Finding Myself In Australia

I remember vividly where I was and how I felt 6 years ago when I decided to go travelling. I can’t believe it has taken me so long to write this blog post about my experience in Australia and I hope in some way it will inspire others to go and explore this incredible world.

I was working at GAP as a merchandiser in Doncaster and although I really enjoyed my job, there was something missing. I felt I had lost my way in life and I didn’t know how to find my way back to who I wanted to be and the goals that I had set out for myself.

I studied performing arts at college and genuinely had the time of my life. I really wished that I had continued this path that I felt at the time I was destined for. There is no doubt that working within that industry is hard and very competitive, you really need to be thick skinned to succeed. At the time although I was a confident person, I let my insecurities get in the way and my confidence dwindled at times, making me feel like I wasn’t good enough. After a few different roles, I landed a job at GAP where I made incredible friends and really learnt a lot about merchandising and the retail fashion industry.

I remember being at work one day and feeling trapped. I felt that I needed to escape. I had just broken up with someone at the time and I was still living at home – I loved living with my Mum (she’s like my best pal) but I needed to do something, go somewhere and explore. I was just scared to go travelling by myself.

It’s funny how things work out sometimes. I had originally planned to go to Perth with someone I was seeing at the time and he decided in the end that he didn’t want to go. We had already booked the tickets and I didn’t want to throw away £1,000, so I decided that it must be fate that I go by myself. I would have never have booked to go  travelling by myself, in a way I needed someone to book with me and then not come along (if that makes sense).

Randomly I went to Egypt on holiday with some of my friends a few months before I was jetting off to Australia and I met a group of amazing Scottish girls. It turned out that one of them was going to Sydney by herself the month before me (it’s a small world). I decided to change my flight from heading to Perth, to Sydney and it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. As soon as I boarded that flight, I knew it was the right decision and even though it was an emotional goodbye at the airport, I knew I was destined to have an incredible year travelling around Australia.

My first day in Sydney was out of this world. I was walking around the city feeling so grown up and just a sense of peacefulness. This was my time to get out of my comfort zone, meet new people and try different job roles. They say that life begins outside your comfort zone. The world was my oyster. I did your usual backpacker jobs such as working in bars, fashion pop up stores and cafes, as well as some fun jobs like being an extra in a Sol beer commercial, dancing for a promotional video for the Sydney spring festival and working with some amazing photographers on photo shoots.

I went from living in one of my favourite cities in the world Sydney to the European vibes of Melbourne and even living in the outback in a place called Lightning Ridge (such a cool experience). I also traveled the Whitsunday Islands, Fraser Island, Cairns, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Noosa and Perth just to name a few.The point of this blog post was not to talk so much about where I visited, but to make everyone aware that if you haven’t traveled and it’s something you have always wanted to do then just grab every opportunity that comes your way. We are only here once, make it count.

I have always had the travel bug and even though I am settled in Leeds now, I continuously think about my next trip and I always aim to head somewhere new every year. Did I find myself in Australia? I sure did. I learned that it’s ok if you haven’t figured everything out as there is a plan for us all and you just need to roll with it. I grew up so much in Australia and made friends for life.

If you do need any advice on hostels or the best places to visit in Australia, comment below or drop me an email and I will get back to you as soon as possible – I Would love to chat more with you guys. Or send me a DM on Instagram.

Have you thought about travelling? Where have you been in the world? If you want to find out about more of my travels head on over to the category section.

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