Beyond the Comfort Zone

Beyond the Comfort Zone… the people and the places that remind us what matters.

Tag: writing

  • NOMS – Where to first? Let’s plan!

    NOMS – Where to first? Let’s plan!

    Anyone who knows me, knows one thing for sure: I love a plan. The first question was… when do we actually leave Germany? We started talking about dates at the beginning of the year. Nigel needs to give 12 months’ notice at work, and then we realised my Aufenthaltstitel (German ID card) expires in August 2026. That made the decision quite easy – leaving before having to deal with more German paperwork felt like a small but very welcome win! 

    Next, we did the serious stuff, we both handed in our notice at our jobs. For me, not such a big deal, I started my job just a few years ago after moving to Germany. For Nigel, though, it was huge, he has worked for Festo for 30 years. Then, we told our landlords and our neighbours. Finally, we told our Neckarufer parkrun community and Run to the Pub club… this was possibly the hardest, we will miss their friendships very much.

    Where to volunteer first? This was actually a super easy decision.We will go back to Rescue Center Costa Rica, where we’ll stay for three months. Going somewhere familiar feels like the perfect way to ease ourselves gently into the volunteering lifestyle. We know the place, we know the work, and we know what to expect (at least mostly). We contact them, and they are happy to have us back. 

    Now, I am a bargain hunter. So for weeks, almost daily, I checked flight prices. When Black Friday week arrived, that was the right time. Thanks to being super flexible with dates, I managed to book our flights at the cheapest price I’d ever seen. Decision made. Flights booked. No going back now!

    Support from our community:

    We would also love to support the Rescue Center financially if we can, especially as they currently need an new x-ray machine. Nigel is planning a sponsored cycle ride from Denkendorf (Germany) to Northampton (England) on 1st August 2026 (he’ll tell you more about that adventure in his own blog), but the generosity of our community has already blown us away. We were volunteering with our Run to the Pub friends at an ultra marathon aid station, a donation pot raised just over €90. Completely unexpectedly, the group handed that money to Nigel and me to pass on to the Rescue Center. This hadn’t been discussed or planned in advance, and we were incredibly touched that we were chosen to receive it. Then came our annual 12k’s of Christmas Run to the Pub event. I designed and made the medals for this (with some help from Nigel), and once again we put out a donation pot. Our generous friends donated over €150. Every single cent will go to the Rescue Center (our flights, accomodation, food and other costs will all be covered by ourselves, or earned in return for working). 

    Feeling this level of support, kindness, and encouragement from our community honestly means the world to us — and it makes this whole adventure feel even more special.

  • Noms – The Decision

    Noms – The Decision

    Hi, I’m Noms. Since I was a teenager, I have always been interested in travel. As soon as I finished university in 2004, I signed up for Camp America, which gave me the opportunity to travel for six weeks after the summer camp ended. Then, in 2005, I went to Australia and Japan – and that’s when I really caught the travel bug. From then on, I kept exploring, visiting new countries whenever I could.

    Let’s fast forward to 2015, when Nigel was offered the chance to work in Singapore. We jumped at it and moved there in January 2016. While I was in Singapore, friends often told me I should write a blog. The idea didn’t appeal to me – I cringe at reading my own words – to me, it’s like when you hear the sound of your own voice, and it just doesn’t sound right! But here I am, sitting in front of my laptop giving it a go – because we’re about to start a pretty huge lifestyle change and an incredible new adventure.

    I’m a very organised traveller (most of the time!), but I still make mistakes — and I try to learn from them along the way. I also love those moments when you stumble upon something unexpected and wonderful. Maybe sharing those stories here will be interesting or even useful to others.

    We stayed in Singapore for almost 3 years before relocating again – this time to Germany, at the end of 2018 – and that’s where I’m writing from now. We’ve been here just over 7 years, and I really feel it’s time to move on. Luckily, Nigel feels the same.

    This time, though, it’s different. 

    Last Christmas, we volunteered at Rescue Center Costa Rica in in La Guácima, where we cared for injured and displaced animals. This was our first time doing something like this, and it turned out to be a life-changing experience. We made strong friendships with the center’s owners, who told us they would love for us to return. 

    That trip sparked something. Nigel began talking about having a more permanent travelling lifestyle. Over the past few years, we’ve sadly lost some very special people – some far too young. This has been playing on our minds – life is simply too short and we want to travel while we can.

    So Nigel proposed an idea: retire early, go back to the Rescue Centre in Costa Rica, and then keep travelling – keeping costs low by volunteering in exchange for accommodation/food. I instantly agreed!

    Nigel’s worked incredibly hard since he was 16 and saved wisely, and I have also been careful with money too. Naturally, the engineer in him opened up a spreadsheet before we did anything else! Financial spreadsheets were done, to check if this plan was even remotely sensible – and, with a bit of caution and planning, we believe we can make it work.

    So… can we really give up work, retire earlier than expected, and travel the world while volunteering in exchange for food/accommodation? If you’d like to, join me on this journey and let’s find out!