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Couple's Travel to Solo Travel: Going Our Separate Ways
No, we didn’t make a boo-boo and book the wrong flights, we have actually decided that some solo travelling is calling us..
Couple's Travel to Solo Travel: Going Our Separate Ways
Two years have passed nearly, since Taran and I left the UK and began this roller-coaster of a travel adventure in Australia.
Seeing as two years is all us POM’s get before we get thrown back out into the world tanned, kicking and screaming, it’s time to plan for our next destination.
Asia was very much the loose plan for a while; hit up all the usual spots, relax, enjoy some of our last Aussie wages.
And then one day recently, during our big Aussie Outback road-trip, we had a conversation about some stuff that had been playing on both our minds, and that brings us to this blog post…
In around a week I, Hannah, will be flying to New Zealand, and Taran, will be flying to Thailand.
No, we didn’t make a boo-boo and book the wrong flights, we have actually decided that some solo travelling is calling us and now's the perfect time to embark on individual adventures.
Why Now?
When you are with someone for 4 years, 2 of which spent in constant close confines, you can inevitably get a little lost in one another.
Sometimes you are so deep in a set of routines, from routine affection to routine bickering, that you no longer feel as connected or as enriched by your surroundings.
You can start to not bring out the best in one another, or maybe one of you feels held back, or the other feels like they are doing the holding back.
You might be unable to remember the last time you did something on a whim of your own choice, in the exact manner you wanted to do so.
You might also feel like you are going along with certain plans that don’t truly fit, and you end up expressing this in passive-aggressive ways.
Sometimes you argue over irrelevant things purely because there’s an uncomfortable truth sitting in the pit of your stomach that feels too scary to confront.
You basically end up needing space. Space, to as corny as it sounds, to find yourself again.
There won't be any shouting into the void 'WHO AM IIII?', but maybe there will be the time and peace to ask that question by living out each day exactly as you want to.
Space to be a little selfish, develop your own interests, meet different people that you might not usually meet.
Space to remind yourself of what you need and what you want.
The Nature of Love
This need to be alone, of course, can happen in any relationship, but when travel is thrown into the mix, it can present different challenges to what we might have gone through had we been co-habitating in England.
Much of our 2 years has been spent in that place of stress in-between 'backpacker' jobs, when your wages stop and suddenly it feels like the fun does to.
There’s very little security or comfort, even less so than in ‘normal’ life, which for some is the appeal of perpetual travel, whilst for others, like myself, it is a constant source of stress.
I don’t enjoy moving between 2-3 different jobs throughout a year, none of which I truly want to do but merely have to if I don’t want to be forced to return home.
I also don’t enjoy when my partner is unable to find a good gig and things become very unbalanced as a result.
Its upsetting when all you want to do is travel but one of you doesn’t have the funds to do it, but, you are already in it, already amongst other travellers in a place you want to be, yet you are held back because there are two bank accounts to think about.
It can basically suck trying to juggle the differences in your approach to travel.
I wouldn’t say that I am a luxury traveller to Taran’s budget traveller, but I probably do feel more stressed by financial stuff, and I have always been that way inclined.
It isn’t just about money; it really boils down to two people suddenly realizing they want to do travel differently.
At the core is a difference in our goals; I want to start building my career and I want to combine that with travel, whereas Taran is happy to just keep riding the wave of laid-back travels and jobs.
I hope that we can both feel satisfied following our own chosen paths for a while, no matter where we end up with our goals.
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Travel Didn’t Ruin Everything
It’s possible that travel hasn’t wedged a knife between us, and we are just living out a normal situation in a slightly different (and heightened) environment.
In fact, travel has brought us closer through such a big and beautiful shared experience.
Beyond all the doubtful moments or feelings of anxiety, there has been a solid reason to keep at this.
I only have to scroll through my photo’s or read this blog to be reminded of what a truly insane and amazing collection of memories we have made together.
At this point our love and respect for each other is immense.
Our certainty and trust for one another is quite lovely. We have in fact felt very happy and connected since we made the choice to separate as funny as that sounds.
It’s possible that we are living out the idea of ‘If you love someone, you let them go’ and it feels right in some way. It feels grown-up and healthy.
It feels wrong some days though, when we are laughing and holding hands.
Why on earth would be want to be apart for any length of time?
Why would we want to be away from what we have?
