Katy Andrews watched the loading symbol spin on her laptop screen. She held her breath as a new page appeared. The flight was booked. Her life was about to change forever.
It took a failed round of IVF and a tragic miscarriage for her to finally take the leap of faith. Like many others, the 37-year-old had always wanted to travel. Two years later, that dream became a reality. She was boarding a plane to New Orleans with nothing but a rucksack on her back.
Katy and her husband Ciaran scrimped and saved for several years to raise the £9k needed for the trip. They sold their home in Harpurhey along with everything they owned – including Katy’s wedding dress. There was no going back. The pair were set to embark on the trip of a lifetime.
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“Before Covid, we always wanted to travel,” Katy told the Manchester Evening News. “Fast forward to Good Friday this year, I was undergoing IVF and had a miscarriage. I was going through a tough old time and I really wanted to go so I could have time to heal and reflect to push forward with plans.
“I had the challenge of getting rid of years of stuff, giving it to charity shops if I couldn’t sell it. Things that were worth selling like our furniture, freezer and washing machine went on Facebook Marketplace. We took a few bits and pieces to the tip.
“For quite some time I’d be thinking that I was just sick of stuff. It was getting to the point where we ended up with so much cr*p.
“It was quite nice at the beginning getting rid of stuff. As it got towards the end, with things like my wedding dress, it got trickier. It’s one of those things; you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. I had to let it go, someone else can give it some love.”
The pair jetted off to America on July 12, with their first stop being New Orleans. They have since visited Lafayette, Houston and California. Despite travelling the US for just over a month, the couple have only spent £450 on accommodation by using house sitting and sofa surfing apps.
Though they have no set itinerary, they plan to travel around Central and South America before moving on to Africa and Asia. While travelling, Katy hopes continue her job as an education coach, eventually creating her own remote business. After seeing the world, the pair will pick somewhere to live permanently.
“We haven’t got a timeframe but want to see as much of the world as we possibly can,” Katy continued. Then we’re going to find a base – until you explore the world, you don’t know where you’re going to settle.
“At the moment, I’m a lot happier. It’s nice to be away. I’m just enjoying it; it takes adjusting and we’re going at a slower pace.
“We’ve been getting free accommodation through trusted house sitters looking after pets. We’ve also been looking at Airbnb. At the moment we’re living off savings, not a massive chunk and not as much as I’d like. But it doesn’t matter what you’ve got money wise, you can make it work.”
But their journey wasn’t always plain sailing. The pair had originally planned to embark on the trip of a lifetime in 2020 before the pandemic scuppered their plans. When 39-year-old Ciaran lost his job at Waxy O'Connor's in The Printworks during the pandemic, the ordeal only spurred the couple on to achieve their dream.
“We had a lot of stress leading up to this point so that was the driving force behind doing it,” Katy added. When Covid hit, we really wanted to ramp this up. We were bound to the house and having that time inside really makes you want things even more.
“I’m really excited. There are times, as a human, where doubt creeps in. But ultimately, I’m proud of myself for taking action.
“Some people have a dream but don’t do anything about it. I’m just glad I’ve taken action, even if I do have to come back home. I’ve taken action and lived my life, basically I don’t need to wait until retirement when I might not be able to do it. There are times where I wish I’d done it as a teen. I just feel happy and proud.”
Katy is documenting her travel journey on her YouTube channel and website. Updates can be found by following the link here.
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