Travel, confidence, and finding your way again
Stronger After the Storm podcast cover image featuring a red cracked heart with a pulse line on a deep navy background.
Watch on YouTube
This episode is also available on YouTube if you prefer to listen there.
Why the First Holiday Feels Different
After a heart attack, the idea of going away comes back slowly.
At first, it feels exciting.
A break from routine.
A change of scenery.
Something to look forward to again.
But alongside that… there’s something else.
Questions.
Will I have the energy?
What if something happens while I’m away?
Am I pushing this too soon?
It’s not fear in the way it was at the beginning.
But it’s there.
Quietly sitting in the background.
The Trip That Changed Shape
I had planned something completely different.
A big trip for my 50th.
Motorbike from Scotland across Europe.
Germany.
Czechoslovakia.
Russia.
Ukraine.
Poland.
Then home again.
A proper adventure.
But after the heart attack, that didn’t feel possible anymore.
For six or seven months, I’d been living with that underlying fear.
The thought that something could happen again.
So I had to scale it right back.
A Smaller Kind of Celebration
Instead of going big, I kept things simple.
My 50th at home.
In the cottage.
With my family and my granddaughters.
And that felt… enough.
But the day after, I still wanted something.
A small adventure.
So I packed the motorbike and headed north.
Nothing extreme.
Just up through Scotland, towards the west coast and the Highlands.
Eventually aiming for Skye.
The Journey North
I set off in the afternoon.
No pressure.
Just ride, stop somewhere, camp, and carry on the next day.
At a service station, while grabbing something to eat, I got a message from my eldest daughter.
She asked if she and my wee granddaughter — only three at the time — could come and join me on Skye.
It caught me off guard.
Part of me thought she just fancied her own little adventure.
Another part of me wondered if she was quietly keeping an eye on me.
Just in case.
Either way, it felt reassuring.
We arranged to meet in Glencoe the next day.
Skye and the Cuillins
The next day we met and travelled on together to Skye.
We camped beneath the Cuillin mountains.
If you’ve seen them, you’ll know how dramatic they are.
That night, we sat by the campfire.
Shared a bottle of wine.
And my granddaughter danced around as the sun dropped behind the mountains.
It’s one of those moments that just stays with you.
The next day we explored the island, eventually ending up near Dunvegan.
Nothing big.
Just a simple trip.
Riding.
Camping.
Being together.
A Quiet Shift
Looking back, something changed on that trip.
Not in a dramatic way.
Just quietly.
For the first time in months, my attention wasn’t on my heart.
It wasn’t on the “what if”.
It was on where I was.
Who I was with.
What was right in front of me.
And that felt like a big step forward.
It’s Often the Head Noise
It’s often around this stage that the head noise becomes louder than the physical recovery.
The First Holiday Isn’t About Distance
That trip became my first real holiday after the heart attack.
And when I got home, I remember thinking:
“That was enough.”
Not because it was big.
But because I’d done it.
The first holiday after a heart attack isn’t about distance.
It’s about confidence.
It’s about proving to yourself that life is still there.
Just… at a different pace.
You’re Not Alone in This
The British Heart Foundation offers guidance on rebuilding confidence after a cardiac event.
The NHS provides trusted information on recovery and returning to normal activities.
The American Heart Association also supports the emotional side of recovery after a heart attack.
Listen and Read
You can listen to this episode in the player above or watch on YouTube if you prefer.
This Insight is only part of the conversation.
If this part of recovery feels familiar, you may also connect with:
👉 Friendships That Faded — And Why That’s Okay
Final Thought
Sometimes the biggest step forward isn’t the big adventure you planned.
It’s the smaller one you almost didn’t take.
If the head noise is still sitting there in the background