Its this simple: our desire for each others happiness is superseding our need to live in one another’s pockets, because right now, our goals are a little too different for this lifestyle to continue and thrive.
Love for one another is not enough when two people stand at a cross-roads and can’t seem to pick the same route. Its logistical, not emotional.
Compatibility might not last a lifetime, even if it has been there for 4 good years, or even 40.
Sometimes people have these moments of realization, and the love doesn’t just stop in this scenario, it just has to be channelled differently.
Who knows where our individual travels will lead us. The uncertainty is part of the reality of choosing adventure, solo, or as a couple.
We both want to return to the UK for Christmas, but after that, things are unclear. Its likely Taran will join me in NZ at some stage this year, but yet again, uncertainty and spontaneity is the nature of this travel lark.
Future Of The Blog
We sincerely love what we do, and it’s pretty amazing to write this blog together, for Taran to make his films and showcase his amazing photo’s. So even in this time of being separate, this blog will continue on.
There will still be beautiful beaches to photograph, mountains to climb, hostel antics to gripe about and truly wondrous moments to be had.
I will be writing from a new perspective, that of solo-female traveller, something I feel truthfully terrified about. For an independent-minded person, I have gotten very used to having someone always around…
Taran too, is a little scared, and feels the same expected separation anxiety, but I know he will make the best of it all, and as usual, befriend people easily (he could find common ground with Donald Trump).
And on that note..
Thank you, to all whom have followed us these past 3 years, and I hope you all know that we are excited to share what comes next.
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!
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The Honest Guide To Hostel Etiquette
Are you keen on the prospect of waking up every day beside 10 other people? You saucy thing you...
The Honest Guide To Hostel Etiquette
Are you keen on the prospect of waking up every day beside 10 other people? You saucy thing you.
Okay, well would you mind being woken at 4am by the piercing brightness of a phone torch?
How would you like having to go the bathroom every time you wish to change your outfit?
And is it a dream of yours to listen to the snoring (and other ablutions) of not just one, but maybe 2, 3, 4 or 8 strangers?
Well then my friend, hostel dorm living is for you!
It's not all bad though....
Do you also like the prospect of having good, empathetic company, when you want it, and alone time when you need it?
Do you like sharing your stories and life experiences with like-minded individuals?
Well then, yet again, hostel living will bring something uniquely awesome to your travelling life.
For all the up's and downs, nuisances and annoyances that hostel life can bring, we have still contentedly lived in the same hostel for over a month now, and it truly has become home.
Some people hate every moment of not having their own space or being surrounded by people coming and going at all hours, but after 4 months in a somewhat lonely house-share in Noosa, we are firmly not in the hostel hate camp.
We have a unique situation here in Cairns in that we work for our accommodation; we get free access to everything in our well-equipped hostel in return for 4 hours work every other day. We might currently sleep in separate bunks, an interesting scenario for a couple...but we still feel like we are getting extremely good value for our small contribution of time.
Beyond the financial aspect of getting free or cheaper accommodation, and the logistics of having everything we would have in a house-share (and then some) its also just pretty darn cool.
You meet so many people who you bond with, or can just share a chat with when you want to. There are nights out that you don't feel obligated to go along on, but you'll be welcomed openly if you do.
There's a social atmosphere but no associated pressure or judgement; you truly can be yourself, do your own thing but also stave off homesickness or loneliness if you need to.
On the flip-side of all this, you certainly have to practise tolerance for the different levels of inconsiderate behaviour you will undoubtedly encounter.
When you put 50+ people in a smallish space you are going to get irritated by the differing habits of others, but in trying to be a bit more understanding of my fellow travellers, I have a few tips for how to counter the moments where you want to commit a sass attack on someone who's doing an iphone light-show in your pitch-black dorm at 4.25 am (yep, it's happened, more than once).
The Basics
If you have never ever stayed in a hostel before, most of them are very similar in culture but often different in vibe.
The main two types you will come across are the party hostel, and the non-party smaller and cosier hostel that is still cultivating of a social atmosphere, and this type is our favourite.
To name just one like this in Australia, there's the Flying Fox in the Blue Mountains, which had pasta nights and a cosy sitting room with a 3 hour internet ban each evening to encourage social interaction which led to some hilarious conversation and games.
Our current hostel, Globetrotters in Cairns, doesn't go so far as to cut the internet cord but still cultivates a warm and homely atmosphere that makes people not want to leave.
