Brisbane Hop-on Hop-off Tour
Brisbane is the capital of Queensland, one of six Australian states. The city is home to two million residents, half of the total population of the entire country of New Zealand. Brisbane was originally home to an early European penal settlement and word is that it was those convicts who built the city around what is now known as the Brisbane river. Intrigued by the rich history of the city, we embarked on a hop-on hop-off bus tour of the city through... Read More
Chapter One.
Having just past the milestone of passing my quarter century life mark, I started to think how many weird paths I have taken in my life to lead me to where I have been and where I am now. Living in Canada for just over a year now, it’s crazy to think back to when I first started travelling almost exactly to the week six years ago. I was keen to keep my friends and family posted on everywhere I went. This resulted in many a scripture-length email... Read More
How to be a Cheapskate… Overseas
I once slept here for a night because I was too stingy to get a hostel. But you don't have to be that cheap... I’m a cheapskate. Honestly. For many people, the words cheapskate and traveling have no place beside one another in a sentence, but I’ve made it work, and have made it to four continents without ever having a ‘real job’. Few people are ever exposed to the inner-workings of my cheap mind, as you would be... Read More
Turns out avoiding a career helped me find one…
I'm the unemployed one on the left In 2008, I had finished university and was meant to be (according to all the post-graduation ‘what to do now’ and ‘welcome to the rest of your life’ guides) on my way to my first career, maybe my own home, a pet? a family? Commitment. The problem was that in 2008, none of that sounded so great. You know what did sound great? Leaving the country. Going to the other side of the world. Leaving... Read More
My last days shower free…
never ending white beaches So after I recovered from the shock of jumping out of the plane, I hit that annoying (for everyone else) stage where I could not stop talking about it. “I just jumped out of a plane! I can’t believe I just jumped out of a plane. Wow, that really just happened…” on and on it went. I did eventually get the hint, I promise, but not for a bit. You stop being aware of other people’s reactions to a thing like that after... Read More
Day Three of the Back to Nature Period
After my days on the Hammer, it was onto the bus for a 13-hour drive down Australia’s East Coast. After watching The Green Mile on the bus television, I did my best to get my dream on, but it’s not the easiest in a cramped upright seat. Oh well. Arriving at about 6 in the morning in Hervey Bay, I got picked up by the Palace Adventures hostel van and taken to check in. Two hours later I was sitting in the lounge room listening to the most painful... Read More
Five days shower free: Days One and Two
Okay, it sounds gross. Five days, no shower, no soap. Definitely no sugar coating on this one – I was…dirty. Why, you ask, did I go five days without washing? One day, okay sure, two days starts to get a little if-fy. Five? Let me explain. In those less-than-clean days, I went sailing on a professional racing yacht, traveled hundreds of miles on an overnight bus, jumped out of a plane, and slept on an island covered in dingos. Not much... Read More
My Australia in Review
Sydney from Milson's Point If you’ve ever hesitated about the long flight to Australia, don’t. The great land down under is worth every bit of the long journey and the memories I’ll never forget. After almost five months in Australia, having sneakily avoided winter, I’m settling back into London life. When I think about my most recent travel adventure, I suppose I was able to see quite a lot of Australia, but really, I didn’t see half... Read More
Living in the middle of nowhere
One of the great things about traveling is the opportunity to find places as different as possible from your home. I’ve lived in and around cities my whole life, from London to New York to Washington DC, so for me, living in the middle of nowhere is about as different as it gets. In 2008, I lived in Tha Wang Pha, Thailand – a small village in the northern Nan Province surrounded by nothing but fields and mountains. Life was simple. I bought my... Read More
Active Australia!
After many trips to exotic and not-so-exotic places I have come to find that there needs to be a balance between sightseeing and resting. In Australia, another key component comes up that should be included and that is activities! Australia is a great place to be doing something. Be it snorkeling, hiking, sky diving, or anything else you can think of. It is definitely a top destination inline with the likes of New Zealand and Interlaken, Switzerland.... Read More
