Why I am Grateful For Travelling

Gratitude, when practiced daily, is a pretty powerful tool. It's easy to lose sight of all the amazing things we have in life and when you are stuck in a job or without one, loveless relationship or perpetually single, bad weather spree that last weeks, it is easy to over look all the things that make life great. Travelling has taught me to be greateful for so, so much. To overlook the "big" things holding me back and try to enjoy the small things that - in the end - make life worth living.

I fell out of a habit I had when I settled into a job again of practicing gratitude but with the new year rolling around and a happily placed promo from the beautiful Amy over at Designing Her Life I am going to get back to making a list of things I am grateful for and sharing them with you here and on social media. So for today, here is my list of why I am grateful I took to a life of travel.

Kangaroo Island

Last weekend I escaped from Melbourne - even though I love it the wanderlust is stronger - on an escape to South Australia, with the highlight being a day tour to Kangaroo Island. I'm honestly not sure what i expected to see, except maybe Kangaroos, but i had heard it was worth a visit. It did not disappoint. Those of you who follow me on Instagram will have already seen some of my pics from KI and even they do not do it justice.

The Grampians - Reids Lookout and The Balconies

When visiting The Grampians Nadine and I pulled into a lookout not knowing what to expect only to find out I had visited the balconies before, over a year ago, so obviously I couldn't help but take a photo to document the occasion. There is something about reliving my past adventures at the moment that I am enjoying, I suppose I am carrying a huge sense of nostalgia with me.

Wherever You Are, Be All There...

"Wherever you are, be all there"

~ Jim Elliot

Stockholm - My Swedish Escape

When I booked to go home to visit my family I decided I needed  holiday while I was back. I realise this will sounds like a contradiction to those of you who haven't lived abroad but visiting home is probably one of the most tiring experiences you can have, lucky for me I was forewarned by other Ex-Pats, and so Stockholm was my adventure of choice to visit my traveling companions. It was honestly the best choice I could have made.

The Grampians - Mackenzie Falls

At the weekend Nadine and I decided to escape to the Grampians and get out of the city as we were both feeling a little overwhelmed and in need of some time off the grid, on an adventure. We had heard that Mackenzie Falls was the largest waterfall in the state of Victoria and so at a moments notice off we went.

A few tips on achieving your goal of travelling.

Everyone has a Goal for the future, long or short term. Dream body, dream wardrobe, dream apartment or house, dream holiday. For me is is always the latter because at heart i am 100% a wanderlust. So last year when I decided to leave the comfort of my home in England for a life backpacking in Australia I was faced with a big stepping stone on the way to my goal. How do I afford it?

Even a short 7 day holiday can set you back a fair way nowadays with dreamy locations at the end of long, or short, plane journeys or in expensive cities with an amped up price in the aftermath of the economy crash and boom. So how do you go about saving for that dream location? In this post I am going to talk you through a few steps I used to saving for that dream trip over a short and long period.

Instagram :: Sept '15

5 Dream Worthy Destinations to Add To Your Bucket List

I have a dream - although it always changes - It is always consistent. My dream is similar to so many of you reading this, I want to see the world. Wanderlust runs in my veins, I got it from my mothers side, so there is nothing I enjoy more that thinking up dreamy locations to visit. Today I want to share with you a few of those breathtaking locations and why they should be on your wish list. 

Reflections : 12 Months

I was completely in two minds about whether I continued to write my reflections or not but thinking on it for a while I believe that, at the moment, they still serve a purpose even if it is just for me. The last time I wrote was sat in sydney airport waiting to catch my flight back to England after 11 months away from my family. I was a bit of a mess. A ball of nerves and expectations.

Reflections From Sydney Airport.

So here I am, sat in Sydney international airport, a bundle of nerves and possibly underlying excitement for my long journey ahead. A journey I expect will take 2 weeks from start to finish. My first trip home in 11 months. It seems like forever ago I sat in Heathrow Airport writing my thoughts on heading away and I guess it was. I’m not entirely sure why the butterflies have take over but they have. Maybe its because I am expecting to go home and find everything changed when I know somewhere deep inside, it won’t have. The only thing that will have changed - me.

