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6 Months of Travel In 6 Stunning Photo's
These 6 photos show the awesome diverse range of landscapes in Australia, check em' out!
6 Months of Travel In 6 Stunning Photo's
March 26th, it all began in Melbourne. City life was all we knew of Australia for the first fortnight. By that time we were ready to see something a little different, and a little bit more special.
Port Stephens
...is a beautiful place that we had the pleasure of staying at for 10 days. Having broken away from the pace of Sydney and Newcastle, we camped beside a kangaroo at an awesome bush hostel, and spent an evening on the deserted beach, which was when the above sky happened. Some nights later a brutal storm hit, causing a power-cut and widespread problems across New South Wales. We were trapped, although in no hurry to leave this quiet yet beautiful spot.
The Blue Mountains
...were our first taste of one of Australia's natural wonders, and they did not disappoint. Swathes of green as far as you could see, with peaks of mountains meeting the clouds. It was peaceful and unforgettable. Katoomba was also great, such a quintessential mountain town, with the Flying Fox hostel being our most favourite hostel in Australia yet.
Bellingen
...was somewhere we were recommended by the hostel owners at Port Stephens. A small but lively bohemian town, situated on the edge of the Waterfall Way, this place was breathtakingly beautiful and yet a fairly well-kept secret. It's national park-land had lots of waterfalls nestled amongst it's hilly rainforests. It did rain a lot in Bellingen, but we will always remember it fondly; we met some great people and experienced a truly eclectic hostel.
1770
...is a super small beach community, but attracts a large crowd for its gentle crystal waters, perfect for fishing or dolphin-spotting. We camped at a great site, right on the edge of the sand, and took some of our best photographs with our go-pro. Travelling with our Brisbanite mate Rachel, she brought us on a mini-road-trip that allowed us to see this special spot.
Macadamia farming
At the end of July we settled on our WWOOFing location in Queensland, working towards a 2nd year visa whilst getting to experience rural Australia. Kangaroo's outside your window each morning, utter peace and quiet (apart from the cockatoos), and working amongst the trees, it's been different to the rest of our travels, but really rewarding at the same time.
Rainbow beach
...was a Saturday escape from the farm, where we could let our hair down, and paddle in the warm spring seas. Turquoise waters, sand dunes leading up to stunning panoramic views, and all followed up by a cider and fish and chips; we had such a fun day here. We also visited Tin Can Bay which is just down the road, where we fed wild dolphins their breakfast!
We've had plenty of moments in the past 6 months where we've stopped, taken a deep breath, and stared in silence (and that's not just in the middle of an argument).
Beautiful has been the most over-used word to date on this blog, but we really have seen some stunning sights, taking them in patiently, trying to capture each and every detail in our memories. 6 months doesn't seem a long time; it really it feels like we've only just found our stride, and yet we've been amazed time and time again.
Thanks for reading!
Taran here, one half of NomaderHowFar. I'm fond of psychedelic rock, photography & videography, forcing Hannah to do crazy things, and I'm also partial to the odd gaming session. Oh and I love to travel :P Get to know us here!
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![Feeding Wild Dolphins [Tin Can Bay And Rainbow Beach]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1442128289154-SQ7PHBJOGTCOAMP26JNL/image-asset.jpeg)
Feeding Wild Dolphins [Tin Can Bay And Rainbow Beach]
The dolphins feeding is a monitored and sanctioned activity; they are not dependant on the humans, just in the habit of visiting that spot and putting on a cute little show for visitors to get some breaky.
Feeding Wild Dolphins [Tin Can Bay And Rainbow Beach]
Farm work in the rural hinterland of the Fraser coast is turning out to be way more than just hard graft and dust...
Since living here we have been able to tick off some major bucket-list type activities, including whale-watching at Hervey bay. But there's much more to the Fraser coast than just whales. There's dolphins too!
Saturday morning, awake at 3.30am for a drive to Tin Can Bay. For only $10 you can watch wild dolphins, feed them and listen to expert volunteers talk about their fishy friends.
At around 7 am, Patch the dolphin rolled into the bay, slowly coming up to the waters edge to say hello to the volunteers. They know each dolphin by name, and spend most mornings with them, so Patch happily sat right in front of us, but always beside the volunteer, who it clearly knew and trusted. But these are wild dolphins so they are not to be petted like dogs.
We weren't encouraged to do anything other than observe, although they do nuzzle your hand if you put it down in the water. I tried, but it was a bit too shy.
The dolphins feeding is a monitored and sanctioned activity; they are not dependant on the humans, just in the habit of visiting that spot and putting on a cute little show for visitors to get some breaky.
Its so important people have the opportunity to see dolphins in their natural environment and be able to interact in a respectful way, just like when we went whale watching. I don't feel like I want to disturb creatures like this. Maybe some enjoy petting the tame ones and holding onto their fins, but dolphins aren't performing monkeys; they aren't here for us to interfere and interrupt.
People that visit the likes of Sea-world, I get that they're just curious which is understandable, but if we can see these wild beauties in their own habitat, then maybe people will respect the need for them be wild and left to thrive that way.
Shy but still friendly and quietly interested, the dolphin sat in front of us for an hour prior to feeding, occasionally swimming a little bit, often getting people a little bit wet clearing its blow-hole. They call it a 'kiss' when the dolphins squirt you, so I was kissed by a dolphin that day, but basically just squirted with a little bit of snotty water!
Something really adorable happened when a lady in a wheelchair came onto the beach. Patch made a beeline for her. The volunteer expert explained that dolphins get excited and very interested when they see babies, or people with disabilities.
Instinctively they will nudge or touch such people. It was so beautiful to see it rush towards her then gently stop before her. I can't imagine how it might feel to be regarded by a wild animal with such polite curiosity. It definitely made us all appreciate and respect Patch even more; he's a wild animal, but he has manners, something we can all learn from.
The other attraction was definitely the pelican birds, much tamer than most, they hang around getting quite close to people, because they always get a sneaky fish!
By 9 am the dolphins had filled their bellies. Patch was the one Taran and I hand-fed, but a few more turned up afterwards.
We then headed out of this tiny town and onto Rainbow Beach. Rainbow is kind of like a much smaller but equally busy Byron bay, with a stunning turquoise beach, and 4x4's running up and down its sands.
We walked around the Saturday market, and I went into the animal petting zoo. Me and a toddler were lapping it up.
It was so good to be back in our favourite setting. As much as we love the rolling green hills that we live amongst, the beach is always something we always long to return to.
We played in the sea and ran up a ridiculous hill to get the best views across to Fraser Island. All that really made me crawl up this steep sand dune was Taran's promise of a cider, it was definitely a motivating factor...
I couldn't get over the colour of the sea. I mean Aussie has some great beaches and we've seen a few but this was just such a burst of colour having been in the middle of the hot (and often very yellowy green and dusty) countryside.
A long day away from home for us, but just more memories captured of this beautiful slice of Queensland. It was the best day.
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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![Crying Over Big Fish [Whale-Watching on the Fraser Coast]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1441869208016-PHCZDEQGNHVP1GYVU811/image-asset.jpeg)
Crying Over Big Fish [Whale-Watching on the Fraser Coast]
Speeding out of the harbour on a baking day, we hit the windy extremes of the open sea, coming up alongside Fraser Island (which looks as cool as we imagined it might), we headed out to find them.
Crying Over Big Fish [Whale-Watching on the Fraser Coast]
We have gone and done the first real tourist-type activity since arriving in Oz 5 months ago, and paid for a 3 hour speed-boat trip at Hervey Bay to watch the Whales that come into the bay between May and October.
We weren't sure if we would definitely see some (although that would be an expensive watching of the sea), if the Whales didn't feel like being followed that day. But lucky for us and about 10 others, they came out in force.
Speeding out of the harbour on a baking hot day, we hit the windy extremes of the open sea, coming up alongside Fraser Island (which looks as cool as we imagined it might), we headed out to find them.
