I started writing this on Christmas eve evening. Sat on the sofa with some baileys just after watching love actually. It’s been a great Christmas, never quite the same away from home and especially in summertime but special all the same. It’s New Years eve now, I’m finishing this off and today feels a little heavy. Maybe a little homesickness, feeling lonely and another year being almost over.
This time of year makes so many people feel homesick and lonely and I suppose there’s comfort in knowing that I’m not alone in this and so many others feel the same way. Friends become family when we’re far from home and I’m so thankful for the beautiful friends I spent Christmas with ❤️
Even though today feels a little heavy, which doesn’t happen often, I’m embracing it. Finding peace with being alone. If there’s one thing I’ve worked hard on this year it’s loving myself, being my own best friend and filling my own cup first. In the absence of someone else I know there will always be someone in my corner, always someone bringing me peace 🤍
Life isn’t always about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about figuring out the best way through it. Sometimes that means closing the curtains, reading a book, calling a friend or turning the music up and dancing inside instead!
Another year almost gone. Nearly a year since I left home to come to Sydney and two years exactly since I left New Zealand to move to the UK. It’s been a whirlwind, alot of change and new beginnings and alot of good in between all the chaos.
This year I moved back to Sydney in Jan. I’ve made best friends for life, lost friends, started working again after 8 months out, ended up in hospital for nearly a week, held my own events, went on a solo trip to Indonesia to climb a 3726m volcano, ran my first 10k for mens mental health, done public speaking for the first time, took myself on solo dates, met strangers who have become friends and watched so many beautiful sunrises & sunsets.
So thankful for all the good in my life and the lows that have made me the person I am today. My goals this year were to find peace with the past and to become a better version of myself. Whatever goals, hopes or dreams you have I hope you find the strength and courage to go after them. You are capable of so much more than you think ✨
Heres to 2024 and all the highs and lows it will bring. I hope for you reading this that it’s filled with so much love, happiness and so many amazing memories. I have so many things to look forward to next year already. A trip home soon, a niece or nephew to welcome, 30 years of me & so many other adventures along the way.
I hope that whatever 2024 has in store for all of us that we never forget how lucky and blessed we are. If 2023 was a tough year for you, I’m sorry, I hope that this coming year is so much better 🤍
Sometimes in life we need a few bad days in order to keep the good ones in perspective.
I promise you'll be so proud of the person you'll be this time next year. I know I am, I'm a shell of the Lynsey I was a year ago. There's a future version of you right now, cheering you on and wishing you could see just how good it gets ✨
Tomorrow is a new page. So many people will be writing about the mountains they’re going to climb but remember…
Even at the bottom, There is still a stunning view. So when you meet a mountain, Simply do what’s best for you.
Sending so much love and gratitude to you for taking the time to read this. I hope 2024 is everything you hope for and more 🤍
It’s been a while! Another move, an adventure and nearly a whole year since I last wrote.
As I sit here drinking my passionfruit mojito watching the sunset on a beautiful island off Bali I reflect on the past year and all the highs and lows it has brought. I can now say I’m thankful for all the struggles that have brought me exactly to this place. I can look back and see how without them I probably wouldn’t be sitting here right now.
Back to last time I wrote, I was a very different person. Fragile, lost and very unaware of how the next few months were going to go. Living back at home wasn’t in my plan at that time but over the months spent there I made some amazing memories and it was a safe place to be while I tried to figure things out. Settling back home at that time just didn’t feel like the right thing for me then. Not that I don’t ever want to, who knows, but I do know that I want it to be my decision.
I had lived in Australia for a year a few years back and absolutely loved it. A place where I felt I was a great version of myself and somewhere I always thought about going back to someday. I went back and forth so many times about whether or not this was my time to try and go back again. Another visa wasn’t easy to get, a student visa seemed like the best option but that was expensive and at the time I didn’t know if it was worth all the thousands.
Is the fear of the unknown ever a good enough reason to stay somewhere you’re not happy?
I decided to go ahead with it because why not. Something was pulling me there, I was unsettled at home and life is so short! Choosing a course, getting enrolled in a college and then applying for the visa took time but I felt so much better when I had made the decision. I spent the next couple of months making the most of my time at home with the ones I love the most. So many amazing memories and I’m truly thankful for them all 🤍
Mid January off I went again, just a little over a year since I’d made the move back to the UK.
Got a job sorted, a place to live and settled into life in Sydney. I live by the beach and am so thankful as to me things like the beach, being by the coast and watching sunrise/sunset are what truly fill up my cup.
