I am obsessed with travelling. Understand where my obsession came from and how it has eventuated.
Growing up, I lived in four small Australian country towns varying in population from 450 to 30,000 residents and the nearest city to me was, and still is, considered to be one of the most isolated cities in the world. While these towns were peaceful and offered the always sought after community feel, I felt that my exposure to other cultures, extravagant architecture, beautiful accents, diverse languages and even food had been rather limited. I had only travelled as far as 300 kilometres south and 900 kilometres north west of my town of birth; although, the long drives repeatedly singing the same album over and over just to see the beach was always worth it. However, in all honestly, travelling outside of these towns and this city had not crossed my mind as, naturally, travelling any further than these distances felt daunting and somewhat impossible!
Then came Instagram. We have all seen the stunning photos of trendy girls sitting in front of beautiful sunsets that glow behind the blue roofed houses of Mykonos, or in front of the snowy mountains in Switzerland, or even lying on the beaches in Asia. As I’m sure they are to you, these photos were so inspiring to me and opened my eyes to a world beyond the red dirt and gum trees of Australia! I began following travel related accounts across Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest and compiling a list of ‘must-see’ places. Then in September 2018, my best friend messaged me when I was on lunch break at work and asked “would you want to go to Europe next year?”
After approximately ten months of working long hours and saving money, refining a list of must-see places, visiting travel agencies and developing a detailed, hour to hour itinerary, my best friend and I, both at the age of twenty and me having never left my home state in Australia, were on a nineteen hour flight to London! We embarked on a thirty day trip across Europe, featuring seven countries; England, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Italy and Greece.
Aside from our major external flights, we booked intermediate transport and all of the accommodation ourselves. We navigated bustling streets filled with thousands of people and plenty of foreign languages, tried our best to grasp the complex and confusing tram and underground rail services, and began figuring out how to deal with multiple currencies and how to choose authentic gelato stands.
Based on my travels, I believe I can share handy tips, tricks and stories to help you plan your own.