Post University Blues—How It Drove Me to Travel

November, 2017. I had finished university, gained a job with endless progression opportunity, had lots of friends and started dating after gaining new found confidence of which I had lost due to a messy break up. I was the girl who had everything, I was "going places," and from the outside, I looked like I had the "perfect life," yet I still found myself questioning, "Is this IT?"

I had been feeling this way for a couple of months now, and all the plunge took was one last push, one last bad day. Month end was in full swing, and for accountants, this is the busiest time of the month. Work was piling so high, it was like a summit so far out of sight, it seemed impossible, despite my best efforts. The boy I was seeing was becoming more and more "shady" and submissive, and most importantly I was just bored of the endless cycle of work and going up town with friends. SURELY, this is not what the post university life everyone talks of is REALLY about. I was expecting freedom, financial stability, and FUN. When actually, it was just a monotonous routine of the same old stuff.

I thought to myself, what makes me truly happy? that’s when travel popped up in my mind as it rushes from scenario to scenario, as the only consistent part of my life, where I have felt truly content, and happy.

The idea had been planted, it was my Nan’s birthday. I visited her, and soon vented about my frustrations, and gained one sentence from her and my Grandad, "You have the money, the opportunity and if not now, then when? Go for it." I honestly expected them to bring me down from my fairy tale mind, the romanticising of every aspect of life I’m prone to incorporating, however they fuelled my tantalising yearn for true freedom.

Later that evening, I spoke to my upmost supportive parents, again expecting them to enable me to plummet back to reality, as this job was literally what I had worked the last three years of my life for; how wrong I was. My mum turns to me and says, "I’m surprised you haven’t said this earlier, we new you’d leave from a young age, go!" She shared stories of times exploring India, where I’d run along the beach with locals, haggle with stall holders and how comfortable I was with the traveller's life. This was the second approval I had had, to follow my life long dream, to give in to my aching wanderlust.

The cementing of my decision came on my birthday, two days later. We sat, family all around the table, my parents handed me a bag, I sat over it excited, "open it" my dad prompted. I sat, in awe as in front of me was a brand new kaiser baas camera, and my dad beamed "What excuse do you have now? Let’s get your Australian visa sorted tonight shall we?" It was really happening, I was actually going to leave.

The decision was made, now, how do I prepare, and more importantly, how do I go from my girly dress, hair and eyelash extension self to a full blown traveller?