Roughly 6 weeks from now I will be taking a break and spending 2 weeks volunteering in Ecuador, 3 days back in the USA, then I will be in Thailand for 4 weeks – of which 2 weeks will be in a volunteer organization. Though I’ve travelled widely this will be a new adventure and experience.

How did this happen? Several years ago (about 8) when I came back from a 4 year Europe posting with my company, that had been meant to be a temporary 6 month assignment, I was meant to get a 3 month at home to settle in. I in reality had a week. This year my doctor advised me to take a break from work, so I sat down and had a discussion with work about taking this time off. They graciously accepted. We agreed that December/January which is usually a quiet time for us would be the chosen time.

My needs were to break away from work, visit some of the places on my travel list and to push my envelope a bit.

Apart from a stint in Thailand I will be doing this by myself, my goal is do this with just a carry on backpack, no work laptop or phone. The majority of my updates will be via this blog.