Its TV/gaming area, sofas, pool garden, hammocks, quiz night and free BBQ/daily breakfast are all part of its appeal; its attention to these details of comfort are the secret to its success above the more party-oriented hostels in the clubbing mecca of Cairns.
Free BBQ!! They even include some vege stuff for us :D
Somewhere along the way you will find hostels with very little personality, well-run but often too big or tightly managed to feel like a home.
You will also find the hostels where cleanliness hasn't been made top priority and you feel dirtier after you shower than when you went in...
Checking In
When you check into a hostel you may need to hand over a deposit for your room key and also for basic utensils to cook with, and then in others you will find a fully-stocked kitchen heavily reliant on a guest trust system.
Many hostels have a free-for-all on fridge space and you find yourself squeezing your overflowing food bag into any free gap only for it to be moved by someone.
Our current hostel has a pretty cool system of having fridge lockers which mean your food is far more secure and yet easier to access when you need to.
Quite often hostel receptions have specific check-out and check-in hours and many do not have 24-hour receptions meaning its wise to research these things ahead of rocking up to a hostel door at 6am or trying to check out at a similarly early hour.
Security
It's always wise to make use of hostel lockers, so be sure to bring along a couple of your own locks, but if your hostel doesn't have these, then make sure you put your valuables out of sight, possibly locked away in your backpack under your bed.
If things are out of sight then of course you will detract the opportunist thief but it will give you piece of mind when you leave your room to go out for the day.
When it comes to food, the same idea applies, in that if you don't want a human or ant or cockroach to feast on your banana, keep it bagged up and out of reach. Often though, especially in fridges in kitchens far away from your dorm room, you might be the target of a thief, and they might just go for your new fresh nob of butter (not that I'm holding a grudge or anything...).
Short of putting locks even on your fridge bag, the best thing is to label all your food items clearly and then tie them up in a labelled bag. If your food has your name on it in big black marker pen it's going to dissuade the cheeky ones who will openly use stolen goods in the kitchen.
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Late Nights
Some hostels have a strict policy against all noise/ in-hostel drinking at night and the threat of being ejected for being too rowdy is always there.
Our current hostel has a night manager throughout the evening so things are kept a close eye on, but some hostels we've stayed at before have let people run riot in the corridors and keep everyone awake all night; that's a frustrating and expensive night of absolutely zero sleep we've had the privilege to experience more than a few times.
Pro tip, eye masks and ear-plugs, but also be sure to read hostel reviews before you visit them as commenters will remark on if that hostel is a good one for sleeping or for partying.
Cooking
So as I mentioned earlier, many hostels require a deposit for utensils and others rely on a trust system of you using their stuff, cleaning it and not pilfering the silver-wear...
When we cook we always keep our stuff together and try not to sprawl out on the kitchen-side and put off anyone else wanting to cook; this isn't your own home, even if it sometimes feels like it, so don't act as if there's no-one else also paying for use the facilities.
Take your food scraps out of the sink after you wash-up, wipe the side down and don't let your milk leak in the fridge!
You might argue that hardly anyone else abides by these courtesies but in hostels you can very much lead by example; the dirtiest kitchens we saw were down to one person after another not doing even a cursory post-cooking clean and so nobody else wanted to either.
Showering
At home you might have favoured 10 minutes standing under the shower before you even began to wash your hair but if you do that in a busy hostel, you are gonna annoy people.
Many hostels suggest you stick to 5 minute showers which aren't always realistic but we try and aim to be done quick some days and then maybe have a longer shower another day, which is especially important in a dorm where 10 people are sharing one shower.
Don't leave behind your shower gels and shampoos for the next person to trip over (or nick) and grab those dirty undies too!
Luggage
Some travellers are content with one big backpack and a smaller bag which they can neatly squirrel under their bed, and then other travellers prefer 4-5 bags, and it's all good, we are all entitled to do our thing!
However, a dorm is not a walk in wardrobe as many think it is...it is a shared space where people don't want to have to side-step your case in the middle of the walk-way.
Its cool if you have a ton of stuff, just try to keep it to one zone and respect the personal space of others.
That's our room, the staff dorm. Our beds are the two in the centre. Taran on top, Hannah on the bottom...It looks cluttered but its kept tidy and clean!
Social Life
The best part about hostel life is of course the people you meet. There's an automatic common ground among the different nationalities and personalities in the melting pot of a hostel which makes it easy to talk and have fun.
