2023 in Review: Around The World & Back Again

This post was last updated on 2024 December 4

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Who writes a year-in-review post in ~~May~~ ~~June~~ July? This girl!

At 8000+ words, this may be my longest post yet. It makes no strategic sense to put as much time and energy as I have into something that’s more personal rather than a useful resource for others, but honestly: I did it for me.

2023 was a big exciting year, and one I want to remember and look back on in detail in decades to come. So no hard feelings if you click away :)

Table of Contents

But First, A Quick Recap of 2022

2022 was the first time I skipped an annual recap post in my entire travel blogging career. Why? Well, 2022 wasn’t very exciting, nor was it a year I want to spend much time reminiscing on. Not that it was *bad*: I spent most of it house sitting in/around Gold Coast, Australia, and living in our caravan in-between sits. We spent the whole year on the east coast of Australia, hopping around several different locations between the Whitsundays and Canberra.

For most people, that would probably be the most exciting year of their life. For me, it felt like I was floating in a gray zone between two worlds: one where I’m traveling intentionally and everything is exciting, and one where I’m based somewhere and have a community, friends, a fitness regimen, and somewhere I love to call home.

If 2022 was good for anything, it made me realize that this gray zone is not somewhere I want to be anymore. I did take full advantage of wherever we were stationed by thoroughly exploring the area and going on adventures that slotted in nicely between our house sitting commitments. But it always felt like I *had to* be somewhere, and I couldn’t just go somewhere because I wanted to.

And gosh, is life in the gray zone lonely. Thanks to COVID and then caravan life, it’s been a few years since we’ve had any semblence of a social life. In 2022 we weren’t quite *traveling*, but we also were never in one place long enough to make friends. I may be the world’s biggest introvert, but 3+ years of being mostly away from people is too much for me.

And don’t EVEN get me started on how much I miss going to pilates reformer classes 3-4x/week or having 21% body fat (RIP). I did sign up to several different pilates studios with their intro offer packs near most of our house sits… but then before long, we’d be on the road again and I’d have to take a break from pilates until the next opportunity to join a studio arose. The inconsistency killed me, but what killed me more is that I was only inconsistent for logistical reasons, not because I was a lazy arse.

Could I have gone for runs or done yoga/pilates at home, wherever I was stationed? Sure, if those were things I enjoyed or wanted to do. I know myself well enough to know that at-home workouts DO NOT WORK for me. I’m a fitness class girlie for life, and pilates reformer is my class of choice (though I do enjoy many others).

I also live and die by my daily walks. 3 miles a day minimum is always the goal, and if nothing else at least I achieved that in 2022.

Ok, I think that’s enough for last year. Onwards and upwards to 2023!

2023 In Review

2023 was an exciting year of transition. Pretty much the second COVID restrictions finally lifted in Australia sometime in 2022, I knew I’d be heading overseas in 2023. So in early 2023, we finished up our last few scheduled house sits, returned to Canberra, and sold our caravan. Pete stayed with his parents in Canberra and worked a temp job and I headed overseas.

What started as a trip to see my family for the first time in 5 years turned into a 5 month round-the-world travelpalooza. I mean can you blame me, I had to make up for being stuck in Australia for 4 years! After all, there was family to see, friends to meet up with, blogger trips to participate in, travel industry conferences to attend, and whims to follow ;)

Pete and I joked about this being my bachelorette tour: one last big solo trip without him. 5 months was definitely longer than I would’ve liked to have been away; ideally I would’ve been gone maybe 3 months instead of 5, but there were certain events and trips I had to plan around which stretched the timing out. I am so appreciative of Pete for “letting” me go for that long (to be clear, no one “lets” me do anything, and if my partner told me I couldn’t do something or go somewhere, I’d be out of that relationship faster than paint dries in the Outback), and for putting his pride aside to work a temp job to save up some money while I was away. It definitely won’t be my last solo trip, but it’ll for sure be the last time I leave him for this long!

South West Rocks, NSW.

