Why “Rocking chair fuel”? (RCF)

We are Jackie and Clark, a UK couple who have just left Boston and the working world to take a year off and see what opportunities we can explore whilst travelling in the UK, Europe and further afield.

When we met, Clark told me a story about his great grandfather, which I will let him recount here:

As a young boy my great granddad (who lived to over 100) used to tell stories of adventures that he’d had through his life.  Now, you don’t have to necessarily travel far to create these stories (he never left the UK) but you do have to live life and step out of the norm.  So his advice to me, pipe in hand, “make sure that you create your own memories to power the rocking chair.  Your body will tire with age, but the memories never will”.  So as I became older I set out to create my own adventures through travel.

So from the start of our relationship we decided that we were going to travel…. a lot, and get that rocking chair fuel so that we too can sit back with our memories when we’re 90 (we like to be optimistic).

We’ve been together now for over 20 years, have travelled to over 40 countries in 6 continents and lived in 4.  We are now eager to see what happens next.

 

What have we learnt through our experiences?

We now know what we like and look for in our trips.  We are not beach and sun-lounger people.  We look for adventure, the unusual spots, the breathtaking views, the places where everyone else is not, the eating experience that is that little bit special.  Did I miss anything Clark? 

 Yes, and taking the most beautiful photos to remind us of our discoveries.  

We love being outside, whether walking or biking, we love all nature and wildlife, be it seeing birds and mushrooms on our walks, or searching for jaguar in the Brazilian Pantanal.  We love our food and wine to be relaxed, an occasion to be relished. Above all, we love to experience all this together as a couple.

So, what is this blog about?

Our blog is about our travel and experiences now and since we met.  We look at this as a way to record our memories (in case our own memory doesn’t hold out too well) and hopefully to impart some knowledge and offer tips along the way for anyone like-minded or looking for inspiration for their own RCF.