Living life on the edge: My Croatia adventure

My decision to book my first Flash Pack adventure came from my desire to go to Croatia, but due to work clashes, my go-to holiday pals were a no-go.

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It can be hard to rise above pettiness, bitchiness and situations that bring you down. However in my experience in order to keep perspective we have to step away, take an objective view so that we can see things clearly and decide the best way to move forward. This approach keeps us focussed on seeing the beauty in life and what we want from it, rather than getting bogged down with pointless drama. Stay true to you. Photo taken in plitvice Lakes Croatia #mypositiveplace #plitvicelakesnationalpark #journey #focus #stepaway #riseabove #perspective #balance #drama #beyourself #conscious #decisions #nature #beauty #climb #keepmovingforward #travel #croatia #europe #world #holiday #park #lake #waterfall #coach #coaching #lifecoach #lifecoaching

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Determined not to let this stop me, I went over the options in my mind…

• I could go alone
• I could join a group tour (surely full of 18-23 year olds gap and I just wouldn’t fit in!)
• I could postpone the trip for another year…No thank you.

I was sure there must be another way so I kept searching and finally came across Flash Pack’s group adventures. Small group adventure holidays (in style) with other people in their 30s and 40s? Perfect. I immediately got in touch.

Read more: “How I learnt to embrace solo travel as a man”

I’d not been on a group tour since my early 20s when travelling in OZ and NZ so I was a little nervous, but the team answered my (many!) questions and put my mind at ease. Whilst most people opt to share a room on Flash Pack tours, I’m someone who needs some ‘me time’ after a day with people and this wasn’t a problem – I went ahead and booked my trip to Croatia. Yay!

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Some places just allow you to feel so at peace and at one with nature. This was one of mine #mypositiveplace #croatia #plitvicelakesnationalpark #nature #beauty #nofilter #water #calm #tranquility #peace #spiritual #travel #holiday

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The trip itself was fantastic and the people I met were all friendly, interesting and keen to live life to the full. I made some fantastic friends along the way who I’m still in touch with now. From kayaking down waterfalls to hiking beautiful national parks, the pace of the trip is fast – but if you go with an open mind and are willing to push through your comfort zone it’s amazing.

Read more: Uplifting happiness habits to borrow from around the world

I’m not saying this is always easy. I’d love to say the photo below is of me leaping into the water, but it’s not. Standing on the edge of that cliff, I let fear get the better of me. However, from that moment onwards I made a decision: to live a life of love and passion rather than a life of fear.

What’s holding you back? What’s stopping you living a life you imagined? This picture taken in Croatia captures just one of the occasions in my life, where I let fear get the better of me. I got to the edge, watched friends jump but I couldn’t. I was stuck. Paralysed by fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of getting hurt, fear of what ifs. I missed out that day. I won’t miss out again. How about you? Whatever has been stopping you doing something you want, challenge yourself…. Are you living a life of love and passion or living a life of fear? Once again, we have a choice. Let’s choose wisely #mypositiveplace #travel #croatia #flashpackers #jump #leapoffaith #leap #feelthefearanddoitanyway #fear #life #live #experience #love #passion #lifecoaching #lifecoach #energy #happiness #nature #beauty #choice #choose #europe #challenge #flashpack #canyonning #minibreak #holiday #travelling #positivevibes

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Coming home I felt a great sense of achievement – it’s actually quite liberating to pack up and go on a trip that you want to take, when you want to, because you want to.

If you’re thinking about booking an adventure then ask yourself what’s stopping you – if your answer is fear based I’d really encourage you to let it go and just go for it! You won’t regret it and who knows, you could even be writing the next blog!

Laura Birch is a 32-year-old HR, learning and development professional hoping to make a small difference. Follow @my_positive_place on Instagram and Facebook to hear more positive learnings on life, love, travel and everything inbetween.

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Photos: Laura Yates