Phoenix, needles and sunsets

All good things…

My carry on bag, around the world trip of 2017 was phenomenal. It was 3 months of travelling, which felt like forever at the beginning, but as it eventually started rolling to an end there were some pretty intense feelings.

So, I did what any reasonable adult would do.

I got a tattoo in Phoenix, Arizona. I think it’s safe to say my parents were thrilled.

Ok, so it wasn’t exactly a spur of the moment thing. I had actually been planning on getting a tattoo for a couple of years, and just hadn’t had the right moment and opportunity. In Phoenix we were staying with a friend of one of my travel buddies, who has many many tats, so we decided it was a cool time, and she took us to her favourite people. It was a really great experience. If you are thinking about getting inked in the US of A it’s worth noting that tipping is a thing for your artist. Coming from the south pacific this was something to get my head around. I went with 20% because my artist was really lovely and professional.

After tattoo-time we wandered off to check out the sights and sounds of Phoenix. I’m going to be honest, it’s not exactly a hotspot of attractions. The list of ‘things to do in Phoenix’ is odd and mostly museums and places with red dirt and cacti. We managed to get a solid chunk of red dirt seeing in, and even met a new lizard friend.

Would you believe that ‘Hole in a Rock’ is one of the top things to see in Phoenix on the cheap-to-free list? I mean, it’s a nice rock. Very red. Interesting textures. Nice view of the sunset.

It was a pretty great spot to sit and reflect on the past 3 months and think about our experiences. And there were some iconic looking cacti, which was a nice reminder of where we’d arrived.

And I licked a cactus, which I always wanted to do when I saw cartoons with classic cactus shaped cacti in them. I live life on the edge.

After a relaxed evening sunset watching, we decided to get in one last party, so headed into town for a night of dancing and good laughs. I was still on my Project #NoBeersies2017 drink-free year but had a blast dancing, and could also to be a sober driver afterwards.

Phoenix was our last major stop, and it’s a solid way from most places. The drive to LA was a full day, so to kill the time we made up a fantastic game. Country Bingo. You listen to the radio, and have a sheet of classic country music related themes and words. Like tractors and Jesus. We won. In about 1-2 hours.

It was a full on emotional journey driving into LA. We all knew it was our last day away, and that the real world was about to sucker-punch us in a few short days, and the evening absolutely played up the mood. Look at that nostalgia-inducing sunstrike-open-road vibe. Iconic. I should sell this one as a stock image.

And then this sweet as sunset past Manhattan Beach pier to the west, where home waited over the ocean.

There were tears, many utterings of love, and very deep sighs.

And of course, comfort food in true U S of A style as we waited for our flight out. Thanks, In n Out. (Shout out to the secret menu and the Animal style fries!)

Without trying to play into the stereotypes – it was an outlook-altering experience, a once in a lifetime trip, with friends who are like family now, to places I never dreamed I’d love as much as I did, in breathtaking countries, with tear-jerking landscapes and views that were like a 360 degree postcard, and I wouldn’t exchange it for anything in the world.

And yes, coming home felt like I was physically filling up with a warm fuzz.

xo cait

(oh, and shout out to Auckland airport for the water fountains! No single-use bottles for this gal!)

3 Months, 10 Countries, 1 Carry-on Bag

You may have heard (if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram) that I recently travelled around the world for 3 months on an amazing adventure. Before leaving I pondered ways of saving money, time, stress, and slightly reducing my carbon footprint.

One of the biggest decisions I made that helped on all four counts was setting myself the challenge of doing the whole trip with next to no gear – just a single carry on sized backpack.

That plan went out the window really fast when I realised I would be in climates between -5°C and +45°C, and had to fit a sleeping bag and sleeping mat in there as well, and one bag became one carry on sized backpack and one definitely-pushing-it personal item back pack, which basically every airline will allow. It was definitely overweight when fully packed, but when challenged at one airport I successfully got the big bag down to 8kg (maximum carry on for that airline) by putting on about 5 layers of clothing and shoving my book in my pocket. Success.

I swear Kathmandu did not sponsor this blog post…

Project #NoBeersies2017 – Update

I was planning to do a little update at 6 months into my year of sobriety, but alas, like many anniversaries in my life, it was forgotten. This is actually a good thing, when you think about it, because it means I haven’t been all that fussed about keeping track of how many days there are until I can drink again.