There's definitely the feeling of all being in the same boat, doing similar trips and excursions and often living off noodles when your out of work, spending hours attached to a laptop trying to change that situation, and then of course the nights out where the drinks help bond you even further.
The only difficult aspect of this is that people constantly move on and leave, sometimes before you can get to know each other, and sometimes just as you've truly forged a relationship.
Thanks to Facebook and Instagram, its not like all contact will be lost, and you can still observe each others travels and lives from afar, but it still feels sad at the time.
Eventually you do get more used to the goodbyes which come as often as the hello's, and over time I think it makes you a more open, friendly and compassionate individual, which almost makes the wrench of constant change a worthwhile part of hostel life.
All of the above advice boils down to: don't be a rude idiot with no self-awareness...
I get that many people travelling for the first time don't set out to be the annoying or ignorant hostel guest; for some its a hard balance of being comfortable and yourself in a hostel space, whilst also remembering that you aren't in your own home or bedroom where your own rules apply.
We have found over time that you definitely don't have to live in a state of unease amidst concerns over all the above hostel issues, and eventually you will learn how to happily cohabit with a building full of different people to the point that you feel no desire to leave.
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!
Our Biggest Challenge Yet As A Travelling Couple.
We have had our ups and downs over our 3 years together, but this has been mostly down...
Our Biggest Challenge Yet As A Travelling Couple.
For almost 2 months now we have been settled down in Noosa, Australia. Our bedroom has lime green walls and a cat that sits on the windowsill the same time every night. The sun shines most days and the winter wind is making its way through.
The reason we stopped travelling was because we needed to earn some more money to keep going. Working travel is not funded by fairy dust. Whilst its a pause made out of necessity, it has been a great time to work on our blog and my book.
Why Noosa
We hopped on a train, and then a bus, for a few days by the beach after a week in the big Brisbane city. We had been here only a day, enjoying this place that we hadn't really seen properly, even though we passed through it one night last year.I had a good feeling, and could see myself settling here. There's definitely a buzz, also a beautiful beach, all combined with a safe small-town vibe.
And so, I rushed out a few emails at 7am one morning on our 2nd day here (I was super productive thanks to jet-lag waking me up at 5am), and I got so ridiculously lucky because by the next day I had a job.
I wasn't just applying for fun, I was acutely aware of our decreasing bank accounts, so now seemed as good a time as any to stop and earn. But getting a job that quick? it certainly doesn't happen that way out here usually folks.
And then, a few hours later, we had a room in a house, that has now become home.
I couldn't believe it, I had never had such a quick turn-around from unemployed and anxious, to having an income again, and feeling secure. I was so relieved. Taran was happy to have found a spot with some good surfing and water sports nearby. It seemed like we were going to have a really cool few months even if we weren't on the road where we truly wanted to be.
Fast forward a few weeks, nearly two months, and I still have my job, which I'm enjoying, whilst saving up a little bit and paying my bills.
Taran on the other hand, remains unemployed, having had not so much as one interview.
Despite his decent resume and his constant trying, its been impossible. Many of the people we have been in contact with are useless at calling back, replying to emails or are just saying no.
It has really brought us down.
It is really not an understatement when we say that this has been the biggest challenge for us as a travelling couple, so far.
In 3 years of being together we have always been equal partners. We share the costs of our lives together, and we treat each other on special occasions. We are obviously minimalists and money isn't a big motivator for us, but still, we have both been relatively secure and able to enjoy our time together.
Right now, we are so unbalanced in our situations that it has almost ruined our relationship.
Poor Taran is trying super hard to find work, whilst doing a hell of a lot of work on the blog. I help him where possible, and we spend time looking for opportunities together, I then help write emails and perfect his resume. We are trying to deal with this crappy time as a united team. But it's been extremely hard to do this.
I am currently paying the majority of the rent each week. I buy all of the food despite Taran eating a small portion and a limited menu.
We go without constantly.
My mobile phone is 90% broke and needs replacing desperately but I cant afford it.
We never get to do anything, go anywhere further afield, or even just treat ourselves.
We are basically living a relatively small, extremely quiet and restrictive life in a place where we shouldn't be. This wasn't what we signed up for.
We should be doing all the awesome water-sport's Noosa has on offer. We should be exploring the quaint and beautiful towns surrounding the sunshine coast. But most importantly, we should be saving up enough to sustain our travel dreams.