Alot of my healing process was at home but Sydney, getting back into yoga, doing ice baths, being surrounded by beautiful friends have all helped so much. I feel so thankful for the amazing friends I have in my life here. They know who they are and I’ll forever be grateful that our paths crossed. They make life in Sydney that little bit brighter!
If you know me you’ll know I love to travel, see other places and go on adventures. I booked a trip to Bali a couple of months ago and it’s come at such a great time. My main reason was to do a hike and then stay a few nights on a island to rest and relax! The hike was 3 days on an active volcano. Like nothing I had done before but was so up for the challenge. It wasn’t easy, it was really tough, but so incredible! I’m currently walking like an old lady but every ache and pain is worth it. Wasn’t sure I would make the summit but our bodies truly are incredible and there’s so much more we are capable of than we think.
6.30am set off the first day to hike about 7 hours to camp 1. Our tents were set above the clouds, we watched the sun set over the mountains and then the sky filled with stars. If that was all I managed I would have been happy, it was so beautiful.
2am set off the next day for the hike to the summit for sunrise. The hardest and most challenging part. 4 hours uphill. It was so cold as we were so high up and the track was mostly gravel so you took 1 step up and 2 back!
We made it to the top just after 6am and just before sunrise. I had done it! I honestly could have cried. Such a happy and proud moment. Our amazing guides had brought a flask of ginger tea which is now my new fav thing. Black tea with fresh ginger, simple but delicious or maybe it tasted even better because we were so exhausted and 3726m high!
Back down to camp took about 2 and a half hours. My legs were like jelly and I was so ready for breakfast and a lie down! We then headed 3 hours downhill to the lake. There was also a hot spring which was amazing as the track is so dusty and I felt so dirty. We camped right by the lake that evening. The porters caught fish for dinner, lit us a camp fire and cooked us another beautiful meal. Honestly we ate like kings and queens, the porters really are incredible.
None of this would be possible without them. They carry all the tents, equipment and food up the mountain. They set it all up for us and cook all our meals. I couldn’t believe it, they are earth angels. Carrying about 30kg on their shoulders. A bamboo stick with a basket on one end and mattresses, sleeping bags and chairs on the other. Also might I add, they wear flip-flops!! If anything gave me motivation to get to the top it was that.
The last day my guide and I left at 7am for 3 hours uphill to the crater rim. Pretty tough as my legs were so sore from the summit the day before but we made it. Then 5 hours back down, through jungle, monkeys and back to the gate. Seeing that gate and knowing that a warm shower and bed was waiting for me was the best feeling! Ps look at the little baby monkey!! 🙊
Even writing this I could cry with happiness and my heart is so full that I made it, I feel so proud of me.
Maybe not such a big deal to others but to me it was. My time in Sydney has been full of hospital and doctors appointments, blood tests, seeing specialists, transfusions and drugs so doing this despite all that made me appreciate just how great my body is and how strong we all are even when sometimes we don’t feel it.
I hope that if there’s something you want to do but aren’t sure I hope you find the strength and courage to do it. It might not be as big as making a move to another country or climbing an active volcano but however big or small it is, you are so capable. You are so much stronger than you realise.
The picture below is one of my favourite pictures from this trip. It fills my heart. The people in Indonesia, no matter how little they have are so happy. A reminder that we are so blessed. We take so much for granted that some people could only dream of. I wish we were all this carefree and happy ❤️
So as I sit here with the sun nearly set and dinner for one waiting for me I reflect back on the past year and truly feel happy. I had no idea last time I wrote that this was all in store for me. It’s so hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel sometimes but I promise you, it’s always there. No matter how dim, the sun will always shine again for you.
Everything happens for a reason, you might not see it yet but someday you’ll look back and be able to connect the dots.
Sometimes I wish I had someone to share all this with but I’m also very grateful that I have the strength to be by myself. I wasn’t going to come out tonight as I find the evenings of solo holidays the loneliest but instead I put on a beautiful dress I bought and have been wanting to wear. Done my hair and makeup and came to a lovely restaurant by the beach.
Your reminder to go do those things you think about or want to do. Our time here is so precious. To never forget how amazing you are and to always love yourself first, you are so much more amazing and beautiful than you realise ✨
This hasn’t been an easy one to write and one that I started a few months ago and finished while away on a beautiful trip. So let’s start with the best part, Italy 🇮🇹
A trip that I didn’t think I would be going on solo but so glad that I made it. Amalfi coast, such a beautiful place and there’s nothing that some sun, pizza, pasta and so much gelato can’t make a little better!
