Looking Back on my Year of Travel - From Bali to Melbourne, Boracay to the Greek Islands, London to New York City

Sunset in Seminyak, Bali

On my 24^th birthday last year I was standing on a beach in Seminyak, Bali when I made the monumental decision to move to London. It was something that I’ve always dreamed about – travelling around Europe, working overseas and making the most out of life. It was finally time to get out of my comfort zone and actually do it!

The London dream is shared by thousands of twentysomething girls. So I admit I don’t feel like I’m unique, as I am but just another girl working in Central London catching the Tube each day. Yet I still feel a sense of accomplishment. Sometimes I feel like pinching myself – that I actually moved all the way across the world with nothing but a 12 kilogram backpack!

A Western Australian sunset at Cottesloe Beach

A Melbournian start to 2010

Soaking my feet in Torquay, Victoria

I started the year in Melbourne, devouring a book about living and working in the UK whilst enjoying balmy summer evenings. I went jogging with my brother in the Royal Botanical Gardens, walked along the beach in St Kilda and spent quality time with my best friend drinking cocktails in secret laneway bars and having high tea.

A Filipino Getaway

Boracay's White Beach

Pagsanjan Falls

In April I embarked on, and survived, a group holiday to the Philippines. I was astounded by the beauty of Boracay – the white beaches with sand so fine that it’s used for day spa treatments, the fresh value for money seafood and crazy beach bars. Most of all, I was humbled by the generosity of my friends and their family in Manila.

Once my UK work visa came through and I quit my job there was no looking back! 

A European summer

Falling in love with Santorini

Octopus handing to dry in Paros

I’ve always wanted to ‘summer in Europe’. Landing in sticky, hot Athens the weather didn’t disappoint my travel buddy Kassie and I. We sailed around the Greek Islands, enjoying beautiful sunsets in Santorini and even hiked up the volcano. On the Amalfi coast we ate spoonfuls of gelato every day and then ventured to Rome to be immersed in history in the hidden churches discovering Michelangelo in the unlikeliest places. Paris meant plenty of macarons, an escape to Disneyland before we relaxed in Nice and gambled some Euros in Monaco. 

Sacre Coeur in Paris

Capri, Italy

Then I sailed the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia on a 7 day cruise. The scenery in Croatia is simply stunning – untouched national parks, pristine beaches and imposing mountains. My biggest feat was climbing to the top of a 16^th Century pirate fortress!

London -  a home away from home?

Serpentine bridge in Hyde Park

In London the holiday was officially over. I needed to get a flat and a job asap. In four weeks I traipsed all over London looking at 10 flats, meeting with recruiters and interviewing for jobs. How would you describe yourself in one word? Exhausted!

Time escapes you when you’re endlessly hunting and by sheer chance I ended up living in a hostel run by nuns. Despite the weekday lock out by 11pm it was the best experience of my life! It’s here where I met my ‘London family’. Having a support network is the most important thing you need when you arrive in a big city. Even though you never know who’s going to stay in London as the hellos and goodbyes are always constant, my friends ground me when the grey skies and cold causes bouts of homesickness.

Weekends away in the UK

It's exciting to be able to escape London for the weekend. I visited Edinburgh and was charmed by the amazing B&B we stayed at and then also drove around Inverness in one day! In Bath, I channeled Elizabeth Bennett and went to the thermae spa, browsed the charming Christmas markets and enjoyed eating a cinnamon butter Sally Lunn bun.

View from Edinburgh Castle

Bath Abbey at nightfall

I’m ending this year on a high in NYC with my brother Ryan – I survived my first blizzard and am looking forward to seeing the ball drop. 

This year has been a tough, challenging, emotional roller coaster. Travelling is always about big highs and lows. My biggest high this year is waking up every day in a new city, feeling like my next adventure in 2011 is just around the corner. 

A Wedding in Capri, Italy

On a very windy and blustery day, I visited the island of Capri off the Amalfi Coast in Italy. The boat ride to Capri started smoothly but soon turned rocky. As the swell increased, the waves got progressively larger and larger, crashing onto the sides of the boat. A group of drenched American schoolgirls, who had been sitting at the front of the boat, ran for cover and started to scream at the top of their lungs. Needless to say the boatride didn't bear well on some traveller's stomachs. The worst sign was that at one point even the Italian boatmen looked worried.

Unsurprisingly, the infamous blue grotto was closed that day. It was rather disappointing but  I was just happy to be on solid ground once the boat docked.

A 1.40 euro bus ride takes you from the Piccolo Marina to the town of Capri. The bus narrowly missed scraping other cars and buses on the tight roads uphill towards the town centre.

Despite all the drama, the sun was shining when I arrived in Capri. A crowd had gathered outside the local church and its bells were ringing. A newlywed couple was exiting the church amid grand fanfare of Italian proportions. A marching band was beating drums, singing and encouraging guests, locals and well-wishers to join in the dancing and general merriment. The town square was crowded with amateur wedding photographers, as you can see below.

So whilst the weather may not have been in favour for a visit for the blue grotto, but the sun was more than happy to make an appearance for a fairytale Italian wedding in Capri.

Wanderlust Wednesday - Sorrento, Italy

Sorrento is a charming town on the Amalfi Coast. Vespas zip down the cobble-stoned streets. Shops sell dangerously strong limoncello and handmade leather sandals. Locals and visitors queue up to sample gelati.

The view above Sorrento's main port stretches all the way to Mount Vesuvius, lurking in the background.

Wanderlust Wednesday - A Well in Venice

I was puzzled when I saw this in Venice on Christmas Eve. Was it a tap? A drain for when it floods? No, it's actually a well.


In the past these wells were used by Venetians as their only source of fresh water. The wells were actually cisterns that collected rainwater channelled from rooftops which was then sand-filtered. Almost every courtyard and piazza had its own well. These wells provided water until 1886 when an aqueduct brought water in from nearby mountains.


Venice is still full of these old, weathered wells.

 Christmas in Venice is beautiful