We aren't just travelling on a whim, we fully committed to this lifestyle two years ago. We both gave a lot up back home to come to Australia. It hasn't been a light journey, its been up and down, but never has it felt so stressful as it does right now.
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We fight even though its the last thing we want to be doing.
The tension between us has peaks and troughs. Sometimes we feel fine, we muddle through, and we focus on the positives. Then other times I feel so frustrated and believe that we are just wasting time, and money, paying rent whilst not building our savings.
The only way we have survived thus far is by being honest and by talking things out as much as possible...
There have been some hard conversations, like me telling Taran that I doubted him and his efforts, and then him evidently showing signs of extreme stress at his situation, which has put us into a cycle that can only be broken by one thing: Taran getting a job.
Why don't we just leave town?
You might be wondering, why don't we just leave Noosa.
There's a number of reasons...aside from loving our house, and the time that settling here has given us to work on the blog, and me, the right environment to write my book.
But also, I am not willing to leave a good job in order for Taran to find one elsewhere. I had such a tough time in a previous job in Australia, that I just want to live out this lucky time to its fullest.
Maybe that's selfish but it fills me with major anxiety to walk away from a good opportunity, with not a lot of savings, having essentially wasted 2 months, and yet be no nearer our goals.
I committed to my employer to at least 3 months, and I had a figure in mind for what I wanted to save up; we both did. And we won't have achieved that, not by a mile. But there is another valid reason to stay put.
For tax purposes, it is beneficial to remain in one place for 6 months in Australia to ensure maximum tax rebate come the end of the financial year. To be considered a resident for tax rebate purposes this is generally a requirement. I am just trying to make our life a bit easier down the line when we go to try and recoup the thousands of dollars we will have paid in tax.
If we stay here and work for 6 months, we won't simply save a lot via our earnings, we will be saving up lots in tax too.
We haven't yet lost all hope or succumbed to the idea that we have to start over elsewhere.
We know that an opportunity could arise at any moment, and our worries could be gone, just how it happened for me.
We have however realized that based on present circumstances, its possible Taran will actually have to leave me. He may have to move further away to find work. That is not what we want, obviously.
Space is sometimes good, absence can make the heart grow fonder and all that, but when you set out to experience travel with the person you love the most, being torn apart by money, is a very sad prospect.
We are already thousands of miles away from home. We are already isolated from the others who we care about the most. We are already limiting our experience by not having the funds to enjoy our temporary home. We are struggling enough, we don't want to throw separation into the mix. But it might have to happen out of necessity.
We didn't sign up for this, but its real life.
I think the distance could be painful and I could end up wanting to leave my job sooner than I can. I just generally fear what the time away could do to us if I am being completely honest, especially seeing as we don't just work together on the blog, but we are best friends.
We keep each other laughing, happy, entertained, grounded and creative. We give each other encouragement and energy.
We can be really good for each other, but right now we aren't...
I really hope this situation changes soon and that we will have good news to report back. I also hope we can overcome the stress this has put on our relationship, and that we can become equal again, because for money to force us apart, that would truly truly suck.
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!
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Nomads in Noosa: Taking a break from travel?
The beauty of travel is not always found in constant movement or change, sometimes its in living somewhere long enough to love it, but not long enough to hate it.
Nomads in Noosa: Taking a break from travel?
We had only been back in Australia 1 week, and we found ourselves in Noosa, looking at houses and applying for jobs. Then suddenly one of us had a job, and then we had a room in a house to call our own.
It wasn't part of our plan for when we came back from England. In fact we had no plan, which became clear as we spent a few days relaxing in Brisbane totally unsure of our next move.
Noosa was somewhere we had briefly stayed over night, and so we had never seen the beach, said to be one of best on the east coast. So it was a definite sign, a few days of planning in Brisbane and still none-the-wiser in where to go next, when I noticed that a friend of ours was living there. Off to Noosa we went!!!
One of the views along the Noosa national park coastal walk.
When we arrived we found a bustling holiday town, with a super pretty river full of people kayaking and paddle-boarding, leading down to a super sweet beach, the perfect mix of gentle lapping waves and a bit of surf action. Something just felt right about the place. Enough to make me think about living here for a while, looking up house-shares on gumtree, and wondering how much it would actually cost. We also met an awesome young couple at our campsite, Elise and Jordan, who both seemed to love Noosa. They took us on a hike the next day, then we went and ate burgers on the river front. They were there to encourage us and take us around Noosa, helping us decide to put down some roots.