It was bitter-sweet at the beginning, seeing couples all loved up everywhere and me sitting in the corner of the restaurants on my own but I’ve came away with a full heart and so thankful for all the beautiful memories I made. Sunshine, plenty of walking, probably too much food, a good book, some writing and stunning scenery. It’s been a beautiful week and a reminder to myself that I’m okay on my own. Learning who I am again without a certain person.
“Those who fly solo have the strongest wings”
So if you haven’t already figured it out the title probably gives the rest away and I’ve been hesitant to share this as part of me almost feels a bit embarrassed that things haven’t worked out the way I thought after writing my last blog post.
The last time I wrote I had just made the move from New Zealand to Sheffield to be with someone. A whole new start in a new country. If anyone has ever lived overseas and moved back to the UK again you’ll understand how tough it can be, it takes a while to get settled again. I struggled but I finally started to settle and then found myself left on my own with a broken heart. I won’t go into it all but the past few months I’ve found myself at my lowest and heartbreak really is so tough. It never gets any easier sadly but I’ve been trying to trust that sometimes obstacles are detours in the right direction.
After the breakup happened I spent a few months in Sheffield on my own, trying to figure things out and decide where to go and what to do next. I didn’t want to move home, I was hesitant even about leaving New Zealand to move back to the UK but home ended up being the best option. I wasn’t in a good place, days I didn’t want to get out of bed, days I cried until I was sick and so many moments I just wanted it to be over.
Maybe that sounds extreme and I know it’s only a breakup but that’s what it felt like. When you share so much with someone, give up alot to be with them and then find yourself alone with no real reason why it’s really tough.
Whatever it is in life whether it’s a breakup or not you need to give yourself the time to feel all the emotions. The bad days seemed to never end, the pit in my stomach and that awful heavy feeling when I woke in the mornings was so overwhelming but slowly it gets better. I still have bad days (I got to Italy and sobbed), but with time they’ve become less. It’s hard when people tell you that things get better with time. I hated when people told me that, especially when time seems to go so slowly but it’s true. Time heals almost everything. It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel sometimes but hold on, it’s through the toughest struggles that we grow.
I lived right beside the Peak district in Sheffield which is so beautiful. I tried to make the most of my time there and getting outdoors helped alot with my healing. I tried to find things that brought me a little bit of joy. Whether it was a walk, listening to a podcast or buying myself some flowers. Sometimes its the little things in life that mean the most.
I also finally made some friends as I didn’t have any and hadn’t met many people. I’ll forever be so thankful for them, they know who they are 🧡 Surround yourself with good people. Notice people who are happy for your happiness and sad for your sadness. They’re the ones who deserve special places in your heart.
It’s definitely been a tough few months, I’ve struggled with my mental health and never felt so lost. Asking for help is one of the hardest things to do but also one of the bravest. I have regular therapy and I’m also on antidepressants. I wasn’t going to share that part but the stigma and silence around mental health is already so bad. So many people struggle and talking about it helps. At the start I was almost ashamed that I needed medication to try and help me but I’ve come to learn thats there’s nothing to be ashamed of. There’s alot more to my journey than what I share on here but if the little bits I do share can help even one person then it’s worth it. My inbox is always open. The bits I haven’t shared is also a reminder that you never really know what someone is going through. The photo below was taken the weekend I got prescribed anti depressants and started taking them. You never truly know what someone is going through, we all have our own struggles so be kind.
Moving back to live with Mum and Dad again is never something I wanted but it’s a stepping stone and there’s nowhere quite like home at the end of the day. I’ve taken some time out to reset. It’s been nice to spend time with family and friends and have the time to look after myself. I lost my amazing Granda shortly after the breakup and he lived in such an old house that hasn’t been decorated in years! Granny asked me if I still felt sad the other week and I got teary eyed and said yes. Definitely the wrong answer as she told me she had loads of decorating work that needed done that I wouldn’t have time to be sad 😂
Who knows what the next few months or weeks will bring. I don’t have it all figured out yet. Part of me thought that by now I would but that’s okay. I’ll be back in the kitchen again soon doing what I love the most!
