Hello.

My love for travel started in 2011 when I ventured on my first back-packing trip around Europe. Since then, I’ve travelled to 48 countries and counting!

I love travelling so much that in 2024, I quit my corporate job to travel the world for a year… at the age of 40. It’s never too late. If I can do it, so can you!

I’ve learnt a lot on the road and become a bit of an expert in Travel Planning.

I write about places that I’ve actually been to and how to plan an Adult Gap Year.

My ultimate goal is to inspire a kinder way to travel, because how we travel matters.

What You’ll Find On The Blog

In a world that prioritises productivity and profit, going against societal norms and quitting the 9-5 to travel can be exciting but scary.

On top of that, the process of planning long-term travel can be overwhelming.

If you’re wondering where to start, you’ve come to the right place.

I’ve been in your shoes.

I hope that by sharing everything I’ve learnt during my travel gap year and over 10 years of travel experience, I can make it less daunting for you!

On this blog, you will find:

• How to plan the ultimate travel career break – mental preparation, budget hacks & safety tips to know before you go
  
• Inspiration for your next trip – detailed itineraries, honest reflections & lessons learned from destinations I’ve travelled to
  
• Responsible travel tips – how to reduce your carbon footprint and ways to support local communities on the road
  
• Helpful resources – my packing list and all the services I use to book my travels
  
• Community – I hope to build an online space where travellers from all over the world can connect, inspire & support one another throughout their travel journeys

My Values

While The Travel Escape Plan aims to inspire people to travel more, the truth is, not everyone is in a position to travel.

Some reasons that may prevent someone from visiting other countries include visa restrictions, lack of finances, health issues and other priorities.

Travel is a PRIVILEGE.
And as with any privilege, comes great responsibility.

Everything I publish on this blog will be guided by the following values:

• Be Authentic
  Social media is an amazing source of inspiration for travel ideas, but these curated moments only show you half the story.  To provide a more balanced perspective, I’ll do my best to present both the highs and lows of life on the road.  You can expect honest recommendations and full transparency about my own travel privilege.  I hope to show you that there’s no such thing as an overnight success!  There will be hours of invisible time and effort, sweat and tears, setbacks and comebacks behind every person who has managed to achieve their travel dreams.
  
  
• Be Kind
  The internet has made travel more accessible, but this comes at a cost. One Instagram photo by a ‘travel influencer’ can overload a destination that doesn’t yet have the infrastructure to cope with a large influx of tourists.  Our actions abroad have consequences. My goal is to raise awareness about the negative impacts of over-tourism on local communities and the environment, and inspire a kinder way to travel.  Being mindful about the places we visit and where we spend our money can make a huge difference!  Also, we don’t judge the less-travelled here.  Not everyone is in a position to travel nor does everyone want to travel.  We all want different things in life and that is more than ok!
  
  
• Be Curious
  My vision is to grow The Travel Escape Plan into one of the most helpful online resources for long-term travellers and people seeking a travel career break at any age. Use my recommendations as a starting point, but stay curious and be creative. In my experience, the most memorable travel stories involve accidental encounters, spontaneous decisions or when nothing seems to be going according to plan!  The best travel tips come from the locals themselves, so don’t be afraid to make a new friend!

My Travel Personality

• Solo or Group
  I am currently travelling with my life partner. We spend a lot of time together, but when our interests collide, I feel comfortable to venture out on my own.

• Budget or Luxury
  I would say we are mid-range budget travellers. We try to save money where we can without compromising on comfort or once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Also, we believe that some of the best things in life are free!

• City or Nature
  Both. Paris, New York City and Tokyo are some of my favourite cities in the world! But I also love escaping the crowds to a secluded beach, and hiking through mountaintop forests makes me so happy.

• Leisure or Adventure
  I used to be someone with serious FOMO. Every place I visited, I would burn myself out trying to see and do everything. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate the art of slow travel. It’s so important to have a balance of both relaxation and adventure. Trust me, your body will thank you for it!

• Planned or Spontaneous
  I love to make travel plans! The whole creative process behind gathering information about a place and reorganising it into a self-guided tour brings me so much joy. I try to keep my itineraries fairly flexible though. Things not going to plan are a very normal part of travel life!

