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Nomads in Noosa: Taking a break from travel?
The beauty of travel is not always found in constant movement or change, sometimes its in living somewhere long enough to love it, but not long enough to hate it.
Nomads in Noosa: Taking a break from travel?
We had only been back in Australia 1 week, and we found ourselves in Noosa, looking at houses and applying for jobs. Then suddenly one of us had a job, and then we had a room in a house to call our own.
It wasn't part of our plan for when we came back from England. In fact we had no plan, which became clear as we spent a few days relaxing in Brisbane totally unsure of our next move.
Noosa was somewhere we had briefly stayed over night, and so we had never seen the beach, said to be one of best on the east coast. So it was a definite sign, a few days of planning in Brisbane and still none-the-wiser in where to go next, when I noticed that a friend of ours was living there. Off to Noosa we went!!!
One of the views along the Noosa national park coastal walk.
When we arrived we found a bustling holiday town, with a super pretty river full of people kayaking and paddle-boarding, leading down to a super sweet beach, the perfect mix of gentle lapping waves and a bit of surf action. Something just felt right about the place. Enough to make me think about living here for a while, looking up house-shares on gumtree, and wondering how much it would actually cost. We also met an awesome young couple at our campsite, Elise and Jordan, who both seemed to love Noosa. They took us on a hike the next day, then we went and ate burgers on the river front. They were there to encourage us and take us around Noosa, helping us decide to put down some roots.
That same morning, the 2nd in Noosa, I had happened upon a job ad on gumtree for housekeeping at a local luxury resort. I applied thinking I didn't stand much chance, yet a few hours later I had a phone call with an invite to be interviewed. We then viewed two houses that same day, choosing the second, a large spread-out and airy house in a nice residential area just 15 minutes from town.
Waking up early the next day in our new bed, a mix of stubborn jet-lag combined with nerves, I went to my interview in my newly acquired dress (thanks to a mad shop dash courtesy of our new buddies, Elise and Jordan), and 10 minutes later I had been hired!! Say whattttt! I was so relieved and a little dumb-founded.
I wasn't super confident, and there was definitely no marvellous display of perfect interview etiquette. I must have just fitted the bill on paper, plus the manager was clearly a busy lady used to making quick decisions. She said to my colleague, referring to me, that she had 'a good feeling about this one'... Admittedly I am only in housekeeping, it isn't rocket science, but I am actually liking it so far. I get to work in a nice quiet hotel, with friendly staff, and I get paid to clean. I get paid for doing one of my hobbies.
The environment is so much better than the previous one we worked in on Fraser Island. Everyone is supportive, motivational, friendly and just chilled out. The tools we are provided with to clean make the job vastly easier. Any housekeeper will understand what I mean when I say 'YAY!' about cleaning floors without mop buckets and using non-toxic chemicals; it's basically awesome.
What's more, the hotel is right beside the beach, and is on the famous Hastings street, a strip of super nice bars, restaurants and my new favourite haunt, Boost juice. I loving spending time before and after work enjoying the beach, cooling off and soaking in the late summer Noosa vibe.
Meanwhile..
Taran is still on the look-out for work but being here, getting ourselves a base from which to be creative, is hopefully going to push the blog to the next level. The last few times we had a base, back in Bundaberg for instance, we were able to create lots more content, and engage with our audience more regularly. We actually had time to not just post sporadic or quick posts but to enjoy writing, sharing, chatting to other bloggers and reading their inspirational stuff.
Travelling might be the opposite of stopping, setting down roots and working, as if you never even left home to begin with. But every now and then it provides a needed break, a moment of pause in which you can experience somewhere like a true local. And every place we live, every job we have, every few weeks where we can pad away on our laptops working on the blog, we are still living out a reality we dreamed of and worked toward for a year. Home might have been England for 25 years, but for now, it can be a little bedroom in a beachy holiday town somewhere in Australia. And then before we know it, it will be somewhere else entirely. Most likely our trusty tent.
The beauty of travel is not always found in constant movement or change, sometimes its in living somewhere long enough to love it, but not long enough to hate it.
Yo!
Hannah and Taran here. We hail from Southern England, where we met online and are now realizing our mutual passion for travel here at NomaderHowFar. We discuss Nomadic Living, Simplifying your Life and Long-term Travel, to empower, motivate and inspire our readers. Get to know us here!
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5 Tempting Money Traps to Avoid: Simplifying Your Finances.
How many of us want to admit, out loud or to ourselves, that we are in debt? How many of us want to admit why and how we got there?
5 Tempting Money Traps To Avoid: Simplifying Your Finances.
I might only be 25 but I am no stranger to consumer debt.
I am no stranger to the feeling of being weighed down by financial burdens, and the accompanying guilt of knowing I more or less created them on my own.
But how many of us want to admit, out loud, or to ourselves, that we are in debt?
How many of us want to admit why and how we got there?
Some of us can't blame our debts on having too many bills to pay. Some of us just let things get a bit out of control in the pursuit of entertainment, escapism and the thrill of acquiring new things. I was doing the latter and that's how I got into debt.
You can read my full debt story, but here's a brief breakdown of my situation:
- 3 1/2 years ago I had credit cards nearly maxed out.
- I was 900 pound into an overdraft.
- I had a brand new car on finance.
- I was in a job I wasn't enjoying.
- I was headed for financial disaster.
I was stressed and miserable. I had left one job for another, hoping it would be a fresh start of some kind. It turned into a fresh nightmare.
I worked quite hard but didn't earn a lot of money for what I did. I didn't feel like I could repay my debts from the previous year and maintain a good standard of life on that income.
And eventually I just gave up on the job, and that made my situation even worse.
I had created my own stress and problems. I was the maker of my own misery.
To this day I blame no-one, not even my manager at that shitty job, for the fact I ended up unemployed, direction-less and with my savings going depleting by the day. I didn't feel poor however. I still believed in the 'free money' of credit cards and continued to add to my established debts.
I went out and spent money buying things I neither needed nor truly wanted.
But at some point I questioned, why should I have a wardrobe full of pretty things if I was actually being buried alive by them.
Having an abundance of stuff served as evidence of what my debts had funded, the happiness those things hadn't brought me, whilst I had very little in the bank to show for my months of enduring a crappy job or to even make ends meet.
It really seemed like an impossible situation with no way out.
It's time I don't remember fondly, but I do remember and share, because it taught me a lot about financial sense.
Travelling was a goal that drove me to pay off debts and save, but you don't need a big life change to motivate you.
You might be embarking on a new career path, or trying to save for a big holiday, but first you want to start afresh and be financially solvent.
You can seek freedom from the stress and weight of debt by avoiding these 5 tempting money traps.
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CREDIT CARDS
I think people often use these to cover shortfalls during times of difficulty, but I also think people get these when they actually have a good income.
They feel safe in the belief that credit spending is a debt they can repay easily each month.
What we often forget is that rent, food and bills is often enough of a financial commitment, and can already create a lot of stress each month. Bringing a credit card into the mix may lead to unnecessary hardship at some point down the line.
Then again having a credit card that you aren't using may be an essential at some point in your life...
It's a game of 'What If's':
What if you lose your job?
What if you decide to change your career?
What if a major financial drain occurs, like a car repair or health issue?
If you already have high credit card debts, then you can't use that credit card to help you in the above scenarios.
If your income suddenly drops, your existing debts will still continue to rise. If you happened to get one of those credit cards with a deal of no interest for a certain period, eventually that period will end, and your debt could get out of control.
I only advise this cautious approach to credit because I myself was stung by improper credit card use. I lost my job, I had a health issue and I had bills to pay, so I really could have done without a large lingering debt.
OVERDRAFTS
Much like credit but more often used to cover everyday spending, I really believe these can be 100% avoided with a little forethought.
Do you manage to make your general expenses every month on your current income?
If not, is your overdraft your only option, or could you make some minor cutbacks here and there to avoid it?
Do you need subscriptions to all those film/music streaming sites?
Do you buy food off-brand and avoiding eating out?
Could you temporarily use a small part of your savings to cover an unexpected short-fall, replacing that money as and when you can?
I think people see an overdraft as a much lesser evil than a credit card. In which case they can be extremely helpful, especially the nearer to payday it gets. But they aren't a long-term solution because in continuously using one you are allowing yourself to live beyond your means and taking yourself further away from your main financial goals.
My overdraft was the pre-cursor to my credit-card so it really can be a gateway to more financial over-stretching.
CAR FINANCE
A few years ago, I wanted a brand new shiny car.
I decided that being a graduate, in a job, in my mid-20's, I deserved one.
I knew nothing about car finance and when I did find out about it I wasted no time in ordering a little fiat 500.
I loved that car, but I didn't love the fact I had to get rid of it a year later, since I was unemployed, starting a new business and no longer able to afford it.
I had to find someone who would buy it, but first I had to find money to pay off the finance and then wait out a car buyer.
I have learnt from this, and in the future, I will only ever purchase a car out-right with savings.
I know that my approach as a minimalist means I no longer value having the latest and most expensive thing, over just having something solid that works, but with car finance, you need to weigh up the value a brand new car brings versus the cost and commitment long-term.
Could you purchase a perfectly attractive and safe car with your cash savings, instead of paying a large amount of money each month in repayments to a car company?
Might it be more important to have something reliable and cheap, if it means you can live your life how you want to, without exorbitant financial stresses added to the equation?
If you haven't got the savings and see finance as the only way to overcome that, could you look at buying a cheaper car and borrowing money from a close family member?
Could you temporarily seek alternative means of transport, until you do have the savings to buy a car outright?
In my experience, car finance can work out, but only in ideal circumstances, where your lifestyle or priorities don't suddenly change.
I couldn't have foreseen that I'd go from gainfully employed, to unemployed, and then self-employed. If I hadn't taken out car finance, my sudden life changes wouldn't have mattered so much.
I would have had more freedom to quit the crappy job that paid the bills and chase my self-employment goals.
PAYDAY LOANS
We all believe we have a valid reason for taking out a loan, be it for a new car or holiday.
In recent years there's been the more worrying rise in the use of payday loans specifically, which often come with unbelievable APR rates. People can end up repaying 3 times what they originally borrowed.
Traditional loans come from our culture of wanting something we can't afford, immediately, without much time or effort to acquire it.
Payday loans are very much routed in that desperation people feel toward the end of the month, nearing payday, when they have a bill to pay that they either didn't budget for or didn't expect.
A loan might give you something quickly, but the debt it leaves you will not be so quick to deal with. It will take time to clear and whilst you are clearing it you will be financially limited and restricted.
A payday loan will be a slippery slope, not merely because of the steep APR rates but also because you might end up not repaying it as soon as your salary comes in. It very much feels like a credit card, e.g., free money.
You might delay repaying it because when your salary does arrive, you will feel a lot richer than you normally do, but its not reality; the reality is that you can't escape the payday loan, because it's just that, only designed to get you to payday and then be returned.