I was overseas from late April to late September. Not long after I returned to Australia, Pete pitched the idea of us going to Bali for a couple months once he was done with his job – a reasonable request, given what he’d had to endure while I was away. A surprise to absolutely no one, I did not need much convincing. So in mid-December, we flew to Bali and ended the year together overseas. Whew!

In all, I spent 47% of the year overseas, and 53% of the year in Australia.

Or to look at it a different way, I spent 40% of the year traveling (i.e. staying in hotels, Airbnbs, etc), 31% staying with either my family or Pete’s family, 15% house sitting, and 14% caravanning/camping.

Where I Went

2023 saw me step foot in 10 countries, which I believe is a new annual record for me:

Australia
Thailand
Singapore (Changi airport)
USA (Puerto Rico, CT, CA)
UK (London)
France (Paris)
Malta
Italy (Rome, Amalfi Coast, Puglia)
Sri Lanka
Indonesia (Bali)

Many of these places I’d been to before and had myself a little nostalgia tour in this time around. A few were new to me, though:

Singapore – Ok, technically I did not leave the airport, but I DID pass through immigration so I could go ogle the waterfall in the Jewel terminal, so it kind of counts?
Malta – I can’t believe this place was never on my radar. What a beachy gem!
Sri Lanka – Admittedly this one was never on my bucket list, but I’m glad I went!

What I Read

I read 18 books in 2023 (for comparison’s sake, I read 25 in 2021 and 8 in 2022).

Though I’ve been a longtime Kindle loyalist, it’s worth noting that 2 of the 18 books were paperbacks and 2 were audiobooks (*gasp*).

My Kindle committed suicide while I was in Paris and I was without it for a week or so before I was able to source a new one in Malta, so in the meantime I bought a couple of cheap paperback books at a bookshop in Gozo. It was actually really nice to hold a physical book again… but I don’t see myself ever giving up my Kindle. I sillily have no recollection of the title of one of the paperbacks, so there’s an embarrassing blank entry on my reading list below.

Then I discovered that a bunch of audiobooks are included free with Spotify premium and thought it would be interesting to “read” a couple celebrity memoirs narrated by the celebrity themselves (which it was). It does feel weird saying I read those books when my eyes did none of the work… can I actually say I read them? I’m still not sure.

Anyway, here are the books I *consumed* in 2023:

Still Waters – Viveca Stein
Pachinko – Min Jin Lee
Dear Girls – Ali Wong
The Year Of Living Danishly – Helen Russell
The Push – Ashley Audrain
Hello Molly! – Molly Shannon
A Little Life – Hanya Yanagihara
The 6th Target – James Patterson (paperback)
_____________ (paperback)
1st To Die – James Patterson
Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Stranger in the House – Shari La Pena
Silent Partner – Jonathan Kellerman
Daisy Jones & The Six – Taylor Jenkins Reid
Not That Kind Of Girl – Lena Dunham (audiobook)
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing – Matthew Perry (audiobook)
One To Watch – Kate Stayman-London
The War of Art – Steven Pressfield

What I Watched

As a rule, I watch a LOT of TV series (mostly as background noise while I edit photos, etc) and hardly any movies (unless I’m on a long haul flight, in which case that’s ALL I do).

There were a few TV series that really left an imprint on me this year:

Ted Lasso – I started this in 2022 and watched season 3 this year when it came out, and then rewatched the whole series TWICE in quick succession while in the US and then London. My emotional attachment to this show is NOT normal but I can’t help it, I just love it so much! Such a feel-good show :)

Girls – I started watching this when it first came out and I still lived in NYC (2012-ish), then promptly forgot about it when I moved to Australia in December 2014. Jamie and I watched the whole series while I was visiting my family this year and my god, what a RIDE. It gave me ALL the nostalgia of being a 20-something girl cluelessly navigating life in Brooklyn in the 2010’s. I don’t know what it says about me that none of the 4 main characters really bother me (apparently there’s always ONE that someone can’t stand, which is fair because they’re all pretty insufferable… and yet, I love them).

Daisy Jones and The Six – Read the book, then watched the series, and loved ’em both. It’s loosely based on the rise and fall of Fleetwood Mac.

