When Your Dream Vacation Isn’t Quite What You Expected
“Travel isn’t always pretty. The journey changes you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdain
Life has a beautiful way of testing us. It challenges our resilience and adaptability when we least expect it. And, as we move into the next chapter of our lives, in my case, my mid-sixties, it presents its share of unexpected detours and obstacles. Some to be overcome, others to settle in as our new norm.
Such was the case during a recent European vacation. My husband, Dean and I were six days into a six-week holiday. After a beautiful day of golf at Adare Manor, Dean suffered a debilitating knee injury. But it was what unfolded over the next 24-hours, days and weeks beyond that opened my eyes to some undeniable facts.
Those first 24-hours, Dean was treated in a Limerick hospital, and we had to rely on the kindness of complete strangers. In this case the lead EMT who quite literally took me under his protective wing, asking Dean his permission to take me back to the resort, told us he would bring me back the next morning, as he would not want his wife spending the night in the lobby of that hospital and couldn’t sleep knowing he’d left someone else’s spouse in peril. Our family remains connected to this angel today.
Life often pushes us outside our comfort zones, forcing us to confront our vulnerabilities head-on. We carried on through Portugal, and on to Paris and this was where it got really tricky for me. Dean was in a tremendous amount of pain, struggling with his crutches and in need of rest. I spent much of the time exploring on my own. How it started and how it ended is what I hope will resonate with you.
I have always really enjoyed solo travel, well into my midlife, but not this time. I found myself worrying more and enjoying less and this would simply not do! ‘Shake it off!’, I told myself. I would hold my head up and march right back into my 40-year-old self I could do this. Only I’m not that woman anymore – happily I should add – I don’t rue the days and years that have passed, in fact I love where and who I am today, at 65. Though, truth be told, it’s taken some reckoning. On a sunny day in Porto, I came face to face with a sense of vulnerability I didn’t expect and couldn’t ignore. Something had to give.
As the rest of our trip unfolded what gave way were all the expectations. You know, the ones we hold on to publicly and privately. For me it meant accepting that moving through the world looks and feels differently now than it did even ten years ago – and that’s more than a little okay. And – that with some very simple pre-trip planning steps I would be better prepared for the inevitable detours we’d encounter along the way.
What began as a meticulously curated 6-week adventure, in the end, proved to be a transformative journey of self-discovery and growth.
Download these forms to ease your pre-trip planning work.
Next Chapter Medication & Health Records
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Next Chapter Pre-Travel Checklist
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Thinking about planning your next big adventure? Let’s talk – I’d love to help you.
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Here’s a book I think you’ll enjoy:
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Don’t ever stop believing in the power within you!
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