Fundamentally both types of loan will add to the stress you experience on a monthly basis, especially around more expensive times of the year, or if your income is unpredictable.
BUY NOW, PAY LATER
There are deals these days that allow you to put off paying for something, creating this kind of illusionary purgatory, where you get to enjoy something without financial repercussions.
But quite often these deals involve a fair bit of interest and high charges if you miss a payment.
You could end up even forgetting about these financial commitments due to the delayed repayments and that could lead to unplanned short-falls.
There are sometimes fee's attached to making full repayments early.
It seems like a really great option, but you need to look at the fine print, the figures and the negatives.
Can you source the thing you need 2nd hand, cheaper, or even for free?
Is the item you want worth the long repayment commitment?
If you are looking for a household item, look online first to try and find affordable options that don't require this kind of financial commitment.
The common thread that runs through all these financial traps is our culture of wanting things that are beyond affordability, but are made so thanks to credit deals etc.
Once upon a time people lived within their means, and would save for months on end to buy luxury items.
One argument against this is that life is short and we should try to enjoy it, whatever way we wish to, right away. Then again a life built around instant gratification and material obsession is a never-ending (and stressful) endeavour.
Our society is built around creating new wants and desires constantly, so you won't just get into debt once, for that one special object or life goal; it will probably happen again and again as new things and options appear in front of you regularly.
You could end up spending most of your life owing money. Thus you'd spend most of your life committed to creating the income to serve those debtors, not to serve your personal dreams and goals.
Thanks for reading!
Hannah here, one half of NomaderHowFar. I love reading, the beach, proper English chips, and a good cup of tea. But I mostly like to chat about minimalism, simplifying your life, the beauty of travel and sometimes I get a bit deep. Get to know us here!
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Material Desire
I can probably count on 1 hand the amount of 'things' I have bought over the last 10 months on the road!
Material Desire
Since coming travelling me and Hannah have both had to live with less, mainly because of that fact that having less in your bag means its not so heavy on your back, but I had started living this way in a sense before we left home.
Back in the UK I had things, in fact my bedroom was filled with stuff I had collected over the years.. Most of it was sat in draws not doing anything, including a hell of a lot of old clothes!
Deciding to come travelling was kind of like a release from from it all, in the months before we left I managed to give away almost all of my clothes, saving only a few things in case I was to visit home at some point and need more layers :P We sold dvds, gave old games and toys to charity shops, handed on items to friends and family, by the end of it my room was completely bare!
Whilst we have been travelling I have maintained this lack of material desire, I can probably count on 1 hand the amount of 'things' I have bought over the last 10 months on the road! I have the exact same clothes that I packed 10 months ago, in fact I have less than what I packed as I have left things behind along the way in an effort to make my bag lighter..
We have been fortunate to have had paid jobs for 2 months of our travels so far and thus we both were able to use the money to buy something we both wanted, I bought a camera and Hannah bought a small net-book. Living this way really does allow us to have more time to travel and spend less time working for those travel funds :]
My small backpack has been through the wars out here but instead of buying a new one I fixed the straps to make sure it would last a lot longer, I also had a pair of shoes that were fighting a losing battle, I fixed them about 10 times with glue but in the end they were too far gone.. but leaving them behind certainly saved me some space and weight in my bag :D And who needs shoes in Australia anyway!
Not only does living this way save you money but it also makes you free from the clutches of your things.. I feel far less worried about where my stuff is because I have hardly anything!
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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Making Your Own Rules: Ditching the 9-to-5
...Are we feeding the corporations and depleting our souls in the process? In not seeking anything other than what is easily presented to us, are we really going to find true happiness? The time-old debate of 'Can money buy happiness'...
Making Your Own Rules: Ditching the 9-to-5
I recently had the pleasure of reading Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed (only the craziest activities on my Friday night's) written by David Cain of Raptitude.com.
It was a succinct, interesting and truthful look at the relationship between our '9-to-5' lives and consumerism, and the negative implications; it explains the way our work life pushes us toward mindless spending, that serves 'Big Business' thus building a lifestyle based on instant gratification and overindulgence.
Are we feeding the corporations and depleting our souls in the process? In not seeking anything other than what is easily presented to us, are we really going to find true happiness?
Throwback, to February 2009. I was 18, and taking a year out to travel.
At the Grand Canyon, loving life!
I was unsure about what my future job or career might be so I put off my studies for a year.
I was also having the time of my life, seeing this amazing place being a highlight of my US trip.
No worries or negative thoughts can dog your mind in such a breath-taking setting.
So much has changed since this photo; after my US trip and university studies I became a self-employed dog-walker/blogger, part-time girlfriend to an amazingly annoying lovely person, and just, a little bit more confident and less cynical.
I guess I have grown into my skin, and into my life. Yet some things never change, or at least haven't changed yet...
I remain unsure about where my skills are best-placed, and which career I would be most comfortable in, but this isn't something I am keen to fix, not right now.
I don't wish to define my life by a job-title, or by the achievements of a career, and that is a big reason why I became a nomad.
It isn't for the want of a long holiday, or for 'putting-off' the process of houses, weddings and babies, it's because it's what I want to do. Knowing what I want, and it NOT being based around a job/career, feels good; freeing, and not at all extreme, rebellious or lazy as I expect some would believe.
'Working 9-to-5, what a way to make a living' - the wise (and very rich) Dolly Parton.
So a glance at my resume would show I hold a BA Honours in Media; I loved the debate, the politics and the passion of my degree, but did I learn anything practical? Maybe at times, but it was broadly just a fun and interesting degree, not so much one for career preparedness.
My work history shows I spent six years as a supervisor in food retail; being an organised and efficient person, I enjoyed this role for a while, but I was also stressed and unfulfilled, and left this job when I finished my degree.
I also completed work experience in admin whilst at Uni, spending 1 day a week at a children's charity; I learnt that people seemed to spend a very small portion of their 8-hour day actually working, and most seemed quite disenchanted with the repetitiveness of their routine.
So before even the age of 21, the world of work and the 9-to-5 life made me feel miserable and uninspired, and I wasn't even in it properly yet.
Was this all I had to look forward to?
Well then came working as a customer advisor in a bank. Shit got bad. I HATED that job; my maths was terrible, my boss was a bitter and bored, and maybe had I not left after 4 months, I too would be a haggard angry woman by now.
In summary, I am evidently not work-shy or un-educated; I do value my independence, having a focused routine, and feeling purposeful.
But I still can't imagine doing only one job forever or flitting from one thing to the next.
Never have I wanted to enter into a comfortable job that saw me through, paid the bills, gave me some semblance of a 'nice' life, one actually based on material things and repeated mindless consumerism. If I am spending the majority of my life doing something that isn't fulfilling within itself, and is purely a route to material comfort, something I don't crave, then what's the point?
But the desire to reject this, not just avoid it, has grown in the last two years, massively so.
We all have so much crap.
In 2014, I developed this massive urge to cut-back and refine my surroundings. This coincided with me trying to refine my spending habits and save for my travels, so I was very much trying to untangle myself from my consumerist and cluttered past.
From deleting app's on my phone, to throwing away clothing or make-up, I looked at every place I could in my home to rid myself of material weight.
Is this just a phase? Or is it more a re-imagining of my life and my approach to consuming and therefore the pursuit money in general. None of the stuff in my cupboards or drawers will I take with me forever; on my travels or in death (that escalated). So why do I need it all now?
"We buy stuff to cheer ourselves up, to keep up with the Joneses, to fulfil our childhood vision of what our adulthood would be like, to broadcast our status to the world, and for a lot of other psychological reasons that have very little to do with how useful the product really is. How much stuff is in your basement or garage that you haven’t used in the past year?" - David Cain.
David points out why we accumulate reams of things that we either set aside and forget, or throw away in the end.
He goes on to say how having more money but less time means he's too tired or overworked for the hobbies he would of enjoyed before his new job; "I’ve only been back at work for a few days, but already I’m noticing that the more wholesome activities are quickly dropping out of my life: walking, exercising, reading, meditating, and extra writing".
By re-entering the 9-to-5 life, he is again positioned into a mould that is brilliant for Big Business, but not so much for him; a lifestyle that millions are existing in, where you are encouraged to fill your short amounts of free time with meaningless spending in pursuit of entertainment.
Your work life dictates your whole life, delineating what time you have to serve your own needs, and the less time you have, the easier you find yourself spending excessively; as David points out, more money, less time, and so happiness is sought in the form of random spending, or 'treating' yourself.
Big business wins, and I win what exactly?
The debate I am having here might be not be a new one, nor a revelation, but it is something worth thinking about and so I repeat... Do we feed the corporations and end up depleting our souls in the process? And add, are we all losing, whilst big business is winning; do we realize, and if we do, do we even care?
I would say that many people are savvy, and willing to partake in the whole system; whether you can relate to it or not, many people are happy with their lot. They have grown up in this system and whilst they have the intelligence to question it, they are willing to stay with it.
Comfort, financial security and routine are not bad things to strive for.
I would NEVER, repeat NEVER, tell anyone how to live their lives.
I am not telling you that the solution is to reject everything and as David Cain puts it, '...shun the whole ugly system and go live in the woods...'.
There is essentially nothing truly horrific about the 9-to-5 way of life and people suffering the poverty of unemployment would give anything to be in that situation.
BUT, I will for the sake of this post, and out of my genuine respect for hard-working people, conclude with the following instead:
It is all about personal choice and not criticising each others life passion's. You are entitled to work as hard, or as little as you wish. If you want millions that's great. If you want to accept a low income in exchange for small pleasures, that too is fine, and not a bad way to spend your days, as long as you are living consciously, kindly and feel fulfilled.
Life is short and it is yours to shape. The key word being 'yours'; not the Corporation or those in power. But then again I respect your ability to choose that life also.
So; in not seeking anything other than what is easily presented to us, are we really going to find true happiness? YES, with a few small changes we can.
For me, travelling, not being defined by a job or the need to pay for a mortgage, is what makes me happy right now. One day I may settle down and resume a more regular lifestyle when it makes sense for my own personal and emotional needs.
By simply questioning our lives and our place within society, we can better understand our desires and needs, which ultimately will bring us closer to that thing Pharrell Williams sings about. Unless you are already singing with him, if so, cool.
Back to the 9-to-5 thing, I am not telling people to follow me and Taran, and adopt a nomadic lifestyle, forgoing most material comforts, but at least, respect and understand us and others who choose to.
Recognise we are neither 'hippies' nor lazy or undecided about our lives; we just choose to opt out of the system we were born and raised into.
We ditched our jobs and lives in England, and now explore the world, and then bring it to your computer screen or Facebook feed. We will deliver the world to your door, but not to merely entertain, but maybe inspire you, to one day open it, step outside, and say goodbye to the 9-to-5... at least for a little while.
Note: These Are Hannah's own personal thoughts on this topic but she quotes content from this Excellent Post By David Cain in order to argue her points.
