Can't make decision about travelling

LegacyUser

I'm a woman and in my late twenties, have been living and working in London for the last few years. I moved over because I was made redundant at home (Dublin). I generally quite like it here but as it's so expensive, I'm barely making enough to live on. I live with my long term partner and he's in the same position. We're renting a nice flat, we go out for meals sometimes but mostly, it's just get up, go to work, come home. I'm not unhappy here, but I'm not particularly happy either.

We've been thinking about moving abroad to teach English for a year or so and we would both love to go to Latin America. It's been a dream of mine for ages - I studied Spanish at university, thinking I'd go over and I just never did for one reason or another. Now we have the chance and I'm scared. First reason is that I have a long term illness that means I need a hospital check up every 6 months. However, it shouldn't be impossible to sort that out. My real fear is danger - getting robbed, kidnapped or something awful happening. I know that could happen anywhere but we'd be so far from home and have issues like corrupt police as well. It doesn't help that we lost a close friend earlier this year - she died in Mexico (we still don't know how) so that hasn't done much to ease my mind.

I just go between thinking 'sod it, live your life' and 'stay in London and do the 9-5 thing'. I suppose the funny thing is that London is hardly that safe either and a lot of people would be afraid to live here. But I'm in my comfort zone here. What should I do?

Roisy7

Well OP all I'll say is you have one life.

Even if you stayed in South America for two years, you would only have to visit the hospital four times (touch wood). And I'm sure if you have decent medical insurance going over there, I'm sure you would probably receive care no worse than in Ireland, at least.

I can understand and sympathise how your friend's death makes you wary and hesitant (my condolences on the loss of your friend). But bad things happen everywhere. I know of a woman whose family moved from the UK to Ireland because they felt Ireland was safer; the woman was murdered here.

Nowhere in the world is safe.

As you said yourself, London isn't safe. If it's become a comfort zone, try and imagine what you would feel if you were 35 and still in London. Would you be happy? Would you be in a rut?

You are in a good position; you are not going into this blindly, you know what dangers are prevalent in South America, and you have a loving partner with you.

I know I probably shouldn't say this, but the fact that you will have a man with you probably helps with your personal safety too.

You say its your dream OP, so go for it!

Podgers

im very sorry to hear the loss of your friend.

sometimes we need to take risk, at the end of the day if you think about it in any city or country in the world something may/may not happen to you just don't know. its a brave step but something you wont regret for sure and a great experience.

A friend of mine was teaching in South Korea and another was in china, both of them love it. they didn't know the native language going out there, i think the students had very basic English. you could take a look at the usit website they have teaching work in different countries, mexico wouldn't be a place i would be on for as the things you have described, but there is plenty of other counties in Latin america that would be ok. i know the spanish in south America is different than in spain, a friend of mine is going out with a girl from Chile and the Spanish movies have subtitles for them.

I wish you and your partner the best of luck, as they say its better to regret something you have done than something you haven't ;-)

tbh

I'm a type-one diabetic and I spent a year in Australia when I was 26. Best thing I ever did. I have all the things my non-travelling friends have - house, wife, child, car, in fact the only thing I don't have that they do is regrets about not travelling.

In my work, I've travelled in latin and southern America extensively - I've been all over Mexico, Argentina and Uruguay. Some areas of Mexico can be a bit dodgy but cities like Monterrey - while they aren't troublefree - they'd be the same as Dublin or probably London - you'll be fine as long as you're not stupid or desperately unlucky.

Montevideo is probably one of the safest cities I've ever been in, and everyone I've met there has been really friendly and helpful.

At the end of the day, you're not locked in to the year if you go. If you get there and you decide it's not for you, then just come home. On the other hand, if you decide, when you're married with kids like me, that you should have gone, it'll be too late to do anything about it.

Naid23

HannahRV wrote: »

. My real fear is danger - getting robbed, kidnapped or something awful happening. I know that could happen anywhere but we'd be so far from home and have issues like corrupt police as well. It doesn't help that we lost a close friend earlier this year - she died in Mexico (we still don't know how) so that hasn't done much to ease my mind.

I am sorry for the loss of your friend - Bad experiences always make decisions that much harder.

I've always lived by the saying ' If you think about the bad things about places, you will never go anywhere in the world'.
I am going travelling next year and while it is easily the most daunting thing i've done, i know its what i really want to do.

I am not totally naive as to think that nothing bad will ever happen to me but the fact is bad things happen everywhere.
If its something you really want to do, then go for it and try put the bad things out of your head until (heaven forbid) it happens.

Best of luck.

MrScootch

HannahRV wrote: »

I generally quite like it here but as it's so expensive, I'm barely making enough to live on. I live with my long term partner and he's in the same position. We're renting a nice flat, we go out for meals sometimes but mostly, it's just get up, go to work, come home. I'm not unhappy here, but I'm not particularly happy either.

That's just London life and years of that can start to flick by alarmingly quickly.
If you looked back in 5 years, 10 years, 15 and that's all it's been would you be happy?

It's a very big continent, some places are dangerous but do your research and you can avoid them (just like there's probably areas of London you avoid).

Taltos

Closing as OP has not been back in two weeks.