1 Week Until WWOOFing Ends [Government Rolls out Abrupt Change With No Notice]

*UPDATE: GREAT NEWS!!!! WE HAVE ACHIEVED OUR GOAL!!! SEE BELOW*

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1 Week Until WWOOFing Ends - Government Rolls out Abrupt Change With No Notice

A couple of months ago, news trickled out from Immigration and Border Protection in Australia, that there would be some changes to the eligibility requirements around 2nd year visas.

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The rules have been as follows:

If you want to live and work in Australia for longer than a year you have to complete work on a farm or do some fruit-picking, for a total of 88 days. You must do it in certain postcodes, for a minimum of 7-8 hours per day, 5 days per week. You might earn well on some farms, and hardly any on others; it's not an ideal situation, rife with exploitation and various issues around piece rates and hourly wages.

The government expressed these new changes as being a remedy to the situation, but at the same time addressed WWOOFING (and all other voluntary work), where people work willingly, for no wages but usually (and are supposed to) receive accommodation and food. Its a great way to get your visa days as you often gain a myriad of experience, get to see the beauty of rural Australia, and most of all, unlock the chance to a 2nd year to spend in this amazing place.

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A familiar sight for farm workers in Oz

The changes mentioned in May were that WWOOFING (or all other voluntary farm work) would no longer count in visa applications; so basically farmers would have to start to pay wages, or lose their labour-force. The reality is that many can't and won't, once this change comes in. But most felt comfortable that maybe they'd have enough time to make different arrangements, or at least welcome wwoofers for a bit longer. Many began planning for this change assuming it would be way in the future.

Back to where this is all fits in with the predicament that many backpackers now face; those of us who had spent weeks and weeks seeking paid fruit-picking work...well many of us have ended up WWOOFING, and quite happily I might add.

We love our placement. Our hosts care about us. They have given us a beautiful house, make sure we are well-fed and are very keen to aid us in every way possible to gain great farming experience and of course, get our vital visa days.

But that is all being pulled to a grinding stop. As of next week.

How come?

Well, on the 24th of August, upon checking the WWOOFING website for updates on the matter, something I do regularly since talk arose of changing the rules, I was rather shocked to find that the changes were indeed coming in, and within 7 days.

Changes were discussed first in May, and here we are, not quite 3 months down the line, and they role out this news abruptly and with little explanation or clarification.

It was believed that there would be at least 30 days notice provided to all whom these changes concern. Yet this was not adhered to.

A week seems like a ridiculously short amount of notice given to farmers and wwoofers alike.. And that's because it is. 

Farmers work off plans, as do working-holiday makers. Many of us have felt safe in the knowledge we were well on our way to securing our 88 days. 

Not so lucky....

On a personal note, myself and my partner, along with two others, have spent a month getting established on a beautiful farm, bonding with a family, finding our feet in our job roles, feeling happy and secure in the knowledge we would get another year in Australia, to now facing being back out on the soul-destroying job-hunt.

4 weeks it took to really get us settled here, and in 1 short week, that progress will mean nothing. 

The manner in which these changes have been brought in might be in the interest of those who have been mistreated or exploited whilst wwoofing or who are potentially going to be mistreated – yet providing 7 days notice means many happy volunteers will have to suddenly leave their positions in search of paid work.

Many will struggle to find work, many won't find any at all and many will have run out of time to secure a new job that will get them up to the 88 day requirement.

Furthermore, the harm to Australian business will be far-reaching.

Farms and agricultural enterprise across Australia will lose some if not all of their valuable workforce, people with whom they rely upon but whom they also have built strong and fulfilling relationships with. Farmers may then lose income due to uncompleted work. It's worth considering too, that May to November is the harvest season for much of Queensland, where we currently are, and to lose their labour now, well, it's unthinkable.

Many wwoofers will lose the promise of the days they believed they had ahead of them within their position. They may have foregone other paid work to remain in their wwoofing roles which they love so much. Many of us will be unable to secure paid work due to time limitations and the obvious sudden influx of workers coming onto the already flooded market of backpackers.

The chance of a visa gone for many who previously felt it was a certainty.

So Australia, what will you lose?

Over the coming days and weeks, your hard-working farmers and agricultural industry will lose their labour, productivity and income.

The tourism industry will lose 12 months of spending and tourism from those whom would have been able to stay had they been allowed to finish out their wwoofing stays and secure their 2nd year visa.

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Fun on the farm...