Instagram :: June '15

Reflections : 10 Months

So I am a little tardy writing this post but after a whirlwind week of emotions, planning and then action I have decided to let myself off the hook. As anything when you travel, and then settle back into a lifestyle be it at home or overseas, life occasionally throws you a busy week and distracts you -though I do now enjoy and crave busy weeks. For me I am taking this opportunity to back away from my blog a little while I go through a bit of reformatting of styles and posts.

Since TRW turned one I have been having a serious think about what I want to do with it and where I would like my writing to head. To do this I figured a break from publishing and drafting to re-energise my creative juices would be ideal and has given me time to look back and reflect on my previous posts and what I like and dislike about them, all while eating copious amounts of sweet things and drinking buckets of tea.

Life, as I mentioned before has taken a turn for the busy though it is only due to last 2-3 weeks and then I am off on a much needed holiday. Hopefully by next time I write this column I will be able to reflect on moving into my first Australian flat and living a life outside of hostels and sharehouses and bunk beds. It is going to be a very different, and possibly lonely I worry, experience. After sharing accommodation and rooms for the last 10 months going from bunk beds to sofas, air. beds and back it is going to be quite a luxury to have my own quiet creative space.

While I have longed for this for a while I will miss the family you build in the hostels and sharehouse. I'm quite happy in a way my sharehouse is virtually empty at the moment as I have fewer regrets about leaving it, and the social life it gives you, behind. Spending moments of my last few days here already missing the times I had with others. Thinking of the people without whom my experience in Melbourne could have been very different. I want to thank eacch and every one of them for making it so amazing.

Until regualr positing continues you can still follow my antics on Instagram and TRW's Facebook page. I will occassionally be posting to Twitter too. Until Next time.

Melbourne Coffee - Common Ground

Common Ground Coffee on Victoria street is a favourite amoungst my house mates Andy pretty much our local coffee house. I think we consider ourselves lucky we have such a good local cafè nearby. We are often seen here grabbing a coffee on out way into work or before the market on sunday.

Going Organic...

Nowadays there always seems to be a big debate on organic food and drink. Where to get it from, why is Costs more, does it really taste better? Even the farmers at market debate the pros and cons of not spraying their crops. After spending my time on a partly organic farm in South Australia I decided I would impart a few facts I learned so you can make up your minds whether organic is best or not. 

Reflections : 9 Months

What a wonderful 9 months it has been, this last month held a big landmark with my blog having its first birthday. I feel like a proud mother watching it grow, maybe that is the wrong way of looking at it but I am definitely proud.

Instagrams :: May '15

May started off on a thought note for me but luckily I was reminded "You've Got This". Here is how the rest of my month looked on Instagram.

Melbourne Coffee - Cottle on Coventry

Sunday brunch sessions are the best thing in life and I am loving that Melbourne has such a range of places to try. So after visiting so many North side cafés I ventured South of the river to Cottle On Coventry with my brunch bestie Sara for a brunch I was hoping would cure my morning after the night before blues. I was not disappointed.

Sydney - Vivid Sydney

Heading to Sydney for Vivid was a really last minute plan for me as I hadn't even realised it was on until the weekend before I went and was in two minds about whether to go or not because of funds. In the end (aka the next day) my need for adventure won and an early flight as booked giving me almost 2 full days in Sydney.

Brisbane Coffee - Bonsai Botanika

While in Brisbane I decided to try my first cafè out to see how Brisbane's coffee matched up to Melbourne, possibly an unfair comparison, and after a little research decided to try Bonsai Botanika on Elizabeth Street.

Melbourne - Sea Life Aquarium

Last friday I headed into the city to meet Clare for a day of wander round the sea life center in melbourne. For Clare this would be her first weekend back in a big city after being on the farm and honestly I remember how confusing making your way around that can be when you are used to one street towns for 3 months. For me it was a perfect way of distracting myself from my friend Sara having left Melbourne and had an enforced day off work as I had be trail blazing and gone into work-a-holic mode again.

