A Grown Up’s Gap Year – The Newsletter #20

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HELLO – HAPPY SUNDAY!

Taking a solo trip takes many guises, as we highlighted in last weeks episode – if we have planned one it’s often the thing on our calendar that gets us through the trudge of days.

Sometimes it’s a quiet getaway. Sometimes it’s a partner trip. And then sometimes it’s a version you have been dreaming of, when the timing is better, just someday.

Anna Manlulo decided to turn her ‘one day, maybe’, into her ‘if not now, when?’. So off she went to walk the Camino de Santiago – hundreds of kilometres of ancient pilgrim paths, one step at a time, heading off without knowing a soul.

Generously sharing part of her story in A Grown Up’s Gap Year and now, on The Podcast.

Anna didn’t wait until everything was lined up perfectly. She didn’t outsource her dream to someone else’s timeline. She just went. And what happened next – well, you’ll have to listen.

This week’s story is about courage, not conquest. Soulful detours, not spreadsheets. And why sometimes the most important step is the first one you take alone.

And I would really love you to ponder this.

Walking the Camino is brave. But so is opening your calendar and saying: this weekend, this week, this chapter – is for me. Whether it’s a pilgrimage, a local hiking trail, or simply a quiet room somewhere, I hope you’re walking towards something that reminds you to ask.

Why not now? Why not you?

and as always…

Don’t let our epitaph read, “F++k, I forgot to live my life!”

Until our next chat.

Have a fabulous week, 

Love & hugs

Monique x

PS I’d love you to forward this to a friend who’s been talking about their one-day Camino Pilgrimage.

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• You don’t have to wait until you’re ready. Ready is often a mirage. Anna went when she could – not when the stars aligned.
• Solo doesn’t mean alone. The Camino has a way of offering you the right conversation, moment, or message just when you need it.
• Let the place do its work. You don’t have to process it all while you’re there. The meaning often arrives later.
• You don’t need a full year sabbatical. A break from a fortnight to several months can be enough. Even a week can shift everything.
• Courage is often quiet. There’s nothing flashy about walking through northern Spain with sore feet and a journal. But it just might change your life.

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READER MOMENT:

I walked my own version of the Camino last year. Just a coastal track near where I live. But I followed the same intention – to hear myself think again. To take a break from fixing everything for everyone else. It was, quite honestly, the most important walk I’ve ever taken. The actual Camino is still on my list – I will get there, one day.

– Jenny, Port Macquarie

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(WATCH · READ · LISTEN)

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Blokes, should your partner plan a solo pilgrimage, be her ground crew, not her gatekeeper. Make one thing easier: airport run, the home front, all your feels – no commentary.

Better yet, why don’t you plan your own micro‑adventure while she has her version of a ‘travel prescription’ – yes, we are mandating some breathing room as a PRESCRIPTION, definitely good for everything – WE ALL feel better with some space.

When your beloved returns, skip “Was it worth it?” Try “What did you love most?” Then truly listen (and look at the photos).

Thank you for tuning in. And for embracing Partnering with Purpose. It feels great, doesn’t it

Perhaps drop us a note to share what you decide to do for yourself. 

Love from us – and here’s to a super week ahead.

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WANT MORE CONNECTION?

– Join The Club (free Facebook community) – lovely conversation, practical ideas, and weekly prompts.

– A Grown Up’s Gap Year – The Podcast. New episodes and show notes each week.

– Buy the book! Your one-stop-read for everything you need to know about how to have your own ‘Grown Up’s Gap Year’.