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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![Enjoying Without Destroying [Experiencing Fraser Island]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1456456746208-TORMKHDLXKS8FATHO0QU/image-asset.jpeg)
Enjoying Without Destroying [Experiencing Fraser Island]
Unfortunately, some visitors to the island treat it like they might treat a theme park..
Enjoying Without Destroying - Experiencing Fraser Island
We recently arrived back onto mainland Australia having spent 2 months living on Fraser Island. We feel so privileged to have lived there, the sound of the waves hitting the beach, our daily soundtrack, and a swathe of shining dots, the sky we slept beneath.
We saw snakes, dingo's, cicada beetles and goanna's regularly; we shared our camp ground with an array of wildlife, all of which we had to get used to.
Most backpackers get a brief (often hungover) glimpse of the island via the super popular 4x4 tag-along tours. Many love it not just for the drunken antics but for the obvious beauty of champagne pools, Eli Creek, and Lake Mackenzie. Other tourists also love careering along the beaches, which are very much a highway in the busy season, setting up camps alongside the shoreline.
But unfortunately, some visitors to the island treat it like they might treat a theme park; everything there to entertain them when in reality it is place of spiritual and cultural heritage, not a playground. It's as if the natural wondrous beauty of the place comes second to the loud drunken sometimes damaging fun they all try to have whilst there. What is it about being on a remote deserted tropical island that makes anyone want to sink a carton of drink and then throw the beer cans into a bush?
The incredibly long '75 mile beach'
Backpacker tours only really cause issues due to the high volume of people coming onto the island, every day. Groups of excited young people, all making friends and skulling a few stubbies, they are frequently told how to behave on the island, by the tour guides, many whom adore the island and treat with the respect it deserves. I'm not saying its as simple as a bit of littering or some drunken noise, but its how the tourists somewhat tarnish Fraser. However it is essential to the protection of places such as Fraser, that people are able to visit and see them, and that in turn, there are rangers patrolling and watching out for the island and its animal inhabitants. It just seems that some visitors could treat the island with more care, and not ruin it for those who want to witness its beauty.
There have been a few incidents over the years due to idiotic drunkenness, such as some backpackers who were found swinging a snake around. Not only dangerous and beyond stupid, but also, very cruel. Fraser is the home of these snakes and dingo's, they were here first; it is their one and only home, not a zoo.
The resident Python we named Pippy!
The dingo's across the island are all tagged and if you approach a dingo and don't follow the guidelines on how to keep these wild animals, wild, then they will attack people, and are almost always tracked down and destroyed as a result. Don't leave food within their reach, don't allow your children to approach them, in fact, don't approach them at all. If they want to come over to see you, maintain a strong stance, keep eye contact, and don't show too much interest (or conversely, fear).
Dingo's might appear cute or like any old dog that you might approach in the street, but they have killer instinct. If you get bit by a snake or attacked by a dingo, chances are, you did something bad to begin with. Or maybe you were just unlucky. Either way, your actions in the island environment have a big impact on the safety of both you and the animals.
So basically, the easiest way to not be a douchey tourist, is to observe and appreciate the nature that places like Fraser posses, but don't interfere; don't bring selfish or brash human thinking into the animal kingdom.
I guess its a statement you can apply to so many places across the planet, that in visiting them we bring with us the things which eventually ruin the beauty we came to marvel at in the first place. It doesn't have to be that way. We just need to bring some sense, respect and thought along with us, to keep the beauty alive, not be part of its destruction.
Thanks for reading!
Hannah and Taran here. We hail from Southern England, where we met online and are now realizing our mutual passion for travel here at NomaderHowFar. We discuss Nomadic Living, Simplifying your Life and Long-term Travel, to empower, motivate and inspire our readers. Get to know us here!
Want more?
![Going Home [Why we went]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1455802779128-U2NP87LEJ06KWTQR15MR/IMAG5425%281%29.jpg)
Going Home [Why we went]
I needed to be with my lovely family, as did Taran. as much for them as for us.
Going Home - Why we went
Okay so we have come home, but only for 2 weeks...
We had decided months ago that a visit home in-between our two years in Australia would be a nice break. We kept fairly quiet across social media around late January, just to contain our excitement at coming home, because we had planned to surprise everyone. And we did, and got it all on film....It was super emotional and we loved every startled expression we got.
One part of the social media silence was due to my homesickness. I didn't want to prattle on to everybody about the moments, sometimes days, where I felt like I wanted to close my eyes and wake up at home in my own bed. It wasn't one thing, or person, making me feel this way, it was a culmination. From living in an isolated place for months, to the stress of working over the Christmas holidays, I knew a while ago, that I simply had to go home.
I needed to be with my lovely family, as did Taran. as much for them as for us. They suffer with the distance much more than we do. They are the ones living their lives as normal, wondering when the next skype call will be, unable to get in contact with us because of the nature our travelling life. It is hard for them, and in turn, it became an emotional wrench for us.
But there was another justification for flying several thousand km's home.
I wanted to remind myself why I left. I'd had some days where I truly questioned what I was doing in Australia. Nothing was appealing to me, I had lost a sense of intrigue and excitement. But going home for good would not solve that. I was bored in England too, uninspired and unchallenged. I didn't have a passion, and apart from beginning this blog in 2014, I was pretty much idling along, not living at my full potential. I was argumentative and unappreciative of those around me, for I couldn't see much to plan for or look forward to. And that isn't because that's what life is like at home.
My family and friends live purposeful, fulfilling and happy lives, right here in England, come rain or shine. But I had always felt like something was missing in my life and I had no idea what. I was in a comfort-zone and yet uncomfortable at the same time. I really did need to just leave. I had to experience life that is happening far across the other side of the planet, to get perspective on my own.
Travel was the right thing to do, leaving home was incredibly beneficial to Taran and I, and we have only really scratched the surface of what we want to do, and see. But coming home was also the right thing to do.
Our families can rest easy having seen us, checked us over for visible wounds, taking us in and just being with us. Yes its cool to tell all our stories but it's more about embracing the easy and cosy mundanity of it all, like an easy afternoon chat over a cup of tea talking about jack-shit with my mum. Those moments were the ones I missed the most in Australia. I realized the day-to-day sharing of your lives with the people you care about the most was actually a beautiful thing to cherish and love.
The beauty of appreciating the health and happiness of your loved ones, by just being in their company.
I do want to make some changes when we get back to Australia however.
- I want to make sure I Skype more, even if its hard to find a decent and cheap WiFi connection, its important and its worth it.
- I want to embrace the adventure but not get so wrapped up within it that I forget the people missing us at home.
We will make the most of each opportunity thrown our way, because we have made sacrifices and being home has reiterated that.
HEY!
Hannah here, one half of NomaderHowFar. I love reading, the beach, proper fish and chips, and a good cup of tea. But I mostly like to chat about minimalism, simplifying your life, the beauty of travel and sometimes I get a bit deep.
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Fraser Island - 13 Must See/Do's
Planning on visiting Fraser Island? Here's all the info you need plus some insider tips on secret spots to explore!
Fraser Island - 13 Must See/Do's ☠
Our home and place of work for 2 months, we managed to explore in great detail the surrounding area. We didn't have a 4x4 during this time, but we managed to hitch-hike up and down the beach and hop on a few tours when they had spare seats. We loved spending our free time watching the wildlife around us and keeping an eye out for all the deadly creatures too :P
If you plan on visiting Fraser Island, this page will give you all the info you need plus some insider tips on secret spots to explore!
Visit the SS Maheno, a shipwreck about half way up the famous 75 mile on Fraser's east coast. It was washed ashore in 1935 by a cyclone, and has been slowly rusting away with the relentless forces from the south pacific ocean, be sure to check it out before its gone!
Go bird watching, the camp sites are frequently visited by many kookaburra's, most of them eyeing up the tour groups lunch's.. There are many different bird species on the island and a few eagles to spot if your lucky!
Go sand-boarding ✌ the island is full of sand blows, and some of them contain some insanely high dunes! Just remember to take some water with you or you'll end up like some of the dry sun bleached bones that scatter the empty dunes.
Look up. We ended lots of our nights down on the beach in the dark looking at the stars, here's a glimpse of what the sky looked like.. Of course you can never capture the true beauty of the night sky, it has to been seen with your own eyes! I can only imagine how amazing it would be during the time of year when the Milky Way is visible...
Spot the Fraser Island Dingo! Interesting fact - Its genetically unique because of its isolation from the mainland. But the sad fact is that increased tourism is also increasing the death rate for these endangered dogs, if you do see one, try your hardest to keep your distance and not to feed them.
Go surfing! Despite what they say, you can actually swim in the waters, just be sure not to go out too far... Yes there are sharks commonly spotted in these waters but they have no reason to come into the rough shallows and for that same reason the jellyfish are usually not on the east side of the island either. Just keep your wits about you, and have fun!
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Take a scenic flight! Air Fraser run a daily service that picks people up along the beach and gives them a 15 min flight over the island for around $80, if you've never been on a plane this small before then its worth it just for that!
Relax at Lake Mckenzie, arguable Fraser Islands best lake, and for good reason! The waters are crystal clear and the sand is silica white.
Get a wild fish pedicure at lake Wabby! This lake is only accessible via a 20/30 minute walk, but once you get out onto the sand dunes where the lake is located the views will blow you away! The dark emerald green lake is home to some quite big catfish and loads of little fish that will come over and eat up your dead skin if you sit still.
Spot some monitor lizards! Or as Australians call them, 'goannas'. These guys live all around the camp sites, you can easily spot 3/4 a day!! For people not used to them they are fascinating, but to the locals they are pests.
Explore the beautiful west coast of Fraser, there are no waves and no endless stream of vans driving on the beach.. It's about an hour drive through rough terrain and soft sand to get across the the other side, but if you manage it, its really worth the drive!
Spot a python! If your camping on the island you might be lucky enough to spot one, this dude was sat on a picnic bench for days just chilling.
Drive the 75 mile beach, the extremely popular drive up and down the which is often refered to as a highway because of the number of cars driving on it gives people a chance to stop at some amazing spots and also test their off-roading skills on the sand!
Read more about our time on Fraser or check out some more awesome photography!
Getting to Fraser Island
From Hervey Bay:
- You can hop on the the Kingfisher Bay ferry, return tickets cost $58 on foot or $175 for a vehicle. Try hitching a ride at the ferry terminal in a car with spare seats, or gather a group of friends and a car to lower the cost of the ticket.
- Feeling luxurious? Check out Air Fraser, a small family run air charter service that will take you on a breath-taking flight over the island and land you on the beach! Prices start at $150.
From Rainbow Beach:
- Gather some friends, hire a 4x4 from one of the many local hire companies and hop on the Manta Ray Barge which leaves from Inskip point every 30 minutes from 6am till 5.15pm. Return tickets are $120 for a car and this based on the car, not the amount of people inside it!
