Why

I set off on this wild adventure in September 2010 with the intention of doing a whirlwind year long 'gap-year'. Luke and I were going to spend a few months working in New Zealand, then travel through Australia and then through South East Asia winding down and heading home for the end of August 2011. Well, obviously change of plans! Luke and I quickly realized that New Zealand had so much more to see that there was no way we could limit our time there to a few months. We wanted to use our whole year visa really seeing the country and enjoying the Rugby World Cup.

One of the things we loved about our year in New Zealand was really soaking up the cities and their people. We knew we didn't want to just stop through loads of different places as quickly as we could. With that in mind, we crossed the Tasman to Australia to do it all again.

So what was once a small plan to travel has turned into an adventure with few plans and no expiration date (Sorry mom and dad). If there is something that the Christchurch Earthquake has taught me, its to live every single day. I have found I am happiest with a lighter backpack, a camera attached to my wrist and a sun tan. When we settle in places to work I enjoy the luxuries that come with it: warm showers, meals cooked using more than one pot, income; but I secretly crave the open road again (I'm very fickle). Not knowing what we will encounter next is an incredibly exciting thing.

This blog is mostly about my travels, but while we soak up each city we live in I tend to talk more about day-to-day living in a new place. Luke and I try to see as much as we can on the weekends and our days off, but sometimes after working all week, I just want to stay in bed instead of go somewhere new.

So please join me as I climb glaciers, jump from planes, eat crazy and delicious things, sleep in, drink too much on a work night, and explore where I live. I hope that I can inspire you to truly live.