Below Deck – Nothing new here, I’ve seen every season across all Below Deck franchises (some multiple times – Below Deck OG S3 is the GOAT, followed closely by Below Deck SY S2). However, Below Deck acted as a comfort blanket for me throughout my travels this year as I rewatched various seasons: I can still remember watching Below Deck Sailing Yacht S4 from the bath tub in my Thailand hotel, and watching a Below Deck OG marathon over 4th of July weekend while holed up working in my NYC hotel room. I swear, in another life I was a yachtie!

JANUARY: AUSTRALIA (Gold Coast, Brisbane, Northern NSW)

We kicked off the year in the Gold Coast, which has fast become one of our favorite places in all of Australia (and a potential future home?). We were living our best lives in a sub-penthouse apartment in Main Beach in the midst of a month-long house sit, looking after two adorable cavoodle pups.

And yep, it pretty much ruined all future house sits for us. The views from every room in the apartment (even the bathrooms) were unreal. There was even a gym and sauna in the building, for crying out loud. And best of all, we were just a few minutes’ walk from the beach. BURY ME IN THIS PENTHOUSE PLS!

We all but had to be dragged out of the apartment when the owner returned from her trip. With a few weeks to “kill” before our next house sit, I dutifully planned out a mini road trip of sorts through the Gold Coast hinterland and down to Byron Bay.

First, we spent a few nights in Brisbane. I’ve been to this city a few times now and for some reason, I just can’t seem to warm to it. My one highlight was creme brulee and jazz night at The Inchcolm by Ovolo Hotel (which we’ve done on two separate visits now!).

Next, we headed inland to hit a few areas I’d been dying to explore:

Tamborine Mountain – More a cute little wine town than a mountain, but very worthy of a weekend away. We stayed at Avocado Sunset B&B and it was the PERFECT bed and breakfast experience, which made up for the rainy weather we had.

O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat – This place is absolute MAGIC. We booked a special package that gave us a cabin with a clear view of the sunset over the mountains, half board at their ski lodge-like restaurant, a special welcome package with champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries, and a picnic lunch down the hill at a winery (which we redeemed on the way up to O’Reilly’s). We spent our days hiking through rainforest to waterfalls and our evenings in the outdoor jacuzzi looking up at the star-studded sky. I can’t wait to return someday!

Scenic Rim – We stayed at an incredible tiny house called Fyrefly Retreat on some rolling hills near Beechmont, then at a rickety old cottage adjacent to a cafe near Springbrook National Park. The rainy weather returned for the latter, but rain hardly matters when you’re chasing waterfalls, right?

READ MORE IN THIS POST: Fyrefly Retreat: A Luxury Tiny Home in the Gold Coast Hinterland

And finally at the end of the month, we left Queensland, picked up our caravan that had been in storage for 7 or so weeks in northern New South Wales, and set up camp for a couple weeks in a caravan park near Byron Bay (our third lengthy stint there in the past year).

Byron Bay is one of those places where it’s a joy just to exist there. The beaches are stunning, the vibe is immaculate, the cafes are on point, the weather is glorious. I made a point to spend time at Wategos Beach and The Pass, two of Byron’s finest beaches, and The Byron Bay General Store and Bayleaf Cafe, two of our favorite cafes in town.

FEBRUARY: AUSTRALIA (Northern NSW, Sydney)

I turned 38 while in Byron Bay (on Feb 2), and I’m pretty sure I spent the day at the beach, getting coffee from Bayleaf and an acai bowl from The Top Shop, and having fancy cocktails and tapas at The Mez Club.

Next, we headed up to Kingscliff for our next house sit, 2 weeks looking after a docile Weimaraner pup named Pippi. I loved taking her for walks along the beach pathway every day!

The beaches all throughout northern NSW are all beautiful, but I’m partial to the estuaries that dot the coastline. It’s easier to swim and stand-up paddleboard in the calm water there, plus – when the tide and weather are right – they can look like a tropical landscape. Hastings Point in particular was a stunner.

