Personal Travel Blog

Older archived travel blog about Chris and Alan travels together. Just two Kiwis would rather travel than work, and are doing their best to ensure they don't get to the end of their lives with gas still left in the tank.

We were older when we started travelling, in comparison to most kiwis. Things like study got in the way (Chris has a PhD in environmental management, and Alan is a web programmer), and so we didn't take our first OE until into our 30s. With that came a lot of built up dreams and anticipation about life outside our little archipelago, as well as a huge student debt. The UK was off the cards, mainly because we didn't want to hang out with drunk Australasian 20 year olds and work scummy bartending jobs, and Europe was off because of the cost; besides, Chris hates French food. Maybe it was the stories she remembered hearing from her Aunt and cousins during their 2-year world tour, or from her grandparents after their frequent overseas trips, or maybe it was just the thought of all that yummy food and the low travel costs, but Asia was our first regional destination.

In 2006, as an incentive for Chris to hand in her PhD, we booked tickets for Bali, with a stop-over in Singapore (cheaper than a direct flight in the wake of the Bali bombings). And off we went. During that trip, Chris landed a job in Brisbane, Australia, so we cut down our trip length from 6 months to 3 and a half. We loved Asia, found travel very easy, and were hooked.