In the beginning blog - Dexter Fortescue

In the Beginning: This Seemed Like a Good Idea

It started, as many sensible decisions do, with the prospect of redundancy and an unexpected pause in normal life. That pause created space to think — properly — which turned out to be a mixed blessing. Somewhere between the kitchen table, a spreadsheet, and an impressive amount of looking out of the window, a simple idea took hold: we should probably see more of the world. Preferably while we’re still fit enough to carry our own bags, remember where we put the passports, and don’t need a lie‑down after climbing a short flight of stairs. Once that thought appeared, it settled in, made itself comfortable, and showed no intention of leaving.

How This All Started

This journey began with the prospect of being made redundant, which turned out to be surprisingly useful. It created a pause — the kind you rarely choose for yourself — and forced a proper think about what we actually want from life.

After some reflection (and more than a little staring into space), one thing became clear: we’d like to see more of the world, and ideally do it while we’re still capable of carrying our own bags and remembering where we put our passports.

Once that idea lodged itself in our heads, it refused to leave.

Research, Rabbit Holes, and Avoiding Instagram

What followed was an extended period of “research”: reading some genuinely excellent travel writing, watching far too much online content, and quietly noting where the Instagram crowd tends to go — largely so we can avoid those places when possible. The aim was to separate destinations that are genuinely interesting from those that are popular mainly because they photograph well from suspiciously expensive balconies and rooftop infinity pools.

When a Simple Idea Got Out of Hand

The original plan was perfectly reasonable. About six months. A sensible route. A manageable number of stops.

Naturally, this didn’t last.

Before long, the plan had grown into something closer to eleven months (need to be back for Christmas), covering seven — possibly eight — countries and somewhere around 80 stops. What began as a neat outline quietly escalated into something that looked worryingly like a Jackson Pollock painting.

Applying a Bit of Sense

Initially, the intention was to do the whole thing in one go. With a bit more thought — and a touch of realism, including the realisation that Jay’s medication alone would require its own bag — we decided that spreading it out made far more sense. The current plan is to divide the journey over three years. Year one focuses on the southern part of the route: Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. Later legs will follow, assuming we’re still enjoying ourselves, can still pack efficiently, and haven’t fallen out with each other over public transport.

How We’re Doing This (Without Remortgaging)

This is not luxury travel. Accommodation planning is based around a budget of up to £30 a night, which immediately rules out many of the places featured on glossy blogs and YouTube channels that show some lovely places, which get you opening a new tab on the browser only to find the prices are ridiculous and leave you wondering at how profitable travel blogging must be. We are aiming for places that are clean, comfortable, and sensibly located — not aspirational, not sponsored (although quite happy to take a bribe!), and not something that makes you wince when the bill arrives.

The plan also includes rough ideas on how to get from place to place. These are guides rather than instructions, as experience suggests that transport plans have a habit of unravelling the moment you feel confident about them.

Pace, Timing, and Doing Very Little

Timings have been pulled together from a wide range of sources and then adjusted based on how long we think we’d actually want to spend there to explore at a more leisurely pace. The aim isn’t to rush through destinations or tick them off a list, but to leave space to settle in briefly, get a feel for a place, and move on when it feels right. Just as importantly, the plan includes plenty of time for doing very little at all: sitting, watching life go by, and reminding ourselves that we’re not in a hurry.

A Plan That Fully Expects to Change

None of this is fixed. The plan will change, probably often, and that’s very much the point. It’s there to provide direction rather than rules, and to stop us staring at a map wondering what on earth we were thinking and what now?

This site exists mainly as a record — an anecdotal account of where we thought we were going, where we actually ended up, and how those two things don’t always line up. It’s for us first and foremost, though you’re very welcome to look around.

If nothing else, it should help us remember what we did — and why it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Why Dexter Fortescue?

I’ll write a longer blog on this at some point, but here’s the short version.

When I left NIAB, I was still involved in several projects. That meant setting myself up as self‑employed—and, inevitably, needing a professional email address. Doug Hobbs Consulting felt a bit uninspiring, so I started looking for something with a bit more character. I originally wanted Montgomery Fortescue, but that name was already taken and after a bit of thought (but not that much), Dexter Fortescue was born.

Since I had the web address for the email account, what started as a practical solution to an admin problem has since stuck—and here we are.