Also worth noting is that I drove up to the Gold Coast one day to get my eyebrows re-microbladed (I originally had them done in Sydney during COVID, 2.5 years prior). The experience was so quick and painless, to the point where I questioned if they were going to turn out right. It was such a contrast to my previous microblading experience which HURT and took hours to complete. It’s now over a year later and I still love my brows – Melissa Mayuge is truly worth the hype! It we don’t end up moving to the Gold Coast, I will literally fly there the next time I need microblading done, she’s that good.

Speaking of flying, I flew down to Sydney for a few days for IMM, the annual travel industry event I’ve been attending for years. It felt amazing to stay in a nice hotel and gallivant around the city solo again! My visit happened to coincide with Viktoria’s Aussie citizenship party, so I got to see her and some old Bondi acquaintances, socialize with other humans again, and spend some time revisiting my favorite Bondi Beach spots. *cue the nostalgia*

Then it was back to northern NSW, where Pete had been holding down the fort at a caravan park in Lennox Head (just south of Byron Bay). I actually really enjoyed our time in this town: so many little beaches nearby to explore, and a particularly spectacular walk across Lennox Point Headland (complete with a whale sighting!). Plus, it was only a 20 minute drive into Byron.

READ MORE IN THIS POST: The Best Beachy Things To Do In Lennox Head, NSW

MARCH: AUSTRALIA (Northern NSW, Gold Coast)

We finished up our time in Lennox Head and then headed south down the coast to explore more of New South Wales:

Southwest Rocks – I don’t think we got a sunny day the whole week we camped here, but we sure got some ripper sunsets over the river! I also thoroughly enjoyed my cloudy afternoon swims at the main beach in town, as well as laying out at the secluded North Smoky Beach in Hat Head National Park. I was really eager to explore more of Hat Head proper, but decided it wasn’t really worth it due to the weather.

Urunga – We camped right right along the picturesque estuary here and I got some paddleboarding in; however, it wasn’t the best for swimming, so I sought superior beaches elsewhere nearby. Nambucca Heads was the clear winner: the low tide swirls of blue from the Rotary Lookout in town were reminiscent of Hill Inlet in the Whitsundays. Absolutely gorgeous! There was a little beach by the V Wall that I swam at which offered great views of the multi-colored water of the estuary (only accessible at low to mid tide). Shelly Beach was more a proper beach for swimming, located on the ocean side of town rather than the river.

Bellingen – We did a day trip inland to Bellingen, a town I’d been wanting to visit for a long time, but also the closest place where I could vote in some election (voting is mandatory for Aussie citizens, and I’m still registered to vote in NSW even though I technically have had no permanent residence for 3+ years). So I cast my vote and then we went and did a waterfall walk in Dorrigo National Park, and then went to see the majestic Dangar Falls. We could’ve done with more time in the area, as there’s lots to see on this scenic drive… but I’m sure we’ll return another time for round 2.

At the end of the month, we drove back up to the Gold Coast for our next (and final!) house sit in Burleigh Waters, looking after our favorite pups, Cilla (Lhasapoo) and Sally (Dachshund/Beagle), again. Burleigh is the closest thing I’ve found to Bondi elsewhere in Australia: it’s got that village feel to it, with a young beachy vibe and lots of cute cafes and boutiques. I could absolutely live here.

APRIL: AUSTRALIA (Gold Coast, Canberra) + THAILAND (Krabi)

We finished up the Burleigh house sit and then made our final drive down the coast with the caravan!

Our last campsite of the trip was in Forster, and I had lofty plans of beach hopping all around the area and getting some epic drone shots of the coast. But yup, you guessed it – the weather was once again terrible.

Not just terrible, but THE WORST. It rained the entire 4 days we were there, to the point where the campground flooded and it was like a mini Tough Mudder course just to get to the bathroom from our site. We were stuck in the caravan the whole time – truly a sucky ending to our 2+ year adventure. Of course the sun returned the day we had to leave, but the caravan park was fully booked over Easter weekend so we couldn’t extend our stay and actually see something while we were there.

At least we got one good sunset in Forster?

