Audacious Freedom Live anywhere. Travel everywhere.

Audacious means having the courage to take risks in spite of negative criticism, convention or peer pressure. Audacious Freedom describes the physical and mental journey my husband and I have made in living a ‘non conformist life’. It has taken courage to move beyond our own and society’s boundaries mentally, physically and emotionally. It is risky packing up and moving, it is risky making lifestyle changes, it is risky not wanting to live a conventional life that is status quo. We wanted to travel, explore the world and experience different cultures, lifestyles and opportunities.

Moving and travelling has brought us into contact with different cultures, confronted our beliefs and viewpoints, required us to adapt and change our mindsets. In the process we have experienced history, politics, changeable territory, quirks of natures and our own personal growth. We have settled, made friends, said good-bye, bought possessions, sold things and moved on. We have had to grow mentally, physically and emotionally as we made our dream a reality.

In summary:  it is about our Personal Growth as foreigners adapting and adjusting to living in different cultures and developing the necessary survival skills to follow our dreams of travelling the world.

You will find:

• A collection of useful articles for those of you who want to or have to relocate abroad. These articles are aimed at showing you how to move with style, the emotions you will experience and survival skills you need to develop as you set up home in a different country.
• A collection of articles about my own personal growth, what I dealt with, what strategies I used to get through and make changes. I have included stories of my own personal ups and downs, highs and lows as I have come to terms with understanding who I am, where I belong, my cultural background as I have become integrated into being a citizen of the world.
• A collection of stories and experiences as I have travelled on holiday. We are hybrid –nomads – we like having a permanent base to travel and explore from. I love mixing with different cultures, hearing their stories and taking part in their traditions. It confronts and challenges my beliefs and perspectives; it opens my eyes to new ways of doing things and makes life exciting, exotic and fulfilling.
• Reviews on travel and moving books, paraphernalia, courses I done and what ‘gurus’ I studied. I have highlighted those that made a difference to me, which ones helped me, confused me, wasted my money etc.
• Fresh content is added regularly with current topics, stories, tips, rants, updates on my ventures, news and information from the travel world. The main aim and focus of the content is to help newbies or budding movers or travellers understand why so many people fail to adjust in their new environment and how they can prevent disappointment.

If you are bucking the trend (in whatever way) and face the same incredulous that we do – know you are not alone. It takes courage to move, it takes courage to follow your dream even when it is unconventional. In a way we live a scandalously free life. We work hard but we play hard too. Our lifestyle and outlook are different to those who have only ever lived in one place or one country. And we enjoy it. I encourage you to take the steps that you need in order to follow your dream.

Who Is Kerry-Ann Edge?

Hi, I’m Kerry-Ann and I’m the writer, mover and traveller behind Audacious Freedom.

Before I got married I lived in Johannesburg (Jhburg), South Africa. A couple of times a year I would travel with my ‘husband to be’ to his family on the coast. Everytime we travelled back we would talk about the difference in vegetation and how we disliked the lifestyle in Jhburg. This was just talk; but then the day before our wedding my husband flew down to the coast for a job interview. Though he never got that job the seeds of moving were sown. After travelling for one month on honeymoon the travel bug had bitten. Four weeks after returning from honeymoon we were packing up and moving to the coast – 750km from where we lived.

Though our time at the coast was wonderful and we made so many wonderful friends, there was always a tug in our hearts to travel more. I remember standing on the beach one evening looking at a cruise liner telling my husband, I want to pack up and travel. I think when I said this I didn’t realise the impact of those words and where it would lead us.

A year after our honeymoon we decided to visit the UK, mainly so that I could meet the rest of my husbands family. At that stage we were thinking along the lines of going abroad once a year; we didn’t have any intention of moving. But I knew as I got onto the to return flight home it was only a matter of time and we would be saying good bye to the life that we knew and embracing the unknown.

When the time came it took me a whole of two hours to decide that ‘yes’ I would move. When we packed up house we thought we would be leaving for the States, however three months and a lot of stress later, we landed up in Aberdeen, Scotland. Our life of travel and relocations had started. So had the reality of dealing with the consequences of living a non conformist life. Over the years we have had to grow and develop our skills to handle life as foreigners and travellers.

There are challenges, obstacles and emotions that are completely unique to foreigners and travellers. We belong, but we don’t. We are part of but not quite. We may speak the same language but don’t get the humour, the slang or etiquette. Eventually we are strangers even in our home country.

Moving has given us wonderful opportunities. By living in the UK we could explore Europe and America easily and cheaply. And we made the most of this by travelling to somewhere in Europe for a weekend twice a month. We were able to get our degrees, take part in graduation ceremonies, have lunch in the House of Lords, meet lots of friends and develop ourselves. While my husband furthered his career I followed my dream of art taking part in three exhibitions by the time we left the UK. I was also able to work for some wonderful charities, gaining invaluable skills in dealing with people, running a business, producing magazines and even doing the layout, illustrations and front cover of a book. (It was very exciting when we had to go for a second print run!)

After 9 years in the UK we decided we wanted a change of lifestyle. We had never explored the eastern hemisphere. Within 3 months of talking about moving, my husband had a job in New Zealand, we had the visas and we were on the move. We have been here 4 years now and love it. New Zealand has gotten under our skin. This will be home. It hasn’t cured our travel bug though. And with Australia, the Pacific Islands so tantalisingly close there is room to travel. Let’s not forget that China, Singapore, Thailand etc though not that close are still close enough that we can take extended vacations to explore them thoroughly. New Zealand has opened up a new world to us of dramatic natural events and experiences, business courses and opportunities to have my own businesses, sailing and kayaking in the remotest and most beautiful places, money management skills, cultural experiences, living in a hut with no water, electricity or another person in sight for miles, the thrill and frustration of dealing with wind and so much more. In the UK, none of this would have been possible.

For me the beauty in living in one place is the ability to really explore and experience everything that country and surrounding countries have to offer. It brings some sort of stability without being bogged down. It allows us to meet people and become woven into a friendship circle of locals and other foreigners becoming part of a worldwide family.

If you are thinking about travelling or moving – I highly recommend it. Yes, it is not easy and there are lots of pitfalls and obstacles, but the rewards more than make up for the difficulties. And this is why this blog was birthed – to record the ups and downs of living and travelling in foreign countries. What it is like to give up citizenship of one country to become a citizen of another. What things to watch out for, to prepare for or to look for to make your transition easier, less stressful and more fun. This blog is about my journey (with my husband) of moving, travelling, seeing different cities, settling in different countries and the impact that it has had on us physically, emotionally and mentally.

Join me on my journey and learn from what I did so that your journey will be easier. All my blog content is completely free and available 24/7.

I would love to hear from you about your adventures, lessons, tips or struggles you have had.