Melbourne & Our Road Trip!

Life on the Road 

We flew into Melbourne at around 1am December 3rd and blearily found our way towards our hostel, and more importantly, our beds. After three long months of living the employed Perth dream and saving up all that we could, it was finally time to don the faithful Havaianas and reclaim our rightful role as frugal, noodle eating backpackers. The lifestyle came back to us pretty quickly, and within just a few hours the next day we were back in the shorts and vests and roaming around make-up free without a job related care in the world. 

We spent the next few days in central Melbourne, making full use of the free trams and taking advantage of the huge H&M that we had discovered - the first one we’ve come across in nine months - long story short, money was spent. 
It was then the day we had been waiting for - day one of our mini road trip! We left early to pick up our luminous green and purple Jucy camper-van, and after a quick stop off for the essentials - petrol, food and cider etc, it was time to hit the road. After a few hours we made it onto The Great Ocean Road, and after stopping for a necessary ‘we made it!’ photo, we headed onto our first stop for the night. What I may have failed to mention, is that it had already started pouring at this point, and so suddenly the idea of having to live, sleep and cook in this one vehicle wasn’t so appealing anymore…

Travel Interviews

Check out my two recent interviews with Totally Sam's World and Londoner Abroad here! 

The End of the East Coast

After two long months on the road, with nothing but a suitcase, backpack and a gradually decreasing bank account, our backpacking journey of the East Coast in Australia has come to an end. There’ll be no more weary morning checkouts, or sixteen-bed room shares - no more noodle dinners, chocolate biscuit breakfasts or McDonald lunches. No longer will we have to sleep curled up in the seat of a Greyhound bus for thirteen hours, or drag all of our worldly belongings behind us as we race to the bus station. But don’t let that put you off, because it’s safe to say that these have been the greatest two months of my life (cliché, sorry!) 

After quitting my job, saying goodbye to family and friends and moving myself over to the other side of the planet, I was soon doing things I could have only imagined. I’ve jet boated around Sydney Harbour and seen where Russell Crow lives. I’ve had surfing lessons from the best instructors in Australia, Mojo Surf, and I’ve hiked through the Blue Mountains with a friend of Steve Irwin. I’ve had a top-notch dinner at the top of Westfield Tower and been able to watch so many incredible sunsets in so many different, beautiful places. I’ve visited Steve Irwin’s zoo in Brisbane, canoed around the everglades in Noosa, and gone camping on the amazing Fraser Island. I’ve sailed around the Whitsunday Islands, slept under the Milkyway on a racing boat, visited the third most beautiful beach in the world and gone snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef itself. Last week I even jumped out of a plane at 14,000ft and did my first bungee jump. So yes, it’s been a pretty great couple of months!

Backpacking Tips & Tricks

The more people you eat with, the cheaper it'll be.

1 - I’ve mentioned it before, but don’t assume that because you’re backpacking, you must have a backpack. I came out with a 120L capacity backpack and within just a few room changes I was ready to dump it and leave all my worldly possessions behind. A suitcase will become your best friend - easy to move, easy to pack, and most of all - easy to see where the hell all your stuff is! There is nothing more frustrating than trying to find a specific item of clothing and looking like a vet with his arm inside a cow - trust me, wheels are best.

2 - Never be afraid to ask for the odd cheeky discount. When buying my suitcase it was $199, a little over my budget. But after a simple question of ‘do you do backpackers discount…?’ I had managed to work $80 off - bargains! 

3 - Suncream suncream suncream. I can’t stress this enough - anything under SPF 50 and you will burn. To be honest, even with SPF 50 you’ll still have the odd lobster day. The ozone layer is a lot thinner in Australia, making it deceivingly difficult to guess when you need to apply. Simple solution - buy the aerosol kind and top up regularly, no stickiness, no greasy hands and you’ll be covered within 20 seconds. 

Bit by the Travelling Bug

Well, okay, not literally. For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to travel. Even going back ten years as to when I started Secondary School, I can still remember that first ‘introduce yourself to the class’ session that every eleven-year-old child dreads. 

“Hi...I’m Chloe. I like to write and I want to travel the world someday.”

To be fair, eleven-year-old me knew what she was on about. Seven years on I chose my degree of Multimedia Journalism at Canterbury Christ Church University and so began my future of writing in a new place. Of course, Canterbury was hardly Timbuktu, and although my halls of residence were certainly questionable at times, I was hardly slumming it backpackers-style in a hostel somewhere. Nevertheless, those three years I spent away from home provided me with both the life and professional experience needed in order to one day make that big move abroad.