About 30 minutes in, in the distance, a giant shining white and grey arm flailed about in the horizon. We had found them!
Slapping their monumental fins, coming down heavy against the ocean, i found myself getting a little bit teary-eyed at the sight. Seeing these majestic gargantuan creatures in their natural environment, just letting us roll up alongside them.
We all found ourselves chasing each and every sight of them, as they'd disappear and then reappear very close to the boat. Jaw agape, we just stood marvelling at them.
Their skin looked smooth, solid and like it had seen a fair few fights.
Eventually these guys got bored of being watched by several gormless humans, and we set off to find the next group. This time we just caught a whale breaching as we raced up toward them.
And one point the two of the second group we found seemed to be sleeping, or sitting still, staring in our direction under the water. Ominously planning our demise, or considering whether to come closer and inspect. And that they did. Yet again sinking below the deep blue water and coming up again only a few foot beside our boat.
It was a really amazing way to spend an afternoon, just observing these peaceful giants in their element. Whales should always be watched and appreciated in this respectful way. There is nothing more gratifying than seeing nature thrive in its natural habitat.
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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Is it Worth Quitting your Job To Travel?
Does hitch-hiking along a dusty road, backpack on and thumb out sound better than a safe drive to the shops and back?
Is it Worth Quitting your Job To Travel?
Some people spend years climbing a career-ladder, or studying, all in the pursuit of their dream job. Many of them invest a lot of time and energy into this pursuit, some foregoing other things, like families, relationships, and of course, travel. For many people the sacrifice can seem worth it.
This isn't the case for us however. Having both quit our jobs to travel the world, starting with exploring Australia for 2 years, we didn't feel like walking out on our jobs was the hardest thing to do, unlike others our age might feel.
We were not in careers that earned us much money; my job was working a few days a week making just enough money to pay rent, feed myself and save a little bit on the side.. I knew that I wanted change soon.
Hannah was in a different position, she ran her own dog walking business and loved it! But she too didn't like the thought of doing it for the rest of her life..
So leaving our jobs wasn't a big deal for us, but for many other people our age it is a different story. Once you get to your mid 20's most of us will have moved out of our parents homes and will be either paying rent or locked into a mortgage which makes things way harder.
That being said almost half a year in and we have managed to keep our expenses way down, which has meant we have had more time to explore without having to top up our funds with part time jobs. Our relatively small savings have been stretched to the limit!
We still cringe when other backpackers tell us how many thousands of dollars they have spent over the last few months on alcohol and partying..
That's not to say we don't like a drink, we just do it differently; a beer/cider from the bottle shop on the beach has always been a better option to us than a drink in a bar.
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Plan!
★ When it comes to saving, you don't have to follow the crowd and take out a loan to travel the world.. In fact you don't really need that much at all! Depending on your style of travel of course.. We have a taken every opportunity to save money; we hitch-hike, camp, couch-surf, drink tap water and eat cheaply! If you follow these tips and use your own common sense you should be able to make about 5000 AU Dollars last 6+ months easily!
Mike from NZ couch surfing with us!
★ Setting a date will cement things in your head and will really help you ramp up the saving and will also help you mentally plan for it. You're about to make a great decision that will change you forever.
★ Start couch-surfing via your current home (if possible). We started having people stay with us before we set off on the road. Its a great way to meet amazing people currently travelling and will also get you excited to get on the road!
Change!
Does hitch-hiking along a dusty road, backpack on and thumb out sound better than a safe drive to the shops and back, does setting up camp on a beach under the stars or meeting amazing people from different cultures sound like your kind of thing?
If you truly want something in life, you will work your hardest to get it.. And if travelling the world is something you long to do, then there is no doubt that whatever your situation, you will eventually reach your goal and live out your dreams!
Our 2 years in Australia started in March 2015 and we have had an absolute blast taking in everything that it has to offer, but there is still so much to see! And that, my friend, is the beauty of it all, there is so much to see in this world and many adventures to come, which will surely be filled with exploration, tales of peril and awe-inspiring views that will continue to take our breathe away!
We feel like we made one of the best decisions of our life.
Thanks for reading!
Taran here, one half of NomaderHowFar. I'm fond of psychedelic rock, photography & videography, forcing Hannah to do crazy things, and I'm also partial to the odd gaming session. Oh and I love to travel :P Get to know us here!
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![1 Week Until WWOOFing Ends [Government Rolls out Abrupt Change With No Notice]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1440492098701-IFP84IPHXFHNUNDKYP7Q/image-asset.jpeg)
1 Week Until WWOOFing Ends [Government Rolls out Abrupt Change With No Notice]
A few months ago news trickled out from Border and Immigration in Australia, that there would be some changes to the eligibility requirements around 2nd year visas...
*UPDATE: GREAT NEWS!!!! WE HAVE ACHIEVED OUR GOAL!!! SEE BELOW*
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.
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.
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.
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:
“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.
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
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, trying out different ones for size, is the most remarkable thing that makes us feel so lucky to be doing this.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Guest post from the lovely Brittany Thiessen.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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![Becoming Macadamia Farmers [Second Year Visa Work]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1439463404895-AKRMCCK9TZK6HR9IPNE0/image-asset.jpeg)
Becoming Macadamia Farmers [Second Year Visa Work]
I've always fantasized about the idea of living in the old American west, riding horses, days spent amongst the sun and the dust... 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!
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
Bigger biceps and some tough outdoor skills. Nomads to farmers in a matter of two weeks. It's been brilliant.
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]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1439087032542-GBNGB24IXJQ2Q2CER27Y/image-asset.jpeg)
The Most Beautiful Camping in Australia [1770 and Agnes Water]
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 Waters.
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!
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.
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.
Our friend had brought some fishing gear, so on our second day, off we went to attempt to land a big one.
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.
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.
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.
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]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1438477321054-CQ0RUI5JQ9W8BSDYLIW8/image-asset.jpeg)
The Truth About Couple's Travel [The High's Lows and all In-between]
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.
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?
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.
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...
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 Minimalist Life Cleanse Stage 3 [Overhauling your Spending]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1437711674657-DZYGBHWRQIMUWPOFBMV9/image-asset.jpeg)
The Minimalist Life Cleanse Stage 3 [Overhauling your Spending]
We overspend to quell a sad mood or do so to reward ourselves for reaching a goal. We determine how free we are with our spending based on...
The Minimalist Life Cleanse Stage 3: Overhauling your Spending
In stage 1 of this Minimalism Life Cleanse Series, I touched on the basics of de-cluttering your home space, to cultivate a more organized and calming atmosphere.
You looked at our relationship to our possessions, and decided which ones you had held onto for too long, and then discarded those things which had no real place or meaning in your daily life.
You reminded yourself of the things which are precious and worth keeping, items which bring something significant into your life, or remind you of your most cherished memories.
In stage 2, you cleared out your social media accounts and inboxes, to change your connection with, well... being connected.
You tried to create a more fruitful and less overwhelming online space, being that you spend so much of time engaged in online activities.
The purpose of both stage 1 and 2 were to simplify your life. To maximise your time, improve your calmness and your ability to just be content and in the moment, not bogged down by things or status updates.
Now we continue on our quest for a simpler life with stage 3, overhauling your spending habits.
Hmm, I think this stage will be the hardest of them all so far....
Our consumer habits are not simply born out of this capitalist commercial world we are wholly embroiled in; they are partly ingrained in our psyche based on many things, from our family, upbringing and education. Even our self-esteem and general self-image play a role in how we consume.
We all develop bad habits in our lives, from smoking, to eating too many cupcakes, but this one, well, it underpins so much of what we do each and every day.
We overspend to quell a sad mood or to reward ourselves for reaching a goal. We too often determine how free we are with our spending based on our emotions and desires.
Advertising, seeing our peers with shiny new things, the disposable nature of fashion trends; these are all the things that can be blamed for your habits, but they aren't always at the route of your spending.
