Hi, we’re Nikki and Nick – and we decided back in 2021 that life was too short to spend stuck in the daily grind.
About Let's Go Nick...
Ta daaaa, we’ve made it onto the World Wide Web!!!! What a palaver…..
So, for those who don’t know us yet, we are Nick n Nikki and back in August 2021, we decided to pack in our jobs, sell pretty much everything we own, and rent out our house so we can go off on an adventure of a lifetime. Become Adventurer Explorers living off our wit n charm and a budget….
Sounds easy, right?
Well… not quite.
Over the last few years we’ve learnt a couple of important lessons:
We’re terrible at sticking to budgets (oops).
And being together 24/7 is… intense (let’s just say we’ve mastered the art of the silent stare 😂).
But that’s all part of the adventure. This isn’t about living a perfect, filtered life—it’s about embracing the chaos, learning on the go, and hopefully inspiring anyone who’s ever dreamed of doing the same, packing up and travel.
Taking the Leap (and Hoping for the Best)
Nick and I have always loved traveling. For years we said, “Once the mortgage is paid off, we’ll sell the house and see the world.”
But one night in August 2021—waiting for a train home after a big night out—we thought: why wait? Our best years are now… not in six years, and not when we’re too old to learn new things like learn to dive in Thailand or climb a volcano in Indonesia. So, we decided to go for it.
Our to-do list looked simple enough:
Tell family and friends (they thought it was brilliant).
Quit our jobs.
Rent or sell the house.
Sell our stuff.
Put on our rucksacks and head off.
We decided to rent out our house. But selling the stuff we’d accumulated over 30 years was no mean feat. It was HARD! We sold loads on Marketplace, at local car boot sales, and the rest we gave away, donated to charity, or took to the tip. I tell you—it was tough. But it was also surprisingly satisfying to get rid of all that stuff!
Of course, some things we kept—old photos, vinyl records, and Nick’s tools (there was no way he was letting those go!).
Once the house was empty, we were finally ready to leave Devon for pastures new. Rucksacks packed, hearts racing, we set off into the unknown to chase the adventure of a lifetime. 🌍
Reality Bites.....
Well, Seven months in Southeast Asia taught us some valuable lessons:
- Budgets look great on paper but vanish when faced with pad thai, cocktails, and tuk-tuks.
- Being with your partner 24/7 sounds romantic… It’s intense until you realise you’ve had the same argument three times before breakfast.
- I (Nikki) actually missed working. Who knew? Having a reason to get up in the morning makes a difference (although Nick insists lying on a beach is a form of productivity).
- Money doesn’t grow on palm trees. And shockingly, savings don’t last forever.
And beyond all that – we really missed our friends, family, and those silly everyday things like nights out, belly laughs, and cocktails in Exeter.
The Grand Master Plan (Version 2.0)
So, instead of throwing in the towel, we got smarter. We discovered the world of seasonal work (It really is a thing) at a holiday park. We work from March to November. Nick works as a warden and I’m in the kitchen as a chef. We live on-site in our touring caravan, working through the busy season and saving our pennies. Then, when winter rolls around, we pack our bags and fly off to warmer climes.
So, we spend summers in glorious South Devon working hard to top up the kitty. Then, when winter rolls in, we dust off our backpacks and chase the sun.
This “work a bit, travel a bit” balance works for us – Nick gets his beach time, I get my sanity (and cocktails), and our bank account gets a fighting chance.
Why Write This Blog?
Let’s Go Nick… was created by me, Nikki, as a way to keep a personal diary of our travels and adventures across the UK and around the world. It also stops us from boring people at social gatherings (when we should be drinking and dancing) wittering on about how we ended up working in the UK during the summer and then flying off to foreign climes in the winter.
I want to take you on our journey, the ups n downs. The downs in our experience are more situations like Nick being lost in Tokyo on the way to the airport travelling back to the UK or Nick being robbed by Mexican police whilst on a night out. Then there is us ending up in the middle of Thailand having to teach 40 Thai kids English for two days! Oh, and I mustn’t forget us being stuck on an island in Busuanga Bay, Palawan HUNGRY…. You know that sort of thing!!!
WHAT??? That sort of thing doesn’t happen to everyone. Well…
WELCOME TO OUR WORLD!!!
I can’t wait to share our travel stories with you! You’ll get to know about all the exciting places we’re planning to visit, as well as the ones we’ve already explored. I’ll let you in on all the details about our flights, hotels, excursions, and costs involved – no secrets here!
Plus, I’ll also be providing you with some practical travel advice based on our own experiences. Stay tuned to hear more!
I also want to tell you how we went about giving up the everyday grind. Selling our stuff and what we get up to in the summer in the UK.
Follow Us On Our Adventures
We’re so excited about our journey to break free from the daily hustle and bustle. It’s all new to us, and we’re learning as we go. It’s also a major lifestyle change, and we didn’t expect it to be easy. But we’re taking it one step at a time. Nick and I are just starting this adventure, and who knows what’s in store?
Perhaps you don’t want to go as far as we did, quitting your job and selling all your possessions, but we hope to inspire you to try something a little different when travelling to foreign places. Our goal is to provide you with practical information that is straightforward and helpful for your own adventures.
