1. Friends aren’t rare to find:
No matter where you go in the world, you will meet people. In the last 18 months, I've travelled a lot of Australia and I've made a lot of friends (and learned a lot about Australians, too). You learn while travelling that there are different types of friends, some are just for a day, some are friends for a certain part of your travelling experience, and others you know you will keep for a long time. I have fond memories of all of the people I've met along the way, no matter how long I was friends with them for, because they're now a part of my travels.
2. Being small has never been so convenient:
I'm a bit on the vertically challenged side, but it's definitely been handy on a lot of occasions. For instance, overnight coach journeys. I can sleep horizontally across two seats if I need to... need I say more?
3. It's not a holiday:
My photos may look like I'm on holiday, and sometimes it may feel like I'm on holiday, but the reality is I'm not. I don't have an endless amount of money in the bank (I wish I did!) so I do have to work a lot in order to travel more.
4. I can still live like a student:
I don't mean going out every single night... I've proved to myself that I definitely CAN'T do that anymore... but I mean generally living like a student. I've lived in more than my fair share of dumps, I've resorted back to noodles or peanut butter and jam sandwiches when I can't afford nutritious food.... I even got to the point where I couldn't afford to rent cutlery and crockery from a hostel. Here's a blog that'll help you not get to that point - an Australia travel budget blog.
5. Everywhere I go, there are Instagram-worthy photos:
Whether it's a beautiful beach, a building, an event, or even a train station... the photographs you get while travelling are sometimes breathtaking. I'm not a first class photographer, but some photos I've captured I would happily pay for.
6. Dating doesn't get easier:
You'd think that travelling would make it easier to date - you can be whoever you want to be, you're constantly meeting people, tinder follows you everywhere... but it's actually just as hard travelling as it is back at home. Maybe harder. I always ask myself the question, is there a point in trying to meet someone out here, because I'm going to leave at some point, they might not be travellers, they might not want to do what I want to do, so why bother?
7. Free WiFi is one of the best things in the world:
When looking for places to stay, one of the first things you look for is free WiFi... because it's bloody expensive otherwise. I've definitely gone to McDonald's to FaceTime my friends before. No shame.
8. My independence at University was nothing compared to my independence in another country:
At University I was washing my own clothes, and paying bills. Out here, I'm stretching money much further than I ever have, and I'm managing to transport myself from one place I've never been to before, to another place I've never been to before, and then living there. I'm learning so much about myself just by gaining that extra independence and confidence.
9. It never goes according to plan:
If you want to be spontaneous, you can't have a plan. If you want to know what general direction you want to go in, you need a plan. You have to find a happy medium, where you can veer off if you fancy dropping in somewhere you haven't heard of before, but also have a backup plan if things go wrong. And no matter what, even your back up plan won't go to plan. It's just a part of travelling.
10. Job hunting is hard work:
Unless you're happy with a call centre job or a fundraising job, it's pretty hard to find work. Employers look at travellers like unreliable employees that could drop them at any second, which sometimes we are. I've done it. You can go weeks or even months before you find something, and it might not be something you even want to do at the end. But at the end of the day, a job's a job, and it's money to keep your travelling dream alive.
11. I will never stop pinching myself:
I honestly keep forgetting how far I've come, and where I actually am in the world. I get those moments sometimes, I can be anywhere... on the train, or sitting on a beach and I'll just be like... I'm actually here, living in Australia. I still can't believe it. Read my blog on how it feels being a solo first-time traveller in Oz.
12. The travel bug is real:
I can feel it. I've only travelled to different parts of Australia, but I already know I want to travel so much more. I want to backpack Europe, I want to travel America, Canada, South East Asia, New Zealand... the whole world.
13. A good book makes a great travel companion:
I love reading, I always have. Sometimes I've spent whole days lying on a beach or in a hammock engrossed in a good book. I've read more books here than I have in my entire life... books kept me company when I was feeling lonely in the outback, or when I had ridiculously long journeys across the country. And one of the best things about travelling is that you can always find a library nearby, or even better, a book swap cafe where you don't need to spend any money to get a great read.
But the main thing I've learned - and I'll never stop telling people this - is that travelling is the most important thing that you can do, you learn so much more from travelling than you do in a classroom. And it's true what they say, travelling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer. Okay, I immediately regret saying that last part.
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