Lettie Goes Travelling

I’m part of the Sandwich Generation…

looking after an elderly parent, while still being there for my son… and my grand-doggy.

So when I travel, I don’t just organise a trip…

I organise life to carry on at home in my absence.

Or at least… I thought I had.

My bags were packed, in the car, and I was on my way to the airport.

But something made me stop and check in on my mum.

Thank goodness I did.

Her central heating wasn’t working.

Like a lot of people her age, she needs the house to be kept at a fairly constant, almost tropical temperature… and it definitely wasn’t.

Phone calls made, engineer booked — “within four hours.”

But it was a Friday evening… and there was a small voice in the back of my mind saying this might not be resolved today.

So I did a quick dash back home, grabbed additional heaters, set everything up… and got back on the road to the airport.

The outcome?

A new part was needed… and it wouldn’t be available until Monday.

Now, I’m very lucky.

A few years ago, I met someone on my Morning (S)miles walk — one of those chance meetings that would never have happened otherwise.

So when my mum left me a frantic voicemail just as I briefly came off flight mode during a delay at Gatwick… she was the first person I messaged.

(And yes… flight mode was back on well before we got anywhere near the runway 😅)

By the time I landed, my phone was full of messages.

Let’s just say… my first hour in Gibraltar wasn’t particularly restful.

But my “village” friend had it covered.

She didn’t just support my mum — she supported me.

She recognised that I needed this break too.

And as she said…

“You’d do the same for me.”

She’s right. I would.

Even knowing everything was in hand, the fatigue of the last few months — and the stress of the day — caught up with me over dinner that evening.

And I had that moment I think a lot of solo travellers recognise:

“What am I doing here?”

At that exact point, another friend — someone I’d met on a previous solo trip — messaged to ask how things were going.

She got the full emotional download.

But she gently reminded me that feeling overwhelmed didn’t mean I shouldn’t be there…

it meant I needed to be there.

She told me to get some sleep and look at everything again in the morning.

Nothing dramatic. Nothing complicated.

Just exactly what I needed to hear.

And she was right.

The reset worked.

But I did learn something.

I’d planned this trip based on what my mum needed the last time I went away.

And things have changed.

They will continue to change.

When you’re close to someone day to day, those shifts can be subtle…

sometimes you only really see them when you step away.

So yes… the planning for the next trip will look different.

The support network list might get a bit longer.

But cancelling?

That’s not an option.

Because I can’t care for anyone else…

if I don’t take care of myself first.