Many working holiday-makers will be further discouraged toward agricultural work, despairing at the limited jobs available amid the mass of competition, not then bothering to even try to gain a 2nd year visa.

Lost workers, lost business, lost money, and worst of all, the most unrecoverable of things, faith, in the government, greatly diminished.

In reality, these sudden changes will discourage those whom wish to enjoy, share and most importantly, spend their money, in your country.

And it doesn't do much for a countries overall reputation if its government makes very unwelcome changes simply over-night, giving people no sense of security.

How can anybody confidently work, thrive, travel (and spend) in Australia if this is how it's government treats people?

The Solution?

Here I want to implore directly, the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, the Hon Michaelia Cash, to think back to her original press release and it's title "Strengthening integrity in the Working Holiday programme".

She stated: 

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“I recognise that the majority of operators are doing the right thing, however it is unacceptable that some employers have been exploiting vulnerable young overseas workers and damaging the reputation of this important social and cultural exchange programme". 

Well, Michaelia, I am addressing you from a beautiful property, a place that has become home, and a place that we will have to leave in a state of devastation this coming weekend, no longer able to work here as it won't count towards our visa days.

Despite their being not a whiff of exploitation, only admiration, our farm will lose out, and so will we.

If WWOOFING is to no longer be eligible within visa applications, which is a loss to many people, then to cut it short in this unfair manner, is simply adding injury to insult.

Please consider upholding the integrity of the good intent behind your initial public statement, by doing the following:

Add in a clause, which clearly states:

• those whom began a wwoofing/voluntary/Helpx position prior to August 31st, and have completed the correct specified work, in the correct postcodes, for the correct amount of hours, and whom had the promise of working days after August 31st, (whether it be 5 or 55), can remain in these roles, and that all days worked after the 31st, and up until they leave, will then 100% qualify toward their 2nd year visa application.
• No payslips or payment required. 

And this combined with the provision of a document completed by the wwoofing host and the workers themselves stating the date of commencement and expected end date of their voluntary work, submitted along with their 2nd year visa applications, all the potential harm the haste with which this change was put forward, can be prevented.

A simple and clear amendment within the policy, stated clearly on the immigration website and across the media, reassuring those who are willingly and safely working on farms, that they can have a chance to secure their visas via their current positions. They won't be suddenly forced out of their roles.

Farmers won't lose workers. Workers won't flood the already saturated market, itself complex and rife with problems. People won't lose out on the 2nd year visa. 

Farmers and working holiday makers alike will achieve the goals they so confidently set out on a short time ago.

Some faith might be recovered. 

Australia, well, it's economy won't lose out on all that it most certainly will if this basic clause is not added before August the 31st. 

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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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Living A Hundred Lives in One: Travelling to Experience Everything

Living A Hundred Lives in One: Travelling to Experience Everything

In the last year we have lived many different lives.

We have spent a month languishing in our own villa in a luxury beach resort, playing tennis and swimming in the heated pool, whenever we felt like it.

We have made home in a bustling hostel camp-ground in Byron Bay (one more akin to a shanti-town) attending a weekly talent show, learning the songs of the regular performers, sharing our space with at least 100 excitable and eclectic backpackers (and many a water-lizard and bush turkey).

We have traversed steep rainforests and mountains, climbed hills just to see the view, slept on the couches of strangers who became friends, seen night-skies that look like photographs.

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We've caught deadly fish, rescued a Baby koala from the side of a road, sat beside a sleeping kangaroo, and heard the morning songs of exotic birds.

We have lived on the world largest sand island, seeing in the new year on a pitch-black deserted beach, and also lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere, enjoying our birthdays miles away from civilisation surrounded by trees and nature.

I could go on, and on, and on.

We have woken up in so many different places, had sleepless nights and restful ones, rose at 11am to explore a new city, or 6am to go and pick macadamia nuts.

This reality, the nature of our nomadic lifestyle, is pretty much the best thing about it..

Getting the chance to see beautiful places, mesmerizing sights and having the privilege to chase these elements of life, of course that's the magic that underpins travel.

But the ability to live a 100 different lifestyles and, trying out different ones for size, is the most remarkable thing that makes us feel so lucky to be doing this.

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It's hard to believe that we have only been travelling for just over a year.

Back home, time passed seamlessly and quickly, and it was scary to witness. 

And yet since we overhauled our way of life and came to Australia, in search of adventure and experience, time has slowed right down. Some days, time is irrelevant. Days where you feel no sense of urgency, no need to base your activities around routine or organization.

