When given the choice to go right or left, always say YES

1 country. 2 islands. 18 days. 17 different sleeping locations, 78 stops along the way. This was my reality over the last 3 weeks but it felt more like a dream.

When my friend Sally told me she had hired a camper van in New Zealand for just under 3 weeks to travel around with her husband and daughter, she casually invited me along. I pretty much ignored it. It’s not that I didn’t want to go. I did. I really did! But there was so much going on over the next few weeks I couldn’t even think about it. It was February 24th and I had a 4 day work event starting in just 4 days. My last day at that job was coming just 4 days after that and then one day after that my family was coming to finally visit me from America! Too much else to think about. Thinking about traveling to New Zealand when casually invited during a texting conversation was completely out of the question — until it wasn’t.

The second of March rolled around and I hadn’t thought much about New Zealand since that initial conversation. But as my work event was ending, and my job finishing was not far behind that and there was no new job lined up, I started toying with her offer for a whole 10 minutes. I was deliriously tired at this point. Day 3 of my event had ended. I had been working late the whole week prior trying to get everything ready for the event and my family’s visit and I was sitting at a concert for artists I had never heard of before for the second night in row (perks of my work event). I was dazing. With Jet and the Living End serenading me in the background, I started to worry about the future weeks to come. What was I going to do once my family left and I had no job. All of my friends would be working and I would be sitting around with nothing to do, undoubtedly missing my family. I thought about a conversation I had previously with my boss, Kathryn. She told me to go. She said that New Zealand was great, but if you have an opportunity to do it with friends it would be even better. So sitting on the lawn of the 500 Adelaide racetrack I turned to my friends Amanda and Casey who were sitting next to me and said “guys, I know I shouldn’t since I wont have a job soon and shouldn’t be spending money but, I think I’m going to go to New Zealand for a few weeks.” I told them about the invite I’d received the week prior. They weren’t surprised. They know me by now to say yes to most opportunities, even the crazy ones I should probably should say no to. With the concert still playing I quickly blurted out the pros and cons I had playing tug of war in my head. They agreed with Kathryn and the little voice in my head telling me to go. Against all rational adult thinking, sitting there on the lawn in the middle of the concert I messaged Sally, “So, I think I’m going to come with you to New Zealand if that’s still okay with you and Vince”. She responded within seconds. “Love this! I know Vince wont mind at all.” And that was all the reassurance I needed. While sitting at the concert I pushed my favorite button that ever pops up on my phone (or computer) screen; BOOK NOW.

Catch me if you can…
Jo Mo