That same morning, the 2nd in Noosa, I had happened upon a job ad on gumtree for housekeeping at a local luxury resort. I applied thinking I didn't stand much chance, yet a few hours later I had a phone call with an invite to be interviewed. We then viewed two houses that same day, choosing the second, a large spread-out and airy house in a nice residential area just 15 minutes from town.
Waking up early the next day in our new bed, a mix of stubborn jet-lag combined with nerves, I went to my interview in my newly acquired dress (thanks to a mad shop dash courtesy of our new buddies, Elise and Jordan), and 10 minutes later I had been hired!! Say whattttt! I was so relieved and a little dumb-founded.
I wasn't super confident, and there was definitely no marvellous display of perfect interview etiquette. I must have just fitted the bill on paper, plus the manager was clearly a busy lady used to making quick decisions. She said to my colleague, referring to me, that she had 'a good feeling about this one'... Admittedly I am only in housekeeping, it isn't rocket science, but I am actually liking it so far. I get to work in a nice quiet hotel, with friendly staff, and I get paid to clean. I get paid for doing one of my hobbies.
The environment is so much better than the previous one we worked in on Fraser Island. Everyone is supportive, motivational, friendly and just chilled out. The tools we are provided with to clean make the job vastly easier. Any housekeeper will understand what I mean when I say 'YAY!' about cleaning floors without mop buckets and using non-toxic chemicals; it's basically awesome.
What's more, the hotel is right beside the beach, and is on the famous Hastings street, a strip of super nice bars, restaurants and my new favourite haunt, Boost juice. I loving spending time before and after work enjoying the beach, cooling off and soaking in the late summer Noosa vibe.
Meanwhile..
Taran is still on the look-out for work but being here, getting ourselves a base from which to be creative, is hopefully going to push the blog to the next level. The last few times we had a base, back in Bundaberg for instance, we were able to create lots more content, and engage with our audience more regularly. We actually had time to not just post sporadic or quick posts but to enjoy writing, sharing, chatting to other bloggers and reading their inspirational stuff.
Travelling might be the opposite of stopping, setting down roots and working, as if you never even left home to begin with. But every now and then it provides a needed break, a moment of pause in which you can experience somewhere like a true local. And every place we live, every job we have, every few weeks where we can pad away on our laptops working on the blog, we are still living out a reality we dreamed of and worked toward for a year. Home might have been England for 25 years, but for now, it can be a little bedroom in a beachy holiday town somewhere in Australia. And then before we know it, it will be somewhere else entirely. Most likely our trusty tent.
The beauty of travel is not always found in constant movement or change, sometimes its in living somewhere long enough to love it, but not long enough to hate it.
Yo!
Hannah and Taran here. We hail from Southern England, where we met online and are now realizing our mutual passion for travel here at NomaderHowFar. We discuss Nomadic Living, Simplifying your Life and Long-term Travel, to empower, motivate and inspire our readers. Get to know us here!
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Paradise Lost (Leaving Fraser Island)
We have returned to the life of travel, having lived on a farm for 3 months and an island for 2!
Paradise Lost - Leaving Fraser Island
Its 10am, a warm 28 degrees in Rainbow Beach, Australia.
Myself, Taran and Sean (our mate from England whose currently visiting and travelling with us) are sitting beside a pool, taking cover in the shade after a few too many rays yesterday. Only 24 hours ago we were still on Fraser Island, a special place that had become home over the last 2 months. We lived in a safari tent, just up from a beach, on the grounds of an extremely popular holiday resort (and the only privately owned campsite on the island). We worked hard for 2 months, pulling a few long stretches with very few days off, and do you know what, it simply got old. Living on a tropical island got old.
The only place we could get signal...
We just couldn't do it any more. Maybe it was the fact we had come from a farm, another remote living situation, straight into an intense workplace, also in a super isolated spot.
We just got to a point within our 5th month of being away from civilisation, where we just needed to re-join it. Not least to come back to our passion of doing this blog. We had half-decent internet at the farm and we didn't feel entirely disconnected from the website, but there's a lot that goes into this blog, and only now, having come back to 'mainland' (as it will always now be referred to since island living) can we fully absorb back into the swing of it.