It’s never too late to make a change or do something new. To put yourself first, to fill your cup each day, to discover the beauty of the small moments, to make new memories, to start again, to learn something new and to believe in new beginnings. Don’t compare your chapter 1 to someone elses chapter 15. Comparison really is the thief of joy. Thats been one of the hardest things for me, thinking I was settled with someone, ready to have kids and then it all being gone so quickly. Feeling like I’m taking steps backwards moving back home. My other granny, bless her heart, told me the other week that I have to be more careful next time I get a man and that I must feel like I’ve been left on the shelf and behind in life… Words of wisdom from both of my grannies!
We live in a world that doesn’t always make sense but in the end what you do with it is all up to you. Fear can be a barrier or a bridge, an obstacle or an opportunity, your biggest weakness or your greatest strength.
Choose courage over fear. Brene brown talks about courage and vulnerability in the most beautiful way.
“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage. We can measure how brave we are by how vulnerable we are willing to be. Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.”
So that’s a little bit of my truth, thanks so much for reading. Heres to being my own best friend, learning to love myself and trusting that soon things will fall into place 🤍
Your darkest moment could be your brightest light, you just don’t know it yet or where it’s going to lead you.
My time in this beautiful country that I’ve called home for the past 2 years has sadly come to an end, for now. Leaving New Zealand with puffy red eyes, a heavy heart, some of the best memories and a whole new adventure ahead of me.
It hasn’t been an easy decision to make, I’ve went back and forth probably 100 times wondering and worrying what’s for the best. If you follow along or know me you’ll know that back in June my boyfriend had to go back to the UK. The NZ borders have been closed ever since covid came around and because we aren’t residents we can’t come back if we leave the country. Like most people we’ve always thought that things would get better but unfortunately they haven’t. Borders are still closed and probably will be for a while. A big part of me has always held onto the hope that borders will open, Josh will come back and we will continue the great life we had in NZ. That little bit of hope slowly kept getting harder and harder to hold on to. Visas are complicated, 7 months apart has been so hard for us both and that great life we once had in NZ will be continued somewhere else.
I’m moving back to the UK, to Sheffield, where Josh is from. A place I’ve never been but a place to make new memories together again. It’s bitter-sweet, anxiety around the unknown and alot of overwhelming emotions. The UK at the minute is so different to New Zealand, so many more covid cases and alot of uncertainty with restrictions. I leave behind a life and a country I love, a country that is alot safer in terms of covid, a beautiful apartment that I was so thankful to live in and some very special people.
I arrived in NZ when the world was very much normal, travelled most of the country in a campervan for 2 months with an amazing friend and truly made some of the best memories. Moved to Wellington myself and my cousins boyfriend put me in touch with some of his mums family that lived there. They said I could stay with them until I found a place to live and little did I know they’d become such a big part of my life. They said I could stay for a week until I found somewhere else. Lockdown happened a week later and my stay with them turned into 8 months. My own little home from home, strangers than have become family ❤️
I haven’t been home in more than 2 years and as exciting as it all is, it’s also heartbreaking. Sad to come home and the smiles on people’s faces to be covered with masks, not to be able to call at my grandparents and hug them or go out and socialise like I once done before without worrying about getting covid or spreading it. Not being able to see friends and loved ones because they’ve tested positive or are a close contact. So much has changed and not for the better.
It’s a strange time, covid has stripped so many of us of so many special moments. We have to make the most of this quieter way of life. It’s the little things that keep me going no matter how challenging life can get. Try to find joy and gratitude even when life weighs you down. There is so much to be thankful for, especially the little things. Wakening up to loved ones, a good cup of coffee in the mornings, listening to the birds outside and the way the day starts over again no matter what happened yesterday ✨
As the year comes to an end, I start mine in a new city full of so many adventures and more memories to make. I’m on a lovely 19 hour flight as I write this, thinking back and reflecting on this past year. I leave behind so many highs and some awful lows.
A new year ahead, filled with so many opportunities, memories to make and hoping its better than the last. You will never know if something is meant for you if you never give it a proper chance. Whether it’s a relationship, new job, new city or new experience. Whatever this year has in store for you I hope it’s filled with so much love and happiness. All the new opportunities and memories, put your whole heart into it, that’s all you can ever do. Find the courage to take that chance, find the inspiration to make your next move and don’t look back. Everyday might not be good but there’s always something good in everyday 🧡
Over a year since I last wrote, a year full of many ups and downs but another year full of so many things to be thankful for. Last time I wrote I was in lockdown and here I am again, back in lockdown with plenty of time to reflect and write.
