Hello everyone,   To the disbelief of many—and honestly, ourselves—we went ahead and booked a 36-hour journey to get from Melbourne, Australia to Amsterdam. Why, you ask? It ended up being the cheapest option to get halfway across the world. When you’re traveling on a budget, you sometimes make decisions that your future self—in your 40s or 50s—will look back on and say, “I had to be young to do that.” But hey, you only live once… at least as far as we know. In the words of Robert Frost, ”The best way out is always through.” And made it through, we did. Let me tell you about it.   Melbourne to Singapore   On May 2nd, Geoffrey—John’s cousins’ cousins’ uncle—drove us to the Tullamarine Airport, as his schedule happened to be flexible that morning. We’d been staying in his gorgeous house for a few days, and he had been the most delightful host: thoughtful, easygoing, and full of good conversation. On the drive, Geoffrey and John chatted about politics, life, and everything in between, while I sat quietly in the back, taking in the final glimpses of Melbourne through the window. The soundtrack for the ride was 80’s music, particularly Whitney Houston and Elton John. Once we arrived, we unloaded our bags from the trunk of his spotless white Audi as the sun shone brightly. We gave him hugs, told him to give our best to his partner, Robert, and walked into the international terminal.   We’re getting quite familiar with the airport routine by now. The only real variations are whether customs utilizes biometric scanners or forces you to interact with a grumpy human… and the specifics of the security area protocol. Here, we passed through biometric customs smoothly, but John’s Aunt Paula had mentioned something a few days prior—even if you go through biometric customs, you can ask for a stamp in your passport. I approached a burly looking security guard and without hesitation asked him for one while holding out my passport. He looked at my passport, looked at me, looked back at my passport, and deliberated internally. Then without a word, he took it behind an unmanned desk, stamped it, and handed it back. John happened to be right behind me and also got his stamped. Yay!    We both agree that it’s necessary to find our gate before doing anything else—no distractions until we know where we’re going, so we set off to find it. The airport was bustling, but then again it was a Friday morning, one of the busiest days to fly. Once we found our target, we split up to find breakfast. While passing all the souvenir shops, luxury goods stores, and fast food joints, I stumbled on a store that sold compression socks. I texted John where the store was because he needed them, and bought an inflatable lumbar pillow for myself. If you’ve ever struggled with lower back pain, these come in handy when you need a little extra support. Those economy airplane seats sure aren’t known for their ergonomic design. It’s tough to make a one-size-fits-all approach work for most people. This trip has taught me that it’s important to do what you can to support your body and stay comfortable, even if it may take a few extra seconds.   With food on my mind, I found myself reflecting on a few things I’d noticed about the norms and habits surrounding food in Australia. One of the more surprising cultural differences was that many Australians seem to genuinely enjoy McDonald’s. Unlike in the States, there seemed to be less stigma around grabbing a meal there. John’s aunt mentioned that his cousins were shocked at how much worse McDonald’s was during their visit to the U.S.—maybe that explains it. Another notable mention: nearly every café display case was stacked high with pastries, meat pies, and sandwiches, almost overflowing—some of the biggest piles I’ve ever seen.   Wading through all that gluten, I finally found a coffee and a Greek yogurt parfait topped with gluten-free granola at a small cafe. I ended up sharing a table with two pediatric nurses who were casually discussing the use of tongue depressors on sick kids. Not a bad start to the morning. After I finished my coffee, I met up with John at our gate.   Then before we knew it, it was time to board our first flight: Melbourne to Singapore. The flight was uneventful, which is always a good thing. We watched movies, slept a little, and tried not to dwell on the long journey ahead. The $15 credit included in our fare covered a few snacks—I picked olives, cheese and crackers, and orange juice. The banana bread was already sold out (a very popular choice), so John chose cheese and crackers too. Jetstar, being the budget airline that it is, did charge for movies — but they did hand our free headphones that only fit their oddly specific jack design… so make of that what you will. John paid to watch The White Lotus while I snuck occasional glances at his screen (just such a good show). About seven hours later, we landed at the Changi Airport in Singapore.   Singapore to Doha, Qatar   As we exited the plane, I was struck by how retro the Singapore International Airport decor was—purple carpets with circular designs, overhead lights to match, and metal chalice-shaped chairs with velvet cushions. It felt like a modern version of the ’70s. Since we were flying on Qatar Airlines next, we had to collect our checked bags from Jetstar and re-check them, so we headed to baggage claim. It looked like a giant airplane hangar, with rows of carousel “B” belts- long enough to chase down your bag before it went back under the fabric dangly bits (their official name) at the end. It’s so nerve-wracking standing there at the edge of the carousel, not knowing if—or when—your bag is going to be spit out. But