If you are my generation, a Millennial (born between the 80's and early 90's) we are well aware of financial crisis and don't just spend all our cash without thought.
We grew up in a strong global economy that then spectacularly collapsed.
Our futures are financially fraught because of overspending and overstretching, albeit on a different and more complicated scale. We are well aware of this and most of us have adjusted our spending mindset accordingly.
Some studies and publications disagree, and state that us Generation Y'ers are big bad spenders:
“...Millennials are 52 percent more likely than any other generation to report making impulse purchases simply to pamper themselves.“ “...no matter the recession and a continued shaky economy, and no matter the age group we’re talking about, the impulse purchase is alive and well..." [Brad Tuttle, Time].
Yet others state that we are mindful purchasers, and favour experiences over material things:
“...The Eventbrite survey of over 2,000 adults found that 3 in 4 millennial's said they would rather spend money on an experience than a material object..." [Kimberly Palmer, US NEWS].
You will find contradictory stories about millenial spending habits...but there's little doubt that the manner in which we consume has changed.
Many of us are making more mindful spending choices, not simply (or even at all) because of the economic downturn, but due to the prevalence of new online influencers and their blog's and YouTube channels; us and our peers are able to compare, research and consider our purchase choices more. Sites like Amazon rely on having lots of quality reviews to bolster sales, because our generation want to consider the quality of the items we are bringing into our lives.
But researched and thought-out spending is still spending is it not?
We often don't see our habits under the light of excess, and we feel justified in our expenditures, or we give simply give them little thought. We enact a lot of daily spending automatically, the way we always have done, without really considering what we are doing.
Not everyone spends all their disposable income on clothing or gadgets, some of us just spend heavily in other areas.
But of course there are those whose entire life revolves around acquiring new shiny things.
People will ditch a perfectly good smart-phone for a marginally better one; the very thing they loved (and paid handsomely for) 6 months ago now goes onto Ebay or sits in the bottom drawer.
That's maybe an extreme example of a somewhat wasteful and excessive relationship to consumerism.
And why is this example a bad thing? Why can't we be interested in developing technology you ask? Why must we use our things until they breakdown?
Well, if you replace your smart-phone say twice a year, what is the actual cost of doing so? And what is the true benefit to you? What do you truly gain versus what you give, in time and money?
Bad spending habits add clutter to your life, whilst subtracting time, money and energy.
If you are trying to save money, or want something bigger or more important in your life, like maybe a less stressful job or your own home, the willingness with which you part with your cash is going to be the first thing you need to simplify.
You can't have it all.
And by that I mean you can't have every material thing you lay your eyes on, and advance yourself in all your other dreams.
Taran and I currently are not earning much money whilst travelling, but when we chose to come to Australia we didn't just save up and think, 'Okay this is it for a bit, we'll be back to the 9-to-5 earn and spend grind soon enough'.
We quit our jobs and came travelling because it was the big change that we needed to untangle ourselves from the process of working to live and living to spend.
So, to repeat my earlier statement, spending habits underpin so much of your life, and really do play a role in how content and fulfilling a life it can be.
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BRINGING ATTENTION TO YOUR SPENDING AND MOVING FORWARD POSITIVELY:
1. Check Your Bank Statement
To begin this phase you need to look at the basics; what do you spend each day/week/month on things and experiences as well as the necessities.
- Look at the latest page of your bank statement, online or paper-form however you receive it.
- If you NEVER look at your statement, well, this is going to be a bit of a shock for you, if you are the type who just hands over the plastic and hopes for the best.
- Count up the last 10 things you spent money on excluding essentials and bills.
- What figure do you have? Is it more than you expected or more than you'd care to admit?
- Is it an amount that would help nicely toward your saving goals?
- Write down what the things that you bought, and consider what purpose they have brought with them.
- Did that spending bring in joy and fulfilment beyond the initial thrill of acquiring?
- If you can't even remember what you bought or why, well then, there's part of the problem...
2. Confront Your Debts
You've wizened up about what you spend, where you spend it, and maybe you feel like you want to sort it out... But you have something even bigger on your mind, riding your back and keeping you awake at night...
Credit cards and overdrafts are not the devil. They have numerous benefits and are sometimes a necessity (we use a credit card to make deposits and bookings in Australia).
But debt is something that happens when you get overexcited by seeing your credit limit whilst ignoring the very word, CREDIT. Credit is not free money, it is a shackle and an instant burden, unless you can comfortably make the repayment each month.
It's time to take your head out of the sands of debt, and confront your situation. List your debts from small to large. List the amounts of interest you pay on top of the minimum payments.
Immerse yourself these figures and wrap your head around them even if they shame and scare you. Don't let guilt or regret rule however, use the confronting emotions to motivate you to change things
If you are earning and working, and you know you aren't paying enough off, its time to ramp up your efforts, make larger payments, more often, whenever you have a random injection of cash.
Have your debt total as a figure ever-present in your mind. Write it down on a piece of paper and put it in your wallet. Every time you go to spend money on something you don't need, you will be reminded of your bigger goals.
The sense of freedom that comes with being debt-free is real. I have experienced it. The stress of owing and the feeling of being tied down to my past regrets and difficult life moments was completely lifted the day I became debt-free.
3. Fix Your Mindset
You've looked at the facts and figures. You've been confronted with the reality. You know how easy it is to just hand over your plastic and get the objects of desire you believe you need. But if you are now reconsidering your spending habits, then it is time to refocus your energy on positivity, as opposed to falling into a pit of deprived and harsh frugality.
Consider alternative ways of getting the same buzz that you feel shopping gives you. If you love buying books and have shelves filled with them, then instead of finding joy in the buying, find joy in the reading!
When you have had a need for something in the past have you ever considered heading to a charity shop/looking on gumtree/craigs-list to find a cheap and perfectly usable version of what you want? I feel like we can save so much money but also create a fun challenge for ourselves when we endeavour to recycle, revamp and reuse. Not that I am encouraging you to get more clutter, but there's something humbling about getting the things you do actually need really cheaply but at the same time recycling, helping others and giving new life to someone's old junk.
Look at all the things you have spent money on and find ways to get new value from them. Review your wardrobe and try new outfit combinations. Use your myriad of cooking utensils to try new recipes. Create regular self-care routines that help use up your overflowing collection of beauty products.
Do you have some larger goal for the future, a bigger reason behind pinning beautiful places on Pinterest? Do you want to travel more, see more and learn more? Outlining some exciting goals will motivate you to scrutinize your everyday spending further.
Are you feeding your passions and creativity, finding ways to express yourself and do what matters to you at your core?
Try to find a way back to the essence of what you want out of life, and step out of the confusion and overwhelming feeling that being on a spending downward spiral engulfs you with.
You might be thinking that you won't ever change, that you neither want nor need to. But if you can find a reason to derive more pleasure out of life that isn't related to what you spend, then you might find yourself less stressed and with heavier pockets.
I still want for things, and I still regret certain purchases, but by being mindful and confronting how I spend, I have still managed to clear my debts and go to Australia. I obviously have changed, and have managed to get something amazing out of being more thoughtful with my plastic.
Maybe you desperately want to clear debt but don't know how. Well, the first place to look is to consider the way you waste the money that should be going to clear them. You might think you already scrimp in order to make your credit payments, but so many pay the bare minimum, so as to free up that money up for disposable things.
You are normal to want things, normal to need things, normal to spend that which you work so hard to earn, but you needn't be a slave to the means of acquiring money to then simply acquire stuff. It's up to you.
Before you leave, you can now get the whole minimalist cleanse in book form, as an expanded and deepened process of steps and ideas! Available NOW.
Thanks for reading!
Want more reads like this? You can now find Hannah in her own online space, Good Intentions. Minimalism, mindfulness, conscious living and self-love; all the good stuff centred around being kinder to yourself, and kinder to the world.
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Capturing Incredible Photographs On A Gopro - How To
The thing that has allowed us to share our adventure through some amazing pictures and videos is our beloved GoPro Hero 4 Silver.