This lockdown all happened so fast and has been strange especially after so long of being able to live a normal life when so many others aren’t so fortunate. I know I can’t complain, I’m so thankful to live in a country that has handled this whole nightmare so well! To all my Sydney friends that are in week 8 of lockdown, you’ve got this! And all my friends and family back home where restrictions have eased a little but still so many cases each day, please stay safe ❤️
In many ways this lockdown isn’t ideal, especially being by myself this time and not being able to work from home like most. That being said, I’m thankful for this time, some much needed r&r. I was actually supposed to go into hospital this incoming week for a day procedure, a day I wasn’t looking forward to but even though that’s been postponed like so many other things, this lockdown is a perfect time to rest. If your in the same position as me, this is a time to work on being the best version of ourselves. Look after yourself, watch your favourite movies, catch up with friends and family and try to stay positive.
“A positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances instead of your circumstances having power over you”
Covid has stripped us of so many special moments, especially being so far away from home. I know I’ve missed out on so much, just like so many other expats around the world. We are torn by a life at home surrounded by the people that love us the most and a life abroad that we’ve made for ourselves and grown to love. It’s not always easy being so far away from home but it’s also not as easy to drop everything. I’m sitting on my deck in the sun while I write this and I love the life that I’ve made here. Yes it’s lonely and even more so now Josh (my bf) is back in the UK. When he was here he would endlessly listen to me say ‘how lucky are we to live somewhere so beautiful!’ Or when the sun would set at the end of another day and fill the sky with pretty colours I’d make him come and look out and remind him again ‘aren’t we just so lucky’. He’s definitely laughing and rolling his eyes if he’s reading this! We can so easily get caught up with negative thoughts and dragged down but it’s so important to remind yourself of all the little things we have to be thankful for.
If you know me or have read previous posts you’ll know I’ve done long distance before. It’s not easy and things happen that are out of our control sometimes. That’s the tough part, we never really know what’s around the corner. Josh was one of the first people I met when I got here. My ‘nz mum’, my absolute rock over here, set us up. It’s funny how life works out sometimes. Two people I had never met before, both I met in the first week of being in Wellington and now they are both a massive part of my life. Going from living with Josh to living on my own has been a struggle. I’ve never lived on my own before, I’ve always had housemates so it’s been strange! I live in such a beautiful place, so close to the sea and to where I work, I love it and it’s definitely alot tidier without a man around! But it’s been an adjustment, like so many things in life. We are working through this stage together and for now that’s the best we can do. Sometimes life might not work out the way we thought it would. Our paths can change without warning and although it can feel like everything is pushing against us, it is these moments that we figure out just how strong we can be. Take comfort in the fact that whatever life throws at you, you will learn to adapt.
I’ve struggled quite alot this past year with anxiety. Not many people know and the silence and stigma around mental health makes something that is difficult so much harder. I’ve struggled for different reasons, reasons I’ll keep to myself but one thing I will say is reach out for help if you need it. I know my saving grace this past year has been getting help. It’s the hardest thing to ask for sometimes but never forget its not weakness, it takes incredible strength and courage.
I’m pretty hard on myself sometimes, my closest friends tell me so often so this message is as much for me as it is for anyone reading it. Whether your in lockdown or struggling with something else no matter how big or small, be kind to yourself. And be kind to others, you don’t always know what people are going through. My inbox is always open. Keep believing in something brighter and never lose sight of better days no matter how hard things may get ❤️
Life in the slow lane for a little while. Time to appreciate the things and people we take for granted every single day. To be thankful for the little things in life that so often we forget about. To finally make a start on those dreams we’ve often thought about and said we’d start some day. To never forget that better days are on there way and a time to stop and be present.
I’m feeling oh so strangely positive about this down time. Don’t get me wrong, I have my moments of weakness. The last one being yesterday when I tripped on the kerb, fell flat on my face, cut my knees, dented my pride a little and then cried like a little baby. One of those moments when life just gets a little much then something happens to tip us over the edge and we just need to cry, we’ve all been there right?!
A time where it’s stressful and the road ahead is so unknown, I’m trying to take the good from this crazy and sad situation that’s taken over this beautiful world.
I’ve only recently moved to Wellington, New Zealand after travelling this amazing country in a campervan for 2 months. Not the ideal way to start out living somewhere but that aside it’s still been great! I’m staying with an amazing couple and I’ve never been made feel so welcome or at home. At a time like this, being so far away from home, it’s exactly what I need.
I have been going for walks around the area I’m staying and it’s so heart-warming to see windows of houses lined with teddy bears, families out playing together and beautiful messages written in chalk on the pavements.
