Last year I had to make the decision between finishing college and going straight to uni, or taking a gap year and exploring the world. Elise and I came to a conclusion and not once have I regretted my decision! Usually most people from the UK take their first trip close to home, however Elise and I went to the other side of the world; literally, grab a globe, put one finger on England and it's as far away as you can get!
We began by catching a 12 hour flight to New Zealand, changing in Kuala Lumper, and staying over night in Auckland to wait for our flight to The Kingdom of Tonga.
Tongatapu was the most beautiful and friendly place I have ever seen, it was not tarnished with tourists and was culturally rich.
Elise and I saw many different aspects of the country which was a really valuable experience, we were invited into people's homes and met so many amazing people thus thoroughly enjoying every minute of our time there.
Tongatapu is the true ideal of an island paradise with white sandy beaches, tall palm trees and a pure sense of tranquility.
There were a few things we had to get used to such as the food, which is very different from what we were used to in the UK but it was all part of the experience.
We did many things in Tonga, such as whale watching, exploring the island on scooters and we also visited near-by islands 'Eua and Pangimotu by boat which were uniquely beautiful experiences in themselves.
In Tonga one of the incredible people we met was a man from the US called Chris. He was a really inspiring person and had built his own home from bamboo and other natural resources which was amazing to see and totally put my views on life into perspective, changing what I wanted to achieve.
We learnt so much here and I would love to go back, it's such a beautiful place and I would love to help make a difference there in the island paradise.
Elise and I then went in Seperate directions. Elise made her way down New Zealand whilst I saw my family in Australia for the first time in about 5 years. While Elise made her way through distant relatives, I visited mine and also had the chance to have a couple of days in Sydney.
When the time came for Elise to rejoin me in Australia we decided to explore Adelaide and then venture over to Melbourne via a VERY long bus journey - which was definitely worth it (we made a few random friends and stayed in a youth hostel!)
Australia was a fun filled adventure full of new experiences, family and a whole lot of laughs!
Oh and can't forget the kangaroos!!
This is just a short snippet of some of our previous adventures from last year but just thought I would give a little update. Might give a bit more details soon and keep you updated on my future plans, so stay tuned!
P.s here are a few pictures from our travels.
Enjoy!
