Cairns: A Different Kind of Settled Life

Australia

Aug 24

Cairns Life: A Different Kind of Settled Life

After a few weeks of breaking free from the routine of our house-share in Noosa and travelling once again, we have already found ourselves settled, but this time, in the tropical North, in Cairns.

We did the whole camper-van-trip to explore Cape Tribulation and the Daintree Rainforest (both beautiful), eventually bringing our weary selves back to a hostel in Cairns to chill, armed with some of our best photographs (and memories).

We didn't just stop for a few short days of rest however. What we ended up doing was joining a waiting list to get work for accommodation in a homely hostel called Globetrotters, and soon, began applying for paid jobs too.

Here we are 2 weeks later, and I've struck lucky already securing a job relatively quickly, and we also both now happily work in the hostel to pay for our beds.

Money, for once, isn't horrifically tight. In Noosa, because we were working and paying rent we had less margin for frivolous spending, or even just minor treats, which we have definitely been able to relax on whilst in Cairns.

Taran recently had his birthday, and I treated him to pizza at a traditional Italian restaurant, and then the next day, we took a ride on a jet-boat which was surprisingly fun and super invigorating.

Yes, we have very swiftly found ourselves establishing a repetitive routine of living, fixed to one place, but we have chosen to do this in a bustling hostel, where many other travellers have made a comfortable home. We have set up a new temporary base in an environment where we feel connected, in-touch with others, in a way that was sorely lacking in Noosa.

We have chosen a city that offers easy access to lots of outdoor activities and trips. If we hadn't already ventured into the Atherton Tablelands or traversed the Rainforest, we could easily do so, or if we want, we can do it again.

Just a few steps out of our hostel and we can walk along the busy esplanade, enjoy the surrounding green mountains, observe the occasional street performer and then relax at the weekend markets and watch a band play.

We have tried to cultivate this time to not simply work and save, as we did in Noosa, but to try and be social, build some less transient but more relaxed friendships, and enjoy truly being amongst our fellow travellers.

Many people here share many similarities with us. Many of them are British, but the thing most obvious to us is that those we have met here are like copies of us a year ago, or us 6 months ago; everyone is at a different stage of their own personal journey in Australia, some of which we have ourselves been through.

Some travellers have done their farm work, as we have, whilst others spend their days permanently attached to their laptops as they desperately seek that elusive job which will grant them a 2nd year visa.

Many are working hard saving up to enjoy parts of Australia that we have languished in for over 16 months, with tales of the places we are yet to see.

Our two weeks of non-stop travel satisfied the wanderlust that had grown during our quiet time in Noosa and so our new time of settled life is certainly feeling different to that phase already. We know we can do day-trips to the reef (already having snorkelled Michaelmas Cay) or trips inland to ride horses and explore waterfalls, if we truly want to.

This little guy posed so perfectly for us!

We are in the proximity of amazing activities, most of which we were able to do within our 10-day camper trip, but that doesn't mean we want to swiftly move onto the next thing. We just love the slow pace in our hostel, the hammocks in the palm-lined garden, and the friendly atmosphere amongst the long-termers, versus the hectic movement of some travellers on shorter itineraries and smaller budgets.

The way you view time during your travels is important; you could plan everything to the nth degree and leave no margin for free time, but alternatively, you could endeavour to experience more than just these tried-and-tested tourist experiences.

Travelling slower, pausing more and allowing somewhere to become home, can lead to something entirely more fun, relaxed and ultimately, help you forge a deeper connection to other people and their experiences, in-turn deepening your own memories beyond a reem of photographs and ticked-off to-do-lists.

Thanks for reading!

Hannah and Taran here. We hail from Southern England, where we met online and are now realizing our mutual passion for travel here at Nomad'erHowFar. We discuss Nomadic Living, Simplifying your Life and Long-term Travel, to empower, motivate and inspire our readers. Get to know us here!

Be social and come follow us across the virtual world!