- Hitch-hike your way onto the island, this is a great way to see the island and pay nothing! Just be sure to grab a dingo stick while your exploring the island (just incase).
- Hop on one of the many tour groups that explore the many highlights of the island over 2/3 days! Depending on what your style is there are different tours for everyone, Pippies and RBAC host crazy drunken nights (just remember to respect the island) and company's like Drop Bear and Cool Dingo have a more relaxed vibe.
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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Why You Should Give A Shit About Minimalism
Up to now much of my writing on minimalism has been subtle and instructional, but I am about to get a bit more deep and personal...
Why You Should Give A Shit About Minimalism
Today I happened upon this video on YouTube,'The trap of materialism'
Its message comes from an ethical standpoint surrounding why materialism is bad on so many levels; bad for all of us and this planet. From the history of capitalism, and its seemingly unstoppable power, to the hippy retaliation of the 1960's, right to the 9/11 terrorist attack.
It is a scary commentary on the world we live-in but it does offer positive solutions that we can all be part of.
Up to now much of my writing on minimalism has been subtle and instructional, but I am about to get a bit more deep and personal...
We write about our travels here on nomaderhowfar.com, because our lives are about travel right now, but we could not have gotten here, without first changing our mindset away from spending our money. To list the most basic benefits of minimalism, available to everyone, I would say that minimalism saves you money, time, stress and gives you back control over your own fulfilment and happiness. Money takes on new meaning because it isn't for satisfying impulse spending urges but its for saving up to reach some bigger goal. It serves a more healthy purpose, and you are no longer giving your valuable time away in the pursuit of a consumerist buzz. Nor are you contributing to the acres of landfill taking over our planet.
Minimalism has seen a rise in popularity among many people in recent years, with numerous books, blog posts and video series based on how to live a simpler life. Alongside this has been the continued promotion of materialism to the younger generation within the blogging and YouTube sphere, through a new type of celebrity, the 'vlogger' and blogger, who share not just their everyday life, but most prominently, what's in their shopping bags. The minimalist counter-movement really resonates with Taran and I. We have both suffered the same disillusionment with the status quo, a dissatisfaction with being ensnared in the materialism trap. 3 years ago, I worked in a job I hated and my only reward seemed to be shopping; I was really quite unhappy with life, but buying things seemed like the only pass-time that might make me feel better.
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And when on occasion I couldn't buy the things which made me feel that i was fitting in, I felt isolated.
But I didn't realize the linkage between the way things are within modern society, and the way I felt.
I simply put my feelings down to hating my job and feeling a bit alone. This was a time where my life was just not that exciting, put simply. I was working all hours in a terrible job, earning crap money, which I then spent on, well, crap. What do I and many of my peers have to thank for this status quo and the resultant negative impact on our mental health, well, that would be capitalism...
I won't paraphrase the entire film. watch it here.
The general gist of the documentary relates to how capitalism developed into something all-encompassing and endlessly powerful; and now has damaging implications for the future of this very planet. Big business has honed its ability to cultivate a culture of desire and envy, via the rise of advertising agency's and their use of our own human psychology against us, in order to get our money.
Some part in both Taran and I, has always struggled with society and its expectations. I might not have been able to label why but I knew on some level that my life would not be as fulfilling and authentically happy if I didn't step out of the 9-to-5 consumerist ring. Taran, since I've known him, has never been materialistic in any way. He has probably not bought a single item of clothing, even when he might have needed to. He really just does not care about fashion or buying new shiny things. He is so in-tune with just embracing what he has, making the best of his things and loving them in a way that the materialistic world doesn't want to you love your things. It wants you to consume more, all the time, and it does not care what the social, environmental and emotional impact is.
And that is why you should give a shit about minimalism. Because minimalism gives a shit about you in a way that materialism intrinsically cannot and never will.
You aren't a kid in school any-more, where being a fashion-conscious consumer was ingrained further into your psyche through bullying and peer pressure. You have the emotional maturity to change things, not worrying about what others think of your 'hippy' ways. You can dismiss the idea of the jones's and the competitiveness of trying to keep up with them. In minimalist thinking, your home is a sanctuary, not a closet, and your hobbies should bring you peace and deep happiness, not superficial short-lived buzzes.
Your whole life course is altered when you embrace minimalism.
If you have less need for stuff, you have less need for the money to buy it. And if you are someone who despises your career or wants to leave behind the 9-to-5, adopting minimalism can help. Some of us are always wondering what our actual passion is, what we should be doing instead of what we are, and we basically stumble on in a sense of constant disenchantment....well I certainly did and I know many people in the same position. And I also know how much minimalist thinking can help. It is so much more than de-cluttering your house or putting a spending ban on yourself. It is a retraining of your thought processes.
For many years you might have become addicted to the short-lived buzz that shopping gives you and so in a way, you are trying to cure an addiction. You are taking on a challenge that sees you give a big middle-finger to much of the rest of society who will frown at you and misunderstand your approach, in a way that might alienate you. But they soon might follow. People simply need to see that there is another way to be happy, and it is sometimes the only way to find it on a deeper level, separated from the stress of money.
Minimalism is not a religion, nor a rigid set of judgemental rules. There is no minimalist heaven, there is just the present, one that you can change, and a future that you can guide.
#minimalism is the key to reversing the damage of #materialism. https://t.co/Niohj7MTBo pic.twitter.com/wdYORxW84p
— Taran & Hannah (@Nomaderhowfar) February 20, 2016
By the way,before you leave, the original popular series, The Minimalist Life Cleanse has been re-purposed and expanded on, and now comes in the book below, 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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5 Essential Steps to Travel
So many days have gone by that have been actually, pretty life-changing. From being super relaxed in the tranquil heaven of Whitehaven Beach to having an adrenaline overdose jumping out of a plane recently, its been exciting and challenging.
5 Essential Steps to Travel
When I think about how much really fulfilling living I have done in the past 1.5 years of travelling, its overwhelming.
So many days have gone by that have been actually pretty life-changing. From being super relaxed in the tranquil heaven of Whitehaven Beach to having an adrenaline overdose jumping out of a plane recently, its been exciting and challenging.
That's not to say its been months of constant awesomeness.
There's been some real moments of difficulty. We have had to deal with a horrible boss in a stressful job, and there was 3 months where we worked outdoors on a farm, and that was definitely a major leaning curve.
Either way, I wouldn't swap a moment of it for having been at home, where the days always passed too quickly and too routinely in a way that left us both lacking vitality and passion for life.
Travel has reignited something within us both, and we want people to have the chance to experience the same.
Here are 5 essential steps on how to bring the magic of travel into your life:
Fix Your Finances
Before you embark on an adventure, be it 6 months or be it forever, you want to have your finances neatly tied up.
I don't mean writing a will, I mean paying off all your debts. In the year before Taran and I left England, I cleared around 1500 pounds in credit card debts. I did this through sheer determination. I made it so that my income was directed at my debts straight away, throwing as much as I could at them each week.
Unexpected income meant unexpected extra debt clearing!
I used the snowball method whereby I cleared the smaller debts first, which spurred me on. It helped that I was living at home, and was thus able to keep expenses low.
If you really want to get out of debt, then you do need to consider cutting back wherever possible. Sometimes it means 2-3 months of absolute suffering and then maybe 2-3 months of mild discomfort, but it is worth it for the sense of freedom and relief when you can finally say that you no longer owe any companies any money.
Building A Savings Account
Once you have paid your debts, this is when you can focus all your energy on building a healthy savings account to allow you to begin your travels.
Taran and I set up premium bonds, which meant our savings were kept entirely separate from our bank accounts. It also meant we got entries to the draw that means you can win anything from 25 to 25000 pounds.
It goes without saying that of course you need money to go travelling but you don't need as much as you might think.
We took around $10000 dollars between us, which when broken down was about 7000 from me and 4000 from Taran. That 7000 when back into pounds is around 3500. It really isn't an unreasonable figure to save. And the reason I say this is because I was running my own business, earning between 700-1300 a month (and one month only 400). My job was very changeable and so my income was unstable. And yet I was able to clear my debts and save up a good portion of that money within around 6 months.
I could have saved more, had I taken on new clients or got an extra job, or even just spent less. Where there's income, there's a way. It certainly is possible to save up a decent fund for any trip length, if you are willing to adjust your spending habits and make small sacrifices.
De-cluttering Your Home
My favourite part of the run-up to travelling was getting rid of my possessions and organizing my bedroom.
This was a really logical step for me, in getting prepared for my future, one that would be far more minimalist and frugal. I loved rifling through old photos and mementos, and found it super satisfying ridding myself of clothes and random things that I never used. I even did a car boot sale which gave me a little bit of pocket money, but was mostly just a fun way to give my stuff a new home.
I found that this step was integral to helping me see why I was making this big life change; why I was throwing hundred of pounds at debts I had previously avoided and why I was going without things in favour of saving.
I was steering my mind away from a path previously marked by materialism and a focus on acquiring things that I believed would make me happier. Thus this step was therapeutic and calming. I couldn't wait to actually pack my bag and walk away from the lifestyle of excess that had entrapped me in the past.
Making Peace With People
So this is a rather unconventional step not revolving around money. In the lead-up to our travels I made a conscious effort to leave my friends and family on solidly good terms.
I wanted to mend rifts and reconnect with those who mattered most to me. I wanted to feel like I was leaving behind people and relationships that were healthy. I wanted to go out into the world feeling that I could be free but also have people that I could talk to and share this life-phase with.
I was conscious of people understanding that I wasn't abandoning them or unable to relate to their life choices any more, I was simply following my heart.
Your life can't always revolve around the routines of family and friendships because if you, at the centre of it, are not content with your lifestyle, then you are foregoing the chance the fix that by staying with them.
Travel doesn't have to be permanent and home will always exist, but instead of a weighty anchor it can be a place you think of fondly and return to when you have experienced what you need to in order to feel fulfilled.
Plan Where To Go
You don't need a 5 year travel plan, but maybe a 6 month one is a good place to start.
Deciding on the first destination is important for many reasons, not simply for getting excited about all that there is to see.
You do need to plan for medical and insurance, as well as maybe topping up your vaccinations. I had to organize for some mandatory medical tests that I get for free on the NHS in England, so I made sure I was in tip-top condition before we left.
We knew that we wanted to see all of Australia, and so we found out what was the best way to get the maximum time out there. It worked out that us being aged 25, we were able to do a working visa which gave us 1 year, and if we did specified work, we could get a 2nd year. So we planned for maybe 2 years in Australia, and that is what we told all our families and friends much to their initial horror.
We worked out where was cheapest to fly into and when was cheapest to fly via kayak (and nowadays we'd use google-flights). We got a vague idea of hostel prices and food, to predict how far our savings might stretch. But in reality you can't be sure how well you will go financially until you are there. If your a hotel kind of person, checking rates is an essential part of travel planning, HotelsCombined provides awesome accommodation deals to help manage your travel finances.