We arrived back in Canberra on Good Friday, April 7th. I had about 2.5 weeks there to unwind/unpack and prep for my 5 months overseas, during which we did a deep clean of the caravan and threw out most of the crap we’d accumulated during our trip so that we could sell it.

Then on April 26th, I was officially off on my big solo adventure! First stop: Thailand (y’know, ’cause it’s sort of “on the way” to the US?). I flew into Phuket late at night, and then the next morning I was off to Krabi. I last visited this region 10 years ago, when I met Hot Arms and my camera died, and therefore had no decent photos to show for my time there. This time, I made up for it by booking onto a couple different island tours and taking ALL of the photos. And guess what? I DIDN’T GET SEASICK! Truly a victory for me.

READ MORE IN THIS POST: The Best Krabi Island Tours To Book (5 Stars Only!)

MAY: THAILAND (Krabi, Koh Samui) + USA (Puerto Rico, Connecticut)

At the start of May, I moved from Ao Nang to Railay Beach to explore more of Krabi. I logged way too many hours at Phra Nang Beach (best beach in Krabi), and way too many fresh young coconuts consumed. Every night, I’d catch the sunset from either Tew Lay Bar in East Railay, or from Railay Beach in West Railay. Unlike last time, I didn’t do any rock climbing – that era of my life is long since done. But ahhhhh, I just love this part of the world so much! Is it too soon for my third visit?

On May 4th, I flew from Krabi to Koh Samui and spent a few nights on my own at the Riviera Beach Hotel near Fisherman’s Village. I did nothing apart from take full advantage of the direct sea views from my boho beach-themed room and go for a daily foot massage down the street, and it was everything I needed.

But the real reason I was in Koh Samui was for a collaboration with Absolute Sanctuary, a fitness and wellness resort. Most people that stay there book a program of their choice, from pilates and yoga to detox and relaxation. I went with a body realignment program, which focused on improving posture and mobility through pilates, yoga, and stretching. It also included 3 meals/day, 2 extra drinks/day, and several massages and spa treatments.

I LOVED my time here, but I didn’t feel the greatest due to being sore 24/7 and even a little nauseous one day. Yep, definitely should have started getting back into fitness before diving headfirst into this little boot camp!

In mid-May, I made my way to New York via Singapore and Hong Kong. I intentionally planned for a lengthy daytime layover at Singapore Changi just because this airport had been on my bucket list for the longest time. How the heck I managed to avoid it on all my travels to/from Australia is a mystery, but I thoroughly enjoyed getting to witness the massive indoor waterfall at Jewel Terminal and shove a Shake Shack burger in my mouth for the first time in many years.

Upon landing at JFK, I made my way to the TWA Hotel – also a major bucket list tick for me. Given I was catching a JetBlue flight the next morning and the hotel is located adjacent to the JetBlue terminal, it just made more sense than staying somewhere away from the airport. But I have to say, the TWA Hotel is absurdly overpriced, probably not worth it but definitely not worth it when you’re as exhausted as I was flying in from Asia. I slept most of the time I was there, and when I was awake I was feeling pretty blah and maybe even a bit overwhelmed by culture shock. My god, the prices! The blunt and borderline abrasive directness of Americans! Take me back to chilled out Australia where coffee costs US$2.50, stat!

Next, I spent a week in Puerto Rico for WITS (Women in Travel Summit). To be honest, I kind of regret going: mostly because I felt like absolute crap the whole time due to jetlag and then motion sickness, but also because the event wasn’t that great. Or maybe it wasn’t that great *for me*, due to the heavy focus on social media and beginner-level topics I’m already proficient in for the daily workshops. I just felt a bit out of place there… like maybe this industry isn’t for me anymore?

It wasn’t all bad though. I loved roaming around the colorful streets of Old San Juan and exploring the forts. I got to take a day trip to the island of Vieques (a pre-WITS FAM trip) and laze on a couple of beaches there, but somehow I got quite motion sick in the van to the airport, felt like crap all day, and finally vomited outside the airport on the way back to San Juan in the company of all my new blogger friends. It scared me into backing out of my other FAM trip, a sailing tour to Icacos Cay (which was the impetus for me attending WITS in the first place, ugh). After WITS, I stayed near Condado for a few days and got a little beach time in, but overall I didn’t care for the area.