A quick recap for all those playing along at home – In December last year I woke up after a rather too wild night and uttered the classic hungover phrase “I’m never drinking that much again”. Through the course of the next week I considered my life choices and my drinking patterns in the past and came to several realisations –

1) I had started drinking more than I used to,

2) it had been gradual, so I hadn’t noticed it,

3) I didn’t like it.

Greece – Redefining ‘Old’

What really blew my mind about Athens was that there are things there made by people we consider to be part of ancient civilisations, which used pieces of rock they scavenged from Greek ruins. Even in those ancient times Athens had stuff old enough to be considered already ancient.

That’s ancient squared.

It’s incomprehensibly old.

It’s so old old stuff was being built from it because it was already old by then.

As you can tell – I’m still struggling to wrap my head around the sheer volume of time since the ruins here were occupied.

Another thing that impressed me was how many amazing things there were scattered about the place. You’ll be walking along through a park or down a road and then out of nowhere there is a casual patch of history just hanging out.

These baths are a great example, peeking out from under a road.

Perfect Imperfection – Istanbul

I love spending time imagining while I travel. For me stories are the best parts of history, they bring things to life in a way that transcends time because a story is always the same no matter when it’s read. The context changes though, and makes it unique and personal.

Istanbul had a layer of personal stories for me that stood out for some reason. Those are the stories of my dad walking around the city when he was about my age. Interestingly I’m not sure how many he has actually told me, memories can be funny like that, but they somehow stuck in my mind as ‘dad traveled here’. As I walked through streets I wondered if my dad walked there, and as I stood in old buildings I looked up and wondered how the place would have looked when he was there.

I now feel the need to clarify that my dad is alive and well, because it sounds upon reading the above like he might not be. I’m just missing my family a bit, I haven’t seen them in a few months.

Anyway, on to the exciting bit! Look how gorgeous Istanbul is!

Our hostel put on a delightful, traditional spread each morning where we feasted on fresh fruit, fresh bread, traditional soft cheese a bit like feta, and boiled eggs. We were getting a wee bit bored of cucumber, tomato and bread after having it at every meal through Azerbaijan, but the watermelon was still refreshing as ever.

The view from the little table on the street outside where we are breakfast was of the back of Hagia Sophia!

The Midnight Sun and Other Norwegian Wonders

I can’t believe it’s only been 4 days since my last blog! So much has happened and my head is in a happy spin. Today is another driving day, so I’ll try to catch you up a bit… If cell reception plays nicely.

There has been a solid amount of driving as we have meandered our way up north through Norway.

The tour leader has added in a solid number of stops for interesting little sights, great photos, and funny names.

To Tour or not to Tour…

I have a little confession… It makes me feel like a total badass when people ask me for travel advice. 😁

It’s been happening for a few years, but I still blush a little when I get those Facebook messages and texts (and occasionally even emails from friends mums….) asking me what I’d do in their situation.

One of the common questions that I see all over is “should I structure my own travel, or just join a prepackaged tour?”

The Kiwi is Back in the Nest

Hi all!

It’s been a while since I filled you in on what I’m doing with my life, so here’s a wee update.

I’m back in New Zealand!
NZ has a fun little clause in the student loan system that says you are only allowed to be outside of NZ for 6 months before you have to start paying back large chunks of your loan. My contract was an internship contract so money was not really a thing I had, and what I did have I didn’t want to part with. Luckily I managed to negotiate working from Wellington for my last 2 weeks so I made it back with a few days to spare.

Money, Money, Travel!

I’ve had so many people ask me how I fund my adventures, and whilst I wish there was some magical secret way to make money by simply being awesome the truth is that I work my bum off and forgo many things I’d like to have. It’s about priorities, and I am incredibly lucky to be able to prioritise things the way I do.

Before I get into my recommendations, I absolutely have to pause and address the privileges in the room – mine. I am in good health, so my medical bills are not an issue, I am university educated, so it’s a bit easier for me to find jobs, I have an approachable personality, no mental challenges, and I’m white, so people trust me (also helping me get jobs – biases are the worst) and I have a good relationship with my parents. All of these things help me save money, but even if you can only do one of the things below that is one step closer to your next adventure.

Moving swiftly along, here are my biggest money savers –