8. Recap: The Journey So Far
This chapter brings the journey together so far.
PLEASE NOTE: Before continuing, make sure you’ve read the earlier parts of my journey. Click here to view all chapters.
8. Recap: The Journey So Far
The first seven chapters of my journey trace the path from a life that looked perfect on paper to the moment I stepped off the familiar track.
From landing a dream job in London, to the quiet restlessness that grew over years, to finally handing in my notice and saying goodbye to the city I’d called home — each step was a mix of doubt, curiosity, and gradual clarity.
This chapter brings it all together, reflecting on the key moments, the small decisions, and the internal shifts that set the stage for everything that came next.
Here’s a look back at the journey so far, and the moments that led me to take the leap into the unknown.
Over ten years ago, I left my corporate job in London planning to travel around Asia for six months before returning home.
But six months quietly became a year, and what was meant to be temporary slowly evolved into a completely different way of living.
It wasn’t a perfectly planned decision — I simply chose not to return to a version of life that didn’t feel right anymore.
This post introduces the idea behind The Nomad Mindset: sharing the honest reality of building a different path, step by step, and recognising that life doesn’t have to follow a single template.
Read the full chapter here.
After graduating in 2008, I thought I had the timing right — but the global recession had other plans.
Jobs were scarce, yet eventually I landed what felt like a dream job at a big company: a central London office, a respected title, a solid salary, and the buzz of one of the world’s greatest cities at my doorstep.
I had climbed the ladder, earned stability, and lived a life that looked enviable from the outside.
But quietly, something didn’t feel right.
Despite the so-called dream job, status, and social life, the spark faded.
I wasn’t fulfilled.
I was following a script I hadn’t written.
That quiet misalignment slowly grew impossible to ignore — the first hint that a different path might exist.
Read the full chapter here.
Leaving didn’t happen in a dramatic moment — it was slow, quiet, and growing over time.
The dream job that once excited me began to feel heavy, with long hours, more responsibility, and a spark that slowly faded.
Even when performing well, I felt mentally drained, restless, and strangely flat on weekends.
It wasn’t a sudden revelation, but a seed planted during a ski trip in Italy: I couldn’t keep living this routine forever.
I didn’t yet know what I wanted instead, but I knew it had to be different. Months of reflection, internal wrestling, and the courage to voice it finally led to a single decision: hand in my notice.
No plan, no certainty — just the first step toward something new.
Read the full chapter here.
The moment I handed in my notice, everything changed internally, even though externally nothing had.
I didn’t have a plan, a new job, or a clear vision — all I knew was that continuing as I was no longer felt right.
Walking away from a dream job, colleagues, and financial security was hard, but it also brought an unexpected relief.
As the notice period passed, the question shifted from Should I leave? to Where do I go from here?
Uncertainty was real, but so was possibility — and that’s when the next chapter of the journey truly began.
Read the full chapter here.
After handing in my notice, I faced ninety days of waiting with no real plan.
I felt relief, but also uncertainty — a blank space beyond the routine, commute, and meetings I was leaving behind.
I booked a one-way ticket to Bangkok, not because I knew I wanted to travel, but because it was the only idea that felt possible.
On paper, staying made sense. Financially, I could have gained more if I’d waited.
But mentally, I had already stepped outside the framework I’d followed for years.
I didn’t have a new dream yet — just the courage to leave the old one behind and step into the unknown.
Read the full chapter here.
The Same Questions On Repeat
During those final three months at work, the same questions followed me everywhere: “Where are you going?” “What’s the plan?”
I had no real answers — just a one-way ticket to Bangkok and a growing sense that I was leaving more than a job.
I kept working hard, winding down projects and handing over responsibilities, but internally everything felt different.
Life in London carried on, routines and comforts still there, while I quietly detached from them.
There wasn’t a clear dream waiting — just curiosity, uncertainty, and the realisation that I was finally stepping away from something that no longer fit.
Read the full chapter here.
During the three months between handing in my notice and leaving work, the same questions followed me everywhere: “Where are you going?” “What’s the plan?”
I had no answers beyond a one-way ticket to Bangkok.
On paper, I was still a senior editor, managing projects and responsibilities, but inside I’d already detached.
Life in London carried on — friends, football, routines — while I quietly stepped away from the structure that had defined me.
I didn’t have a clear dream waiting, just curiosity, uncertainty, and the reality that I was finally walking away from something that no longer fit.
Read the full chapter here.
My final week in London was a mix of relief, nerves, excitement, and quiet calm.
I was leaving not just my job, but the city I’d dreamed of living and building a career in — a place I’d worked so hard to reach.
Despite having no plan beyond a one-way ticket to Bangkok, there was a sense of certainty about stepping away from the routine and ladder I’d followed for years.
The last day was surreal: handing over responsibilities, closing the laptop, saying goodbye to colleagues, and sharing a final drink at our local pub.
London had been the dream for so long, and now it was the place I was leaving behind — ready for whatever came next.
Read the full chapter here.
You can read more about my Journey by clicking here.
For more inspiration on embracing The Nomad Mindset and taking your first step — click here.
Click here for practical travel tips and advice, shaped by experience.
