Five Things I’ve Learnt about Myself Whilst Travelling through Australia

I’m coming towards the end of a five month trip through Australia and I realised I’ve slightly changed and I’ve learnt a few things about myself. None of this, I’m now a spiritual being shit, more of, here are just five things I’ve discovered. 

1. I hate dogs

I’ve always known I’m not a huge dog fan, I’m more of a crazy cat lady, but having stayed with a lot of families through Australia who have dogs, I realise that I almost despise them. Some families have been fine, their houses haven't smelt, their dog was well behaved and I even took to playing with some of the puppies. But some of the houses I’ve stayed in have had annoying, yappy, little dogs who crawl all over you and try to lick your face whilst the owner is beaming, “oh look how she likes you!” I don’t want your smelly dog on me, and I’m tired of vacuuming around because there is hair everywhere. Rant over.

2. I’m good at solo travelling

I’ve met many other solo travellers on my trip and when we first meet I've found myself often asking, “god, I don’t think I could ever travel by myself, aren’t you really lonely?” to which they usually reply, “but aren’t you travelling by yourself too?” I’ve been that busy with Helpx families and staying with people on couchsurfing that I’ve rarely felt alone on this trip, never mind lonely. There are some days where I wish one of my besties was here with me, mainly to share in some of the amazing sights I’ve seen. But I’ve loved travelling through Australia alone, and I wouldn’t have done half the stuff that I have done if I had been with another person.

3. I love the beach

I’ve always loved the ocean, as I think I was a mermaid in a previous life, but I’ve always thought that I wasn’t a fan of the beach. Sand, wind, baking hot weather never appealed to me but from this trip I’ve spent days upon days laid on the beach, loving life. Sometimes it can be a bit too hot, and sometimes rubbing my factor 50 into my sand covered legs does feel like sandpaper, but I’ve adored my time at the beach here and I plan to move to the south coast of the UK when I return.

4. I’m more trustworthy than I thought

Many of my family members still think it’s odd that I just turn up to people’s houses through Helpx and Couchsurfing, and that I trust that these people won’t rob or murder me. Backpacking makes you trustworthy and makes you rely on others, because you like to think that you’d be just as nice in the same situation. I’ve also taken to hitchhiking a lot on my trip, mainly because the public transport in Aus is shit and I don’t want to have to wait another hour or two for a bus. I used to say that I would never hitchhike by myself, but I’ve done it many times here and I’ve never had a problem or felt unsafe. I’m very trusting in this country, and it’s showed me just how much kindness people have.

5. I no longer give two shits about my bikini body

I will never again diet for months on end so that I look good for one week in a bikini. I’ve been travelling in summer weather for seven months now and I spend a lot of my days in a bikini, either on a beach or near a pool. I no longer care what my body looks like in a bikini and nor does anyone else. Every time I go to the beach I see a million and one girls all looking great in their bathing suits and it got me thinking that I no longer give a shit about having the perfect body because the three scoops of apple crumble icecream I just had, made me far happier than laying here in a size 6 bikini, spending my day breathing it. Wearing barely nothing for the past 7 months (because it has been too warm) has changed my view on my own body confidence, and now I don’t give a hairy rat’s arse as to how I look.

I also haven’t really worn make up on this trip, because suncream and eyeliner don’t mix well.