Rarely is boredom a factor. Yet when it does arise, it drives each change you make, the decision to move on, discover somewhere new, see the sunset from a different viewpoint.

Occasionally you settle into a comfortable homely routine. 

Like now, we live in a house-share in Noosa, and have done for nearly 4 months (in order to top up our savings). Our things aren't packed up in our bags, they sit on shelves or in drawers.

But even this is temporary. This extended pause on our nomadic life has an end-date. And yet we embrace and enjoy each and every mundane element of it. 

And the sense of nothing ever lasting too long, is a blessing, even if in some scenarios in life its a curse.

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In the past I have felt the most uninspired, down and unenthusiastic, when I felt simply stuck with little to look forward to; stuck in a job I hated, in a routine that drained me of who I was.

I lost myself a bit. I think that can happen to anyone who is doing the same thing each day, if that same thing is not making them happy. 

There's so much contentment to be found in a a predictable and comfortable daily life, doing a job you enjoy, maintaining a home you love and giving the best to your relationships and hobbies.

But when you aren't able to do that, and you feel as if your life-force is being drained by something, something as big as your job for instance, life can lose it's sense of freedom and joy. You can lose that. 

Travel has enabled us to experiment withjobs and locations, and even when we aren't the happiest, we know it's only short-term. But real life isn't usually like that.

Real life often requires a steady and consistent way of life, and doesn't take kindly to the flighty nature of travel and job experimentation.

But travel be something you commit to, for a period in your life, to figure out what suits you, what your strengths and attributes are, to gain knowledge that can change you forever. When you are discovering the world you also get the chance to discover yourself. 

And then, it can be much more fulfilling to return to normality.

Once you have lived a hundred different lives, you might find it easier to embody one in particular, the one which is the most suited to you, one that is shaped by broad and open horizons.

You could always decide you never want to leave behind the ever-changing landscape travel provides you with. And maybe you want to travel forever, and do all you can to never return home. But we've quickly learned that travel can be life-changing for all whom choose to do it, whether they do it for just a year or for 10.

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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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Simplifying Your Diet And Eating Well With Less

Today's offering comes from the lovely Brittany Thiessen, who is passionate about living simply, travelling often, capturing beautiful photography and frequenting organic food markets. Basically, she's a lady after our own heart.

Simplifying Your Diet

Minimalism plays a huge role in my life and for me, it means simplifying my budget, my possessions, and my diet.

When I first stumbled upon the concepts of minimalism and simplicity about a year ago, the first step in my journey was simplifying what I ate.

I started with baby steps, by making one small change at a time.

Focus on one small change per week (or two weeks or whatever length of time you want to set for yourself). This approach helps the changes you make actually become habits, before you move on to the next step.

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You don’t need to change everything at once.

I used to be addicted to Coca Cola and my first small change was cutting back on the amount of Coke that I drank and then finally eliminating it from my diet.

I have done the same with processed foods and those containing genetically modified organisms and other harmful chemicals.

Our society and the media tends to complicate eating healthy by bombarding us with information and focusing on how many calories you should be eating, how much carbs, promoting low-fat and sugar-free products, and whether you should eat a certain food or not.

But eating healthy and simple doesn’t shouldn’t be complicated... It is actually really easy!

What are the Benefits of Eating Simple?

When you take care of your body and eat simply and healthily, you have a greater ability to experience new things, like travel.

Simplifying your diet and eating habits results in you feeling more energetic and fully alive and thus, able to do more and see more! You can free up space and time to focus on the things that matter.

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Okay, I’m convinced! How do I eat simpler and healthier?

• Eliminate processed and fast foods – they’re not healthy and they will drag your energy levels down. They may be cheap to purchase, but they’re going to cost you in the long run in terms of your overall health! Buy food in its natural state and eat things that come from the Earth.

• Focus on whole foods that are fresh and preferably locally and organically grown – whole foods are those that only have one ingredient, like a banana or a watermelon, for example. Their name is the ingredient. Find local farmers markets in your area to purchase organic and locally grown produce. If you can’t find local, focus on finding organic (you don’t want those harmful pesticides and chemicals in your body found in conventional produce) produce in your local grocery store. Choose foods with lots of nutrients.

• Become a vegetarian or vegan – vegetables are cheaper than meat and they are easier for your body to digest. I have definitely saved money on groceries since choosing to go vegetarian. There are many foods that have protein aside from meat, like nuts, spinach, beans, whole grains, etc.

