Location, location, location

33 days, that’s all we have been away for. If feels as though it’s been a lifetime. When away from home, a day feels like a week, it’s crazy!

So far we have travelled to 6 different locations; Singapore, Sydney, Blue Mountains, Spot-X, Byron Bay and Surfers Paradise in Gold Coast. In total honest, Singapore was probably the best place so far... Never thought we would say this!

Singapore is such a beautifully designed, clean and futuristic city. It’s almost like, a group of architects and conservationist, gathered together, and built a city! They are very strict with enforcing rules; no eating or drinking (even water) on public transport, queue in perfectly straight lines, don’t J-Walk. It’s a strict place but it’s perfect. It’s the future.

Onto Sydney, and honestly, this wasn’t the place for us. Maybe it’s just because we were overwhelmed by finally making it to the land of Oz, or it could be that our instincts were right and the place just didn’t have a friendly, welcoming feel. Yes it was incredible seeing all the famous landmarks, but at the end of the day, the way people communicate with you leaves a much bigger mark. If you ask someone a question for some help or advice, they looked at us as though we’d grown a second head! It was amazing to be in Sydney for New Years Eve but we personally wouldn’t go back again.

If you're a big hiker, or simply enjoy being surrounding by nature, Blue Mountains is the place to be! Named due the dust particles, water vapour and oil from the eucalyptus trees (meaning it smells amazing everywhere too). When the sunlight shines through the haze, it casts a blue colouring over the mountains. We only stayed here for 2 nights and we spent a whole day hiking, it was great! Bethan in particular is a country girl at heart, so this was literally, a breathe of fresh air from city life.

Surfs up bro!.... Located just below Byron Bay, is a place called Spot-X. Both places are a surfer’s heaven! We took part in a 2 day surf course at Spot-X and it was just like being at uni again! We got chatting to a great group of people, Melanie, Sam and Jamie. This was the first time after being in a couple of hostels, that it seemed as though others wanted to make an effort to talk to you... It was so nice to be able to socialise with other like minded travellers. Here at Spot-X was where we finally began to settle in. Safe to say though Bethan was utter rubbish at surfing haha! where as Phil mastered it pretty quickly (with no injuries). It’s also been great to chat to others and hear their travel stories and future plans. We were able to meet up with the three we met at surf camp whilst in Byron Bay, plus a few new faces along the way. We all went for drinks, most nights in Byron and even went clubbing (old before our time haha). It was just like being back in Falmouth! Byron Bay is a very relaxed, friendly, small town. Beautiful beaches and alcoves to explore; however we couldn’t go in the water due to the sheer amount of Jellyfish and even sharks nearby! If you’re not afraid of a little danger though, go for it.

Currently we are in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast. Originally we were staying in the YHA hostel but ended up leaving after 1 night. We do not recommend it at all. The place is miles away from the main city centre and the shared kitchen and bathroom facilities are not big enough to accommodate the amount of people actually staying there. We ended up having our food nicked out the kitchen (even though it was labelled and stored in the correct place), and were kept up by two people shagging on the top bunk all night, even though they knew we were awake when they came in! You see this sort of thing in TV shows and films, but in real life, it’s just super awkward! We know this isn’t directly the hostels fault, but if this is the sort of crowds that a draw in, we don’t want to be part of that. We have now found an apartment to spend the week in, and it is LOVELY. So nice to have our own space and be close to the city centre. Top tip: Do your research properly beforehand. Check the location is right for you, check they have good quality facilities, and READ... READ... READ reviews! We trusted the company name and believed all YHAs are great but this is not the case.

Next up Brisbane... We will keep you posted!

Bye for now 👋