Not to say we wont be doing some full on travelling having worked hard for 5 months. We are off to Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays in the coming days, to experience the extreme beauty that is Whitehaven Beach.
But for a brief moment, we are resting up, enjoying the chilled vibes of Rainbow Beach, whilst being able to just decompress a little. It definitely does something to you, being isolated, spending all your days with a tight-knit group of individuals. When you re-join the masses back on mainland, its jarring, comforting and bizarre all at the same time. We suddenly have free time again, time stretching out ahead of us that is ours, that we can mould and plan as we wish. We are away from the stresses of working in a busy resort during peak season, finished with what was a more difficult phase of our 10 months in Australia.
Some evenings, after a packed day, I'd lay down to read or relax after work, and sink into a deep sleep. Then at 6am I'd groggily wake up for another 12 hour day, feeling a bit of a dread for what I knew would be another crazy day. It was draining, but also fulfilling and fun too. The team were such a great lot, all working hard together to get through our hectic days. We could all relate with missing our families and friends; island life isn't really conducive to messaging let alone skyping home. So that added to the homesickness I felt for the last month or so, which prompted us to hand in our notice a few weeks before we had originally planned to leave.
It feels like the right decision to have made, as I sit here feeling reinvigorated and back in touch with the creativity that has been absent for a while now.
Admittedly, our bank accounts aren't as bursting as we'd of hoped, nonetheless there a bit fuller. Enough to travel some more, relax a lot more and blog a hell of a lot more...
Now check out our best photographs from Fraser Island!
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 NomaderHowFar. We discuss Nomadic Living, Simplifying your Life and Long-term Travel, to empower, motivate and inspire our readers. Get to know us here!
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The far from perfect life of a working traveller [Fraser Update]
A month or so ago, when we applied for jobs here on Fraser Island, we didn't know what to expect...
The far from perfect life of a working traveller - Fraser Update
A month or so ago, when we applied for jobs here on Fraser Island, we didn't know what to expect, but we hoped for a nice team, opportunities to see all that Fraser Island had to offer, and to save up for future travels. So far we haven't seen beyond our own slice of beach and we've been working on our days off...
Chilling round the fire with our fellow islanders.
Truth: jobs when you travel can be just as stressful and frustrating as normal jobs! Shock horror....
Don't get me wrong, if it was terrible here, if we weren't living on a beautiful island, with the promise of experiencing it somewhere on the horizon, we would have left by now. We hope to see much more of it, maybe even coming back and renting a 4x4.
But the problem is we've come into new jobs right at the start of the peak holiday season in Australia. We've been learning the ropes of a new job, new team, and also witnessed one person start and last a grand total of 2 days before they were sent packing... The boss doesn't suffer fools or people with attitude.
The crazy big 'Bull Ant'
So we have been plodding along, keeping our heads down, working hard and trying to quell the pangs of cabin fever that are inevitable when you work 10 days straight without a break. We aren't the only people here who are working hard. The team are great and can all appreciate how stretched it is right now. But it should all improve once new staff arrive, as they are expected to in coming days.
This isn't the kind of blog post I thought I would end up writing whilst in Australia. But unfortunately jobs can suck no matter where you are in the world!
Life can suck even if its playing out on a sandy beach beneath endless blue skies in temperatures of 25 and above. Or maybe just up from a beautiful beach in a busy resort where you are on your feet without stopping for much of the day.
The awesome night sky out here!!
But what keeps us from giving up and giving in is that we know it isn't forever. Most things are tolerable if they are temporary. In fact it's a beauty of travel that no jobs last for too long. You never have to stay in a filthy cockroach ridden hostel for weeks on end, nor do you have to live in a two man tent for more than a month if you don't want to. We did both those things and came out fine.
Even this being the most testing and tiring episode of our travels will one day just be a memory, an experience that will we inevitably take some positives away from.
And that is the thought we just have to carry with us when we wake up and put on our uniforms! We are employed, earning, saving and are probably the envy of some backpackers, who are scraping by on their last dollars and willing to do anything.
You just have to take it day by day, whilst also remembering why you are doing what you are doing.
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 NomaderHowFar. We discuss Nomadic Living, Simplifying your Life and Long-term Travel, to empower, motivate and inspire our readers. Get to know us here!
WANT MORE?
Taran & Makoto here, together we form Nomader How Far photography.
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