Australia has obvious appeal but also the ability to work as we travelled, and in short-term positions, was a key part of why began there.
The most important thing is to figure out what you want out of the places you plan to visit, and launch from there when deciding where to visit and for how long.
Travelling isn't ever a perfect journey of endless smiles, although there are many days where I have felt so deeply happy I just wish I could bottle the feeling and sell it. Instead I just come here and blog about it.
Thanks for reading!
Hannah here, one half of NomaderHowFar. I love reading, the beach, proper fish and chips, and a good cup of tea. But I mostly like to chat about minimalism, simplifying your life, the beauty of travel and sometimes I get a bit deep. Get to know us here!
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10 Annoying Things About Australia: An English Person's Guide.
Australia has become home for the past year, and as much as we love it, it certainly isn't perfect...
10 Annoying Things About Australia: An English Person's Guide
So Australia is super pretty, breathtaking in places, and perfect for a first-time traveller. But with that good comes the annoying, and it can take some adjusting to when you're English...
There are numerous cultural similarities and on the East Coast you will come across many of your fellow Europeans, but still, Australia has its funny little ways and a bold specific personality of it's own.
During your time here prepare to pick up new phrases that will sound super odd if you utter them back in gloomy old blighty, and you will soon learn to live without TV because, well, it's really really poor!
10 Annoying (but totally bearable) Things About Australia:
1. Supermarkets close super early and don't sell alcohol. 5pm on a Saturday? There's simply no accounting for the desire that might strike me at 5.05pm whereby I require 1 fruity cider and a vat of ice cream. Distressing.
2. There's many big cars. Mildly intimidating as a foreigner driving around in rental cars, Aussie's love their pick-up trucks, and they love getting up your bottom on the highway.
That time we drove our own trucks around!
3. Hostels rarely succeed in having the backpacker trifecta; decent (hopefully free or cheap) wifi, air-con and a kitchen that actually has utensils in it. Hiring a saucepan for $10? Takeaway it is then.
4. Going back to that need for decent internet, WIFI in Australia is incredibly overpriced, especially for travelers trying to save a buck staying at camp-sites. Sort it out Australian internet bosses, or at least tell someone to hurry up on inventing those wifi tree's.
5. You are no longer English here, you are now a Pom/Pommy/Pommy bastard. Forget about even telling them your given name. And if you take a dislike to your new nickname, prepare for them to add 'Whinging', to that Pom.
6. Australian TV is basically American TV. Adverts every 5-6 minutes, programmes that take basic concepts to their extremist of lengths, and just a bizarre slew of programming, you better hope you don't run out of movies on your hard-drive on those quiet or rainy days.
7. The fish and chips vastly suck. How many times I have longed for fat soggy chips laden in salt and vinegar, delivered in a hot soggy bag, and I've been given dried out skinny fries in a box. Endless disappointment.
8. The Australian weather is incredibly overzealous. 25 degree's at 7am? Cheers sun.Then again, waking up to sunshine is pretty nice...
9. People talk funny and are mildly confusing. Be prepared to be told you are "too easy" but don't be offended, it just means "that's great". Or is it "not a problem", I can't be too sure.. and then there's the shortening of every word in the world, which usually results in the addition of syllables plus a 'y' at the end of each word.
10. The sea has this way of being so warm, like a bath, that it's almost not refreshing you know?
AH, WHO AM I KIDDING, Australia is actually pretty bloody brilliant!
10 Awesome Things About Australia:
1. The people are friendly, chatty and outwardly positive. Maybe its all the sun and warm weather they get because they are far more chilled and easy-going than people back home.
2. Waking up to blue skies is the norm, and when you do get storms, they are usually quite spectacular and often short-lived.
3. Life is lived outdoors all year long, whether its taking in the beach views, or catching the waves when the swell picks up. The lack of TV or other entertainment as a traveller on a budget is more than made up for by the numerous fun outdoor activities on offer, from adrenaline exploits to a relaxed stand-up paddle-boarding stint.
4. People have more space and room to move and breathe, unlike the more over populated areas we both come from, crammed side-by-side in little old England.
5. Healthy (and tasty) food options are abundantly available, with food market culture alive and thriving.
6. Its often easy to move place to place, with some public transport working out incredibly cheap; we travelled 2 hours out of Sydney to the Blue Mountains for $3 each at the time.
7. Its a traveller/tourist paradise, fusing modern attractions and numerous tour options, with its natural wonders and national parks.
8. It has a rich indigenous culture and sparsely untouched beauty lies intact, making it a land of diverse geography and history.
9. The contrasting wild-life on offer combines cute with deadly,from roo's, possums and Koala's, to snakes, spiders and croc's.
10. Its such a perfect place to begin your travels, as you are able to ease yourself into experiencing different cultures by first being amongst one, very much like your own, but with an entirely different landscape and lifestyle on offer.
What do you love (or hate) about Australia?
Thanks for reading!
Hannah and Taran here. We hail from Southern England, where we met online and are now realizing our mutual passion for travel here at NomaderHowFar. We discuss Nomadic Living, Simplifying your Life and Long-term Travel, to empower, motivate and inspire our readers. Get to know us here!
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The Minimalist Life Cleanse: Revisiting your journey to a simpler life.
The minimalist life cleanse series was a guide to introducing a simpler way of living. At wherever you are on your journey, lets revisit the purpose of the series...
The Minimalist Life Cleanse: Revisiting your journey to a simpler life
Many months ago I shared my interest in minimalism, via a series of 3 posts, giving advice on how to simplify different aspects of your life to achieve a more minimalist life.
What Does Minimalist Mean?
The term has been associated with interior design, and the idea of having simple furnishings, only a few decorative details and a paired-back palette of colour. It was style that was focused on achieving peace, simplicity and functionality within the home.
These days, the word has become synonymous with a movement and a lifestyle choice, not simply a style of decoration.
Legions of people are retraining their thought patterns, steering themselves away from their consumerist nature, and just generally learning to live with less possessions. Some people go as far to apply minimalism to all areas of their life, simplifying everything from their social circle to their career choice.
The minimalism life cleanse focuses on this idea somewhat because you can't really achieve long-lasting minimalism in just one area of your life without giving attention to the others.
The series was launched a fair few months ago so I thought it might be time to encourage anyone who followed it back then, or has only recently found it, to revisit the core message of the series.
So lets take stock of where you're at on your minimalist journey and revisit the steps from Stage 1, 2 and 3.
The Home
How tidy is your personal space? Does it feel a joy to be in?
Consider your wardrobe. How many items of the clothing have you worn more than once in the last 6 months? How many items in there have you not even touched in that time?
When did you last empty out your pantry or fridge? How many items do you have stockpiled which keep getting pushed to the back of the cupboards and never used?
How many shampoo's and conditioners have you amassed, all with just a little bit left at the bottom? When did you last look in your bathroom storage and consider reducing you cosmetic products down to just your absolute favourites?
If you previously discarded a lot of your possessions, consider if your spaces remain cleansed, useful and organized. Have certain corners or surfaces begun acquiring new clutter, or are you still yet to remove all the things you originally intended to?
Are you tidying up more regularly, and if so, is that a sign that you still have a lot of clutter to discard?
Spend an hour moving through your home, and note any areas which need harsher de-cluttering; sort through the belongings slowly, discarding a few items a day in the very least.
Your home can collect clutter amid a busy life, but taking a morning or an afternoon to re-assess your space really can lead to much less stress in the long-run. An ordered space which works well for your needs will not require as much maintenance so will free up some time and energy for other things!
Read about how de-cluttering your home can benefit your mind here!
The Wallet
It's all too easy to see the process of simplifying your life as an opportunity to acquire more, maybe to replace old and thrown away items.
However it somewhat defeats the purpose to replace the things you have successfully gotten rid of and are able to live without. You should only be replacing things when the absolute need arises.
When did you last create a budget, or list your spending? Do you know off the top of your head how much money is in your current account and savings? How far along are you on debt repayments, and are you throwing as much as you can each month, not just making the minimum payment?
Consider the last five items you purchased (bar food). Where are they now, did they serve a purpose, and will they continue to be useful in the future? Are your daily spending decisions focused on instant gratification or delayed?
Are you making bill payments on time, and are you stretching your budget (if you've even made one) to last between pay-day's? Do you dig into your savings to make up unexpected short-falls or to pay for random indulgences?
Do you feel as if you are getting what you want out of your life with the funds you have, or are you still making frivolous spending decisions that leave you wanting?
The way you view money and the ease with which you part with it will determine so much of the clutter in your life. Financial over-stretching, a home rife with objects and the worry of having little financial security, this can all be simplified and eased with more mindful spending decisions.
Read more about overhauling your spending here!
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The Mailbox
- It might be time to hit that unsubscribe button again, because somewhere along the way you may have given out your email address and are now receiving more useless emails destined never to be read.
- Stop ignoring all those unread emails; implement the 'read, delete, reply or move' rule, which is quite simply going to keep your inbox nice and clean. I created folders corresponding to different topics and I move non-urgent or follow-up emails to those folders, or I delete the email.
- Back-up the thousands of photos on your phone to clear the decks and free up some storage space on your devices. The anxiety attached with losing our phones is only heightened when we allow them to hold our precious memories in an intangible and vulnerable form.
Review your social media and consider if you are really getting that much out of following so many people on twitter or seeing every post into that face-bay group on Facebook. Streamline your feed and reduce the amount of different subjects and people vying for your precious time and attention.
Did you stick to the idea of only having the most useful apps on your devices, or have you been pulled in by appealing looking ones which now sit idle and forgotten? Delete any apps you haven't used for a month and move your most used into organized folders.
The nature of our electronic habits can lead to divided attention, split across numerous distractions. If we can reduce the number of outlets vying for our attention across our social media and devices, then we can get back some focus and true relaxation.
Read more on simplifying your online world here!
The minimalist life cleanse isn't really a one-off act; it is a conscious effort and a way of approaching all areas of your life, that just like an exercise regime or a diet, can fall by the wayside.
Its important not to beat yourself up if you feel that maybe the initial thrill of simplifying has died off, and you are going back to old habits.
But it's also important to remember the enthusiasm you felt when you first followed the steps from stage 1, 2 and 3, when you tackled the many facets of your life which weren't bringing anything good to the table.
You can definitely get back to that mindset, one where your life is not paired down or dull, but enriched with quality objects, interests and interactions.
You can create a home and a daily routine that can be purposeful and peaceful at the same time, building a solid foundation for reaching your goals in the rest of your life.
Next to read: Life After De-Cluttering: Finding Fullfillment In Simplicity.
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:
After more Minimalism Inspiration?
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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Waking Up With Kangaroos!
Rousing ourselves sleepily at 5am, we crawled out the tent, and took the short hop over a fence and..
Waking Up With Kangaroos!
