Hannah, is a 34-year-old creator, minimalist and adventurer living in Manchester, UK. Last year she got rid of everything she owned except what would fit in a carry on backpack. She travelled overland from the UK to Bhutan through eighteen countries with her partner Phil to document and discover what makes people happy.
Hannah has scoliosis and deals with chronic pain, although she wears a permanent back brace, this does not stop her from getting out side and hiking on a regular basis. In her early twenties, she was £20,000 in debt and working in a stressful, badly paid job. Her Dad dying suddenly encouraged her to become debt free and focus on doing work with purpose that helps support other people. To date, she has travelled to forty-five different countries.
Hannah is now back in the UK writing about her experiences at betternotstop.com. Hannah shares stories about how to enjoy everyday life through work, friendships, travel, and adventure. Hannah believes experiencing different countries and culture is a way to discover more about ourselves and how to make the world a better place.
During this podcast we focus on the expedition the ‘Road to Happiness’ and in Tough Girl Extra coming out on Thursday we focus on the money, how she got into the debt, the mistakes she made and how ultimately she turned it around by getting out of debt and saving £15,000 in a year to pay for the ‘Road to Happiness’ Expedition.
Listen Now
Show notes
Being based in Manchester
34 year old, minimalist adventure
Where the idea came from for the ‘Road to Happiness’ Expedition
Being kept accountably for what she wanted to achieve
Having no money and no idea how she was going to make it happen
How she started to plan to turn her dream into a reality
The visa machine
Having to be flexible with the planning and how the idea evolved and anchored over time
Dealing with a head injury that makes planning hard and having to put systems in place
To do lists, Trello, Evernote and how they all work together
Getting the date to leave and being delayed for a few months
The run up to leaving and dealing with the imposter syndrome
Packing for the trip while taking into account her chronic back pain
Documenting the trip - trying to figure out the best way to do it
Getting rid of everything she owned apart from what she carried on her back and a small suitcase she kept at her mums
Starting to write a 3 part book series about the journey
The European part of the adventure and the moments that stand out
Working in Europe on Organic farms
Spending 6 weeks in Denmark!
What happiness means to Hannah
The correlation between money, time and happiness
Being open to new experiences and why she’s much happier now than when she was in her twenties
Taking a short break from the trip and coming back to the UK for 3 weeks
Attending an adventure conference and feeling like she wasn’t doing adventure right
Why she loves to travel by train
The Trans-Siberian Express and being able to travel on the first train line in Cambodia
Arriving in Bhutan after 10 months, crossing the land border from India into Bhutan and the difference
The culture shock of being in Bhutan
Wearing a back brace and the final stretch of the journey making it up the mountain to visit the Paro Taktsang monastery/‘Tigers Nest’ Monastery.
What she learnt from going on this journey
The significance of her bee tattoo and why she got it
Why her blog is called better not stop
Why there is no better time to take control of your life
Starting to do monthly income reports and why talking about money in the adventure world is important
Social Media
Website - www.betternotstop.com
Instagram: @betternotstop
Facebook: @betternotstop
Support Hannah on Patreon
Feeling inspired week after week?
You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!
Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love.
Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!
Want to do more?
Please become a Patron and donate $10 every month to help fund the running costs.