The Reluctant Wanderlust turns 1!

I can hardly believe its been a over year since I started my blog, knowing I was going to heading to Australia and seeing more of this beautiful blue marble we call home. It seems crazy reading back on all the things I have done since I sat in Heathrow airport waiting to catch my flight to a new life and everything else that came with that first ticket to adventure.

Since then I have rushed up the Great Ocean Road, spent a night underground at Coober Pedy, seen sunrise , sunset and the Milky Way at Uluru, walked Kings Canyon, chased crocodiles at Kakadu, wandered on the purest sand in the world at Whitehaven Beach, skydived in Byron Bay, bounced around Sydney and so much more.

I am truly grateful to have had every experience that has come to me both good and bad I don't even recognise the girl I was a year ago, though sometimes she comes back into my life, I am more confident, open to new possibilities and relaxed than I ever was in the UK. I am also so grateful to everyone of you who has taken this journey with me, sent words of encouragement and inspiration you really are a blessing to me and hearing your stories and meeting some of you has been fantastic.

So here is to many more hopeful, adventurous and crazy years. Where ever the wanderlust takes me I hope you are still there by my side.

Love and thanks,

Emily Louise x

Lemon Pea Lifestyle - Pro's and Con's of Travelling In your Own Vehicle

Today I would like to introduce you to my first, of hopefully many, Blogger Collaborations with Emily of Lemon Pea Lifestyle. Emily and I first got chatting over Twitter a few months back and after a bit of a message exchange via email and tweet out finished products are now available. Mine over on hers and as a lucky treat you all get some of her here. She is such a kind soul and a bit of and inspiration with her young years but it is great to see another kindred traveller forging their path and living their dreams.

Emily has been travelling Australia for a year now with her boyfriend in a van the converted themselves, a truly amazing adventure indeed make sure you visit her blog to get the full details of her adventures as it is an excellent read. So today she has very kindly agreed to fill you lovely ladies and gents in on what it is like to travel around Australia in a van. Over to her! (P.S please ingnore the crazy font changes, for some reason blogger wont change it no matter what i do)

Instagrams :: April '15

Reflections :: 8 Months

The last 8 months have gone so quickly I'm not even sure where they went but I have enjoyed the journey. The last month has been more difficult than some recently with working lots of hours, out of choice being the work-a-holic I am, and my best friend leaving Melbourne. I have been, to put it nicely, a bit of a mess.

Melbourne Coffee - Grace

Sunday after my birthday my good and gorgeous sister from another mama Sara took me out for Brunch to celebrate the passing of another year of life. As I have mentioned before Sara knows where to take me for good Coffee and brunch and Grace in Fitzroy was no exception. 

What does homesickness feel like?

At some point during your travels you are bound to come across this feeling. No matter how much of a good time you are having, how many laughs you and your friends are having, how many amazing places you are seeing and new experiences you are having, the feeling of homesickness can creep up and before you know it is there. It arrives like an unwanted guest at a dinner party, you try to stay smiling and sociable but it looms over you and stops your fun in a second.

Melbourne - Anzac Day Centenary #LestWeForget

Today was, in Australia, the centenary of World War 1 and the Gallipoli landings and just like Britain has Remembrance day for our fallen soldiers Australia has Anzac day. I got up at 3am sleepily dressed and had a cup of tea with Louise and Linzi before making the hour long walk down to the Shrine of Remembrance to await the beginning of the service and secure a good view.

Melbournes Multi-Cultural Event - Photo Diary

I have so many things to catch up on from the last few weeks in Melbourne I am going to have to do a few short photography based posts to catch up! Melbourne is just so diverting it's crazy and there is always, always something to do. So a few weeks back I headed to The multi-cultural event on Federation Square to check out what was happening. The square was full of stands selling wears from all over the globe, food from different countries and cultural entertainment, the weather happened to be fantastic too!

