Going is easy. Leaving is hard

It is  a challenge to travel, especially when organizing it yourself, and more so when you need the extra paperwork that being a third worlder requires.  But the greatest challenge is getting things ready that are left behind.  The higher up you are on the responsibilities ladder the harder it becomes.  Most of my friends who are reading this might never even be able to dream of leaving work and the rest of life on hold for such a long time, just like we could only dream of taking off a year.



We are both self employed .  All of my employees are contract based on performance, so I just need to make sure that the money and supplies are readily available for them to keep working.  I sell a finished product, and this is where guilt really sets in.  I have investors and to maintain investors they need to see prompt returns.  So to leave your sales in the hands of others is not something I enjoy doing and quite frankly sickens me.  If it wasn't for the "now or who knows when nature of this trip" coupled with the Queens real need to take a vacation and clear her head NOW, I would have never done this at this time.  There is always a present and real fear in the back of your mind that you are somehow partially neglecting your duties, and lets be honest.  You somehow are.  I am a dreamer and I can dream you a Doozy, but when it comes to reality, faith is not my strong suit.

For the Queen these 2 weeks have been hell.  being the boss is great, vacation when you want, but never can take.  But where I create a product to sell, the Queen is her product.  After reading the vagueness of this last sentence I feel I should clarify.  No she is not a prostitute.  If she was, travelling would certainly be easier.  She is a fashion designer, and a quite successful one at that, who specializes in made to order dresses and corporate  imaging.  If you needed your rhinoplasty and only the receptionist was there to make the transformation, you would probably prefer to wait or shop elsewhere.  And if you wanted a dress for the big event that makes your bum look smaller... the same rules apply.  So in her line of work,  when the boss goes on vacation, new orders cease.  But salaries, and overhead still need to be paid, and to lay out 1 months worth of work to keep your factory productive is a whole bunch of overtime, and she has not slept well in a long long time.

The Queen and the princess feeding on the applause.

The point of this is that yes it is possible to take off for even longer periods then we are, but it is not easy and definitively has its consequences both long term and short.  It is a lifestyle choice, and sacrifices are made.  The question we each much ask ourselves is is it worth it?   My brother in law has a favorite saying from his father which translated into English roughly says that "your experiences, no one can take away."  So 25 years from now, after a long days work handling the drive through at Burger king to supplement my social security check, I will be at home eating my Mack and Cheese and I sure hope these experiences will make that macaroni  taste like a FILET MIGNON.  But in the mean time, in 36 hours I will be on a plane!