Top Up Travel Addict

What is your 'light at the end of the tunnel' ?

Or are you content with the life you have now?

I worked 12-15 hour days cleaning new build houses on construction sites. I've been there, I have done the hard graph and the long hours.

My hope? My 'light at the end of the tunnel' ? Is my online biz 💡I could cope with those long days because in the background I was building the path that would take me away from a 4.30-19.30 working life.

So long blue collar work, you're in my rear view mirrors now 🔥

You don't start out hiking up a mountain to give up half way to the top.

So, when the mountain climb gets tough, what do you do?

Give up and never reach that inevitably glorious summit...

Or keep pushing to the top 🏔️

You keep pushing, because you know it's worth it even though it is temporarily hard.

So why would you give up half way through your projects/goals/visions in life because you are faced with a few difficulties?

You won't see me quitting on any mountains in Iceland 🇮🇸

The power of ONE.

One me.

One life.

One chance.

And what are you going to do?

Wake up, work, home, eat, Netflix, sleep, REPEAT?

Nahhh.

One opportunity, one online business, one plan, one outcome - travel the world supporting environmental causes.

I already am. I have been since I was 17 years old when I travelled off to Ecuador and the Galapagos. That was just the beginning. Now it is my life, my beautiful adventurous life 🌎

Who is coming with me?

PASSION drives PROGRESS 🔥

Pursue what you love and you will become good at it.

Is your work your passion?

Passion trumps fear.

A fear of moving to Malta, starting an online business, and living in remote Iceland.

Or is it passion for a Mediterranean taste of life, a path to wildlife conservation, and a breathtaking mountain summit?

When we tell ourselves we are 'unqualified' to begin something new, really it's our roundabout way of saying we're too scared to even try.

A lack of experience does not hold us back.
🪴 I had no experience working with an eNGO, I moved to Malta to gain this.
🪴I had no experience starting an online business, I jumped in anyway.
🪴I had no experience living in wild remote Iceland, I pushed my self up those mountains.

It is never to do with a lack of experience, but rather our lack of determination to do what needs to be done to get to our goal.

The decision lies with you 🌎

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too."
- W.H. Murray

This is basically the Cadec family motto. The values instilled in me. Which is why I was confident in starting my online business. There is no room for me to fail.

If you decide, learn, listen and implement, it will happen.
- Wise words from amazing team call tonight 🙏

🌊95% of all floating waste on the Mediterranean sea is plastic waste.

🌊On top of that, tourists cause nearly a 40% spike in plastic pollution in the Mediterranean sea EVERY SUMMER.

Even in beautiful Coming with just one permanent resident, the plastic pollution around the idyllic crystal blue waters is terrible. It's the side of sunny Malta that social media tends not to show.

Search 'Comino' and you are shown the stunning Blue Lagoon and tourists posing with Pineapple drinks. Certainly not the ghost nets, straws, bottles, buckets, bags you see here.

What can you do? Do your part...
🔆Bring your own water bottle (basic!)
🔆A re-usable bag
🔆Bamboo toothbrush, cotton buds
🔆Say no to the plastic straws
🔆Shampoo bars and deodorant

It's just about making that conscious effort to change what you buy. These are small daily behavioural changes that help reduce your plastic footprint so you're not that tourist adding to that big spike in plastic pollution in the Mediterranean sea you've come to enjoy 🌞

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From a lost uni student with no idea how she was going to make her way in life, to a digital nomad entrepreneur owning her reality 🌎

Just proves that with grit, determination, and resilience, you can change the direction of your path 🏔️

Surrounding yourself with the right people who push you out of your comfort zone and support your growth is equally as important.

During my uni days I thought my 'dreams' were ludicrous, unrealistic. I now realize I was around the wrong people. They just don't see the world as I do. That's okay, everyone is different. But today, I'm surrounded by people with the same goals.

✨Not dreams, goals✨

A dream you fantasise about a desired outcome. A goal you take action and make it your reality.

Marsaxlokk Fish Market 🇲🇹

How can social media fit into marine conservation? 📱

Social media can play an important role in science communication for conservation efforts.

In 2019, an unusually high number of Hippocampus histrix (spiny seahorse) washed up along the Dorset coastline (my home). Seahorses are a species that invoke a lot of interest but many people do not associate them with UK seas.

As such, they attracted a lot of public attention and it was from the public posting their findings on social media that it was quickly brought to the attention of the Dorset Wildlife Trust.

Social media is not just a business tool. It's a way I can share my passion for environmental conservation and bring forth stories and awareness to others 🌎

Focus, direction, and consistency.

Just like anything in life. It happens because you put your time and direct your energy towards something, subconsciously or consciously.

🇲🇹It took hard work and perseverance to get to Malta.
🍓It took faith in my self and consistency to build the mindset and health I have now from where it was 3 yrs ago.
🌎It took grit and determination to get my biz going.

I want so much out of life it scares me at times. But it is so freaking exciting to be on this path where I can now see where I am going ahead of me - including all the twists, turns, hurdles and success. It turns my stomach into butterflies of anticipation 🦋

And when doubt creeps in, remember how much time and energy Bolt put into his sport:

"I trained 4 years to run 9 seconds. Some people don't see results in 2 months and give up." 🏃‍♂️

A weekend of environmental action 🌎

As you may know, I am in Malta working with an environmental organisation - Friends of the Earth, a grassroots eNGO 🌎 Part of my work here has been securing the funding for and implementing a project that gets young people involved with environmental issues and encourages them to become more pro-environmental through behavioural changes.

It is about giving young people the opportunity to learn about the environment in a way that is not taught in school, though hands on practical approaches and discussing the small ways they can change their daily habits to be more sustainable.

This weekend I hosted a beach clean in Marsascala and we discussed the major issue of in . I introduced the topic of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) which none of them had heard about. Check my highlights for info on PCBs if you’re interested.

It was a very diverse group this week - young people from Malta, Brazil, Germany, France, Egypt, China, and of course the UK!

(Swipe to see a happy Izzy after a successful beach clean 🌊)

Your life is too short to be unhappy 5 days a week in exchange for 2 days of freedom 🌎

Your future is yours entirely 🪴