the australia story




Part of the journey thus far has been about the ravenous appetite for travel in my life. Robbie (my partner and trusty sidekick) fortunately has the same craving. We've decided to amicably quit our jobs, take six months and travel to New Zealand and Australia. We created a vision board, started saving our cash and a little over a year later, it's a reality.

We're spending two weeks in New Zealand and then Australia for the rest of the trip. While we're in Australia we'll be working with two organizations called World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) and Workaway. Both are homestay programs where we'll work in exchange for free food and accommodation. It's a great way to immerse yourself in local culture, learn new skills and travel cheaply. We couldn't be more enthused.

Many people have asked us why we're doing this and what initially inspired us to actually follow through with it. There are several reasons, actually.

When Robbie and I met, we both knew that travel was going to be an important character in the story of our life together. We both got a taste of life abroad at a relatively young age (Robbie went to Australia for a month when he was 13 and I went to France for two weeks when I was 16 - we both went as exchange students and stayed with a family) and have wanted to live abroad again ever since. We knew we wouldn't be satisfied with a two week vacation somewhere - we both genuinely want to live and work someplace else for an extended period of time.

In terms of why we chose to live down under, I've always been drawn to traveling in that part of the world and Robbie absolutely fell in love when he visited. The more I researched, the more I loved the idea of living there: the people are extremely laid back, open and kind; the natural scenery is some of the most beautiful in the world, it's relatively easy to travel around and, as a country, they're environmentally, economically and socially conscious. I think we have a lot to learn from the culture and the people that live there.

Before we've even left, the trip has already felt like a huge blessing. I've had incredible conversations with people, have learned so much about myself and have felt overwhelmed by the love and support people have shown me in learning about what we're doing. It's taught me that life is short and that there's no better time than now to go out and live your dreams with gusto. Whatever happens, I know that we're making the right choice and this will be a life-changing experience. I'm so grateful for what's to come.