When Gemma and I travelled in our little home on wheels, we’d sit down for dinner or whenever we got into bed and say one thing we were thankful for that day. There was all sorts of things but it really made you think and reflect on the day. So often little things get overlooked and we forget just how much we have to be thankful for. If anything comes from this uncertain time let it be to be thankful for lifes little blessings. Do not lose hope, please believe that there are a thousand beautiful things waiting for you. Sunshine comes to all who feel rain. I know it’s unsettling but try to focus on the silver lining, we are all in this together and there’s so much beauty to see. Everyday might not be good, but there’s always something good in everyday ❤️
To whoever reads this post, thankyou, I hope it puts a smile on your face and warmth in your heart. I’m only ever a message away to anyone that ever needs anything. We are all here to lift each other up.
When the clouds clear and the heaviness of this world lifts, I hope we all find a new sense of gratitude ✨
As always, sending the biggest of hugs and so much love your way, Lyns xxx
I’ve been pretty quiet on here recently and well life has been busy, stressful, overwhelming and amazing all at the same time!
The last time I wrote I had just moved to Sydney and was getting settled in after completing my regional work to get another year on my visa. This time I’m still living in Sydney, I’ve just came back from the most amazing time at home with all my loved ones and I’ve also found out that the awful factory work I done, immigration won’t accept it and my second year visa will be declined…. Meghhhhh wonderful!
Anyways, let’s talk about the best bit rather than the worse because hey, let’s be honest I’m sick talking about visas!
Home 🧡 I can’t even explain just how special it was! Mum & Dad and my best friend had no idea I was coming back… Surprise guys! Got it on video and oh do them videos make me so happy! A year since I had left home to travel solo and there I was a year later, back home with the ones who mean the most to me. Early Christmas with my family, spa days, eating out for nearly every meal and catching up on life. Being away from home really makes you appreciate just how beautiful home is and that time spent with your family is nothing short of special as we all get older.
So thankful for my family and the amazing friends I have no matter how far away I am or how often we talk, they’re always there, and always likely hoping that I’ll just come back for good! My Gran asked when I was back when am I going to settle down or am I just going to keep on travelling. Yano Gran, I’ve no idea but that’s okay right?! You don’t always have to have life planned out, things always have a way of working themselves out. Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can come together. I had planned to get another year on my visa in Australia and at the minute that’s just not looking so likely. It’s stressful, sad and scary because I don’t have a plan but it’s also exciting because I know that I’ve still so much to look forward to regardless of where that will be. This random little post is just as much for me as it is to any of you amazing people reading it.
So yes maybe I don’t know what I’m going to do in a couple of months and maybe you don’t either but I do know that my little life is only what I make of it. So whether I have a month or a year left in this beautiful country I know it’s going to be amazing regardless. And whatever I do next or wherever I go I’ve no doubt that it’ll be amazing too.
Who knows what way life will plan out for us all but we just have to make the most of whatever obstacles get thrown in the way!
A new city, new job, new home, new friends and so many new memories to make. Ohh hello Sydney… I know your gonna be great!
Over halfway through my first year in Australia already! It’s flown in and its certainly came with its fair share of ups and downs! The last 3 months not exactly being the highlight of it all… 3 months working nightshifts in a pie factory packing pies! The things you have to do to get another year on your visa eh! To be fair, I was lucky even though it definitely didn’t feel like that some nights at 4am when I was crawling around the floor on my hands and knees cleaning pies up! Most people don’t get paid well, get treated badly and spend about 6 months trying to get their 88 days which is needed to apply for another year in Australia. It was definitely an experience I won’t forget but even though it was soul destroying I met some amazing people and even though there were plenty of tears and nights where the only thing I wanted to do was be at home, I done it. And you want to know the best bit.. I don’t even know if I want to stay longer than a year!! Anyways, its done and I have that opportunity and hilarious memories if nothing else!
I’m in Sydney now, feeling pretty settled after a stressful few weeks but excited for the next few months. When I travelled the east coast at the start of my trip I decided that Sydney was where I wanted to live. I got a job sorted pretty quickly and it was just a matter of finding somewhere to live. It was like my London nightmare all over again… The place I was supposed to move into stopped replying to me the same day I was due to move!! Basically homeless, 40kg of my own luggage and 30kg of my friends left with me as she went home and there I was, stranded with no where to go!
