First impressions of Melbourne

So, I’m here.. if you hadn’t already guessed. I’m here in Melbourne, Australia. Currently sitting on the rooftop of YHA Metro listening to Spotify, trying to drown out the horrendous noise coming from the building site opposite.

There’s a woman currently hanging her wet laundry out on the plastic red chairs. I’m guessing she doesn’t want to pay $4 to dry her clothes..fair enough.  My moods have been currently up and down (mother natures a bi*ch) and I’ve felt so stressed with the stresses of traveler life- and by that I mean money.

But some news, at last! Both Luke and I have got work washing Jaguars for the launch in Melbourne… YAY!! At least that’s a start right? This woman is actually using all the bloody chairs to dry her clothes.. I hope they blow away!!

It took me a while to get in the swing of things here in Melbourne. I always go on about how I have itchy feet and that I like to keep moving… but I actually don’t mind spending time in one place for a little while. I think it kind of takes me a while to get settled into my new surroundings. I’ll admit it now! I hated Melbourne when we first arrived, it’s just not Sydney. But Now I’ve been her for a week I can kind of appreciate how amazing this city is.  That’s just it, isn’t it. Sometimes it takes a while to see the beauty of a place and be able to navigate your way around easily before you can actually start to enjoy it. Before I needed Luke to show me how to use the trams and where to go. But now I can happily walk down to grab my boost or my avocado (obsessed with avocado on toast at the moment).

I think that a lot of people have always raved about Melbourne, that’s why I was disappointed when I first arrived. But I’ve learnt, that everyone has different tastes.. one part of the world excites one person and bores another.  I’m just going to use this time to get on my feet, start saving so I can have more wanderlust adventures.

So here’s to the next chapter.

A different kind of christmas

This christmas marks the first of many. It’s the first christmas that I’ve spent with my boyfriend, but also the first christmas I’ve spent away from my family. It’s the first christmas abroad and the first christmas on the beach… I can’t complain, spending christmas on the beach with the sand between your toes, drinking prosecco and tucking into your Nando’s chicken is kind of the dream.

But christmas is all about family… cliche I know. I’ve never been a massive fan of christmas unlike my christmassy obsessed boyfriend who loves this festivity endlessly.  But Christmas this year, just didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel right not to be stuffing my face with potatoes and yorkshire puddings. It didn’t feel right not opening my presents in front of the glowing fire, or watching my family receive their’s.  It didn’t feel right not to go for a christmas walk with the doggies or spend our annual boxing day at my Cousin’s house. It just didn’t feel right! I don’t think I blame this on growing older.. I think it’s just the fact my family weren’t there to celebrate with me.

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The idea of spending christmas on the beach with a glass of bubbly in your hand whilst the sun glistens over the sea, sounds perfect and idyllic for many… but I missed the winter, my crazy family and old traditions.

However, I’m glad to say that for once I experienced a different kind of christmas. I spent it in Sydney on Shelley beach where the sand was warm and the sea was calm. I perched on a rock for most of the day, drinking my Prosecco and spending it with the person I love the most. Although as I am currently writing this I’m suffering with bruises from the slippery rocks, sun burn and the aftermath of a bloody spicy chicken Tikka Masala (Who knew it could blow your head off!!).  I am happy to say that I did it. I spent Christmas the other side of the world, something not many people can say they have done. It still feels weird to me, that we actually made it here. It’s weird that my dream actually became my reality.

So whether you’ve been lucky enough to spend christmas at home with your family or spent it on some far away island.. live in that moment. Because you never know when things might change.

 

A guide to buying the perfect rucksack for your travels.

A couple of weeks ago I purchased my rucksack for my year long adventure in Australia, my boyfriend had his last week.  Because we are both backpack virgins, we had no idea what to look for, what we needed and what to expect.

With no idea of what the heck we were doing, I travelled with my Mother to Go Outdoors. Check them out here;  to purchase my little beauty of a rucksack.  To those who know me will know that I have an obsession with everything pretty. I have to have ‘pretty’ everything from a stapler to a DSLR camera bag (camera lovers will know the struggle) to wine bottles (Yes, that’s right! I chose the wine depending on how pretty the bottle is)- Does anyone else do this? I had some minging ciders and wine in my time, all for the pretty label, sad I know!

I opted for the prettiest rucksack that they had for women. It’s purple and pink, because duh! (If you want to have a look click the link.)  Now as far as Rucksacks go, I haven’t the faintest clue.. but luckily the good old store assistant was there to help! He fitted my rucksack and let me walk around the store to see if it felt comfortable.- Remember doing this in clarks as a kid?

I would definitely make sure that you get your rucksack fitted.  You are meant to carry the weight on your hips rather than your back when carrying a rucksack.  This is why it’s important that the rucksack fits right on your hips and takes the pressure off the back. Another good tip would be to put some heavy rope in the back so you can see for yourself what it’s like with something inside. They fitted it well by adjusting the height and straps to make sure it’s comfortable for my height.

I’ve gathered some info from various websites to find the best tips for buying a rucksack.

*Make sure you know what size you need: It’s no good purchasing a small rucksack for a year long trip. A 60 litre, which is the one I purchased seems the right size for my traveling needs. Although the boyfriend has a bigger one (70 + 10) to carry all my extras.

*Make sure you have good straps. Some straps are similar to a memory foam and sculpt to your shoulders, whereas others don’t.  If you suffer from shoulder problems make sure you have the strap that can shape to your shoulders.  It will be worth it in the end.

*Gender packs are ideal. Women and men are obviously built differently and so are their rucksacks. If you are a female I suggest getting the backpack specially designed for women. Whereas men can get away with same sex rucksacks.

*Pockets and compartments. Most rucksacks have there own hidden compartments.  If you fancy having easy access to your sleeping bag you can just unzip from the bottom to get it out.  My rucksack also has a separate compartment at the bottom for muddy shoes that you want to keep separate from your travel stuff.

*Rain cover- If you are going on an adventure and it’s likely to rain. Make sure your rucksack includes a rain cover to keep everything dry.  You can buy these rain covers separate so don’t fret if your rucksack doesn’t have one.

*Sometimes own brands are just as good and are half the price. I bought my boyfriend the OEX (Go outdoors own brand)- which is just as good as the top brands for a lot cheaper.

Check out this video to understand how to fix it.

Do you have any tips to add to the backpack list?