Am I Missing Out?

I was at dinner the other day with 5 friends, all female by-the-by, and the conversation turned to living overseas. 3 of the four others had done so in the last two years (Ireland and the UK) and the other had just decided that she was going to do it next year before it "got too late." As they chatted about Visas, temp vs permanent work, travel options while she was there, getting about Europe on trains Vs Buses, i drifted into silence. I had nothing to add. 
I haven't lived Overseas. And on top of that the way i've travelled is not the 'great backerpacker journey' that every young Australian seems to take.
I have seemingly missed that rite of passage. I went to Europe last year, but i did it with my mum and we stayed in hotels. Please don't read into that like i'm a douchey, privileged child who sponged of my mum the whole time. We both scrimped and saved to do it, and i chose to do it with her because all of my life (until she passed away last year) my grandmother always spoke about how she wished she had gone to Paris, and i know my mother had felt the same way. But having 6 kids, starting when your 22, and survining on a bakers income meant that she never had that opportunity. She'd never go alone and since dad had an accident and shattered the bones in his ankle, he would never be able to do the Europe trip she has always wanted to do. So we did it. And it was marvellous. Berlin, Prague, Salzburg, Rome, Paris, Londong, up the east coast of England to Scotland, Across from Edinburgh to Dublin and around Ireland. We had a lovely time. I caught up with many friends and now have a massive list of places i want to go back to and experience more of. 
But it wasn't what they had experienced. It was only a month to start off with, a taster of places. And i was in hotels, with plenty of money and nice places to stay. No stories of bed bugs or dodgy hostels. I have stories of 5m German Buffet breakfasts and French pastries for breakfast in a hotel in Monmarte.  

I didn't intentionally stay in Melbourne to build my career. I've never really thought of myself as "career focused." In teaching, those people bring visions of the people who have goals to be principal in 10 years.  Those annoying Gen Y grads who think they should be in leadership positions immediately and get indignant when they're not. I'm not like that. I'm still not even sure i want any kind of leadership position as i see how they take people out of the classroom and i don't really want to be out of the classroom. I spent quite a bit of time building my skills and understanding in that area, why throw it away to spend all that time dealing with paperwork? But i've stayed at the same job. I was going to earn enough and then go Overseas. I qualify for a UK grandparents Visa, and i have a teaching degree. Living and earning pounds would have been an easy thing to do. My best friend has been in Edinburgh pretty much solidly since 2006, my other best friends in the time since then. I wouldn't have been alone even. But i didn't go. 
Things came up. One boyfriend. Then another. Then kids i wanted to see graduate, or help through Year 12. And now i'm on the verge of turning 27, and have spent the last five years working full time, but am single and there is technically nothing holding me back. 


So why aren't i rushing to go? 
Maybe it's because i've always liked my life here. I love my job, almost every aspect about it. i love the innovative things we're doing and two of the work mates that left and came back still exclaim about how much they have missed by not being here, the planning and implementation of the new programs and the way they should run. 
I love my little flat in my lovely suburb. I've finally found a housemate that doesn't make being at home a chore or somewhere i want to be. At the end of next month all my closest friends will now be back in this state. 
My nephew is one and gorgeous... 


Are these excuses or legitimate reasons for staying? is this something one has to make excuses for not doing? It feels like i should, particularly as i don't have a boyfriend/fiance/husband. You don't have one of them and i feel like i have no reason to have not lived overseas. 


Will i think it will be good for me? Yeah, i really do. Mostly. And i have craved the idea of going somewhere where no one knows me and i have no expectations to live up to. It's just me in a brand new, shiny city, waiting for me to make my impression on it. 


At the moment i've semi-settled on the idea of going at the end of 2012/start of 2013, as my first lot of Year 7's will have finished and i should have completed my Masters by then too, which hopefully make me more employable. But i've said stuff like that before, and things change... 


But i still don't know. Am i missing out? Should i feel bad for not going? Is it something i have to make excuses for?