I Don’t Want Forever: Lessons From Two Years Away From Home

Cotopaxi Ecuador

Volcan Cotopaxi, Ecuador

When you spend any meaningful length of time away from everything you have ever known, you can not help but learn something. The past two years have been the wildest, emotionally volatile, serendipitous adventure, of my life.

Now, back home, it kind of feels as if my piece of the puzzle does not fit any more. My perspective, how I think about the world, how I decide what is important, It is not, how it was. I find myself living in complete contrast to the life I was living this time last year. Dealing with the anxiety and discomfort I have come to expect from moments like these, is as exciting as it is isolating. Continue reading

How to Travel to Venezuela from 2015 Onward

Salto Angel

Getting into Venezuela can be tricky, and there really isn’t much helpful information out there. I spent weeks looking through blogs and forums to finally piece together a plan of attack. I absolutely loved my time in Venezuela so hopefully this guide will help you get to experience it as well.

So, Is it dangerous? Continue reading

Understanding Venezuela

Salto Angel venezuela

Venezuela, it could be the most misunderstood country in the world, but it’s taught me that I’m in no place to make that judgement. There are a few things that are true, the government is corrupt. There are dangerous areas. It can be near impossible to find information or book transport/accommodation outside of the country. It’s cheap to the point of being almost unfair to the local people.

But like every country in the world these factors don’t define it. What defines Venezuela, is its resilient, friendly and passionate people. It’s incredibly unique and diverse landscape. And the lesson that it teaches all that travel there. Venezuela is a master class in open mindedness. If you give it a chance, It will surprise you in some of the most profound and incomparable ways possible. Continue reading

Surviving Oktoberfest

stein beer

I never want to go back, I don’t want to slide into another set of lederhosen, I don’t want to sing another verse of Ein Prosit, I don’t want to eat another bretzel or taste another pork knuckle, I fear even beer,  that beautiful golden nectar, I have now sworn off (at least for a while). Continue reading

Climbing Cotopaxi: The Quilotoa Loop

ecuador

Getting to the summit of Cotopaxi is no joke, 50% of people who attempt it fail. Standing 5897m (19,300 ft) high, It is the world’s second highest active volcano, and there is no way anyone can make it without some form of training at altitude, to acclimatise.

After a lot of research, asking around and recommendations from other travellers I figured the easiest and most enjoyable way to acclimatise before my climb was to trek the Quilotoa loop. Continue reading

Hitch Hiking From Sydney to Brisbane

hitchhiking australia

I have always had a romanticised view of hitch hiking. It embodies so well a sense of freedom, a calculated carelessness, an unshakable trust in the kindness of strangers and an uncompromising desire to move forward.

It’s an exercise in optimism as you pick a direction, a goal, and little by little move towards it. It can be a daunting task to maintain any optimism as car after car passes you by; all while a storm menacingly approaches the patch of road you have been helplessly stranded on. But that sinking feeling is instantly alleviated and replaced by an overwhelming sense of relief, and happiness, as you watch that same patch of road disappear from the rear vision mirror of your next ride. Continue reading

Still Call Australia Home

beach Australia

I’ve spent a full month now back in Australia and in that time I have been fortunate enough to of spent most of my time exploring it. Visiting places I’ve never been before and getting to know better the places I have.

Being away for so long and getting this opportunity has really opened my eyes to how much I once took for granted, to how truly beautiful my Island home really is. Continue reading

In The End We’ll Smile and Laugh

brisbane

It was a surreal feeling, my feet on the ground in the home town I left fourteen months ago, struck by waves of melancholy, familiarity and confusion. I felt as if for the first time, lost.

My adventure thus far had been the single most profound change in my life, but it didn’t seem like it was over. That the journey I started all those months ago had come to an end. I set out with one goal; to discover the world and in doing so discover myself. I wanted to put myself in uncomfortable situations, to test myself, experience everything I could and grow in the uncertainty of every moment. Continue reading

How Traveling At Twenty-Two Changed My Life

lost city hike

I can still remember that morning full of nerves and excitement; I kissed my family and girlfriend goodbye. I had a one way ticket to Mexico City, a backpack, and vague plans of traveling and living in Colombia for half the year.

Fast-forward eight months, and I’m sitting on the banks of the Mississippi River in New Orleans. A smile as big as any of the cargo ships passing by. I can see a thunderstorm brewing in the distance it’s getting closer but I’m not worried, I’m just enjoying this moment, thinking about my life and all the people and places I’ve been. My time in the United States is almost up. Tomorrow I head back to Mexico City, back to where it all began.

They say “no man steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.” Continue reading

Farewell Brazil, Farewell 2014, Heres to Adventure

jesus I spent so much of my life as a kid looking out over the Pacific Ocean dreaming of adventures in unknown lands. Of wild jungles and towering mountains, of different languages and exotic foods, of bustling cities and unchartered lands. The possibilities were enchanting.

