We are now home after our 1 year long trip around Europe. What is it like to come home after a long journey? It may seem like we are just hanging around on the galas and luxury holidays around Rigabut that's not really the case. Coming home after a long journey is also coming back to everyday life, and that's what takes up most of our time ...
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ShareAt home in the boat
Being at home in the boat in Pampas marina is fantastically cosy! We enjoy the beautiful view and keep saying to each other "You know what? We live on a boat!". The water is lapping, the flags are flapping and the light is reflecting on the surface of the water. Coming back here is not like coming back to a confined apartment, which is probably lucky for us after our long journey of freedom!
At the same time, we can't just sit and have a good time, we have also had a lot to do since we came home. We've been busy packing and unpacking, discovering what we've left in the motorhome (and buying new ones!), hooking up the TV and Internet, paying bills and going through which of our water-damaged clothes to keep and which to throw away. We have to contact insurance companies and accountants and health centres... and it all takes time!
Jobs and stuff
I had a permanent position as an administrator in Stockholm County Council when we left, but I lost that position during the trip. I was on leave for a total of nine months, but when it was time for the last three months, things suddenly came to a standstill, and I chose to resign instead of coming home.
Sad, of course, but what do you do when you've been planning the trip of a lifetime for seven years and don't even have a place to stay at home? Now I have been hired for 3-4 months at Karolinska Institutet to do an interview study. I started on Monday and at the same time I am looking for a job, so I am not idle!
So far, Peter has had to take care of everything here at home, but he will soon be able to start doing craft work as well. "Of course we have to work, that's how it works if you want to pay your bills. But maybe we will also prioritise other things now after the trip.
Of course we want to work, but we don't want it to take up all our time. There are so many other things we want to do! How do you think? How much of your time is taken up by work and what is at the top of your priority list?
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4000mil.se says:
Work to live or live to work, as they say.
Maybe I've been doing too much yoga or something, but I tend to think of life as a balancing act between four different parts. Work, family, friends, personal interests. If one is missing or too short, you get a little bit lame...
09 December 2015 - 22:09
Ditte says:
Living on a houseboat is absolutely perfect and of course a feeling of freedom even if you can't leave the quay directly by boat. But it won't be confined. Jobs will come along, but you need to value things other than work as well.
I chose to stop working and draw my occupational pension when I was 61 and I have never regretted it. Admittedly, I worked a little after that in Stockholm, Thailand and Beijing and it suited me well.
I think it's important in life that work doesn't consume all your energy and that you have time for everything else as well. It is often a matter of prioritising financially and since our daughters were born in 1981, travelling around the world has always been prioritised over many other material things (but we have lived in our own house without buying new furniture and a new car every year).
At the top of my list of priorities is being healthy and doing what I want to do when I want to do it, and I hope to do more travelling. And of course spending time with my grandchildren.
09 December 2015 - 23:14
Renate's travels says:
I guess it's a big adjustment to come home to Sweden again! But you certainly don't live a boring "A4" life, so it will probably be fine 🙂 Just living in a houseboat sounds really cosy!
Regarding work, I also think that work is not my whole life. I have been so lucky that I can work just extra, so I work when I can, and travel when I want. I'm always needed at work, so when I'm at home I can work almost 100 % if I want to. This is a dream life for me. But it probably won't be like that forever. If everything goes according to plan, I will graduate in archaeology in 2016, and then the question is whether I should start applying for archaeology jobs, or whether I should take some time off and travel for a while... Time will tell. 😉
Hope you have a great pre-Christmas season!
10 December 2015 - 0:43
BP says:
Even after 12 months of holidays here at home, there is still a weekday ahead. A different everyday life perhaps, but still in a holiday environment considering that you live on the boat and with a view that could be found in any holiday paradise. Well, apart from the temperature then;-)
I think you were brave to skip the service in favour of your dream trip. In fact, I would have done the same!
You only live once. Money is certainly not everything. BUT the "luxury" I have had and am fortunate to have left, I do NOT want to get rid of if you know what I mean.
