Travelling can be lonely. This is something that glossy mags, travel blogs, Workaway and Instagram forget to mention. After a year of being basically alone, and with money worries looming on the horizon, it was time to make a change.
I’m so grateful I got to experience the backpacking life one more time, but I think we’re done now. We still own Vincent Van Go, our converted Renault Master, and we are unlikely to give the freedom of a van up in a hurry… but it is pretty wonderful living in a house that doesn’t rock in high winds, with running water and a permanent bed.
Duncan, Basil and I have moved back to Stirling, and we are living in a tiny ground-floor flat. Basil loves going out to explore and I love not having to worry about him constantly. One lesson from our year of travel is that we are able to live in small spaces, with relatively few belongings. All we need to be happy is each other, a soft sofa, and our pals in the pub round the corner.
We will get itchy feet again, I’m sure. For the meantime we have trips around Scotland to look forward to in our van or by bike. With so much natural beauty on our doorstep, we definitely aren’t going to get bored.
Jemma Beedie 