When I finally got my chance to cross the sea back in 2013 I found everything I could have possibly imagined and more. Much more, I felt as if for the first time I discovered the world. Since then I have been obsessed with adventure and discovery, traveling through the Americas for the entirety of 2014. Stopping wherever I could to look back over the Pacific with melancholy and happiness at the island home I came from.
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The Importance of Martial Arts in Travel and in Life

mma legend

I’m on the floor with a beautiful Brazilian girl. Both of us covered in sweat, the air seems to stick to us, as it blankets our bodies. I look down at her in a daze, I try to take in all of her, my world is spinning. My hands move up and down her legs, she smiles at me, it feels as if my heart is about to stop and I can’t breathe. Literally I can’t breathe! This girl is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and her legs are wrapped tightly around my throat, as I desperately try to remain conscious my arms scrambling frantically to free myself.

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An Evening In A Favela of Brazil

DCIM100GOPRO

I hop onto the back of a motorcycle taxi not really sure where I am about to go, my Portuguese still sucks! The rushing wind gives me relief from the heat as we climb higher and higher up the mountain and I desperately try to hold onto the helmet that doesn’t fit. Sandwiched between lush green mountains and the Atlantic Ocean a surreal feeling comes over me, I’ve made it into a favela. Continue reading

Finding Connection in Disconnection In the Amazon

ecuadorFor the past month I have been living in jungle town of Missuahalli in the heart of Ecuador’s Amazon Basin. I have spent my time working with a volunteer organisation that constructs sanitation and provides assistance with teaching English to the communities in the surrounding area.

I spend my days waking up early to the sounds of birds, taking a canoe downstream through the rivers that feed into the Amazon; never ceasing to be enchanted by the stunning natural beauty that surrounds me. I swim and climb and hike and I get to play and interact with the happiest children, I think, on the planet. I absolutely love it!
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Sorry for the Delay

DCIM100GOPROFor the past month i have been living in the small jungle town of Missuhalli in the Amazon Basin of Ecuador and as a result have had limited internet access. I will be heading to Brazil in the next few days for more adventures and promise to keep a more regular schedule as well as updates from my time in the jungle.

Thank you for your support!

One Simple Trick to Motivate You Into Realising Your Travel Dreams


Valle cocora If you throw your hat over a fence, the only way to get that hat back is to climb that fence.
I love the simplicity of this metaphor; if you want something throw it over the fence, and if you want it bad enough you’ll go get it. Let’s be honest, we can have hundreds of places we want to visit and a thousand things we want to do, but for each one we can also think of a million reasons why it is not possible.

The fact is, it is easier to do nothing and dream up excuses, especially if life is great. Your only motivation is some vague dream of what life could be like, along with a perceived risk of losing what you already have.

Continue reading

Back Home In Bogota

Graffiti candelaria

The concept of home is kind of a strange one. A place the feels familiar that, you know inside and out. You know where all the best restaurants, bars and parks are and which day to go. You know when the weather is going to suck and where to go when it doesn’t. You know the people, what they’re like, what to do and can spot a tourist a mile away.

You know what to expect. It gives a warm, comfortable feeling and though there are times you struggle to come up with a single reason why you love it, it’s hard to imagine never ever coming back. After all it’s home.

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Why You Should Watch The Culture High!

Almost two years ago I contributed to a KickStarter project to help fund a movie I personally felt needed to be made. It was a story about marijuana prohibition and the effects the war on drugs has had on the world and our culture.

A few days ago I received my download code from the creators of The Culture High and after watching it once I can’t get the movie and its message out of my mind. Feelings of anger, hope, shock, inspiration and a sense of pride, for having helped in some small way to get this movie made, have been all I can focus on as I travel through Mexico.

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26 year long road trip! I got some catching up to do.

Wow what an incredible story, of love, of travel, of tragedy and adventure. This is a life that was most definitely lived, if there was ever a tale to inspire me this would be it. Gunther set out on the trip of a lifetime from Africa and eventually taking him to 177 countries and meeting the love of his life. He has finally concluded his amazing journey and is safely in Berlin.

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Turtle Conservation and Dealing with Doubt in Travel

Mexico Crocodicle

After nine months of travel I was back, back to where it all began, back in Mexico! But to be honest I really wasn’t that happy.

I was homesick and burnt out from the road, starting to get weary and questioning this life of movement. I could be back in my comfortable queens size bed, with clean clothes. Warm, regular showers, a predictable schedule. I would have the time to hang out with friends, or just lay around all day watching documentaries and playing video games. Maybe I could even do some exercise that wasn’t walking around lost in a foreign country.

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Beauty and Debauchery in New Orleans

New Orleans Puppy

I’m walking down Bourbon Street in the middle of the annual Decadence Parade my vision is blurry, probably due to the unnecessarily alcoholic and large daiquiri I’m holding; coupled with the sweltering humidity. I have one friend from Australia on my left and another from Colombia on my right, both feeling the same way. My bus leaves soon but it’s hard for me to care, I’m having such a great time completely enchanted by the madness of New Orleans.

I have only a few hours left in the country that has given me so much these past months. I’m smiling, near tears, I freaking love New Orleans…

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Canyons, Deserts and Austin

Grand Canyon GoPro

This world just keeps getting smaller it sounds cliché, well maybe it is, but I just can’t help but feel that way. As I bounce around the USA from car to car covering hundreds of miles at a time I watch as towns, cities, landmarks and the great lands of the United States zoom past through a car window. It’s exhilarating!

Since San Diego I have spent the days speeding through the sweltering deserts of southern and Middle America in a ride share with a girl heading to New Orleans and a Black Labrador puppy.

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