"This was not the plan"

“This was not the plan.”

That’s become something of a mantra for me.

When you travel for a living, you learn to roll with the unexpected.

It’s not uncommon for some external factor - strikes, thunderstorms, earthquakes - to wreak havoc with your itinerary.

The best thing you can do is to find a workaround and tell yourself everything happens for a reason.

I’ve had some big changes in my family life of late, with the result that my first Substack of the year didn’t go out as planned.

And I’ve decided that happened for a reason.

I love the way this Substack allows me to delve into some of the quirkier aspects of travel that don’t get covered in the mainstream titles.

And, from the feedback you send, I can tell you enjoy it too.

At the moment, however, my focus has to be elsewhere.

So I’m taking a break.

This is not the end of the journey.

I’m planning to be back on board in a few months, with plenty of fresh tales to tell.

Hope to see you then!