EVA Travel

No matter what your persuasion may be, I think most people would agree that the world feels a little unpredictable at the moment. Sometimes, I wonder if it's my fault. because every time I pick a new tour destination a conflict breaks out. And of course those conflicts generate fear, but over the past few days radio commentators here in Northern Ireland at least seem to be mentioning fear in a whole host of ways, both public and personal.

And of course that got me thinking: what are the barriers for older women or indeed men who want to travel the world. Because I hear it all the time, someone needs 'to work' on someone else to persuade them its ok to travel, people talk to me before booking to discuss their fears or I can read it on the Facebook page and hear the anxiety that's generated. I remember exactly how I felt before my first give back tour to Thailand in 2018- a true mixture of deep fear but also a sense of escape.

Prior to deciding to travel I had been single for about 10 years and in a relationship with a chap for about 6 months. Actually, I used to have a date once a year prior to that to prove that it was still possible. Some of the dates lasted less than 30 minutes, the longest was about 3 months. I joke about writing a book about it and I've given nicknames to all the men- from the Biker, the Captain, the Pilot, the Vicar, the Artist, the Chicken Whisperer and you get the drift. This last one was The Swindler and I was giving serious thought to wrapping things up when he told me he didn't want to see me anymore. Fair enough, I had told him I wasn't going to give him any more money so it was bound to happen.

On the night this happened, I was going to drive home from his house- about 45 minutes away. But as I stepped out the door I could see a ferocious storm was brewing. It was known as Storm Finn and had a devastating impact in Ireland that year. I turned back and said to the Swindler, I can't drive in that it's not safe. He just looked and said 'well you can't stay here'. Again I repeated that it wasn't safe and he told me I was welcome to sleep in the attic with the mice.

I headed out to drive home and as I turned the corner I saw something snap and spark. I could see clearly that an electricity wire had snapped and my car was now between 2 pieces of line swaying up and down in the storm. I couldn't drive forward or back, couldn't get out of the car so I phoned 999 and explained the situation. They assured me someone would be sent out as soon as possible but to remain in the car. And to remain on the line. It was that reassuring comment and eerily calm voice that worried me and I joked 'you make it sound like I should record goodbye messages to my family'! And of course I'll never forget the response, 'it wouldn't be the worst idea'. Long story short, help arrived, I was rescued and it took about 3 hours to drive home in those atrocious conditions.

The next morning I woke and made a vow. I was going to die single. 10 years of fruitless chasing for a decent relationship had ended as far as I was concerned and I was content with my decision. For a few hours anyway then I found myself googling- what should I do with myself aged 58 if I want to enjoy my remaining years of life. And immediately google knew what to do. Join the Bam Fam, it told me- travel the world and give back meaningfully. Now I love google but I didn't book a ticket there and then. No siree, as someone who had only ventured to France and Spain with visits to family in America the thought of going to the Far East or anything more east than London was unfathomable. So I researched and researched this company who offered trips to people who were Young at Heart. I finally met someone who had been on a trip and spoke very highly of them, so I booked the trip.

It seemed like an enormous amount of money to me, but I could pay in instalments. I was going to Thailand. In a million years before that I could never have imagined going to Thailand, it was so exotic, so foreign and oh my goodness, what would the neighbours think. Anyway, me being me, I set out to learn all I could about what to expect both by reading but spending endless hours in our local Thai restaurants trying out food and learning about what to expect. Booked a flight, packed almost all my worldly possessions including kettle, fan, biscuits, pillow and enough clothes for several holidays, checked my Will and waited for the big day to arrive. When I look back now I can laugh- I was so over prepared and the anxiety levels were massive.

But I soon met the other girls on the trip and slowly we started to bond. As with many groups, not everyone was ever going to get on but our lovely Jai helped with that and smoothed over any difficulties. But the bit I remember the most about Thailand was the volunteering both at the elephant sanctuary but also up with the Lahu tribe in their coffee plantation. It's hard to describe how different this was to my real life and I loved every minute of it. As someone who was tied to a desk during the week, getting out and swinging a machete or sitting in a mud trench planting coffee was truly liberating. I didn't know any better at the time, but hand feeding elephants and bathing in a mud hole with them was all part of the wonder of this trip.

In some ways the rest is history and I wrote about it in August last year, but to quickly recap, I went to India in 2019, lost my trip in 2020 to Uganda due to covid but by 2022 I was back on the road to Costa Rica for another incredible experience in that vibrant country doing night watch with turtles. I was so very hooked on this kind of travel, so much so that when the original company went out of business I tried to keep the ethos alive and ultimately set up EVA Volunteer Travel.

No matter what people say about it, we make a difference. I remember being in a remote area of Ethiopia last year with a very primitive tribe in the mountains and the Village Elder said to me as I was leaving 'Even if you never come back here, it has meant the world to us that you came to visit and cared'.

So am I still scared or fearful? Oh no, that ship has sailed twice around the world. I honestly and genuinely embrace it all. The rough lodges interspersed with amazing hotels, rough roads, rocky boats, unfamiliar food and drink, lack of sleep on long flights, quad bikes, camel rides, beggars both simple and sophisticated- I love it all. Once I took that first leap and went to Thailand, the world became my oyster. I have made friends all over the world but more importantly I now help people to enjoy these experiences too and make a difference everywhere we go. It may seem like a small difference to someone who has everything in the Western world, but to a small child in Uganda a toy car becomes the most precious possession and a set of reusable menstrual pads means a girl in Tanzania can go to school all the days of the month.

So feel the fear and travel anyway, there's a whole world out there waiting for you and thousands of like minded strangers just waiting to be your friends.