I have fallen behind on writing blog posts, I am currently trying to catch up while in Europe. Part 2 to come hopefully within the next week.  The Arrival: Flying in a Ghost plane  Arriving in Australia from Bali felt surreal—not because of culture shock or jet lag, but because the flight itself was practically a ghost ship. Of the 300 seats on board, maybe 30 were occupied. It was eerie. Every passenger had their own row, stretched out like royalty in economy class. What made it stranger was the route. Bali is a hotspot for Aussie vacationers—you’d expect a packed flight, not this floating lounge. But thanks to the mercurial algorithms that run airline pricing, I ended up horizontal for most of a six-hour flight. It was one of those rare moments where the chaos of modern travel bent in our favor. Sydney: The Pitstop The main reason we flew into Sydney—like so many of our decisions on this trip—came down to one thing: price. Simply put, it was the cheapest option. We could only afford to stay for two nights, but I’m glad we made the stop. We stayed in a hostel near the very center of Sydney called 790 on George (George Street) right in the heart of the city. It was everything a budget traveler could ask for: central, busy, and packed with backpackers from around the world—young solo travelers, older adventurers, even a few families. It wasn’t fancy, but it did its job. And if you’re looking to party, odds are you’ll find your crew here. Winter and I took a day trip to Manly, which is an iconic beach suburb of Sydney known for its relaxed vibe and golden sand. The ferry ride itself was worth the trip. The ferry ride takes you right through Sydney Harbor, right by the Opera House. It was such a beautiful building and definitely a highlight. But I have to admit, after seeing it in so many photos, videos, and movies, I expected it to be….. Bigger. Not in a disappointing way, it really is a stunning structure, but the scale caught me off guard. It made the building feel more human, which was actually a refreshing feeling.  The ride on the ferry was gorgeous as we got to see the entire city skyline for 20 minutes each way. We spent the day relaxing on the beach of course, and took a walk up to Shellyhead lookout. We met an Iguana buddy at the top, who I promptly named Igor. We took in the views of Manly beach and the Tasman sea as we relaxed with our new friend Igor. We then said goodbye to our short lived friend and returned to our hostel.  Flying Jetstar:  Let me tell you – flying Jetstar is brutal when it comes to baggage. These people do not paly games when it comes to weight limits. So far on our trip, although our carry on bags were consistently over 7kg, most airlines -even budget airlines like Vietjet- did not seem to care as long as it wasn’t egregiously over 7kg. Jetstar? Not so forgiving.  Despite our checked bags being 8kg under our limit, they forced us to redistribute 4kg from our carry-on bags, (we were both about 2kg over) to our checked luggage. Naturally, II did some cheating, leaving items on the ground before putting them back into my backpack after they passed weigh-in. Apparently Jetstar is used to people getting by, because they had another weigh-in right before you board at the discretion of the gate agent. We accidentally wandered in line for the second weigh-in, and I was preparing for the 70 AUD for being over. Then came the voice -“I didn’t tell you to get in this line” snapped the gate agent, (she seemed like she had been doing this job for too long) Whew. We had officially beaten Jetstar and were on our way to Brisbane.  Brisbane When we arrived in Brisbane, Jackie, who is my Aunt Paula’s former in-law, (my cousins’ aunt) graciously picked us up. I hadn’t seen Jackie since I was 4 years old, when both her and my father lost a few fingers within a month of each other. Strange connection to remember someone by, but that is life.  Jackie treated us like family from the moment we arrived. She introduced us to her children, Zanna, Destiny, and Heath. A truly lovely bunch. We only had a half a day with Jackie before she went away for the weekend for a music festival, but in that short time she gave us the grand tour of Brisbane and caught us up on life over the past couple decades   One of the first things we learned in Brisbane, courtesy of Zanna, is that Winter and I have “very american accents.” We had gotten this a few times in Australia, which is funny because I don’t think most Americans would say we have strong accents, albeit I do pronounce my R’s a little funny. We talked to Zanna and her friend who were a few years younger than us about the state of America, and fielded all of their questions.  We touched on a wide range of topics, some light, many not. , They were particularly shocked by the state of US healthcare (or lack thereof), the normalization of gun violence (especially involving kids), and a few things we both grapple with in our countries, like domestic violence and the treatment of vulnerable populations such as the elderly and disabled. These kind of conversations, honest, curious, peer-to-peer, are some of my favorite parts of traveling. You get to see your home country through the lens of someone else’s eyes. It can really put things in perspective.  Zanna and her friend also warned us half-heartedly about the local “eshays” , a group of Australian local kids who hang around in packs, get into fights, do drugs, and are apparently into wearing Nike TN trainers. The best cultural

