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Goodbye New Jersey. Hello World! A record of my journey as I give up my job, my possessions, and life as I know it to go off and see the world!

Visit To Fijian School and Village

FIJI | Thursday, 25 Apr 2013 | Views [9106] | Comments [3]

We stepped off the small boat from our resort onto the shores of one of the villages in Nacula, Fiji. Nacula is one of the over 300 islands that make up Fiji. It has a population of only a few hundred people, many of whom work in the many surrounding ... Read more >

Tags: fiji, nacula


Autumn in Queenstown New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND | Sunday, 21 Apr 2013 | Views [4839] | Comments [1]

The long, summer days have come to an end. The clocks have gone back, the days are shorter and the town quiets down. The bathing suit clad backpackers have retreated from the lake and moved onto the next place. The foot paths through the parks carry ... Read more >

Tags: autumn, queenstown


The 10 Backpacking Commandments

NEW ZEALAND | Friday, 19 Apr 2013 | Views [3804] | Comments [1]

Dear Fellow Backpackers and Travelling Nomads:  Follow these commandments for hostel living and you will be respected and loved by all whose paths you cross! Thou Shalt Not:   (1) Steal (this includes food!) (2) Turn on the main ... Read more >

Tags: backpacking, hostels


Congratulations! You’ve Got Your Working Holiday Visa in New Zealand! Now What?

NEW ZEALAND | Saturday, 17 Nov 2012 | Views [17660] | Comments [1]

So you’ve decided to come to New Zealand on a working holiday.  I bet that you are really excited about the chance to work and live abroad, as you should be. New Zealand is gorgeous with its mountains, beaches, and other impressive landscapes.... Read more >

Tags: working holiday


Immigration Visas are Not as Fun as Credit Card Visas

NEW ZEALAND | Saturday, 17 Nov 2012 | Views [3856] | Comments [1]

I had the amazing opportunity of finding love while travelling.  My English partner and I met while in New Zealand working (him being sponsored, myself on working holiday).  We are now engaged.  It’s all well and good to be with ... Read more >


The Risk of Becoming Addicted to Travel

UNITED KINGDOM | Monday, 3 Sep 2012 | Views [16565] | Comments [17]

They say ignorance is bliss and I do truly believe that. My eyes were opened to the world of independent travel and backpacking when I was nearly 25. Learning about hostels and cheap means to travel suddenly made the impossible seem possible.... Read more >


England vs. America the Little Differences

UNITED KINGDOM | Monday, 3 Sep 2012 | Views [30698] | Comments [13]

I have had the pleasure of traveling a bit in England the last few weeks as I visit with my boyfriend's family and friends. We are based in Hayling Island, close to Portsmouth on the south coast but during our time we have visited Bath, Chichester, ... Read more >

Tags: england


When Going Home Becomes Your Holiday

USA | Wednesday, 22 Aug 2012 | Views [3889] | Comments [3]

Many times in the past two years I envisioned what coming home would be like. It was often when I was riding on trains, or trying to sleep at night. I thought it would perhaps be something similar to out of a movie with meeting loved ones with hugs and ... Read more >


I'm Going Home Tomorrow

NEW ZEALAND | Saturday, 28 Jul 2012 | Views [5264] | Comments [3]

I remember the first time I put on my full pack. Man, the thing was heavy. Walking with it was awkward and I felt like I was carrying the weight of another person. There were things in that bag I knew I shouldn't have packed (sleeping bag) ... Read more >

Tags: coming home, living abroad


The Things I Do and Do Not Miss From America

USA | Monday, 28 May 2012 | Views [12249] | Comments [3]

In two months I will be going back to the States for a visit for the first time in 2 years. I have been inspired to write the things I do miss and don't miss about my home. In my 2 years time I have backpacked through Europe, bits of Asia, ... Read more >


I'm From America, My Boyfriend is from England, We Live in New Zealand....and It's Complicated

NEW ZEALAND | Sunday, 26 Feb 2012 | Views [12140] | Comments [9]

I log into the immigration New Zealand website for probably the 15 th time this week. I check the status of my work visa application lodged on the 15 th of February. Alas, the words PENDING on my page burn into my brain as I glance at the ... Read more >

Tags: dating while travelling, new zealand, visas


The Old Warm vs. Cold Christmas Debate

NEW ZEALAND | Monday, 2 Jan 2012 | Views [4842]

When you are traveling the Southern Hemisphere around the holidays, you are bound to find yourself in a conversation about the difference of Christmas here and Christmas home. I hear all the time “Christmas should be cold” from an American or English ... Read more >


Road Tripping the South Island

NEW ZEALAND | Sunday, 11 Dec 2011 | Views [4602]

The time had finally come to use the "holiday" part of my working holiday visa. I was coming up on 8 months of working in Queenstown, and it was time to take a break. My boyfriend Steve and I toyed with a few ideas. Shall we go to Fiji? ... Read more >


5 Things You Must Do in Queenstown, New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND | Sunday, 21 Aug 2011 | Views [60784] | Comments [4]

There are many ways to come into Queenstown. You can fly in from Australia or other parts of New Zealand. On a clear day you get the privilege of watching the large mountains below you as your plane eventually slices between them. You get to ... Read more >

Tags: #blogyourbackyard


Letting the New Zealand Light Shine In

NEW ZEALAND | Tuesday, 19 Jul 2011 | Views [3868] | Comments [6]

One of the things that makes New Zealand different from home is the light. It’s the way the sun shines, the shadows it casts, the different hues in the sky it creates. I walk to work in the morning and the sun is rising, shining brightly on Mt. Cecil ... Read more >

Tags: new zealand, queenstown


Unpacking My Bag

NEW ZEALAND | Friday, 22 Apr 2011 | Views [3906] | Comments [3]

Today is the first time since I left for my trip that I have officially unpacked my bag. I just calculated and if my math is correct that is 296 days. Now granted, I have gone through some times where I have sort of unpacked my bag in the past. Staying ... Read more >


Fluffing in New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND | Thursday, 31 Mar 2011 | Views [3466] | Comments [2]

It’s a chilly Sunday evening and I am sweeping the leaves away from the front of my work. You can definitely tell that autumn is coming. Just as I am about to push the leaves into the street a gust of wind comes and blows them back into the burger shop.... Read more >

Tags: working holiday


My Travel Writing Scholarship 2011 entry - Journey in an Unknown Culture

RUSSIAN FEDERATION | Monday, 14 Mar 2011 | Views [3304] | Scholarship Entry

It’s day three on the Trans-Siberian train and I’ve decided to wash my hair. So, how does one go about washing their hair in a simple train toilet? Step one, obtain some hot water, which thankfully is in abundance. Two, develop the right combination ... Read more >

Tags: #2011writing, travel writing scholarship 2011


The Waiting Game

NEW ZEALAND | Friday, 11 Mar 2011 | Views [3646] | Comments [1]

I am now a ghostbuster. I now get to spend about 14 hours a week cleaning the hostel that I am staying at, in return for accommodation and free internet. I get to walk around with a vacuum cleaner strapped to my back as I make my way around the hostel.... Read more >

Tags: queenstown


Designing My Dream Hostel

NEW ZEALAND | Sunday, 6 Mar 2011 | Views [5565] | Comments [5]

So I would say I have stayed in about 50 hostels now since I started traveling 8 months ago. I’ve been to some amazing ones, average ones, and god awful ones. Over the months I have developed a list of “little things” that hostels can have that really ... Read more >

Tags: hostel


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