Me on beach of Koh Tao Thailand

It’s moments like these that I really do feel like I need to pinch myself to believe this really is reality. Looking back at my life a year ago I would never have thought that i’d be living the life I am right now.. Every day I wake up and feel like i’m in a dream.

It really does go to show though that life really is what you make of it.  and I wouldn’t say that life right now is all up’s it certainly does have its down’s,  but I think you need that, Because it’s those challenges and those bad times that truly challenge you as a person, and when you overcome them you become a better and stronger person because of it. This is especially true for me, Over the last year I feel I have grown and discovered more about myself as a person more than any other time in my life.

Me after bridge jump in Banos Ecuador

And it’s all because I had to go through those low’s and because I just threw myself out of my comfort zone and decided I wanted to start living the life I wanted to live instead of just wishing my life was something else.

I would be lying if I told you that there hasn’t countless moments where I have been scared, had doubts or spent nights with my stomach in knots nervous that I was making the right decisions.

At the end of my last backpacking trip 4.5 months in Latin America I truly was burnt out from backpacking. I missed my family I missed having some form of routine and I was over the struggle of constantly having to barter for things in Spanish and living my life out of a backpack. Shortly after returning home I felt the travel bug starting to build again. As much as I enjoyed spending time with my family and friends I just didn’t feel at home.

When I decided to leave Australia to travel through South East Asia and to do a backpacking working holiday in Europe for 2 years I was really excited but at the same time nervous and worried that I was going to quickly return to that same burnt out feeling that I had at the end of my last trip.

Me feeling a bit over travelling after a long day on a bus in Colombia 😛

However upon stepping back into a hostel again in Bangkok for the first time in 5 months I instantly felt like I was home. It’s just that feeling of connection and being surrounded by so many like minded travelers who are all on their own life journeys. That feeling that you can be whoever you want to be, and do whatever you want to do. The Freedom!

Over the past 3.5 weeks in Thailand I have made so many travel friends and connected with so many other awesome travelers, and while physically I have felt exhausted on multiple occasions, mentally I feel so alive. I feel so happy with my life right now and the decision to go back on the road.

I love meeting new people, embracing the feeling of freedom,going with the flow and seeing where the spirit of adventure takes me.

For me  that right there is what makes this travel lifestyle so special. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what you do for a job. You just get to meet and travel with truly amazing like minded people and have incredibly  unique and memorable experiences. These experiences can’t be found in a guide book ,You couldn’t  get them by buying a tour package. These experiences happened because a bunch of different people all made a series of seemingly random small decisions all culminating in special unique and memorable moments.

I apologize to all you guys for the blog being a bit quiet as of late. But I have honestly been so flat out meeting new people and experiencing the joy of travel, Finding a spare few hours alone without having to sacrifice time with new friends has been quite challenging.

Having a great time with some awesome travel friends in Koh Tao Thailand

However thing’s have calmed down a bit more now and there will be a lot more regular posts on Nerd Travels. I cant wait to share these moments with all of you from my time in Thailand and my upcoming adventures in Europe.

I I have an amazing 2 weeks in Europe planned which I will be posting about in the coming days, After that I have absolutely no idea what I will be doing yet but that’s all part of the fun 🙂