Capturing Incredible Photographs On A Gopro - How To
The thing that has allowed me to share my adventure through some amazing pictures and videos is my beloved little GoPro Hero 4 silver.
That, and a tripod. I use a GorillaPod as it allows me to place the camera almost anywhere! It can be attached to the side of trees, placed on uneven rocks or even hold itself upside down if needed.
This photo was taken at a beach just after sunset down by the waters edge, using long exposure and low ISO settings.
A few things to understand for anyone who isn't sure:
- The ISO settings will allow you to control how sensitive your camera is to light. Basically the lower the number the less sensitive to light your camera is.
- The Exposure time will allow you to set how long your camera lets in light for, so for instance, photos of the stars and the Milky Way will need lots of light and normally require exposure times of around 30 seconds.
To take an awe-inspiring photo like our one above you will want to set your GoPro (or other suitable camera) on your mount at the water's edge and apply the following settings..
Exposure time: 30 seconds
ISO level: 100
White balance: Native
- You will only have a short window of time to take the pictures (about 10-15 mins) so make sure you are ready!
- Make sure you take a few pictures during the sunset while the light is fading. If the pictures come out too light just wait a few more minutes for it to get a tad darker.
- Import them onto your computer and apply a Black and White filter to add some impact and drama to your snaps!
When it comes to taking pictures of the Milky Way, things can be a little bit harder..
For starters you will need to be somewhere with low light pollution otherwise you will just pick up all the light from surrounding cities in your picture. LightPollutionMap is a great website that allows you to find areas with low light pollution, once you have found your spot and it's not a cloudy night, set your camera up on its tripod and use the following settings:
Exposure time: 30 seconds (or above if possible)
ISO level: 800
White balance: Native
- Point the GoPro in the direction of the Milky Way. It has a very wide field of view with its fisheye lens so there is little chance that you will miss things as long as you point the camera in the general direction!
- After importing to your computer you will want to play around with the photo for a while on a editing program, increasing the contrast and altering the saturation will bring out the colours of the milky way and really give it some omph!
- From what I have found the photo's come out better if you allow some foreground objects into the picture as well, a few trees will do the trick.
Ready for some more advanced tips? Check out this new updated article:
Wanna know how to take EPIC photographs?! Check out our short master-class :D https://t.co/hnrcpxCttB pic.twitter.com/GIUbpbpFX7
— Nomad'er How Far (@Nomaderhowfar) April 2, 2016
Now lets see what the video side of a GoPro can do! Here's what ours has seen while in Australia:
These are photo's I will always treasure, and always look back on in disbelief that I was able to take them. With a little practice and time, you too can be your own master of your camera, and creator of a stunning collection of photographic moments.
Thanks for reading!
Taran here, owner of Nomad'er How Far. I'm fond of psychedelic rock, photography & videography, anything to do with space and I'm also partial to the odd gaming session. Oh and I love to travel :P Get to know me here!
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Nomad Beauty Favourites ['NO POO', Honey and Oil Routine]
It's impossible to travel with the amount of cosmetic products I used to like using at home. I did bring a fair few with me though, I considered them important and felt bereft at the idea of not having them with me to fend off sun and hair damage that this sunny land would inevitably bring....
Nomad Beauty Favourites ['NO POO', Honey and Oil Routine]
One of my favourite little routines has always been my beauty regime. I've always loved the whole cleansing, exfoliating and moisturising shenanigans, ever since I first knew what those things were!
I've never really thought much about the products I was using, other than that I liked buying new ones and amassing quite a collection of stuff in my bathroom cupboard.
Once we had begun travelling, I began looking into alternatives for my beauty regime.
It's impossible to travel with the amount of cosmetic products I used to like using at home. I did bring a fair few with me though, I considered them important and felt bereft at the idea of not having them with me to fend off sun and hair damage that this sunny land would inevitably bring.
But the more we travelled the more annoying I was finding lugging all the stuff around.
I am also on an endless journey of trying to make my hair less crap.... Years of hair-dye damage plus it's natural thin texture make it a bit of a nightmare.
I read a lot about the 'no-poo' method, which is basically not using conventional store-bought shampoo and conditioners, in favour of something else, even more basic than an organic shampoo, a popular combo being baking soda and apple-cider vinegar.
I did try this but found the soda made me itch and whilst it was good for a general deep clean, there's a lot of people online who report that it causes hair loss in the long run.
I need to keep as much as I can! So that wasn't an option for me.
Researching it further I happened across some articles online about other ways of looking after my hair and skin, that cost less money and called for less products (and fewer harsh unpronounceable ingredients) BINGO!
I had to do a fair bit of walking around the shops in Brisbane to find the various things, but once I had them all, I was excited to refresh my routine.
Into the bin went my beloved tea-tree face wash, my shampoo and conditioner (yep really, a travellers best friend, gone forever) and my face cream.
A month later, am I walking around with an oil-slick on my head and eight thousand spots on my face?
Hell no!
The changes in my beauty regime have been so much fun and so bloody successful!
So here's my new nomadic beauty routine – Using products which are not only more natural and chemically-kind but which have genuinely improved my hair and skin... I will never go back to conventional beauty products again!
LETS START AT THE TOP....HAIR:
WASHING....
Baking soda and Apple Cider Vinegar ONLY once every-two weeks, or if my hair is seeming dirty.
Plain Water the rest of the time.
I gently massage the shower water into my hair which helps naturally move any oils or dirt off the scalp.
I sometimes use some RAW NATURAL HONEY mixed with water (1 tsp honey to 2 tsp water, although I usually estimate it) on the entirety of my hair – Honey is a natural humectant, it cleanses and moisturizes.
Honey can be a tough one to wash out so only use a small amount, very diluted.
It took a good month for my hair to stop overproducing oil, which it naturally does once you detox it of the normal shampoo you used. Now it feel's baby-soft and clean!
Don't give up! Eventually your hair's oil-production regulates and you feel less down about your limp locks!
CONDITIONING
- I take 3 drops of Jojoba oil (found in various places) and gently massage it the length of my hair focusing on the ends.
Once a week I use ORGANIC COLD-PRESSED UNREFINED COCO-NUT OIL ($11 in Australian Woolworths) and massage a tiny amount into my ends before bed – overnight they drink it up and you don't wake up with greasy locks, but you will if you put it all over your head...
I sometimes put a tiny amount of Lavender oil through my wet hair mainly cause I miss the smell of my conditioner!
PREVENTING HAIR DAMAGE AND LOSS:
I ensure not to rub my hair with a towel when I finish showering as this is unnecessarily harsh on your soft hair strands, and if hair is let to dry completely naturally, it holds onto some of the water from the wash.
I also do not comb my hair when wet – I literally stick my hair up in a towel for two mins then let it sit free to dry naturally.
I totally appreciate most people would want to use heat often to tame their locks – but you can still use the rest of these methods to protect your hair from further damage.
SKIN...
- I use coconut oil for my hands arms and legs, to keep them smooth. I absolutely love using the stuff!
I now swear by the Oil Cleansing method once a week for my face. I combine a tsp of Castor Oil (found at an Organic grocer shop) with 4 drops of Jojoba and massage this into my face and neck. I then apply two hot flannels (I use baby flannels, super soft and small!) and lay them on my face for a couple of minutes. I then rinse them in hot water and gently massage my neck and face. I then rinse with warm water again and finish with a splash of cold.
I find this really does clean out my pores, and leaves my skin looking genuinely radiant and plump.
I wash my face with the raw honey and some warm water followed up with a splash of cold – I do this most days, and rub it in gently to my t-zone. It really does clean and moisturise.
I then apply a small amount of Jojoba Oil onto my face and neck. I pat it in and it provides just the right amount of moisture!
I would combine organic brown sugar or baking soda with honey to create an exfoliant but I have found my skin isn't really crying out for any abrasion thanks to the oil cleansing!
