When you set off on a big adventure, you don’t imagine being home again within the week! I’d spent months planning this trip with Kaydes. Flights were booked, bags packed, our itinerary mapped with military precision (or so I thought!). We’d made it through the first leg: Wellington → Auckland → Fiji. The island sun was calling, and I felt ready for the adventures ahead.
But then I became quite unwell.
Suddenly, the dream trip turned into productive coughs, headaches, nausea, fatigue and an Adrenal Crisis one evening. Then that heavy, nagging question: do I push on, or do I take the next flight home?
The Dilemma Nobody Wants
Here’s the truth. Getting sick while travelling alone is not great. Getting sick while travelling alone with a toddler? Borderline scary.
I found myself playing out the “what ifs” in my head. What if I got worse while we were somewhere further afield? What if I couldn’t even stand up to take care of Kaydes? What if getting home became 10x harder later on?
The other option wasn’t exactly rosy either. Fly home after just a week away, face the disappointment, and see my plans unravel.
But deep down, I knew. This wasn’t just about me. It was about Kaydes, too. I couldn’t gamble her comfort and safety on the hope that I’d feel better in another couple of days.
What would you have done? Pushed through, or booked the flight home?
Why I Chose to Come Home
The decision wasn’t glamorous. There was me, staring at my phone in a Fijian island resort, calling family, weighing up flight times against my dwindling energy. Obviously in the end, I chose the safe road.
Coming home from Fiji felt almost like catching a domestic flight, easy and straightforward. If I was going to call it quits, this was the time — not halfway up a mountain in Peru or during a long-haul train ride through Canada.
I told myself: you can always restart the trip when you’re well. That thought was key and kept me grounded.
One small mercy in my mess? Travel annd medical insurance. I cannot stress this enough: get it, and get the right policy. Just sorting out the flight reimbursements now, but thankfully all the accommodation I booked had free cancellation so didn’t have to claim for that too.
Then all I had to do is what mattered: getting better.
Why Coming Home Early Was the Right Call
Pretty much as soon as we landed in Wellington, I got a Solu-Cortef IM injection to aid my adrenals and body to recover. When it seemed like I was in the clear, a string of setbacks came my way over the next week… My elbows seizing up, I got rashes, pinched leg nerve, and to top it off, I banged my head on a desk corner yesterday and earned a nice hematoma for the effort!
Whoever has the voodoo doll of me, I plead mercy!
So I pretty much saw that if I’d tried to soldier on, I’d have been dragging Kaydes and myself through airports and cities while barely functioning! It would’ve been unsafe, stressful, and downright miserable for the both of us I’m sure. Sometimes the best thing you can do is take a step back, even when it feels like giving up or giving in.
Tips If You’re Facing the Same Decision
If you ever find yourself stuck between pushing on or heading home, here are some things to consider:
- Health Comes First. Period. – It sounds obvious, but it’s easy to forget in the heat of adventure. No trip is worth long-term damage.
- Ask the “What If” Questions – What if you get worse? What if hospitals aren’t nearby? What if you can’t look after you and/or your child properly? Those questions can clarify your choice fast.
- Check Your Insurance Fine Print – Not all policies cover illness especially pre-existing ones like mine. Make sure yours does. It’s boring admin, but you’ll thank yourself later.
- Book Flexible Accommodation – Free cancellation saved me hundreds. It also saved me heartache, knowing I wasn’t throwing money away made the decision easier.
- Don’t Fear the Reset – Sometime stopping isn’t the end, it could be an interlude. Thankfully I was in a position to shuffle some things around and can restart the trip soon. It can certainly make coming home more bearable!
The Silver Lining
Travel is unpredictable. We can plan every last detail, pack all the snacks, and still get thrown a curveball. What matters is how we handle it. I feel proud of myself for coming home to heal (even if its taking a little bit longer!), and to have the family arms of support to help me look after Kaydes.
By coming home early, I gave myself the chance to heal properly, and I protected Kaydes from a potentially messy situation. It’s good to remember that adventure can wait, and sometimes strength isn’t powering on, it’s knowing when to stop.
Final Thoughts
If you’re ever standing in that same crossroads, unwell and/or scared in a foreign country, here’s what I’d say to you: choose the path that gives you peace of mind. Not the one that looks best on Instagram, or makes for the “perfect” travel recap story.
For me, that meant booking a ticket home, curling up in my own bed with our cat Theodore, and letting the trip rest on pause. And when the time comes soon to restart, I’ll be hopefully stepping onto the plane with health in my corner!
What about you? Have you ever had to cut a trip short? Comment your thoughts below.
Lore & Tempo is where motherhood meets adventure. I’m Ren – storyteller, explorer, and single mum in Wellington, New Zealand. I’ve been lucky enough to wander through 45 countries. 15 of them with my +1, Kaydes, either strapped to my front, on my hip, or running ahead on her own adventures. I created this space to share single parent life, travel tips, and the joy of exploring the world.
