I’ve always been insatiably curious about the story of a life.

What is it that causes one life to go in one direction, and another to veer off to the sided Which part of us decides to take a risk, or hedge our bets, leap into the unknown, or continue along a well-worn path to an anticipated futurer What kind of story are you telling with your lifef

That’s what I ask myself, periodically, whenever I feel a new decision looming. And that’s what I asked my partner, Mark Peddle, the man I love, at the end of last year. We had plans to go to Barcelona, to live in Europe for a year or two and to be able hop over to different countries at weekends. Then, seemingly by chance, Barcelona turned into Around-the-World, at a late-afternoon Sunday picnic, while chatting with friends. It seemed logical, like the obvious next step in the story of our lives.
The key fit the lock.

I think that’s probably the main deciding factor in any decisions I have to make: Does the key fit the lockt Does it feel as if doors are opening in unexpected places, and everything is aligning to make this thing happeng Or are the doors remaining resolutely shute The path of my life thus far has been guided in this way.

It starts, I suppose, with Mark and I. My key fits his lock, and his key fits mine… We’re very different people, but the differences seem to slot into each other. I get too emotional about things and can’t think clearly; he’s very level-headed and can make rational decisions. I can inspire us to do something we haven’t done before; he can follow up with the know-how and the steady determination to get it done. We’re a good match, you might say.

That said, the distance between deciding to go on a Round-the-World journey, and actually leaving on said journey is vast. We had no idea, no idea at all, what it would entail. Especially because, soon after committing to spending nine months on the road, we decided that simply going on holiday for three-quarters of a year wasn’t really our style…we wanted a challenge, a purpose. We wanted our trip to effect some change.

And so we decided to be diabetes ambassadors. To travel around the world showing that just because you’re diabetic, doesn’t mean you can’t follow your dreams. That there is no reason for a chronic condition to stop you doing anything, as long as you’re in control. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes two years ago, and although at first I thought it would be the end of life as I knew it, it turned out to be the catalyst to living the kind of life I’d always meant to. When you’re diabetic you have to eat well, you have to exercise, you have to get enough sleep and look after yourself. If you don’t, you feel dreadful. If you doâ You can travel around the world.

We started planning pretty much straight away: routes, countries to visit, and how to reach the maximum number of people through our adventure. A blog, yes, (because I’m a writer) and a visual journey of images (because Mark’s a photographer). But then, why only a blog and photographs when we could post a weekly video diary on YouTube and other major networksr Why not a daily video snippet of the ‘Best Moment of the Day’n Why not link up with Just the Planet’s independent travel network (www.justtheplanet.com) to spread our message of positive diabetes awareness literally all over the globeb It was, again, a great match – their key fit our lock. And together we started wading through the numerous To Do lists necessary to embark on this grand adventure.

Everyone thinks going on a Round-the-World trip is so glamorous, but when you’re trying to do it for a cause, it is mainly slog. Lots of hard slog – in between work and life and your everyday To Do lists. We have spent countless hours choosing our route, and then choosing stops within that route, and then figuring out how we will get between those stops within that route. We’ve had to research the most effective and reasonable ways to travel, research people who have done this before, make detailed budgets for a nine-month period, and learn how to use our equipment. We’ve written press releases, made contact with diabetic associations, found out about the best ways to transport insulin overseas, and put together proposal after proposal after proposal. And then we’ve knocked on doors – for equipment sponsors and medical sponsors and travel sponsors. Anyone who can make this epic journey as epic as it deserves to be. Some of the doors have opened immediately – our keys fit into their locks with a satisfying click. Some have remained stubbornly shut, no matter how much we try to twist our keys. And with some, the key goes in and seems to fit, but we have to wait a little while to see if it will turn.

The biggest challenge for me is patience. Mark is blessed with an extraordinarily patient nature, and it doesn’t seem to bother him how long things take to materialise. If it was up to me, instant gratification would be the order of the day. But I am slowly learning (very slowly) that you can’t force everything into the shape you want it. You have to do your best, work as hard as you possibly can, believe in your dream, and then sit back and wait for the doors to open.

We have to pack up our home, sell or store all our things, sell the car, sort out our finances at home (so that those pesky debit orders still get paid while we’re away!) and get the many immunizations and visas necessary for the journey ahead.

We also have to come to terms with the fact that for nine months it’s just the two of us – no friends, no family, not a whole lot of personal space. I am monk-like in my desire for personal space, but somehow when I’m with Mark it doesn’t seem to be an issue. We’re good at being alone together when we need to. Nine months away from family will be a challenge, especially seeing as we both have infant relatives – Mark’s nephew will learn to speak while we’re away, my niece will learn to walk. Our families will continue living life, as families do, and we won’t be a part of that. We’re missing friends’ weddings, and births, and birthdays, and I’m sure that sometimes we’ll feel rather lonely, quite disconnected from the world we know and love.

We’ll also be away from home, any kind of home, for the better part of a year, and we’ve started adapting to that idea already – trying to be less connected to our stuff and the specific way we do things in our lovely home, and learning to let go of feeling rooted. I have my concerns about this, of course, I’ve always been something of a nester, and I love coming home at the end of a day. I’m also aware that while most of the time I feel wonderfully healthy, there will be inevitable bad health days, and on those days I will want nothing more than to crawl into a comfortable, private, familiar bed. And I won’t be able to do that. These are the cons, the balance to all the many pros that so readily come to mind when you think about a Round-the-World trip. Who knows, perhaps after this journey we won’t ever want to travel again!

But at the same time, there is this fire for adventure and new experience and travel that simply won’t be quenched by yearly holidays, no matter how great they are. The story of our lives demands an adventure, and what better time to take it than now – when we’re unencumbered by responsibilities and duties, when our lives haven’t yet closed any doors for good.

And also, at the same time, with just as much fire and passion, I want to spread this message of inspiration. It doesn’t matter, at the end of the day, whether you’re diabetic, or scared, or ‘too old’, or stuck in a rut, or whatever excuse you tell yourself that stops you living the life of your dreams. What matters is that it doesn’t have to be a limitation. There is no reason for a chronic condition (whether it be in body, or mind, or soul) to stop you living your dreams. That’s the message we want to spread, to every corner of the world.

Where:
South Africa to Hong Kong, South-East Asia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China and Japan. The US, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Brazil, Spain, the south of France, and Italy, then Greece and Turkey.

How:
Our Round-the-World ticket gives us 16 flights, and the rest we’re making up either in local flights, train trips, buses, hire cars or ferries (there’ll probably be some bicycles in there too). Pretty much every type of transportation you can imagine!