Australian sunrises and sunsets, have a particular serene beauty about them, something peaceful, warm and calm. Australia also has a shit-ton of kangaroos hopping around. When you combine the two, its pretty spectacular.
We stopped at Cape Hillsborough (an hour south from Airlie beach) to see the scene for ourselves; wallabies and roo's gather on the beach at sunrise, get their morning munch on, and just generally pose for the cameras.
Rousing ourselves sleepily at 5am, we crawled out the tent, and took the short hop over a fence down to the beach. A small crowd of equally sleepy people had gathered, like some kind of zombie hord, all stood around staring. Then a man walked down the beach headed straight for the shoreline, and the roo's and wallabies came to life, hopping a great speed towards the man. Turns out he was dropping out some feed for them. Ah, so that's why they all hang out at this beach for breaky!
It was so funny to watch the roo's and wallabies interacting, the roo's often shoving the little wallabies out the way, claiming their food pile. The wallabies didn't dare fight back with their bigger cousins, who's claws can gut a man at record speed.
Gathering with our camera's, a couple of the roo's finished eating and started to inspect the captive audience. One hopped straight over to a young boy who was sat staring at his ipad on a towel (no idea why) much to the kid's shock. It was such a classic moment, seeing this roo demand the attention of the only person not snapping photo's.
This particular roo is the star of the tourist guide for the local region, so its no wonder he felt worthy of all the eyes and lenses.
Quietly sitting, not at all nervous, the roo allowed everyone to observe it. Breaking away from the crowd, they moved to the edge of the beach, where only a few determined photographers remained and had some one-on-one sessions.
Taran got some great photo's, as did I; the sunrise provides a stunning backdrop for a kangaroo silhouette!
If your interested in reading more about Australian wildlife, check out this extensive post by our pals Travelling Weasels: How to Find Australian Animals (and how to avoid the nasty ones)
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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![I Believe We Can Fly [I believe we just touched the sky]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1453896991499-W0TQ4403CXK2O6NGHVED/image-asset.jpeg)
I Believe We Can Fly [I believe we just touched the sky]
"he finally woke up, rising to his feet, clearly utterly oblivious to what had just happened."
I Believe We Can Fly - I Believe We Just Touched The Sky
At home in the U.K., Taran took me indoor skydiving and paragliding, whereas I made him do something he never wanted to do, and that was a bungee jump.
So naturally we had to take the thrills up a notch in Australia, with Taran adamant that a real outdoor skydive was going to happen, despite my flat-out refusal.
It wasn't so much the heights, or flying, that was off-putting to me, just the part when you manoeuvrer yourself to the edge of an open door, thousands of feet off the ground, which seemed beyond extreme....
Well, it took ten months but he finally got it booked and paid for, and there was no going back. I had agreed to do this and only 2 days before the event.
We used the Australian website, book me, to locate the best deal, but we knew we wanted to jump near or over Fraser Island. Working there for 2 months, we naturally developed a connection with the place, and this felt like a cool and almost symbolic way to wrap up that phase of our travels. Plus its a beautiful part of the Queensland coast!
Skydive Hervey Bay were the ones we chose, and we are so glad we did. Great reviews online plus competitive rates were good enough, but Pete and his team were also a solidly friendly and exuberant bunch, who put us at ease immediately. It's hard to be super happy at 7.45am on a Monday, and it's surely hard to be enthusiastic after 6000 jumps, but these guys made us feel good way before the dive.
Soon after arriving, we were into our harnesses, tightened around our legs and shoulders, as we went over the jump procedure. Then came the walk to the tiny plane, just the 5 of us including the pilot and our two jump buddy's. Leaving the ground along the runway, which we have travelled on with Air Fraser, it felt familiar and definitively okay. No nerves just yet. Taking off up into the plush white clouds, we travelled across Hervey Bay and toward Fraser and the ocean. The clouds created giant shadows across the water, the sun glinting off the rest of the blue-green expanse.
There was some mild turbulence as we passed through some thick marshmallow formations, and then it was time for a pre-dive recap...Taran is pulled onto Pete's lap, and attached tightly to him. I am too, and notice how the tight the pull is across my waist; it's all good, it reassured me that the jump wouldn't go like this.
Pete shouted some numbers to the pilot, co-ordinates of where we would jump from I assume, over the din of the loud engines. Then came the great whoosh of reality, as the door was levered open, and we were suddenly not just on a plane ride. This plane was landing without us.
Taran pulled his legs out of the door, dangling out the edge, and suddenly, he was gone!
I couldn't really take in the cartoon-like blue and white outside. I just stared numbly at the empty space on the plane floor, which I soon filled as my instructor shuffled us to the edge. I pulled my resistant feet out of the hole, pulled my hands across my chest, and tilted my chin up. My survival instincts were clearly switched off, and I felt mildly zombie-like, forcing my limbs to hang out a tiny object suspended in the air.
And then we were out! Rolling, spinning, then flattening out into the free-fall, hands moved out to the side, peter pan style. I had expected a strong mighty wind in my face, making breathing a tad hard, but amidst the assault on my senses, I felt quite peaceful. My fear dissipated, and a little voice in my head told me to take it all in, marvel at this true sea-view, and love every second...
All too soon the parachute deployed safely and I was gently gliding slowly down to earth. We spotted a dugong, or maybe a big dolphin, and I steered the parachute briefly. It was then I began to feel nauseous. I get motion sickness all too easily, so it was no surprise, but it did make me want to land faster. Soon enough we were speeding up and purposefully lowering, turning, and coming in to land, legs and bottom pushed up for a seated landing.
I sat there, very aware of the feeling of the sand beneath me, the hardness of being back on the ground, contrasted to the lightness of flying. I took a moment to gather myself, looking to the horizon and breathing deeply to relieve the sickness, when I looked over to Taran.
Slumped forward, limbs limp, Pete was trying to rouse him, speaking loudly to him, repeating his name and telling him to wake up.
I was very confused, and thought, if anyone was gonna take a funny a turn it would be me, and I would be mocked for weeks to come. But nope, Taran blacked out for about 2-3 minutes, which felt like an age. Such relief when he finally woke up, rising to his feet, clearly utterly oblivious to what had just happened. Once we were in the van, headed back to the base, Taran said “Yeah I felt very constricted by the harness, but nope, never fainted in my life” to which I got the trainer to confirm, yep mate, you did just faint.
He laughed in disbelief, as we recounted his little brain reboot session. Turns out Taran was struggling to breathe once the parachute deployed, his arms going numb, but he had managed to hold it together just enough to pull his legs up for landing, stand up, then sit down again, proceeding to switch off.
Relieved, exhilarated, a tiny bit sickly, but with a lazy satisfied smiles on our faces, we sat down as our awesome souvenir video's were edited. Oh yeah, they go-pro the whole thing, if it wasn't enough that they are being safe and making it the best dive experience possible, they also have to be camera-men.
Skydive Hervey Bay were so good to us, and it made something we were apprehensive about, not just a smooth and safe adventure, but they left a really great impression on us. Not everyone in Australia has treated us with much regard or respect, lumping us in the category of middle-class English small-minded loutish backpacker, following the crowd, will work for shit money and tolerate crap. But there's clearly some good guys out here, and luckily there the ones who push you out of planes.
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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![Crying Over Big Fish [Whale-Watching on the Fraser Coast]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1441869208016-PHCZDEQGNHVP1GYVU811/image-asset.jpeg)
![Beauty Of Whitehaven [Photography]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1463710245921-SQIECQ2KDV2QQIZHZA27/IMG_0311.JPG)
Beauty Of Whitehaven [Photography]
2 days was enough for the island to show its beauty, but left us wanting more!
Beauty Of Whitehaven - Photography
We only had a short stay on Whitehaven Beach, 2 nights camping a few feet off the actual beach, but this was enough time to see the beauty that it had to offer!
Above is one end of the beach, and also where we camped ✌ We spotted stingrays and hundreds of fish while snorkelling around those rocks!
This was one of the only objects escaping the tree line, the beach was incredibly pure and clean.
No words can put into detail just how clear the water was here... So just look at that picture again :)
Wondering down the beach on the first evening I came across a small shrub attempting to rise from the white silica sands..
Something about this photo really grabs me, and I'm still not sure what it is.. But that is Hannah down in the water while one of the many tour boats stopped briefly at the beach.
Just after sunset on our second evening the sky turned an awesome salmon pink, the silhouette of the tree made an awesome picture so I just had to snap it!
Read more about our time on Whitehaven or check out some more awesome photography!
Which is your favourite photo?!
Let me know in the comments below :D
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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We Found Heaven on Earth (Whitehaven and the Whitsundays)
Camping on Whitehaven beach was a privilege and an amazing experience; we never wanted to leave!
We Found Heaven on Earth:Whitehaven and the Whitsunday's
There are corners of this world where the beauty is so pure and breathtaking, you find your anxieties, fears and your entire reality, disintegrate.
They're just too perfect, too natural and real, for any of your everyday concerns to matter. One corner that has had this affect upon us is Whitehaven Beach, the Whitsunday Islands.
Soft white silica sands, and a haven in every sense of the word, this sun-soaked azure paradise was somewhere we really wanted to visit before arriving in Australia.
Famous for the crystal waters, abundant with turtles, dolphins and other sea-life, if you only have a short time in Australia, it is a must-see.
We may have only just returned from a stunning island (Fraser, lower down the Queensland coast) but we knew this one would be special, so we headed here as soon as we could.
There are the usual backpacker tours that run all around the Whitsundays, most of which involve 2 days of island-hopping, with everyone crammed onto a boat, unable to experience anywhere for too long.
We got pursued by one of the tour salespeople whilst walking along Airlie Beach main street, vying for our business. He tried to say that you couldn't camp on Whitehaven, but we just smiled and walked off, knowing that the next morning we were booked onto a boat bound for the island, and the permits were all in place. Ignorant or just trying to fool us into handing over cash for the easy option of a backpacker tour, we were so glad that we had done our research into this place.
Getting the independence to camp on the beach seemed pretty amazing compared to spending $500 to share a tiny boat with 12 others, and only getting to spend around an hour at each destination.
We used a water taxi to get to Whitehaven (we used Scamper, who arranged permits for us, which cost $155 for a return trip, plus $40 for a camp kit which has everything 2 people might need, plus $15 for stinger suits) and pitched up for two nights in the small camping ground. By camp-ground I mean the patch of land set back only a few steps from the waters edge, with space for very few tents, sheltered by a smattering of trees, and frequently visited by guana's and wallabies.
The site itself is $5.50 per night, a standard permit cost in a national park in Australia, which is super reasonable considering you get the privilege of sleeping, eating, drinking (and using a relatively luxurious long-drop toilet) on one of the most pristine stretches of beach in the whole of Australia.
Some curious guanna's made their presence known straight away, trampling around the site to see what goodies we had brought.