• Create simple meals with simple foods – some of my favourite meals are super simple, like Mexican tacos, eggs with a salad, or a simple casserole. You don’t need to get fancy. Simple meals are easy and fast to prepare but also healthy, which leaves you with more time to focus on other essential things in your life (like planning future travels)!

• Simplify your portion sizes and eat less – you don’t need to eat as much as you think you do. Most of us probably overeat. If you eat slowly and mindfully, you are better able to listen to your body when it tells you that you are satisfied, and stop eating then, but don’t starve yourself. Cutting back on your portion sizes will also save you money because your groceries will last longer.

• Cook meals at home and cut back on how often you go out to eat – restaurants are expensive and eating at home will save you money and be more nutritious.

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What I Eat Daily:

Breakfasts:

I generally have a home-made fresh fruit or green smoothie plus a protein bar (like a Cliff bar) and/or fresh fruit (banana, blueberries, grapes, watermelon, etc.) or a slice of gluten-free bread (All But Gluten brand) with organic butter.

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Lunches:

I enjoy making home-made salads with fresh, organic ingredients and finished off with a home-made salad dressing. On the side, I often eat either a slice of gluten-free toast, organic eggs cooked over-easy, a bowl of fresh fruit or leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. For dessert, I will sometimes treat myself to a few pieces of a 70% organic cocoa chocolate bar.

Dinners:

My family and I cook casseroles, pasta meals, huevos rancheros, steamed vegetables, vegetable stir-fry with brown rice or quinoa, home-made baked French fries (with olive oil, salt and pepper) with home-made fermented ketchup, home-made gluten-free vegetarian pizza, bean or pasta salad, and authentic Mexican tacos. For dessert, I will often have some home-made baking (organic, gluten-free and sugar-free).

Snacks:

I enjoy eating gluten-free and organic blue corn tortilla chips with organic or home-made salsa, gluten-free toast with organic butter, home-made baking (gluten-free and sugar-free), raw nuts, and fresh seasonal fruit.

I shop at my local farmer’s market during the summer months for fresh and organic produce. Superstore (Canada) and Vita Health (Winnipeg, Canada) are where I shop for other organic food and products.

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Guest writer Brittany is a twenty-something woman living simply in the heart of the Canadian prairies. She loves photography, travelling independently, exploring off the beaten path and discovering hidden gems both locally in Manitoba and abroad. She also loves eating and cooking healthy plant-based and gluten-free foods and meals, browsing local markets, learning about different cultures and ethnic foods.

Visit her blog, or chat to her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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READ NEXT:

Becoming Macadamia Farmers [Second Year Visa Work]

Becoming Macadamia Farmers [Second Year Visa Work]

Dry mud crunching underfoot, the satisfying sound of a nut hitting the bottom of the bucket, watching the sun disappear behind the distant hills; our first few days working on a Macadamia farm have been pretty cool to say the least.

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I've always fantasized about the idea of living in the old American west, riding horses, days spent amongst the sun and the dust. Its a weird fantasy but an idealized little dream that's always been there at the back of my mind.

So to find ourselves donning farm clothes, waking with the day, working amongst nature in the closest possible way, well, it's been bizarre, sometimes hard but mostly amazing. We are living the farming dream!

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Not to trivialize the amount of work that goes into maintaining a large farm (the one we live on is 600 acres) but theres an amount of greatness in that graft and struggle.

I can't imagine many people would want to live where they work, but right now, that's exactly what we are doing; living on a Macadamia farm in rural Queensland. We toil in the fields by day, and then return to our little wooden home on stilts, which has beautiful views across the sloping tree plains, across to the forest and the mountains beyond.

The work is varied and some of it plays to our strengths, some of it I'd happily not do again once we leave here.

Wood-chipping for example, involves lifting heavy scratchy branch cut-offs, loading them into the chipper, which then grinds them through and blows them out onto the base of the trees to fertilize them naturally. The spiders and critters that scatter all over the chipper base... shudder, it's making me tickle just thinking about it!

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One of my more favourite jobs so far has been sorting. Working with a conveyor belt, the nuts come pouring through and I quickly have to remove rocks, debris and bad nuts. There's a degree of thought and pace that goes into it, and you definitely establish a hypnotic rhythm. I find it more mentally challenging and yet easier than the more manual labour.

Taran has spent most of his time pruning the tree's with chainsaws alongside another backpacker, and I usually work alongside the backpacker's girlfriend; a really nice young couple from the UK, they have definitely made some of the duller work far more bearable.