Hello everyone,   We’ve just about finished our lovely two weeks in Australia, staying primarily with John’s relatives. Their generosity and kindness gave us a chance to slow down, settle in, and feel grounded — a much-needed pause before we launch into part two of our journey: Europe, which we head off to in just two days. While staying with John’s aunt on the Sunshine Coast, we took a short trip up to Rainbow Beach for a few days. We’d booked a day tour of K’Gari (formerly Fraser Island), and Rainbow Beach turned out to be the most convenient base to make that adventure possible — logistically and scenically.   Catching an early Greyhound express bus from Noosa Junction to our hostel in Rainbow Beach — Freedom Rainbow Hostel — was quick and painless. We even had a halfway pit stop at a truck stop with a surprisingly good Asian fusion takeaway. It’s funny in hindsight, though — after spending time in Southeast Asia, the phrase “Asian food” feels almost comically broad. There are so many distinct cuisines across Asia that lumping them all together now seems a little silly. But I did enjoy the sushi that I got.   We arrived in Rainbow Beach in the early afternoon. After checking into our hostel with about 20 other passengers, we had just enough free time to make the short trek to the Carlo Sandblow. If you ever find yourself in this part of Queensland, I can’t recommend it enough. Photos online don’t come close to capturing its scale or serenity. If you don’t know, the Carlo Sandblow is a beautiful inland sand bowl covering 15 hectares famous for its “moonscape” appearance. Standing in the middle of that vast, windswept sand bowl — with the ocean stretching out on one side, forest flanking the others, and hazy mountains rising in the distance — felt surreal. The sand was incredibly soft on my feet, softer than any sand I’ve ever felt.   We stayed to watch the sunset, which cast a quiet stillness over the evening—a soft kind of peace that made the world feel, just for a moment, exactly as it should be. I try to hold onto those moments, to really let them sink in. After admiring the sky together, we ran down the sides of the sand bowl like kids let loose in a giant playground, laughing and wiggling our toes in the cool sand. Eventually, we made our way back into town to get ready for the next day’s tour. The walk back from the Carlo Sandblow felt alive—the streets hushed, the last light stretching into deeper shades of gold and pink as the sun slipped below the horizon. With every minute it faded, it somehow became even more beautiful.   **************   With the sun just beginning to creep over the horizon and the cool morning air starting to give way to warmth, we grabbed our small bags and walked to the bus stop to wait for our Fraser Island tour pickup. Not long after, the K’gari Explorer Tours bus rolled up, and our driver stepped out. He was tall and lanky, with the kind of easy Australian humor that made you feel right at ease. There was a spark in his eyes — the look of someone genuinely excited to show off a place in nature he knew since he was a little boy. Once we were all situated in our woven moquette fabric seats, he gave us a quick run down of how the tour worked. Then, wanting to get on our way, he said: “I don’t want stand up here and bore you with a boring safety talk, so I’m going to drive and you can watch a video about it on our bus TV,” and hopped behind the wheel.   Cut to a gloriously 80s safety video, complete with static lines and VHS vibes. The rules were short and sweet: Then the driver added over the speakers: “If you’re late returning to the bus because you fell asleep, got lost, or were just blissfully absorbed in nature, you’ll earn the front seat next to me… and a microphone. Have you heard of carpool karaoke? It’s like that but bigger stakes. You will have to sing a song to the whole bus.”   And just like that, we were off — trundling down the beautiful Queensland roads, heading for the ferry to K’gari. After about 30 minutes on the road, we reached the sandy peninsula where the ferry departs. Our driver drove right onto the sand and expertly guided the bus up the ramp onto the ferry deck, parking neatly among the other vehicles.   Our driver told us all to exit the bus, stretch our legs, and have a look ‘round while we made the short journey across to the island. Above the parking area, a viewing deck offered a panoramic look at the sparkling water. It was windy up there, so I pulled on the purple sweater I’d debated bringing that morning – turns out it was a great call. Love it when that happens. After taking in the salty breeze and ocean views, we all clambered back on the bus and exited the ferry to beautiful K’gari.   As soon as we touched down on the sands, our driver said, “I gotta put this puppy in 4-wheel drive,” getting the bus ready to drive in the sand. Then he began heading for K’gari Beach Resort where we’d make a quick pit stop at a beachside resort — pee break, leg stretch, snack grab — and then continue inland to Lake McKenzie. Our first five minutes on K’gari were spent driving right on the sand, with the Pacific Ocean lapping at the shore just to our right, and sand dunes lining the edge of the beach to our left. The sunlight dancing across the waves like someone scattered silver glitter on the water’s surface, creating a pretty sparkle amongst the blue expanse.