Brisbane - Mini Break

This weekend I raced up to queensland to visit my friend Kim for her 30th Birthday Bash and it all started at a real pace. With panic I would miss my flight after finishing work late and having to catch an Uber only to make check in by 5minutes and having a mad dash through security, where I nearly left my phone, followed by the heart reaching reality of finding no working public transport to get me into Brisbane at the other end it all started a little crazy. So after $100 worth of taxis and a short but welcomed stay in a private hostel room the weekend was underway. 

Mornington Peninsula - Easter Weekend

Easter weekend I headed off down to the Mornington Peninsula with Louise and Linzi from my Share house as an Easter weekend escape and birthday treat, getting older always calls for some time away.  I think I had been getting itchy feet a little anyway from staying in the city non stop for the last 5 weeks and after escaping to Brighton Beach on Good Friday I was ready to escape again.

Melbourne - Brighton Beach

On the run up til Easter my wanderlust has been hitting pretty hard and with all the talk in my house of going away for the weekend I just wanted to escape the city. I think I need to organise and escape from the city every few weeks to explore the city, while I love it, or I might go crazy and fall back into my old habits in the UK of not going anywhere and feeling perpetually bored with life. Needless to say as I am a wanderlust at heart, reluctant or otherwise.

Reflections: 7 months

I literally do not know where the last month has gone! It seems so crazy to me that I have been in Melbourne a month already. I have settled back into city life so easily after leaving the farm it is insane, it's good to be back it exploring and have a routine but have free time in which I can get out and eat great food, drink great coffee and laugh wholeheartedly.

How To Enjoy Your Regional Work

It's likely when you go to do your regional work that you have never done anything like it before so it can be hard to adjust, especially if you are used to a big bustling city heading out to the outback. Here are a few points on how to make the most of your regional work.

Melbourne - Queen Victoria Summer Night Markets

Every Wednesday during the summer the Queen Victoria Markets hold a special night market, where lots of local restaurants come out and put on food stands, vendors sell their jewellery, clothes and gifts and the people of Melbourne come out in force to see what is being laid out for them.

Instagrams :: March '15

March was such an action packed month. I got back on my Blogging game with an abundance of wifi in Melbourne to edit posts and my layout, got a new job, made new friends, ate amazing food, drank sumptuous coffee and even had a boogie at my first ever festival. It's been hard to actually find enough hours in the day to do everything! Here is how it looked...

Take The First Step...

"Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase"

- Martin Luther King Jr.

It's great to see people take the first step towards a new life, whether it is moving in with their partner, marriage or your first house its a big step. Another big step is making the decision to leave everything and everyone behind and go travelling. A decision many people, myself included, refer to as their 'Dream'. Taking a step towards your future is always going to be a terrifying choice and a lot of its relies on trusting yourself. Having faith.

Melbourne Coffee - Waffee

Waffee is a cute little cafe front on Swanston Street in Melbourne's busy CBD that entices you in with its clean white decor and the deliciously tempting smell of waffles. I find it hard to walk past without noticing it, I'm not sure whether it is the name that stops you or the light airy look of the store but something makes my head turn and last week my housemate Jade and I decided to give it a go.

How To Save Up For Long Term Travel

Now I am no expert when it comes to saving, my mother will tell you I love to splurge all my money, but when saving for long term travel having a plan certainly helps. Despite my love of spending when it comes to something I really want I can work out where to trim the fat and where I can afford to keep saving. So here are my top tips for budgeting for your big trip.

Things I have learned from travelling (solo)

When I first started travelling I had no idea where it was going to take me. All I had was this great and overwhelming desire to move my feet and see the world, if I am honest I didn't really have a plan or do an incredible amount of research. The words of those around me back home were either tinged with negativity and doubt or overwhelming excitement and my own nervousness was clawing at the back of my mind but on the road, I have never felt more contented and happy than I have in the last several years of my life.