During the day we snorkelled and just revelled in the beautiful warm ocean. At one point a boat which was anchored just off the shore, was also providing shelter to hundreds of little fish, all of whom went crazy for the fish feed that was thrown overboard at us!
We truly were away from it all, wrapped up in the quiet sounds of mother-nature, the gentle lapping of the ocean, an expanse so clear it doesn't feel real.
Hannah with a fish for a head!
In fact it feels so smooth and clean to swim in, it's a struggle to get out. Although you wear a full-body stinger suit if your going to swim out properly, as this area is notorious for the Irukanji, a deadly jellyfish. It may look a bit daft but the last thing you want on an island is sting!
I know its probably odd to bring a laptop to a deserted island, but I knew once the dark evening descended I'd probably feel inspired to talk about it all!
We were 3 of only 5 people in the camp-ground, and thus the only people on the whole island overnight, bar a few boats moored just off the shoreline, the only things punctuating the landscape with their lights and engine noise.
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DAY 2
On our second day we did a 2hr walk along the beach to reach the end point, a famous expanse of shallow waters often seen on postcards and mostly photographed from Hill Inlet. We didn't fancy the mountainous climb in our flip-flops so we just did a pleasant flat walk, followed up by more snorkelling.
We saw lots of stingrays but they are so flighty we could never get too close. We also saw some tiny sharks! Tiny as in the size of large fish as opposed to the size of a boat...
We both got a bit burnt on the walk back, the sun beating against our backs. We decided to brave a quick swim without our stinger suits and its just ridiculous how water can feel so smooth and soft.
That night after dark we walked again down to the edge of the sand, dipped our toes in the dark gentle waters, and just marvelled at the beauty around us. I even got a bit teary-eyed. It is simply stunning beyond what I could of expected or what I can get across. You really have to experience it to understand that its more than just a pretty beach.
So I guess you could say we quite liked Whitehaven, just a bit.... it truly has stolen our senses and given us some peace, if only for two days, but we'll probably think about it forever. It will be the happy place we go to in our minds when we're on another 13 hour coach ride (we travelled from Rainbow to Airlie overnight and our feet are still swollen from the long trip).
It truly is the most beautiful place we have seen in Australia, alongside the Blue Mountains and Port Stephens.
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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Paradise Lost (Leaving Fraser Island)
We have returned to the life of travel, having lived on a farm for 3 months and an island for 2!
Paradise Lost - Leaving Fraser Island
Its 10am, a warm 28 degrees in Rainbow Beach, Australia.
Myself, Taran and Sean (our mate from England whose currently visiting and travelling with us) are sitting beside a pool, taking cover in the shade after a few too many rays yesterday. Only 24 hours ago we were still on Fraser Island, a special place that had become home over the last 2 months. We lived in a safari tent, just up from a beach, on the grounds of an extremely popular holiday resort (and the only privately owned campsite on the island). We worked hard for 2 months, pulling a few long stretches with very few days off, and do you know what, it simply got old. Living on a tropical island got old.
The only place we could get signal...
We just couldn't do it any more. Maybe it was the fact we had come from a farm, another remote living situation, straight into an intense workplace, also in a super isolated spot.
We just got to a point within our 5th month of being away from civilisation, where we just needed to re-join it. Not least to come back to our passion of doing this blog. We had half-decent internet at the farm and we didn't feel entirely disconnected from the website, but there's a lot that goes into this blog, and only now, having come back to 'mainland' (as it will always now be referred to since island living) can we fully absorb back into the swing of it.
Not to say we wont be doing some full on travelling having worked hard for 5 months. We are off to Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays in the coming days, to experience the extreme beauty that is Whitehaven Beach.
But for a brief moment, we are resting up, enjoying the chilled vibes of Rainbow Beach, whilst being able to just decompress a little. It definitely does something to you, being isolated, spending all your days with a tight-knit group of individuals. When you re-join the masses back on mainland, its jarring, comforting and bizarre all at the same time. We suddenly have free time again, time stretching out ahead of us that is ours, that we can mould and plan as we wish. We are away from the stresses of working in a busy resort during peak season, finished with what was a more difficult phase of our 10 months in Australia.
Some evenings, after a packed day, I'd lay down to read or relax after work, and sink into a deep sleep. Then at 6am I'd groggily wake up for another 12 hour day, feeling a bit of a dread for what I knew would be another crazy day. It was draining, but also fulfilling and fun too. The team were such a great lot, all working hard together to get through our hectic days. We could all relate with missing our families and friends; island life isn't really conducive to messaging let alone skyping home. So that added to the homesickness I felt for the last month or so, which prompted us to hand in our notice a few weeks before we had originally planned to leave.
It feels like the right decision to have made, as I sit here feeling reinvigorated and back in touch with the creativity that has been absent for a while now.
Admittedly, our bank accounts aren't as bursting as we'd of hoped, nonetheless there a bit fuller. Enough to travel some more, relax a lot more and blog a hell of a lot more...
Now check out our best photographs from Fraser Island!
Thanks for reading!
Hannah and Taran here. We hail from Southern England, where we met online and are now realizing our mutual passion for travel here at NomaderHowFar. We discuss Nomadic Living, Simplifying your Life and Long-term Travel, to empower, motivate and inspire our readers. Get to know us here!
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![The far from perfect life of a working traveller [Fraser Update]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1448758709313-Y3GVPFJ26PT7072U8JTP/image-asset.jpeg)
The far from perfect life of a working traveller [Fraser Update]
A month or so ago, when we applied for jobs here on Fraser Island, we didn't know what to expect...
The far from perfect life of a working traveller - Fraser Update
A month or so ago, when we applied for jobs here on Fraser Island, we didn't know what to expect, but we hoped for a nice team, opportunities to see all that Fraser Island had to offer, and to save up for future travels. So far we haven't seen beyond our own slice of beach and we've been working on our days off...
Chilling round the fire with our fellow islanders.
Truth: jobs when you travel can be just as stressful and frustrating as normal jobs! Shock horror....
Don't get me wrong, if it was terrible here, if we weren't living on a beautiful island, with the promise of experiencing it somewhere on the horizon, we would have left by now. We hope to see much more of it, maybe even coming back and renting a 4x4.
But the problem is we've come into new jobs right at the start of the peak holiday season in Australia. We've been learning the ropes of a new job, new team, and also witnessed one person start and last a grand total of 2 days before they were sent packing... The boss doesn't suffer fools or people with attitude.
The crazy big 'Bull Ant'
So we have been plodding along, keeping our heads down, working hard and trying to quell the pangs of cabin fever that are inevitable when you work 10 days straight without a break. We aren't the only people here who are working hard. The team are great and can all appreciate how stretched it is right now. But it should all improve once new staff arrive, as they are expected to in coming days.
This isn't the kind of blog post I thought I would end up writing whilst in Australia. But unfortunately jobs can suck no matter where you are in the world!
Life can suck even if its playing out on a sandy beach beneath endless blue skies in temperatures of 25 and above. Or maybe just up from a beautiful beach in a busy resort where you are on your feet without stopping for much of the day.
The awesome night sky out here!!
But what keeps us from giving up and giving in is that we know it isn't forever. Most things are tolerable if they are temporary. In fact it's a beauty of travel that no jobs last for too long. You never have to stay in a filthy cockroach ridden hostel for weeks on end, nor do you have to live in a two man tent for more than a month if you don't want to. We did both those things and came out fine.
Even this being the most testing and tiring episode of our travels will one day just be a memory, an experience that will we inevitably take some positives away from.
And that is the thought we just have to carry with us when we wake up and put on our uniforms! We are employed, earning, saving and are probably the envy of some backpackers, who are scraping by on their last dollars and willing to do anything.
You just have to take it day by day, whilst also remembering why you are doing what you are doing.
Thanks for reading!
Hannah and Taran here. We hail from Southern England, where we met online and are now realizing our mutual passion for travel here at NomaderHowFar. We discuss Nomadic Living, Simplifying your Life and Long-term Travel, to empower, motivate and inspire our readers. Get to know us here!
WANT MORE?
![Living And Working on The World's Largest Sand Island! [Fraser Life]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1446861428721-KT0S652EBUC2K3P37WJ8/image-asset.jpeg)
Living And Working on The World's Largest Sand Island! [Fraser Life]
Just 2 weeks ago we got some awesome news, we had secured paid work on Fraser Island!
Living And Working on The World's Largest Sand Island! - Fraser Life
Just 2 weeks ago we got some awesome news, we had secured paid work on Fraser Island! Now we sit here a few days in, having seen our first Dingo, amazing night skies and having hanged with a sleepy python.
We only got here last week and yet we continue our record of managing to see all the famous Australian animals some people manage to evade the entirety of their time here.
Back to where this all began...
Having accepted this hard-fought for job opportunity, we would be leaving our farm-life and pretty much beginning new work right away. It was a whirlwind of change, and it was a rushed goodbye. I would of happily stayed on the farm longer, in our lovely home. But another beautiful setting was beckoning us on.
Arriving on the island via a tiny plane, it was a pretty amazing way to show us the vast sand island that sits adjacent to Rainbow Beach and Hervey Bay. A rickety 4x4 ride later and we found ourselves at our new home. Mixed feelings of apprehension and enthusiasm meant our first few work days were a bit intense. Lots of new things to learn as well as people. Hospitality is something fairly new to us both, although it suits us quite nicely.
I work in the store (which is also a coffee shop, cafe and reception desk). It is the centre of the camp's operations, and it is a super well-stocked shop, so you are never ever short of work to do. Taran is in the yard, doing maintenance and cleaning across the site. We no longer see each other all day as we did on the farm, so its always lovely to return to our little two room tent each evening. No TV's or luxuries here, just our laptops to play games and write blog posts on. No internet either. Well its available, either at cost, or at the top of a sand-dune out the front. But when its not easily there on tap you use it more wisely. And you don't waste time scrolling through nothingness!
Sharing our tent with a few ants and some spiders (which remain outside and are remaining alive to act as our fly-guard team) we live nearby the other workers caravans. It's a mostly British team, so I don't think we will ever feel lonely whilst we're here. I did have one moment not long after we started work, which bordered on panic. My brain was already working at full capacity trying to take in all my new surroundings and responsibilities, and suddenly, I found myself thinking 'I'm on an island. I'm trapped, I can't get off'. It sounds funny even to myself now, but at the time I was a bit overwhelmed.
Travelling has been all about changes, making transitions and starting over, and each new change has brought us new skills, knowledge and fun! Sometimes we've approached a new change with too much fear or too much excitement, neither emotion based in reality. You usually find something much different, sometimes worse, but mostly better.
Nothing has been a waste of time on our trip so far. Everything has been purposeful. Even the weeks on end where it seems like you are doing little to nothing, those weeks make the ones where you work yourself silly much more bearable.
We hope to see all of this sandy paradise bit by bit over the next 3 months, all the while just enjoying our good fortune. Living on a remote farm to living on an island, we aren't doing this Australia thing in half-measures. And we've never been happier.
