I saw this quote on a flag stone in poets corner, Edinburgh in 2017. It resonated strongly – yes travelling is a grand thing. Robert Louis Stevenson another Scots person and one of the fathers of travel writing is quoted, “I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travels sake. The great affair is to move”.

I don’t think Stevenson was being flippant, rather that he may be speaking more about an inherent urge to travel. For Vern and I it is a combination of the both. Taking leave to LIVE. Travel makes us feel alive in all of our being and senses.

Our blog title of 2013 “Stepping off the treadmill” is our way of taking leave to live. And we like to go, not for travels sake alone, but for what it means. Taking leave from the daily routine and pressures uplifts our vision and allows connection to self and the world around us. It resets, energises, broadens and balances our perspective.

We also depart on this travel adventure with mindfulness of the passing of my brother in law, Bob Wyllie. Bob was a pilot and had a real joy and zest for life and people, especially his family. One of his key words of advice was to `live life’. We cant make it to his farewell, but he is very much in our minds and we are thankful that we are doing this grand thing, taking leave to live!