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And we have cosy movie nights beside the pot belly stove during the week! It's homely and really pleasant.

We have a little vegetable garden we hope to build up and we live off solar power so we are all careful with what electricity we use.

We feel very fortunate to have found ourselves here.

We tried for weeks to secure some farm work or fruit-picking, and it really felt like we were just constantly missing out. And the prospect of farm work wasn't even that good. Many paid positions see you work ridiculous and unpredictable hours, being treated like little more than an annoying number.

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But here, the family hosting us, they invest in your learning, in your experience, in teaching you brilliant life-skills and imparting their farming knowledge, and in return we work for free, but also share our own unique viewpoints, being from a different culture and generation.

It's a real exchange, as opposed to just a job. And we are also gaining days that will allow us to secure a 2nd year visa.

So we would have another year to explore this vast land, and will have learned how to sort nuts, prune trees, drive four-wheelers and cultivate the land. My biceps have already got bigger, so that's a bonus.

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Bigger biceps and some tough outdoor skills. Nomads to farmers in a matter of two weeks. It's been brilliant.

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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 Most Beautiful Camping in Australia [1770 and Agnes Water]

The Most Beautiful Camping in Australia [1770 and Agnes Water]

We can now say we have seen one of the most beautiful sunsets in our living memories, and we saw it in 1770. Check out if 1770 made it into our 12 photo's, 12 months photography post!

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Nope, not that year in history, we aren't time travellers, just regular ones. It is a place, a very pretty one, on the Queensland coast, where a gentle fishing estuary meets the ocean.

Our mildly desperate hunt for farm work was nicely broken up with a 3 day excursion up the coast with our Brisbanite friend Rachel. We decided to hit up 1770, a small town, right next to an equally small seaside town Agnes Water.

The camp-site we chose was literally right next to the beach, with some pitches on the sand. People sat perched on the waters edge fishing in the clear shallow waters, families ate around camp-fires, as we strolled the small beach to watch the sun meet the sea.

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When I say the most beautiful sunset, I mean mostly the part after it ended; one of the most purest orange skies was left behind in its wake. Just amazingly rich and bright. No Instagram filter needed.

The camp-site itself was pretty good too, with a well-equipped and social camp kitchen, definitely backpacker friendly, if you have your own pots and pans that is.

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Our friend had brought some fishing gear, so on our second day, off we went to attempt to land a big one.

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I caught my first fish ever! A tiny pathetic toad-fish, one of many who weren't shy about crowding around my feet to eat the bait, not a hard catch at all!

Taran however hooked something a bit more interesting...

Reeling it in with some force, he dragged ashore the most ugly sea creature, something more resembling off a piece of coral or a sharp rock.

It was a (potentially) deadly stone-fish! We'd seen a youtube video about this fish and its poisonous spikes, which pierce whatever they make contact with, releasing a venom that if it doesn't kill you, it will make you want to die.

Or so we've heard!

It was the weirdest sight, a really human-like grumpy face, looking more like a miserable old man than a frightened fish.

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The next night we went to another seaside town, Tannum Sands, where we did more of the lazy same; fishing, reading, relaxing.

Then we got the good news we had been trying for, in the form of a phone call with a potential 2nd year visa role! Most of the time you apply for things and never hear back, let alone get a phone call. It looked like all the roles had been filled but we nonetheless got an invite to come meet our potential wwoofing host.

Our references did us justice and it looked like we might be in!

Only two days later we found ourselves leaving the coast behind, to head inland, into the scenic Queensland countryside, riding in a 4 wheel drive on a dark bumpy road. All perfectly legit though.

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Our host had decided during a brief meeting at the local gas station that we weren't going to be trouble, and that was it, we were on our way to start a period of farm work, picking Macadamia nuts, and acquiring some much needed farming skills!

But we were really happy we had got to spend a few days relaxing with our Aussie mate before the hard work began.

Check out how to take epic photos like the one below here!

1770 brought out all the stops, making what was a brief stay in a quiet place really memorable, delivering an awe-inspiring night-sky, beach-side camping and an escape from the hustle of Bundaberg, setting us up nicely for our new, more simple, rural life.

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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 Truth About Couple's Travel [The High's Lows and all In-between]

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The Truth About Couple's Travel [The High's Lows and all In-between]

The classic things you often hear about why couples travel is good:

• You always have someone to share things with.

• Missing home isn't nearly as bad when you have a piece of it with you.