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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![8 Realities of Farm Work [The good, the bad, the eight-legged]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1444782251374-2T6AKOT1L1BZV8VHLUHR/image-asset.jpeg)
8 Realities of Farm Work [The good, the bad, the eight-legged]
So do you want to live and work on a farm in rural Australia? Well here's some useful tips on the realities of the experience!
8 Realities of Farm Work - The good, the bad, the eight-legged
It's one of the few ways you can obtain a 2nd year visa in Australia, and for some, it is a bit of a scary prospect. It can be a completely alien environment for many, especially those not used to outdoor work or Australia's heat. But now, nearly at the end of our 88 days, we are no longer scared of it, or apprehensive about what's involved.
So do you fancy living and working on a farm in rural Australia? Well here's some useful stuff we've found out along the way....
Weather
It will be hot, and you will pray for cloud cover when your out in the fields. But not the grey kind, cause rain means mud! Of course the crops need a nice shower now and again, and drout is a terrifying reality, but if it does rain, you will struggle to have anything to do. Although if your house relies on water in the water tank, rain will be a mixed blessing. Basically you will experience the extremes, and you will celebrate the rain and the sunshine, as long as they come in balance!
Early Morning Starts
Because of said hot weather, you do have to begin your work whilst it's not yet horrifically warm. At first waking up at 6am will seem beautiful, the farm is always a pretty site just after sun-rise. Maybe 5 days in, you will be thankful for even an extra hour in bed. But soon enough you get used to it. Your body clock adapts, and even at the weekends you want to get up early enough to make the best of the day. Plus sleep will be a warm blanket of beautifulness each night.
Cute Creatures
Whether it's moths trying to invade your house at night, spiders trying to sneak in with your laundry, or frogs hopping on your veranda, you will share your farm life with a whole host of nature. There's also the cuter ones; the roo's, the wallabies and maybe a farm dog.
Crawling Critters
By the end of your time you will be less likely to want to squish each and every little bug that harasses you. You will become a better more tolerant person for allowing these guys to share your house and your bedroom curtain.... Who am I kidding this spider dude was removed from the house, but not killed. I'm getting there!
Sweat And Dust
Never will be a hot shower be so welcome as after a day where sweat and dust fuse to create an extra new layer of skin. But you will shed it and regain it by the end of the next day. Just embrace it. Revel in it. You will be clean again one day. Definitely bring a lot a bumper size of body wash and a nail brush.
Remote Living
We were quite lucky at our farm, as it's only a 40 minute drive from the nearest big town, and ten minutes from a small one. A lot of farms are much farther in-land, and this can lead to a bit of cabin-fever over time. Food shopping will be a bit different too; it might be weekly or even monthly. It just takes some getting used to and some well-though-out shopping lists.
The best way to push through the remoteness is to enjoy all the relaxation that can come with being in the middle of nowhere. Look after your home, enjoy it, walk around your farm and explore it. Sometimes you have some beautiful local gems, like our farm, that has a lagoon about a 20 minute drive away, as well as Fraser Island and other beaches an hour down the road.
If you aren't so lucky as to have lots of attractions nearby, use the time differently. Maybe read or learn a new language. Make time to truly rest. You may want to invest in a wifi dongle and some data though, staying connected to those you love will still be important, and will help you through the weeks or months.
Pump Those Muscles
It's part and parcel of farm-work, that there will be some lifting, throwing, chopping, digging and then there's the old vehicles with temperamental gear sticks. I hate to admit the amount of times I tense my right bicep to see how it's coming along. It's worrying, but so satisfying to see your body change and strengthen amidst the hard-work.
Bum-Fluff And Grease Those Nipples
Yes these are actual farm terms, this post didn't take a weird turn. As you'd expect, your face, hair and clothes will inevitably get a good coating of dirt, but your hands too, these bad boys will be the hands of a mechanic by the end. Be prepared to work on the vehicles and tractors you use; before you know it your changing oils, and greasing nipples, which is as it sounds, applying gooey grease to certain parts of the machine to keep it all moving smoothly.
If you find yourself doing a tree-pruning job, remember to bend your knees when you bumfluff; the water-shoots or weeds around macadamia tree's will sometimes need you to hand-prune them, and so bumfluff, you must!
We wouldn't swap any of the sweat, spiders, 6am starts or greasy hands for having been anywhere else the last 3 months. It's been a really awesome experience, made even better by living on the farm, getting to admire and enjoy the results of our labours from our veranda, with a cold cider
It's natural to be afraid of the unknown and to want to avoid the difficult, and farm-work isn't always easy. With positivity and a good attitude, you can get out as much as you put into your farm-work, and it will end up being a really memorable phase, where you at first adapt, and then thrive.
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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![Letting the Future Control the Present [The Time is Now]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1467865535247-6H751CRKNDR4YWYKUCHR/mountain+2.jpg)
Letting the Future Control the Present [The Time is Now]
I remembering receiving details about my pension scheme in the post, and it felt like a big scary sad joke. I had one of those 'Is this it?' moments.
Letting the Future Control the Present - The Time Is Now!
I've spent a lot of time lately being very present, immersed in the here and now.
Living on a farm in the middle of nowhere, a rather beautiful nowhere, certainly helps. Our goal at the moment is to gain our 2nd year visa days and so we are just making the most of our little temporary homestead.
*UPDATE: We got our visa's and then went on to work on Fraser Island!*
It's a bit of contrast to 3 years ago. Back in England I was working at a bank. I hated my job, there wasn't really a thing I liked about it. Maybe the hot chocolate machine wasn't so bad.
I remember receiving details about my pension scheme in the post, and it felt like a big scary sad joke. I had one of those 'Is this it?' moments.
Plenty of people my age are in stable fulfilling jobs, and are thinking about, or already have, invested in buying a home. A part of me always wanted to be able to buy my own home, forever watching 'Grand Designs' and 'Homes under the Hammer'. Then since my mind started changing a bit over the past year, I thought about it differently. It occurred to me, the notion of 'investing' money in a home, and the commitment associated with that, is quite a frightening prospect.
We work hard, save up, and then take the plunge, assuming one day that we will see a return on this investment, basing this hope on the assumption of a future. Morbid I know. But nonetheless we make this big commitment in the hope that in the future, this thing will work out exactly as we want and need it to at that given moment, even though the world will be a very different place. We make huge sacrifices now, towards a future based on very little or accurate foresight.
There is a lot of sense in planning for the future – but is there sense in giving the entirety of your best years to the preparation for it? Maybe that's why I don't regret walking away from my own business, and from that path of heading toward owning a home.
That doesn't mean I have dismissed the notion entirely. If I can forge a career I love, a career that enables me to save or contemplate a mortgage or another financial commitment, then maybe it will make sense for me then.
But travel is my foremost priority, living for the whim and spontaneity it brings. But back when I was working at the bank, I was driven toward planning for the future. I was to go through with a set of motions to reach certain outcomes in my old age. A sense of predictability, even comfort, can be found in that. Most people centre their job choices or even select a certain career purely because of how it will work for their distant future.
As someone who has worked since the age of 16, and feared unemployment like the plague, to find myself removing that concern from my mind, well it feels like a mid-20's rebellion. I am resisting something which is sensible and pragmatic, something which works for plenty of people.
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What got me considering all this?
I saw an item on the Australian news the other night, about a retirement community with a difference, 'co-housing' it's called. Residents live together in a semi-independent, semi-communal fashion; they cook together, socialize, share some of their living space and amenities. So it's basically university halls of residence without the sambuca and bed-hopping (as far as I know).
In the news report, the retired people, lithe couples in their mid 60's to 70's, all looked super healthy and very relaxed. And I thought it looked great. They were doing yoga for god-sake. And then I remember the way some older people live back in England. Confined to small but perfectly fine flats within special units.
I have older relatives who have suffered from depression and felt lost. Many were living alone, with their husbands or wives long gone, they're children forging ahead with their lives. In theory they have the time, the funds and the ability to enjoy life and yet they can't. There most mobile years where freedom was possible are simply past them.
Many of them are suffering numerous health issues, issues that prevent them enjoying any financial freedom they might have obtained through years of hard work. Essentially, the end result of the game of life isn't always great. Its sometimes mundane, difficult and not always satisfying. There is no guarantee of a fulfilling and easy old-age. Some people avoid retiring and work themselves to the point of exhaustion, pushing the limits of their body, reaching the age of 70 yet still working like a 30 year old. There's a fear for what might happen once they retire, even if they spend plenty of time thinking about their twilight years. Do they fear a loss of purpose? Having little reason to have any get-up and go?
And yet some absolutely relish retirement, doing things they never dreamt about doing before.
My great aunt for example, she holidays abroad 2-3 times a year, but hadn't stepped on a plane until about 6 years ago. She is using her time and money to enjoy her life the way she wants to. I admire her bravery as a widow, her sense of hope for what enjoyment there is to be found in her life, even if it has not turned out as she imagined. I hope that if I reach her age, I look half as good and live half as well.
And yet, might she wish she did the things she's doing now before she got a knee replacement? Before she developed a chronic lung condition?
Do our older relatives envy our ability to explore our options thoroughly, far beyond the imagination of their own post-war world? Many were brought up with simpler aspirations, and have lead a good, if humble, life. But at the age of 25, whilst I feel good, and my noggin seems to be firing on all synapses, I want to make the most of it.
I want a good quality of life if I get to reach old age, but I also don't want to hold back in doing what I love, giving it all up for a 9-to-5 for 40 years. It might be the secure option, to buckle down, work, and save. But life is so utterly unpredictable no matter what measures you take to control and prepare for it.
My mind boggles at the concept of my present being entirely geared toward a distant future. There's so much more I want from my now, that has little if nothing to do with retirement. And then again, maybe I will be satisfied in my later years, pleased that I followed my heart whilst I had the freedom to?
I want to do stuff that terrifies and exhilarates me. I want to feel myself sick with nerves before I do something crazy and confront my fears. I want to become more tolerant of my own idiosyncrasies as well as other peoples. I want to fight the inner battles not deny them until they become bitterness. I hope I can see as much of the world as possible. I am not entirely sure I could do all that whilst pulling a 9-to-5.
I want to see the world though my clearest eyes, and I don't want to feel like I can't because I might be harming the comfort of an imagined distant future.
Whilst I'm backpacking Australia, a pay-check doesn't mean pension, it means more travelling, sky-diving, snorkelling the great barrier reef, camping on the Whitsunday islands, and maybe eating a lot of subways.
That simplistic, maybe reckless choice, is what's working for us right this minute. That's the shape of our life at current; maybe it will change one day.
But all that truly matters is what's happening now, and now is so full of possibilities beyond the life I had 3 years ago, or the life I might have in another 33 years.
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!
WANT MORE?
Taran & Makoto here, together we form Nomader How Far photography.
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