that moment during the first lockdown where we suddenly thought, ‘wait a minute. There has to be more to my life than sitting indoors waiting to die.’

I was scared—weren’t we all? Honestly?—and for those first few weeks I experienced quite a profound sense of emotional claustrophobia, if there is such a thing.

I’ve always been a keen traveller. In fact, only weeks before that March 2020 lockdown, John and I had been in Sri Lanka and had observed Chinese tourists becoming increasingly unnerved by this strange new virus. I hadn’t thought much of it. How little did I know?

Over the years I’ve backpacked and journeyed far and wide, but mostly in Asia. I love to travel. I love the colour and the food and the music and the people. The sheer intensity of new experiences.

And I really like sunshine!

All of a sudden, trapped at home, I realised, I might never get to go anywhere ever again. I was mortified. Of course, the more you start thinking such things, the more obsessed you become, so in no time at all I was yearning to see all the places I’ve never been and my feet were itchier than ever.

Top of that list, at that time, was Norway. I’m not a fan of snow—John loves it—but I’ve always wanted to see Norway in the summer, with the fjords and hills and forests. Surely the best way to travel that sort of distance would be in a motorhome? In an idle moment I decided to investigate how much that might cost. Gulp! I was a bit staggered.

Actually? I was a lot staggered.

In fact, the cost of hiring a motorhome for 4-6 weeks was astronomical. I’d seen second hand motorhomes for sale for less.

And that realisation was the seed I needed.

I found myself thinking about it for a while, searching Autotrader for second hand vans, before tentatively raising the subject with John.

In no time at all, it had become a lockdown obsession. Looking at all the motorhomes for sale. Dreaming of where we would go and what we would do.

At that stage, of course, it was a fantasy. We run a seaside giftshop. Check us out sidmouthgifts.co.uk We open seven days a week, all year round, except for two weeks in January/February. Until recently, one or other of us was always in the shop. We didn’t have the time or the wherewithal to realise this dream

But John (at the time) was 66 and on his second lot of treatment for prostate cancer. He wanted something to look forward to. Retirement was a possibility, if we could afford it.

And I’m also a writer (you can see my portfolio on this website and buy my work on Amazon and help to keep us on the road) so it would be possible for me to work remotely. These were all things to consider as we began to bat ideas around.

Where to start? What to do?

As the lockdown stretched on, we had plenty of time to consider the future.