At night I use castor oil as an eye cream and lip balm. I massage the oil into my lashes and brows (it's said to promote growth, but it is also a great moisturiser).
Try to be consistent with these methods, even if your skin seems happy enough, it still needs to be cleaned and moisturised.
I tried all this stuff for fun, but these methods are backed up by various people online - for their skin and hair benefits, and the fact they are devoid of the nasty chemicals found it more conventional cosmetics.
I can't promise any of this stuff will work perfectly for you, but having fine brittle hair and sometimes oily AND dry skin, none of these products have made any of it worse.
My skin is clear and recovers from hormonal blemishes faster. It is supple, clean and soft, whereas my hair has more body, and the ends are looking healthier than ever.
Not only do I feel great but I am also saving money by having luxurious products with multiples uses!
So if you feel like revitalizing the way you treat your hair and skin, but are on a nomadic budget, then give some of this yummy stuff a go!
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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Travel Might Change You Forever - If You Let It
I was working hard, saving money for this adventure, and still within a phase of inner struggle...
Travel Might Change You Forever - If You Let It
Travel is proving to be a perfect opportunity to make some major changes, being that it is a major life change in of itself!
I haven't suddenly developed a love for exercise, stopped shaving or started calling myself Love-Heart Fairy-Tree (although I did shave off one side of my head)... but I believe that I am not the same person who left England 4 months ago.
I feel more confident, sociable, less judgemental, more relaxed and generally, a less anxious version of myself.
I think not working full-time has a lot to do with that last part admittedly. Running a business in England whilst liberating and often a dream come true, it still came with its own stresses and responsibilities that often had me losing sleep. I was working hard, saving money for this trip, and generally feeling a tad down, not able to keep a positive mood going.
Even though I knew I had Australia to look forward to, and should of been super excited, I was still very fixed in my present circumstances. If I was low on money or feeling pressure to work and save, I felt really crap because of it. If I was doing planning for travelling, I was letting anxiety about it wind me up.
I was pretty much doing what many of us do; feeling unable to look past the limitations I was experiencing in that moment. Failing to be content with what was going well in my life.
Admittedly I did have a health scare last year, which is the kind unpredictable and scary thing that no amount of positive thinking can alter.
It affects you emotionally but also gives you much more pause to actually look at your life more carefully. It might have been a hard time for me, one I'd like to have avoided, but it taught me to value so much more about life itself, even the simpler and more mundane aspects.
And since beginning travelling, that mindset has somewhat taken over. I find such complete contentment and joy on even the more dull days here. You might think that its just a natural part of travel, having that relaxed holiday feeling, never having to tolerate anything too difficult for too long....
But anyone who's travelled knows only too well, it is not all just good times and amazing revelations.
For example, I have been super home-sick. I miss friends and family, the conversations I had with them, and I miss seeing their lives changing, witnessing their happy moments; no skype call can replace a cup of tea with your mum on a sunny English afternoon. It just isn't the same! I am very much out of that loop in more ways than one and its been a major sacrifice.
Yet I am still probably happier than I've ever been. Nowadays I try not to give much time or energy to negativity, I am kinder to myself and trying to be so to others.
I keep busy blogging and travelling, so most of the time, this is what holds my dedication and attention. But also I have let go of a lot of the things which held me back and caused problems for me in the past.
Why and how has this happened?
When you're travelling, you are suddenly focused on the journey of enjoying everything you see, touch, taste and hear. Your primary goal each and every day becomes to sustain the amazing feeling which being in a beautiful place brings you, far away from the stresses of your previous life. I don't get too dejected or down-cast any more, or at least, I try to move past these feelings quickly. I get stressed trying to find work but instead of being defeatist about it, I just try harder.
I have become more resilient, have more 'get up and go' and determination to do the things I want to do in my life. I have stopped letting adversity or my proneness to anxiety win. I refuse to let them dominate this time of adventure and exploration.
Travel will kick you up the arse. It will wake you up, make you come outside of yourself, and yet change thoroughly on the inside too.
You become part of a community of people whom all share that look of adventure and inquisitiveness in their eyes, that desire to just share fun, good times, wisdom and experience with all whom they meet. And you take on some of that trait, you become someone who wants to smile, talk, laugh and learn.
You have your walls broken down, you will question all the intolerance or introversion you might previously have just thought was your personality.
You will want to embrace the positive and best side of yourself. This is what it's felt like for me anyway. I can't speak for how it will or will not change you, but it has so much potential to do so. I mostly wake up in a good mood each day, and when you chase that mood by journeying somewhere new and beautiful, you are following a path to changing yourself forever. You are developing attitudes that will get you through the bad times, the uncontrollable peaks and troughs of life, and of course, when you return home (if you ever stop travelling..). I hope this isn't a temporary change. I hope I can take these positive thoughts and behaviours with me, long into the future.
Travel has already made me happier, and more open to creating happiness around me, and that, I will always remember and cherish, long after I retire my backpack.
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!
Be social and come follow us across the virtual world!
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The Minimalist Life Cleanse Stage 2 [Simplifying Your Online World]
When you begin to look at your relationship with social media, you will realise the repetitive and dullness of your daily absorption within it.
The Minimalist Life Cleanse Stage 2 [Simplifying Your Online World]
In stage 1 of this series, we talked about minimalism in the home..
Focusing some energy on stripping our homes of the things which really add no value to our lives, and only bring mess and stress, you may have began to feel lighter and less weighed down by your material junk.
Maybe you discovered beautiful treasures beneath the clutter, re-lived old memories, or found special artefacts to proudly display in your newly cleansed space.
Hopefully you took the steps put forward, and will take forward an attitude of loving the things you have, instead of bringing new distractions and items into your life.
Of course it doesn't take a day to clear years of amassed bits and bobs, but you have made a start and can continue at your own pace, knowing you have done the hardest part, which is to begin!
You might now feel all the more ready to tackle stage 2 of this series...
THEME: Minimalism in your Technology.
Social media and the internet influence every aspect of modern life. We live in a world where in many western countries, the government is investing in high-speed internet; it is that much entrenched in contemporary culture, it's no longer just entertainment, its has become a right and to many, a need.
The world of new-sites and online editorial content, is steadfastly replacing print media, and now most people stay in touch with important news, blog''s of interest and other things which they enjoy exclusively via the internet. It really is at the centre of peoples everyday lives and behaviours.
...so goes the sign-of-times saying “Home is where the WIFI connects automatically”.
Many of us feel anxious when our internet doesn't work, or we go somewhere without wifi.
Temporarily disconnected, literally and mentally, you are sure that you are going to miss out on some vital piece of information, news, meme or dog video.
It's not wrong to feel this way, it just the natural result of our constant repeated use of our devices. I personally hate when the internet fails or I am out of a free wifi zone. I feel adrift and like I am going to be behind on something everybody else is in on.
Why do we feel this way?
Many of us live out our entire lives online, reporting it all in vivid colour and vibrant language, whilst others build a career based on online creativity; the internet is where some peoples whole businesses are founded and maintained.
The net (I feel like I am writing this in the late 90's or something...) has somewhat replaced television for many, with sites such as youtube and Netflix providing an array of entertainment, springing forth a new-breed of celebrities in the form of Vlogger's and Bloggers; the online world covers even more niche's than TV ever has or could.
The internet is there for all manner of weirdness, hobbies, fetishes, obsessions and escapism.
Despite most people agreeing on the usefulness of the online world, due to its potential for creating connections, fostering learning and of course building commerce, many despair at just how much we have been drawn into the inter-web.
And when you begin to look at your relationship with social media, your mobile phone and the whole world of apps and websites, you will observe the complexity of it, and often, the repetitive and dullness of your daily absorption within it.
I realized recently, whilst scrolling Instagram for maybe the 3rd time that day, that I was skipping past a lot of images. I was not really giving anything any real attention, yet I had chosen to follow these accounts at some point when the person or subject must have been vaguely interesting to me.