• You can share the trip organizing duties.

• It can work out cheaper. 

• You share the cost of food and you can buy more. Eat more. Always a good thing.

• There's someone to lift your enormous rucksack onto your back.

Its the little things...

I'd agree with most of those common points.

I'd say I take action on a lot of things whilst travelling that Taran doesn't, but he also puts in a lot of hours working on our travel videos.

I can be more pro-active, more of a planner, but we both contribute equally as much as is possible. 

And it is nice to have your closest friend with you, but it doesn't mean you never miss family. Sometimes if you've argued it can actually feel quite lonely.

I can't help but think that anyone who says that spending every waking (and sleeping) hour with your other half is 'the best', is the biggest bullshitter (that or insanely self-assured and overly content..).

Unless you perfectly mirror one another and like exactly the same things, and spend your days en-rapt in laughter at each other, then you will definitely piss each other off.

It won't always be big scary rows or screaming matches; it will be small moments of friction, a misspoken word, a misinterpreted facial expression. It will be tense looks and even tenser conversational tones.

You will somewhat resemble a middle-aged couple whom long ago liked one another and now just tolerate each other. And I want to point out how that is much more the norm amongst couples who are going through the up's and down's of travel, the harder side of it, e.g. missing home, looking for work, deciding on plans for what to do next.

If you've never lived with your partner, well, there's a whole new category of things to find annoying about each other.

Am I selling it to you? Hmm, well you won't know how it will work for you until you try it.

And I suggest you do.

Why?

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Sometimes the best relationships are only functioning because the two people in them are playing it safe. Maybe they are suppressing some of their hopes and desires.

They are maybe avoiding things that could bring on conflict or force them to confront their differences, and so, their happiness, whilst nice, pleasant, and easy to maintain, is not necessarily built on a solid foundation of shared dreams, experiences and bonding.

Of course marriage, bringing a mini chubby human into the world, that life direction will put people through the wringer, and test them in a similar way to how travel will. Those milestones put couples on a roller-coaster of emotions that will either tear them apart or embolden their love and strengthen them beyond anything.

But we are not currently wed or expecting a small pooping person. And we might not ever do those things. So how are we to know how suited we are to each other, or how much we can bring adventure and experience into each others lives, without doing this whole nomad thing together?

There are so many positives to couples travel that I can speak of the negative aspects and not find myself depressed.

Firstly, we have laughed, a lot.

• We have made each other smile when stood on the side of a motorway hailing for a lift.
• We share body warmth on a cold night of camping.
• We make each other lunch or brekkie, and have a mutual enjoyment when we eat proper yummy dinners.
• We help each other put our heavy backpacks on, and share the burden of carrying extra things.
• We protect each other, look out for one another, and bring each other out of ourselves.
• When we argue, we are far more honest and open with what we are truly thinking, because there is no point spending any of this potentially amazing life phase lying to each other or to ourselves.
• We have found new songs, new films and new in-jokes.
• We have made our life as a couple more diverse and fulfilling.

But you do need to find moments of personal solo joy by taking yourself away from each other to do your own thing, be it reading a book, watching a movie, or sitting on a beach listening to music. 

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We need shame-free and indulgent moments to ourselves, always.

And unless you strive for those, you aren't really being fair to one another's experience.

Travel should be what both of you want, whether one wants to hike a mountain whilst the other sits by the pool. You have different wants, and the quicker you reconcile that fact, and accept that its okay, and that it doesn't make you a failure as a couple, the better you will both feel.

When you spend all your time together, you realize, 'Shit, we are different'.

And unless its a difference in belief about the fundamentals of life, then, most things, are just parts of your history, your personality, your habits.

You can still be you, you can still be the worst or most lazy version of yourself. You aren't travelling together because you need each other to be the same, to respond to everything with the same thoughts and energy. It would make life easier, but easy isn't always better.

If Taran wasn't the way he is, there are things on this trip that I wouldn't have done. I would of stayed content with excuses I make to myself for holding back in life.

And without me, Taran feels like maybe we wouldn't have been so organized. And we both agree that having each other is even better when we manage to shoe-horn time apart into daily travel life.

That's is the main truth of couples travel right there.

It might seem more exciting, varied and fun compared to other lifestyle choices you and you partner could have made, but it's nonetheless stressful, and your love is not impervious to the demands of nomad life.

Couples travel takes work, thought, honesty and most importantly, fulfilling your separate interests, trying to make mutual decisions and have the best shared experiences...

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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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