A couple of weeks on, I’ve got sorted, living in a beautiful place near the water and I’m thankful that everything worked out okay in the end. Its hard moving your life about especially going somewhere that you don’t have any friends and you have to set up a life for yourself. Siobhan who I had been travelling and working with for the past 6 months went home for a few weeks so it’s been strange being all on my own again! It’s not always easy being so far away from home. I left my amazing family, great friends and a relationship that made me so happy. There’s days when I wonder if I made the right decision but then I look back on all I’ve achieved and done and well I’m proud of myself.
I’ve travelled 29 countries mostly solo, lived in London and now Australia, been lonely, struggled with travelling and my health problems, met so many special people and made incredible friends. I’ll forever be thankful for it all, even the hard times because its all got me to where I am today. Travelling with health problems has been one of my biggest struggles. It’s been hard and so expensive, ohh I miss free health care back home!! Despite the struggles and all the tears I’ve learnt that strength doesn’t come from what you can do, it comes from being able to do something that you thought you couldn’t. I’m so thankful and oh so grateful that I’m able to travel and do something I love despite my health issues.
A breakup has been another struggle. Breakups are hard anyways but being on the other side of the world and coming to terms with that hasn’t been easy, especially when you both want to be together but well our lives are different and it’s hard to see how it will ever work. Life is a funny thing. It is amazing, hard, challenging, beautiful and so short all at the same time. I’ve learnt so much travelling by myself and living in different countries and you have to make the most of everything in life. Sometimes things happen that are hard to understand, some things to test us, some to make us stronger and some to prepare us for something better, who knows, but even though it has been hard for me at times, I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Make the most of your life and be thankful for everything because it truly is a beautiful life ❤️
Here’s to Sydney and all the ups and downs it will bring!
6 weeks along the beautiful east coast of Australia, endless memories, incredible places and strangers that have become friends for life.
Can’t believe I’ve been in Aus 3 months already, its flying in! I’m currently doing my farm work and well thats a whole other story!
When I got here I started in Melbourne and worked my way up the east coast finishing in Cairns.
Melbourne is great! Amazing vibe, friendly people, great food and smashing coffee! I spent the first few days finding my feet, getting a sim card, bank account and all the boring stuff sorted! Went on a day trip to Philip Island where I fed kangaroos for the first time and watched 100s of little penguins come to shore after a day at sea and then waddle back to their burrows. Ekkk, I know! The Australian open was on when I was there so the atmosphere around Federation Square was fab! Queen Vic Market is a great shout for a night of food, drink and music, and Brighton beach is also a beautiful place with the most stunning houses!!
I had a week here exploring and then flew to Sydney. Absolutely loved Sydney! So many people had mentioned about Melbourne being their favourite but I prefer Sydney. Its just amazing! It’s got everything, buzzing city life, beautiful beaches, stunning mountains ranges not far out and loads to see and do! I spent another week here, fitting in as much as I could! So many moments where I had to pinch myself, I was actually in Australia! Something I’ve always wanted to do and it still felt so surreal that I was actually here! To be fair, it still does! I’ll forever be thankful for this beautiful life and all the amazing places I’ve been, friends I’ve made and incredible experiences I’ve had.
Sydney opera house and the harbour bridge is beautiful! Sunset drinks here with a girl I met in India and have ended up travelling with ever since. Its just incredible who you come across in life and how everything works out! We met while volunteering in Goa and both came to Australia at different times on working holiday visas. We were both travelling solo and met up for a catch up in Sydney and we haven’t got rid of each other yet! Its been so great having someone to travel with, and we’ve had heaps of fun and plenty of blonde moments! We both started out as solo travellers and it is such a learning curve, amazing experience and something I would recommend everyone to do at least once in their life, trust me!
From Sydney we headed to Byron bay. Loved Byron! I can see how people get into the Byron bubble and don’t want to leave! Super chilled place!
On up to the Gold Coast, surfers paradise and then onto the sunshine Coast where we went to Fraser island. What a fab place! We had so much fun driving around on a 4×4 on the worlds largest sand island! Tunes blasting, sand dunes on one side, blue sea on the other and walkie talkies to sing to the other cars! Such a beautiful island with memories shared with an amazing bunch of people! Noosa on the sunshine Coast was one of my favourite places of coastline, its stunning! Also the place that a wave nearly took me out at the fairy pools… yesss I still haven’t learnt how to swim!