But this interest was clearly short-lived, and the result is me now mindlessly passing over things instead of taking a brief moment to un-follow these people, and escape from an endless conveyor-belt of thumbing over content.
So now it's time to bring back some more organization, purpose and clarity to your online life!
By the way, before you read on, this phase of the life cleanse is expanded upon, alongside the rest of the series, in a my new book, available NOW.
Amazon UK Store / US Store / AU Store / CA Store
Deleting Apps
Our phones and tablets will soon contain more contain apps than the actual app-store.
Count how many apps you have on your phone/tablet.
Now count how many you actually use.
Delete any apps you haven't used in the last month.
Re-arrange your used apps into folders labeled for their theme. I have 'WRITE''WATCH''READ', so I use short names which are fairly self-explanatory.
Look at your most used apps again and assess if you can now delete even more apps, the ones outside the category you consider most important or worth keeping.
Unfollow
Maybe some of us are too polite (or lazy) to un-follow people, but really, when you look at it realistically, someone's follower count really isn't something you should be giving much worry to...
Is it really that engaging for you or beneficial for the person posting stuff, to have their offerings ignored and scrolled over all the time?
Maybe its time to cut-down on the things you give your time and attention to.
Consider cutting down on who and what you follow....
Twitter: If you still want to follow someone but are bugged by their updates, then just mute them on your feed! That way you can keep in touch with their updates in your own time.
Facebook: The same thing applies here – you can streamline your time-line without causing any offence, by simply un-following peoples status updates. No need to see everything they have to say, but you can still check in on them now and again! And as for un-friending, well, I like your style, you're thinking big.
Instagram: I am so guilty of scrolling repeatedly over the same people, and I never stopped to observe my behaviour. When I finally did I started de-cluttering my account, I un-followed lots of people and made it so I only saw the things most interesting to me!
Myspace: Go on Myspace, re-activate your account, try to remember the now-defunct email address you used for your login, spend hours trying to locate this address to no avail. But once you do get it, login, and scroll through all your college friends, check out your pictures from those house-parties, and decide on whether that friend is displaying good HTML skills. And change your automated song to something more fresh.
Obviously, we're joking on that last part... how to improve your Myspace is in next weeks post.... :P
Clear Your Inbox
This is the virtual room that you need to de-clutter. It has shelves and shelves of things you have never read, or ever will....
Yes, you took the time to set-up which incoming junk-type emails to automatically send to your 'Filtered' folder, which is the same as saying “Go here, you will remain in my inbox but I will not read you and you will remain there until the end of the time”. Tut.
Now it's time to go and actually un-subscribe to those emails never read or which you no longer want to receive. Check the very bottom of the email, you will have an option to receive no further contact. Hurrah!
Clear that spam folder, and your (now quickly filling up) deleted folder.
Look at your other saved folders – are you keeping emailed bills from 5 years ago? It should be easy to find lots of things to send into the abyss of deleted emails!!
If your online activities, or the mass of information stored in your own personal online accounts, aren't adding to your happiness, helping you, or bringing inspiration into your life, then, why are you giving them so much of your time? Time you cannot get back.
Taran has found that deleting the Facebook app off of his phone made perfect sense; he didn't want to keep finding himself on that endless scrolling spree, and so he fixed that quite easily!
You could take that drastic step, or, alternatively, follow the above steps. The more you delete, the more you will want to delete! Editing, refining and creating an online space that meets your own personal wants and needs is such a satisfying process.
You'll realize that nowhere in this post am I explicitly telling anyone to cut down on their online time; being a blogger and a blog-lover I am permanently in the internet matrix, I never leave.... I am simply offering advice to help you enhance your relationship with your online practises, and make them more fruitful and fulfilling.
And if you happen to find yourself online less, or become more inspired by your new de-cluttered inter-web space, then you've taken a positive if unintentional step towards even more minimalism and simplicity.
Thanks for reading!
Want more reads like this? You can now find Hannah in her own online space, Good Intentions. Minimalism, mindfulness, conscious living and self-love; all the good stuff centred around being kinder to yourself, and kinder to the world.
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Arriving in Australia: Step-by-Step To Do List.
Being organized has saved us a lot of stress!
Arriving in Australia: Step-by-Step To Do List.
Here's what we did within the first month of getting to Australia. Being organized has saved us a lot of stress!
And by the things we did, we don't mean the fun stuff, we mean the boring administrative stuff that is a necessary evil, if you intend to travel using a working holiday visa.
Below are some essential tips for what to do once you get to Australia, and want to become a fully-fledged working holiday maker!
1. Keep hydrated on the plane, and don't over-eat. Australia does have food. Or you might end up throwing up on your first day in Australia (like I did).
2. Get your bags and head off to your first hostel (or Airbnb or Couchsurf)!
- We recommend pre-booking your first hostel before you leave your home country, so there's minimal stress and the definite promise of a bed at the end of the long flight.
3. If you are a heavy mobile-phone user, be that taking Instagram's 5 times a day or sending a reassuring Whatsapp to mum and dad, it's worth unlocking your phone from it's network in your home-country before getting to Oz.
- This allows you to then purchase a SIM Card and phone number when in Australia. Make sure your phone's SIM facility is easily accessible before you buy one.
- Most phones today take a MICRO-SIM (newer Iphone's take a nano-sim, fancy).
- With many OZ SIM plans you can get a decent amount of data for around $30. It's worth doing research before you leave if your phone is important to you even when travelling.
- We use AMAYSIM, which is about $10 to purchase at most places and lasts me a few weeks with a $10 top-up, which you can do online or in a store. This is useful if you make friends in Oz that you want to phone/text, or if you are looking for work etc. You can't always get by on just having wifi.
4. Head to a bank to arrange opening an Australian bank account!
- You can open some bank accounts online whilst in Australia, or in the UK. We bank with NAB, and they invite you into a branch for a quick meeting and give you a cash-card there and then for making withdrawals. Their account is totally free.
- Remember you can use your cash card for EFTPOS, which is a way of paying in most shops and also allows for cash-back.
- Cash-points in Australia usually charge you, unless you use the one belonging to your bank.
5. Apply for Medicare.
- Medicare is the health-care system over here.
- If you are from certain countries, these will already have a reciprocal health-care agreement with Oz, which allows for free or cheaper health-care. But you still need to apply for the Medicare card.
- You have to find a Medicare branch, take along your passport and visa letter, and it's simple from then on!
- Pre-arrange a post office or a person you know and trust in Australia to handle your post. We had bank stuff sent to my cousin and we used a local post office to receive the Medicare card. These can take up to 10 days to arrive, sometimes longer.
6. Apply for your TFN.
- Tax, such a fun thing, definitely not likely to be on your mind if you have just left behind the world of work to travel. But you need one to work in Australia, full stop.
- You can apply online, and these can take up to 28 days to arrive, but usually take less. Keep it safe and private!
- Want to know more about working in Australia? Read our Guide to Knowing Your Employment Rights!
7. Join some websites/apps that will help make your travel cheaper.
- We are on AirBnB, Trusted House Sitters, Couchsufers and HelpX, which helps us get cheap or free accommodation, and work for accommodation.
- Gumtree will be your friend when it comes to job-searches, as well as Seek and Indeed.com which pulls all online job adverts from the area you are staying.
8. Begin a spending diary.
- Detail your daily expenditures and keep an eye on your spending.
- Things can be confusing and busy when your travelling and so its helpful to be able to see where you funds are going.
There are probably many more useful things other traveller's have done upon arriving, if so, let us know in the comments!
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 Minimalist Life Cleanse Stage 1 [De-Cluttering your Home]
Your lifestyle consists of numerous different habits, routines, behaviours, activities and passions. Some of these become stagnated or so repetitive you sometimes fail to notice that they aren't quite satisfying you any-more, or adding any substantial value to your daily life.
The Minimalist Life Cleanse Stage 1 [De-Cluttering your Home]
The Theme here? Minimalism in the home.