Our jobs took the time it took with our generous employers. And we loved our jobs. BUT working yourself to death is not a good idea. BUT if you love your job, as I/we did, you continue as long as you enjoy it. You should have fun quite simply and at the same time cash in if possible. Oh yeah:-)
10 December 2015 - 0:36
anita wag agrimanaki says:
I really wish we could prioritise other things before work, but as it is in Greece today and our own economic situation, you have to work a lot to even have food on the table. As you know, however, I have closed my shop where I worked 12 hours a day during the tourist season. In the coming season, I will absolutely not work more than 8 hours a day and I will make sure I get 1 day off a week. Now I'm just waiting for that job to show up so that this summer I can enjoy the beautiful beaches of Crete....
10 December 2015 - 6:26
Mr Steve says:
I realise that this is a huge adjustment for you. It was brave of you to resign from your previous job. And wise, I think. All too often the job takes up too much of people's lives, which I know from my own experience. But, when you think the job is fun, you go for it. However, I would have made some other choices if I had to "start over", but I am not bitter and regret what I have done. I ended up at Getingstorp in the end and I would have wanted to do that no matter what my previous life had been like. All's well that ends well, if I may say so.
Enjoy your everyday life and good luck with your job search!
10 December 2015 - 8:27
admin says:
4000 miles, I haven't done yoga, but I still agree! Certainly it is a balancing act!
Ditte, I understand that you have not regretted your decision! You have experienced so much, not least during your time in China! And being healthy is of course most important of all!
BP, yes we are very happy to live in this environment! Of course, it's also about enjoying your job. You work many hours a week, so if you get to work with something you enjoy, it means a lot! I have applied for two jobs that both sound exciting, we'll see how it goes...
Renates Reiser, combining work with frequent travelling is a challenge! You seem to have managed it well with your extra jobs. But it also sounds exciting with archaeology jobs!!!
Anita, of course it's true that you don't always have a choice. We also have to work now to pay our bills. What kind of job are you looking for?
Steve, I liked my job, but had worked there for 10 years and took the refusal of continued leave as a sign that it was time to move on 😉 It can be exciting, but I don't know how easy/difficult it will be to find a new good job... I have no unemployment insurance (couldn't keep it during the trip) so I need an income. And of course you can sit afterwards and think things that you should have done differently, but it still feels like you are satisfied on the whole. And not least with life at Getingstorp of course!
10 December 2015 - 10:41
Ama de casa says:
Tough decision there with the job, but completely right in my opinion 🙂 .
I tend to agree with an old colleague who always said "My body has no need to work..." 😉.
My current job as Ama de casa is the best I have had 😀.
10 December 2015 - 11:10
Lennart says:
I remember what it was like, but now we live without any obligations.
The only thing we miss in Svedala is children and grandchildren.
Otherwise, we live for the day and have nothing to look forward to. What freedom!
I'm glad you're thinking about something other than work.
Live well
10 December 2015 - 11:52
admin says:
Ama de casa, being ama de casa clearly requires a woman! 🙂
Lennart, it sounds relaxing and nice! Keep up the good work!
10 December 2015 - 17:13
Marina says:
A wise prioritisation, I think! I usually think that it will always work out somehow, and often there is a reason why things turn out the way they do...
11 December 2015 - 8:33
admin says:
Marina, that's how I usually think... so it remains to be seen what this leads to! 😉
11 December 2015 - 9:32
steel city anna says:
I have almost stressed myself to death and I never do it again 🙂 I have extremely strict limits on overtime now. Freedom is more important than money as long as you have somewhere to live and food on the table.
11 December 2015 - 11:15
Anna, New York - My Bite of the Big Apple & Travel on a Cloud says:
How interesting to hear about how it feels to come home and about the job situation!
I certainly understand that the trip was prioritised so that it could be completed as planned.
Living on a boat sounds undeniably cosy. It's great that you don't have to feel trapped in an apartment just for the freedom of travelling.
Regarding work, I think like this: It's not everyone's privilege to work with their major interests. But I do! I run my own communications agency as a copywriter and communicator. Of course, being self-employed isn't always a walk in the park, but the opportunity to do what you're passionate about makes up for it. As well as the freedom! I live in a small town and it's only a five-minute bike ride to my office, which I love (it's in an office hotel with nice friends as room neighbours).