• Backpack or Suitcase
  We travelled with a medium-sized wheelie suitcase around the globe this year. Was it a struggle to carry it up and down the stairs? Of course! But I would have also struggled carrying around a huge backpack for long periods of time, so no regrets.

My travel personality has changed a lot since I first started travelling, and it will continue to change as I get older, and my situation and preferences change.  

The only way to know what kind of traveller you are is to learn as you travel. So get out there, the world is waiting!

Places I’ve Lived or Travelled

I grew up in Adelaide (Australia) which will always be home no matter where I am in the world. I’ve been lucky enough to live abroad in London (UK) for the past 8 years. My partner is French so we go back and forth to France so often that I feel like it’s my second home.

I only write about places I’ve actually lived or travelled.

Here’s a list of everywhere I’ve been:

Australia

• Adelaide, Alice Springs, Cairns, Canberra, Hobart, Kangaroo Island, Melbourne, Perth, Port Douglas, Sydney

Africa

• Morocco – Ait Benhaddou, Atlas Mountains, Marrakech, Merzouga (Sahara Desert), Ouarzazate

Asia

• Fiji – Nadi, Suva
• Indonesia – Amed, Canggu, Gili Air, Ubud
• Japan – Hokkaido, Fukuoka, Osaka, Lake Kawaguchiko, Tokyo
• Singapore
• South Korea – Busan, Seoul
• Thailand – Phuket, Phi Phi Island
• Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An

Europe

• Austria – Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna
• Belgium – Brussels
• Bulgaria – Bansko, Borovets, Plovdiv, Sofia, Sozopol, Varna
• Croatia – Rovinj
• Czech Republic – Prague
• Denmark – Copenhagen
• England – Brighton, Bristol, Canterbury, Cornwall, Devon, London, Manchester, Margate, Mersea Island, Windsor
• Estonia – Tallinn
• Finland – Helsinki, Rovaniemi (Lapland)
• France – Aix-en-Provence, Caen, Colmar, Hossegor, Gorges du Verdon, Le Mont-Saint-Michel, Le Mans, Lourdes, Lyon, Nantes, Nice, Paris, Rennes, Saint Lo
• Germany – Berlin, Hamburg, Munich
• Greece – Athens, Astypalea, Kavala, Kos, Naxos, Rhodes, Samos
• Hungary – Budapest
• Iceland – Reykjavik
• Ireland – Dublin, Cliffs of Moher, Cork, Galway
• Italy – Amalfi Coast, Burano, Cinque Terre, Lake Como, Milan, Pisa, Rome, Valdobbiadene (Champagne region), Venice
• Malta – Gozo, Valletta
• Monaco 
• Montenegro – Durmitor, Kotor, Rijeka Crnojevića, Tivat, Zabljak
• Netherlands – Amsterdam, Eindhoven
• Northern Ireland – Belfast, Giant’s Causeway
• Norway – Bergen, Gudvagen, Flam, Oslo
• Poland – Krakow, Warsaw
• Portugal – Aveiro, Fátima, Lisbon, Madeira, Porto
• Romania – Brasov, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Maramures, Sibiu, Sighisoara, Transylvania, Transfagarasan Highway
• Scotland – Edinburgh
• Slovenia – Lake Bled, Lljubliana
• Spain – Alicante, Barcelona, Canary Islands (La Palma), Ibiza, La Manga, Valencia
• Switzerland – Basel, Lucerne, Zurich
• Turkey – Fethiye, Gallipoli, Istanbul, Pamukkale, Olympus, Selçuk (Ephesus)
• Vatican City
• Wales – Abergavenny, Snowdonia, Wye Valley

North America

• Canada – Montreal, Canadian Rockies, Vancouver
• Mexico – Bacalar, Chichen Itza, Playa del Carmen, Tulum
• USA – Hawaii, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego

South America

• Argentina – Buenos Aires, Cafayate, El Calafate, El Chalten, Patagonia, Salta, Tilcara
• Bolivia – Cochabamba, Copacabana, La Paz, Rurrenabaque, Sucre, Tupiza, Uyuni Salt Flats
• Peru – Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley
• Uruguay – Montevideo