Accidentally glance at New Zealand on a map and when you check your wallet later you will notice that you are missing twenty dollars. There is no denying that New Zealand is expensive; $1500 will buy you a month living in some shady hostels and eating wiggly noodles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Vegetable soup … Continue reading How to Backpack New Zealand on an Extreme Budget
That night, Madagascar greeted me at the airport with a thick, smoky darkness, a gruff one-toothed driver and a taxi with a door that flew open around corners. I had arrived in south-west Madagascar to live and work amongst the Vezo fisher folk who subsisted entirely off the spoils of the Toliara reef system. … Continue reading Travel Stories: My First (Scary) Night in Madagascar
A lot of people, when quizzed about the New Zealand’s south island, would wax poetic about places like Milford Sound and Wanaka, and would be very quick to dismiss Queenstown with words like ‘flashy’ and ‘crowded’ being thrown around. Coupled with it’s world-wide reputation of being ‘the adrenaline capital’, you imagine it to be a … Continue reading Love it or loathe it: Queenstown
Everybody and their Grandmother hires a campervan or motorhome when they touch ground on the South Island in New Zealand. Whether it is a monstrous beast that puts Howl’s Moving Castle to shame, or a glorified trash heap that is more moving garbage can than car, there is a reason for this transportation trend. I … Continue reading A Campervan Adventure in Tekapo and Wanaka
I am a serial over planner. I read reviews on TripAdvisor, scour through blog posts, flip through Lonely Planets, and sometimes even venture onto the second page of Google to troll through even MORE information. That is true research dedication right there. If Googling travel destinations was a legitimate hobby, I would be the president … Continue reading Getting Steamy in Rotorua
Some strange things happen when you touch down on home soil after a life changing trip. Once the initial joy of eating all the things you missed (lollies!) has subsided, you are left weeping into your wallet when you spot a rupee or a euro. It is a hard and trying time and what do … Continue reading 25 Things That Happen When You Come Home
“I wish I knew how to quit you.” ― Annie Proulx, Brokeback Mountain Australia has welcomed me back into it's sweaty embrace after a year of non-stop travel. I admit I was reluctant to return to the motherland, but Australia has a way of sucking you back in. One day you're drinking a flat … Continue reading Embracing Brisbane: A Bucket List
I don't think it needs to be said that Mauritius has some beautiful beaches. The tiny tropical island is almost completely ringed by coral reef which means that the beaches are calm and shallow. Not ideal for surfing but perfect for swimming, water sports, and sipping a drink in the shallows. All beaches on Mauritius … Continue reading The Five Best Beaches in Mauritius
This article is part two in a series about the process of getting my PADI Divemaster certification. I felt that it was not real life to omit the fear I had to overcome to do this course, so I wrote about that in part one. This article will focus on the good and bad parts … Continue reading Becoming a Divemaster: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
This article is part one in a series on the process of getting my PADI Divemaster certification. The Divemaster certification is the first step to working as a professional in the diving industry. I felt it was important to share some backstory before getting into the details of my month long course. Unfortunately, diving can … Continue reading Becoming a Divemaster: A Short Story on Fear
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