When Amy Carey was 10 years old, she came face to face with a sea turtle while on holiday in Greece. It was an experience she never forgot. Decades later, at 47, she decided it was time to turn that childhood memory into reality.

Amy has always enjoyed volunteering and had long wanted to spend a month involved in sea turtle conservation. After hearing about ARCHELON, she decided to take the leap: a whole month in Greece, camping and volunteering with a small team at the Lakonikos project in the southern Peloponnese.

Taking a month away from work was made possible because Amy’s work environment supported her decision. She chose a quieter period at work, and her colleagues were enthusiastic about her plans. With their support, she was able to step away from her everyday routine and fully immerse herself in the experience.

In Greece, her days were spent monitoring nesting beaches, looking for turtle tracks and nests, taking part in night surveys, helping with base camp duties and public awareness activities. In her free time, Amy explored the local area, went snorkeling and enjoyed secluded spots along the coast.

“I knew I would probably be the oldest one volunteering and that didn’t worry me at all,” she says. Rather than comparing herself with the younger volunteers, she chose to simply embrace the experience. And she was surprised by how it made her feel: “I felt strong, free and liberated. I can walk as far and carry as much as anyone else and that what I lacked in speed, I made up for in endurance”.

Perhaps most importantly, the month gave Amy the opportunity to slow down. With no laptop, limited electricity and little access to Wi-Fi, she found herself paying attention to her surroundings and deliberately making time to experience each day. “It’s like stepping out of real life and taking some time for myself.”

At ARCHELON, we greatly value volunteers like Amy. Our conservation projects bring together people from many different backgrounds and generations, and volunteers in their 40s and beyond bring valuable experience, commitment and dedication to the teams. For people who have established careers, families or other responsibilities, taking time away can require careful planning but Amy’s experience shows that it is possible, and that the rewards can be enormous.

“The right time to do something like this will never come along – you have to carve out time to make it happen.” Her advice to others considering a similar adventure is simple: make the time, step outside your usual routine and allow yourself to experience something completely different. “I had the best time. I loved it and would recommend everyone to do the same.”