The job is also intertwined with my private life, as the line is blurred when it comes to work shifts, travel blogging and all the networking on social media. Sometimes it gets too much, with long evening shifts. Then it is nice to go to the gym or out for a walk. When work is life, life just can't be work! 😉 Complicated perhaps, but I think you understand how I think.
Good luck with the practicalities and your future job plans!
11 December 2015 - 13:27
admin says:
Steel City Anna, that makes sense! You have to make a living, of course, but working so hard that you almost fall over unnecessarily doesn't make anyone happier...
Anna, it's great to hear that you work with what you like! I understand exactly what you mean! I'm not sure that you need to have a strict boundary between work and leisure if you like your job, but of course it's fluid. Personally, I've worked with things that I find very interesting - but that I still don't want to take up all my free time. Maybe because I want a little too many things at once 😉 It's always a balancing act, life ...
11 December 2015 - 21:20
Inga M says:
Brave to give up a good job to make the trip! I probably wouldn't have done it without coming home earlier in that case. But then I'm a real coward, I want to be safe around me. I deeply dislike not knowing how life will develop. But I also realise that you have a very good education and valuable professional experience to bring to the job search, so in practice it is of course no problem for you to find something good again.
When it comes to prioritising between work and leisure, it has been a live discussion for some time here in our house. I started a few years ago to take time off every Wednesday to avoid being so tired and to start the job weaning process. Now for a couple of years I have been working Monday - Wednesday and Friday, i.e. 60 % and it's gold, I can be happy on both days off and work days. Now I have turned 65 and next academic year I would like to work 40 % so only Monday and Wednesday. Since I like my job very much, I would like to continue as long as I can for my employer. I suspect that it must end at the age of 67, the municipality has a limit there. But we'll see, my negotiating position is good, well-trained and authorised special needs teachers don't grow on trees! ;- ) Roland has a small construction company and takes care of administration, transport and arranging new jobs, but is otherwise very free, so we have a lot of free time together, which we appreciate. It is good to think sometimes how you want it and not just work on.
12 December 2015 - 11:53
admin says:
Inga M, how nice to be able to adapt your working hours in the way you describe! It sounds perfect to be able to continue working, but to do it a little less hours per week. I think it would be fantastic for many people if they could do that at that age. Good both for the individual himself - but also for the organisations/companies that in this way can retain knowledgeable and experienced staff at a higher age. 67 is probably a limit throughout the country, but it may be a shame in some contexts. In the research world, there are many who continue to be active long after that... When it comes to employment and security, I'm probably not so careful about feeling secure, it's true. I strived for a long time to get a permanent position because it was a goal, but when the goal is fulfilled, I lose the desire, haha. It was of course impractical to get rid of the position, but I hope to find something new. The fact that I got a few months at KI right when we came home feels good!
12 December 2015 - 12:27
Anna in Dubai says:
It's not so hard to come home when you're just doing rounds on the red carpet like you do. As far as work is concerned, the best thing is to find a job that you enjoy and doesn't feel like work. Developing and fun. Hard to find but it's there. After all, you spend a lot of time at your job. Then I think that if you never work, you don't appreciate holidays and time off... but I don't know that for sure. Maybe it's fantastic. Otherwise, come here and I'll sell you to a sheik and we'll have the money for you.
13 December 2015 - 11:47
admin says:
Anna in Dubai, Peter wonders if it is enough to sell just me...? But I'm not sure I'm on board with that idea though... By the way, I think you're right when it comes to work. Working right now on that to find something that is developing and fun 🙂
13 December 2015 - 12:27
Shefik veliu says:
Hello my friends I continue to read your blog it is great to hear that you are doing well too bad you could not come to Malmö greetings from Malmö.
13 December 2015 - 12:57
admin says:
Shefik, how nice to hear from you! It would have been fun to visit you in Malmö... It was sad that it did not happen. We were tired and a bit stressed at the time and wanted to get up to Stockholm quickly to deal with all the hassle... I hope you want to come to Stockholm at some point! You (and your wife or friends) are of course warmly welcome to the houseboat if you come here! And we can take you/you to some different places in Stockholm 🙂 We still enthusiastically tell everyone we meet about Albania and Macedonia - we had very nice experiences there! 🙂
13 December 2015 - 13:42