Travelling has a way of showing you what really matters in life and travelling solo teaches you lessons you would never have learnt if you hadn't had booked that ticket. It has changed me in this short period of time already and this is what is has taught me;

Melbourne - Future Music Festival 2015

So last sunday some of the girls from my house and I put on our glad rags and headed out to Future Music Festival at Flemmington Racecourse, my first ever music festival. I'm now not even sure how I have gotten to the grand old age of twenty-something and not been to a festival yet as it was such and incredible day.

Melbourne - ...I Knew We'd Get Along.

I can’t believe i have been in Melbourne over 2 weeks already, what a crazy couple of weeks! The city has kept me so occupied and there is so much to do. I had to land with my feet running as I had an interview the morning after getting back into the city and a trade test the following day but I must have done something right as I got a offer straight away and feel completely blessed that I did when I know so many people are struggling to find employment in the city. Everything just fell into place. I just knew Melbourne and I would get along even before coming back to the city.

Reflections: 6 Months

I can not believe that it has been six months now since I have in Australia it has absolutely flown by but has been such a blast. Its amazing how much has changed for me in the last six months both in my personality and my outlook on life. I certainly feel like I will put up with a lot less negativity from people and refuse to be messed around as much while living a much more positive and carefree life. 

Melbourne Coffee - The Grub Van

 Being back in Melbourne started as a right experience with a few hiccups but it has been great to catch up with some of the people I met when I first arrived back in September last year. I met up with Sara after a job interview in the CBD and we walked out to Carlton and Fitzroy so she could show me around and job hunt. As we were walking down Brunswick Street she took us on a small detour for coffee at a The Grub Van.

Instagrams :: February '15

What a month February was! I can't believe how quickly it zoomed by. I completed my regional work and said goodbye to the farm after 3 months of hard work, laughs and lazy afternoons. Here is how llife looked over on my Instagram

City Guide :: 5 Things To Do in Darwin & Surrounds

As the regional Center for the Northern Territory Darwin and its surrounding areas have quite a few gems to visit. Today I am sharing with you 5 places I think you shouldn't miss.

SA - The End of 88

I can't actually believe that it has come round, it doesn't seem like 2 weeks ago since I can out to do my regional work and already I am at, and over, my 88 days. It quite nerve wracking to be leaving in a way because for the last three months I haven't had to worry about money for food, work or accommodation as it has all been on the farm ready for me and now I am back on the road and ready to face what life throws at me, or at least I hope I am.

I'm Glad You Exist

So today I received word of bad news. A friend of mine whom I went to senior school with but lost contact with unfortunately passed away. It is a sad day when someone so young passes away but it is even sadder to think that with a little effort I could still have been speaking to her. 

I shared my thoughts on this to my Facebook, not to receive sympathy, likes or comments but to give my friends on Facebook a reminder, one I now share with you the beautiful soul reading this, that life is short. It can be made shorter due to illness or circumstance and that social media is making us all lazy as we can just "like each other's lives like it is contact. It is not. It is a cheap replica that makes us all lonely and feel our self worth is based around how many "friends" or "followers" we can gather.

So all I ask of you, whoever you may be reading this, is to do me a favour. Just one small favour. One you may thank yourself for in years to come. Pick up the phone and call that person you haven't spoken to for a while, pick up a pen and hand write some beautiful words of love and care to that family member you haven't seen or spoken to in months, or maybe years. Make an effort to really connect and reconnect with every person you have met, and will meet, from this day on because before you know it you could be too late. So take the time to tell somebody "I'm Glad You Exist".

Reflections : 5 Months

I can't believe how quickly the time away from home has gone by. It is so strange to realise that I have been away from home this long. It definitely feels like a milestone for me, though I will have to wait to celebrate it for a few more days while I finish up the last of my 88 days of regional work. 

Instagrams :: January '15

On top of the picture above getting over 100 likes on Instagram I got a #regram by @SydneyOperaHouse only a few days into the new year starting me off on a definitive high. Thanks to everyone who came, saw, liked and shared. Here is how the rest of January looked.