Minimalism is such a broad word for all that it encompasses, the meaning stretching across many different elements of your life and approach to, well, almost everything.
Your lifestyle consists of numerous different habits, routines, behaviours, activities and passions. Some of these become stagnated or so repetitive you sometimes fail to notice that they aren't quite satisfying you any-more, or adding any substantial value to your daily life. That is where stage 1 of the cleanse comes in.
You are going to bring minimalism into your life, beginning with your home.
Why minimalism you ask? Why is everyone so nonsensically obsessed with this movement, what is so appealing about it!
Well, it's kinda like exercise, if you don't ever do it, you can't fully understand how beneficial it is and how good it makes people feel, so naturally you look at it with apathy and scepticism. And minimalism, well you can't understand the sense of clarity and peace that comes with the practice of de-cluttering your life until you yourself try it. And you learn quite quickly once you begin to de-clutter, how you never needed so many types of items, and so many different versions and options!
A good example for myself, is my nail polish collection...since taking off travelling I have had two nail polishes in my collection, a mint one, and a purple one. I am yet to finish either or get bored of them. And then I remember I have about 25 polishes back home, doing nothing, sat in a drawer. And it occurred to me, I definitely have no real need for that amount of choice when I can evidently be more than happy with less! I don't need 25 of anything. I can be happy with 2. And you can apply this same concept to your stuff.
Having lots of things, or lots of options, has a lot to do with our commercial capitalist world.
Of course we end up with numerous things in our homes because shopping is a regular pastime for many people that means we inevitably add things to our collections that we already have, and end up with something in 3 different styles or colours. We pander to fashions and changing likes/dislikes in the culture around us, and yet still keep the old, the things we no longer consider attractive.
That leads to a cluttered mixture of things within the home, some never seeing the light of day. The result can often be a state of indecision within ourselves; what do we even like any more!
We end up seeing our wants, as needs, and this has lead to not simply our cluttered home spaces but a whole host of other issues; overspending and debt, hoarding, being weighed down by too much choice, feeling inadequate in the midst of the commercial world and it's changing fashions vying for our attention and our money.
So, I want to change things. WHERE DO I BEGIN?
TAKE THESE 3 STEPS, AND BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY TO MINIMALISM, SIMPLICITY AND A MORE CONTENT LIFE.
1. Discard
DOWNLOAD OUR DE-CLUTTER CHECKLIST HERE!
- Start wherever you wish in the home. Choose a space to thoroughly declutter top to bottom.
- Put your merciless boots on, you are taking no prisoners.
- A good way to think is, would I want to save this item in a fire? And go from there...
- Throw away, donate, or sell, all the items that you haven't touched or looked at in the last 6 months (maybe excluding Christmas decorations!).
- Apply the need versus want rule: You might want 10 different styles of sunglasses but do you honestly need them?
- When looking at fashion items, ask yourself, if you saw this in a shop now, would you buy it today?
- You don't need duplicates of items, old worn out items, things you simply ignore the existence of in favour of just never having to actually put the effort into cleaning and tidying!
- Be even more merciless than you have ever been before when you might have tidied your home. You might be holding back a little but you must be committed and positive from the beginning of this journey.
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2. Reorganize
Now you have less stuff, it's time to organize what you do have.
- Do you need 3 chests of drawers or a giant wardrobe any more?
- Could you get by with less furniture, meaning you can add space to your home?
- If you want a less cluttered look to the home, a shelving unit with spaces for storage bins might be a neat alternative to storing items.
- If you want to create an eclectic aesthetic, consider a shelving unit which shows off your most treasured items, books, keepsakes and photographs. Seeing the things you find meaningful each day reminds you why you don't need to acquire more.
- Minimalism needn't mean no art on the walls or rugs on the floors, in fact I cant imagine anything more inspiring and simultaneously peaceful than having only a few beloved furnishings making the home individual and comfortable.
- Try to order your things in the way that you can recall where everything of daily need is, quite quickly. A sure sign that you have too much stuff is needing to rifle through all your storage in order to locate something.
- Seek inspiration for storage solutions on PINTEREST. This is my favourite source of clever ideas which not only work in a minimalist environment but generally make life easier!
3. Regard
You've done it! Well done!
- You have created a space that is not only calm and ordered, but you have also detached yourself further from the practice of acquiring material things.
- The less you have the less you need; this is a realization you may be experiencing having completed this process.
- Do you feel lighter? Do you feel like it would be easier now to enjoy your space, be creative, or social within it, and if you want to, pack it all up and go somewhere new?
- Enjoy it. Enjoy knowing you are giving yourself and your treasures, the space and the atmosphere to be happy and content.
- Take interest in all those hobbies or interests that might have fell by the wayside in the past. You have far less distractions to split your attention and efforts in your new streamlined space.
- No need to spend half your life tidying! There's hardly anything left to tidy!
- Find pleasure in your new space. Revel in it. Love the things you have kept and use them well.
By the way, before you leave, I recently released my book, Minimalism: Cleanse Your Life, Become A Calmer Person, available NOW! It's a more in-depth guide to de-cluttering your home, organizing your life, refining your spending habits and simplifying your relationship with your technology:
Thanks for reading!
Want more reads like this? You can now find Hannah in her own online space, Good Intentions. Minimalism, mindfulness, conscious living and self-love; all the good stuff centred around being kinder to yourself, and kinder to the world.
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Living for Free in Paradise! Working for Accommodation
Arriving in Bargara a few days before getting to Kelly's, we felt a tad apprehensive. Would the people be nice? Would the work be fair? Would it be a good use of our time?
Living for Free in Paradise! Working for Accommodation
3 weeks ago, ensconced on the sofa our friend's home in Brisbane, typing away online seeking work, we saw an Ad on Gumtree having typed in 'Backpackers'.
It was from a beach resort in Bargara, a small seaside town outside of Bundaberg. It was from Kelly's, an eco-certified villa resort by the beach. And it was the very place we had be recommended to contact by Taran's family who visited there last year...
It seemed like the perfect timing. We needed work and money, and whilst this was Help X (aka food and bed for daily work, no money involved) this would allow us to get off the backpacker trail, out of the tent, into a beautiful villa in a stunning resort, all for 4.5 hours of contribution.
Sounds almost too good to be true right?
Arriving in Bargara a few days before getting to Kelly's, we felt a tad apprehensive.
Would the people be nice? Would the work be fair? Would it be a good use of our time?
We turned up having got a lift off of a friend we made in our camp-site down the road, where we had stayed the previous two nights. We were introduced to our 'Bosses', a trio of mother and her two daughters, all super warm and friendly, and then shown to our villa, the sight of a queen-size bed, plus our own kitchen and deck, and a heated pool.
A HEATED POOL...
This was just an insane level of luxury we haven't yet experienced travelling at all, whether in England or Oz! It's not the typical backpacker hangout that's for sure!
A sleepless night before-hand in the tent, hadn't dampened our enthusiasm, this place was a beautiful spot with palm trees, a river, a pond, and a real feel of being somewhere rejuvenating and peaceful. We began work that day, with me working as in the kitchen.
It turned out to be their busiest night in two months, which left me sweaty and ready for that heavenly queen-bed! But I actually enjoyed it, it felt good to put on a uniform and do some graft! And has made all the ciders and ice cream so much more guilt-free...
Taran worked outside doing gardening and other maintenance and spends his afternoons doing whatever he pleases. It's been good to have time apart each day, and we actually feel happy and excited to see each other at the end of each night in our cosy villa, having spent weeks in each others constant company.
We have had such a relaxing and therapeutic time here,it really has been a great way to blend work with saving money and having more of a holiday feeling over the grubby and sometimes uncomfortable backpacker life.
It has been good for our souls, to balance our time out with some blogging, relaxing, working, and eating well for the first time in 3 months!