Next stop was Airlie beach for the Whitsundays! I can’t even explain how amazing and beautiful this whole experience was!! Most people stay on sailing boats for the Whitsundays but being the high maintenance backpackers that we are…. We stayed on a resort own by a billionaire, no biggie really! It was stunning and the group of people we shared the experience with have become great friends! I snorkled for the first time in my life! Most people who know me know that I can’t swim and how terrified I am of the water so this was massive for me. We snorkled in a couple of different spots on the great barrier reef, one with loads of coral and another place called the fish bowl which literally was 100s of fish swimming all around you. Ahhh it was incredible, some fish the same size as me!! Writing this now and realising that sometimes you don’t fully appreciate a moment until afterwards ❤️
Magnetic island was next on our adventure. Barbie cars, wallabies and koalas, I mean what’s not to love!! Of course we got a pink barbie car to drive around in, singing barbie girl at the top of our lungs, living our best lives! Fed the cutest wallabies at sunset and got to hold a koala!!! Ohh my goodness they are literally the cutest things ever, like a Teddy bear as my old friend Mary said!
Cairns was the last stop for us and we got here with no idea of what we were doing next, but hey sometimes thats the best way because everything always works out in the end. Port Douglas, a beautiful town about an hour away, daintree rainforest, the oldest rainforest in the world and the stunning great barrier reef! I wanted to dive, well try to, even though I cant swim! I was going to hold the instructors hand but unfortunately my health and my medication didn’t allow me. Which maybe was the for the best, who knows!
My time travelling the east coast of Australia has been nothing short of incredible! I knew it was going to be amazing but it’s been so much better than that! So many memories shared with the most amazing people!
I’ve definitely came back down to earth with a bang and I’m getting stuck into farm work. Been here 4 weeks and already got a cheeky trip booked for Easter! Girls gotta do what girls gotta do!
I’ll write about my farm work experience soon but until then I’ll be packing pies!
3 incredible weeks of sun, beaches, yoga, beautiful sunsets, pretty cafes, locals with the kindest hearts and some of the best memories.
The first week in bali couldn’t have been better. Landing at the airport and knowing a certain someone was also landing! Standing in the immigration que waiting to see an all to familiar face in the crowds. Then he comes, 22 hours of travelling, tired and no idea of where he is going but he finally sees me. Ohh that moment was what we’d talked about since the day I left. Jord for those who don’t know, my best friend, boyfriend, a very confusing and hard relationship to say the least!
Since we’ve been together we’ve been apart. London and Birmingham, Northern Ireland and Birmingham and now Australia and Birmingham. Yes its always been me moving about, also the one to say I don’t want a bf and well here I am but hey life has a funny way of working sometimes!
He came to spend Christmas with me and we had thee best time despite Jord getting Bali belly for 3 days and me violently throwing up one night… Typical! The most beautiful hotels and resorts, massages, dinner dates and I had someone to take my pictures instead of asking ramdomers!
We fitted so much into the short time that we had, we started in Uluwatu where we spent Christmas day at a beach club. Amazing weather, stunning infinity pools, cocktails, santa hats and singing and dancing in the pool. It was amazing, definitely a Christmas to remember! We went to Ubud next, then onto Nusa Penida, which was my favourite, though it has the worse roads I’ve ever witnessed in my life!! We hired a driver for the day, so glad we didn’t rent a moped!! I had read about the roads being awful and covered in potholes but so much worse than I ever imagined! Get ready to be thrown about the car for most of the journey! Not for the faint hearted! After here we headed back to Seminyak.
He left on news years day and it was back to being solo. I didn’t know what to do with myself at first as I had got so used to having company. I spent the next few days at the most beautiful hostel. I don’t usually stay in hostels but this one looked amazing and I thought it was a good time to be surrounded by people. It was so great I stayed an extra 4 days! Spent my afternoons by the pool sunbathing, eating and doing some yoga. Made great friends and it was exactly what I needed.
Spent the next week on gili air and gili t… Stunning!! Two beautiful islands with incredible beaches and clear blue sea, I mean what’s not to love! The first afternoon I arrived in gili air I was sitting eating a smoothie bowl when there was a small earthquake, the staff started to scream and run. I froze, it was terrifying! Forever thankful that nothing worse happened. As you walk around the islands you can see so many buildings and all the roads that have been destroyed from previous earthquakes, its so sad.
I’m not going to write about everything I done because it would go on forever and well quite frankly I’d rather be in the sun than staring at a screen!
I spent the last few days back in Seminyak relaxing, eating and getting ready for my biggest adventure yet. Australia for a year!! I’m already over a month into my time here and well it’s just amazing, I’m so happy and truly loving my life! I’ll write about all I’ve been up to soon!
One girl, one journey 