Bargara itself is rather sleepy but has a decent shopping street, with post office, bank, various cafes, and a really cool little book shop. We have spent most our time at the local beach, a quiet spot where the sun beats down, the wind blows off the cobwebs, and we have both just sat and read.
We have switched off a little from thinking about work or what the immediate future holds on our travel journey.
Although we will be snapped back to reality soon enough in our quest for 2nd-year visa work...
But this place has given us the space to feel more connected to each other, our surroundings, our creative exploits and to the absolutely ridiculous pleasure of swimming at night under the stars in a warm blue oasis.
It's been bloody lovely.
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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HOW TO: Hitch-hike Safely and Successfully
It might not be as easy as driving yourself or as a predictable as a greyhound ticket but its definitely worth the experience, for the people you meet, the stories you hear, and of course, the major savings you make!
HOW TO: Hitch-hike Safely and Successfully
Hitch-hiking has become the foundation of how we get around cheaply our travels. Its how we travel place to place, long distances and sometimes short. We've met great people, of all ages and backgrounds, exchanged travel stories, been some people's first pick-up, and generally felt inspired and comforted by the kindness of strangers.
Hitching for us started in Port Stephens, a small-town with infrequent public transport, we were able to explore the beaches with the help of strangers, get to and from the supermarket and then eventually move up the coast to our next destination.
And its how we recently travelled 4 hours from Noosa to Bundaberg, all in one afternoon.
It might not be as easy as driving yourself or as a predictable as a greyhound ticket but its definitely worth the experience, for the people you meet, the stories you hear, and of course, the major savings you make!
HERE'S HOW TO DO IT AND DO IT WELL!:
TAKE WATER AND SNACKS. You don't know how long you might be sat on the side of a road in the middle of nowhere, and somewhere like Australia, you gotta stay hydrated all the time anyway!
WEAR COMFORTABLE CLOTHING AND SHOES. You want to be practical. You need to be prepared for any weather on the road, especially if you find yourself without shelter. A hat and a waterproof are essentials.
HAVE A FULLY CHARGED PHONE. This will be a must in emergencies, and when you might want to refer to a map to see where you are.
DON'T BOTHER WITH A SIGN. We used a sign once, on the first hitch-hike we did. People are much more likely to stop and more open to taking you further then they had planned to go if you simple stand there, with your big heavy backpack on your back.
TEXT THE CAR NUMBERPLATE TO SOMEONE. We slyly text the number plate of each car we get into (unless its a car full of backpackers, in which case it seems a bit uneccesary). Text it to a friend in the same country, or if you don't have credit at least save it to your phone. This is just a precaution of course, you may feel silly being distrustful but its important you protect yourself.
LOOK FRIENDLY AND CONFIDENT. Nobody is going to pick up someone who isn't confidently looking them in the eye. Take off the sunglasses and hold out your thumb with conviction.
DON'T HAVE LOTS OF STUFF ON YOUR PERSON. Pack as much into your bags as you can, and secure them, you don't want to leave behind things accidentally, like your jacket or your bag of food! Count your bags as you get in and remember that number when unloading your stuff.
GET DROPPED AT SERVICE STATIONS. Where possible these are great places to top up on water and snacks, and increase your chances of meeting like-minded travellers or just people driving longer distances.
DON'T STAND ON THE SIDE OF MOTORWAYS. It's dangerous and not a good place for cars to stop. Make sure you pick a lay-by or pull-in on a road that allows people to safely pull up and pull away, this will be a better spot for you and will encourage drivers who will assume you are being safe and cautious, and aren't some reckless crazy person that they will avoid stopping for.
BE CHATTY AND THANKFUL. People that pick you up are likely to want the company and be interested in your story. You will likely end up repeating the same stuff to driver after driver but its just part of the exchange, and part of a being a good person to pick-up!
Hitch-hiking is initially scary. But taking the above steps should not only increase the chances of a pick-up but make you feel safe whilst you hike.
And remember, the more people who hitch-hike, and do it well, the more successful hitching will be for everyone!
A world where people happily help others out, whilst also being eco-aware (an empty car driving hundreds of miles is the enemy of reducing the carbon footprint!) is surely a much better place to be a traveller!
CHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE TO SEE ALL THE SUPER COOL PEOPLE WE HAVE MET ON THE ROAD SO FAR!
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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How We Travel Cheaply but Happily in Australia!
If you know Taran and I, and have read about our thrifty ways here, here and here, then you would expect nothing less than the tightest of spending behaviours from us. But we don't equate our budget successes and failures with how much money has left our accounts, but on how we find creative and interesting ways of travelling cheaply.
How We Travel Cheaply but Happily in Australia!
Many amazing countries and tourist destinations can be expensive. Anywhere can appear to be too costly to enjoy properly. But it's all down to choices, and making the right ones by your bank account.
If you know Taran and I, and have read about our thrifty ways here, here and here, then you would expect nothing less than the tightest of spending behaviours from us. But we don't equate our budget successes and failures with how much money has left our accounts, but on how we find creative and interesting ways of travelling cheaply.
HOW TO TRAVEL CHEAPLY, CREATIVELY AND HAPPILY in Australia:
PAY WITH CASH.
First and foremost always use cash for spending. Record each time you withdraw money, and try to withdraw the same amount each time. This helps you quickly and easily keep track of your spending. It also makes you spend it more responsibly, after all, you aren't always near a cash-point and using one other than your own bank's results in charges!
RESEARCH YOUR DESTINATION.
Don't book hostels or camp-sites at the last minute, you always end up over-paying. Read reviews and book a few days before arriving if possible. Sometimes the online price is cheaper (sites such as Hostelworld help you find out how hostels are rated in comparison to one another) but we often just call up. Before going to your next destination locate the nearest cheapest supermarkets using your maps app, and save them, so that you don't end up over-spending in local smaller grocery shops.
TAKE THE TRAIN.
Sometimes the rail links between major places, such as Sydney to Newcastle, work out the most cost effective when you make use of some of Australia's relatively cheap public transport. Using the app Fetch My Way, you can find out the cheapest transport methods and rail usually comes out on top. If you don't fancy the train or coach (which we have only used once) then you have plenty of other options...
USE CO-SEATS!
If you are too scared to hitch-hike and like to be a bit more prepared prior to setting off on the road, Coseats, and other ride-share sites are sort of organized hitching. Advertise your journey or seek out people travelling the direction you are, text or phone them, chat, arrange pick-up and pay hardly anything towards the travel cost. We have done this and loved it. It was more comfortable, interesting and more importantly, a huge money-saving option.
OR OUR PERSONAL FAVOURITE... HITCH-HIKE
We now hitch-hike pretty much to the exclusion of everything else (apart from inter-city travel, which we do by train). We don't hold out a sign, we just find a safe pull-over spot for cars near the city/town exit, and look happy/a bit tired! It helps when you have huge backpacks, amps up the driver's sympathy! So far we have travelled about 700 miles (1160 kilometres) just by hitch hiking!!!
CAMP
Where possible, camping, often available at coastal hostels up the East Coast, saves a heap of cash. For example, our recent camping at Melaleuca cost $16 each per night, that's $112 a week each versus $504 a week for a dorm cabin!! We had all the benefits of the hostel, such as the great kitchen, lounge and showers, but with the added bonus of knowing our tent was clean, tidy and bug-free, not something always guaranteed in a dorm. You also kind of get your own private room, much better than sharing with 14 other people in a shared dorm!
OR COUCH-SURF
A perfect way to meet people from the place you are visiting whilst also saving on sleeping costs. This is not some easy or free option entirely however, you will be expected to be sociable, friendly, tidy and willing to contribute to some task or activity that goes some way to make your host happy.
You can visit the website or download the app on your phone, fully fill out the profile, make sure you get across your personality, use plenty of photos, and make the sofa world your oyster. Expect to sometimes sleep on floors, old mattresses, maybe your own tent, sometimes an actual bed if your lucky!
READ THE NEXT THRIFTY POST...
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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Taran & Makoto here, together we form Nomader How Far photography.
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