In short, I wish I had experienced Puerto Rico on my own adventure, and not as a background to a work event.

Also, I cannot believe how horrendous this jetlag was! I typically don’t suffer much from jetlag when I travel, so it was weird how badly it knocked me out this time (for a whole week!). Maybe I was just vastly out of practice, not having done a long haul flight in 5 years.

Quite possibly the highlight of my time in Puerto Rico: being a flight angel and escorting a street pup from San Juan to New York to live with her new owner! I love that this volunteer organization exists and helps find dogs a loving home on the mainland. They rely on volunteers to fly the dogs to major cities in the US (much more affordable than having to transport them via cargo).

All I had to do was give them my flight details and they paid to add a pet onto my plane ticket. My pup was an absolute angel on the flight and stayed quiet in her carrier under the seat. When I arrived at JFK, the new owner met me at baggage claim and I handed the dog off to her. Too easy! If you’re ever flying out of San Juan, you should definitely consider being a flight angel – you can check out their FB group here.

I was delighted to see that as of January 2023, there is now a direct train from JFK to Grand Central Terminal on the LIRR that takes just 20 minutes. OH MY GOD WHY DIDN’T THIS EXIST WHEN I LIVED IN NYC?! That 1.5 hour subway schlep to get from the airport home was such a drag back then.

And then I had an emotional reunion with my mom as she picked me up from the train station in my hometown in Connecticut. I still can’t believe I hadn’t seen my family in 5 years!

JUNE: USA (Connecticut, Boston, New York)

I spent nearly all of June hibernating at my parents’ house in Connecticut, only leaving the house for my daily walks, the odd excursion with my sister, and a couple days in Boston visiting my other sister.

Not much to note here other than that these 5 weeks at home were SO unexpectedly nice, and I almost didn’t want to leave! I also successfully got my mom hooked on Ted Lasso, and somehow influenced her to buy a pilates reformer machine despite the fact that she had never used or seen one before.

At the end of June, I said a tearful farewell to my parents and headed to New York City with my sister Jamie for a few days of adventures. We stayed at the Moxy NYC Lower East Side and LOVED it there so much! Every morning we stopped at Serotonin Smoothies for a daily smoothie and a turn on the crystal/gumball machine. We did a ton of walking (The High Line, Manhattan/Brooklyn Bridge crossings, Central Park) and spent our nights in bed watching Hot Ones and Miley Cyrus’ Lollapalooza set on YouTube.

And then she caught the train back to Connecticut and we both cried when parting ways. Ugh, the worst part of being an expat is these goodbyes, I swear :(

JULY: USA (New York, California) + UK (London)

I stayed in NYC for another week on my own, basing myself at the Freehand New York near Flatiron. In hindsight, this was too long a stay. Apparently I can no longer handle the noise and energy of New York like I used to. I didn’t really do much apart from meet up with a couple old NYC friends and hit up every Lululemon store around, as I had a work project to finish up.

I did manage to check out a few things though:

SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, one of the newer observation decks in NYC. This is really one that you shouldn’t do solo, because there are a million photo ops to be had there. I spent a few hours up top and was almost driven mad by all the people and all the noise (literally felt my nervous system in overdrive). One unique feature of SUMMIT OV is the layers of mirrors installed in the floors, walls, and ceilings: it’s trippy, and it’s fun. You’ve gotta experience it at least once!
ARTECHOUSE, an organization “dedicated to the intersection of art, science and technology” with a colorful light installation on display in Chelsea. It was cool, but not as cool as I was expecting it to be.
Williamsburg, my old hipster neighborhood in Brooklyn, has officially sold out and become fully gentrified and bougied up. There’s a freaking CHANEL store there now! It’s such a bummer to see how much it’s changed in 10 years :(

From New York, I flew to Orange County to kick off a two week Southern California adventure with Viktoria, my Swiss friend from Bondi. She and I have hung out lots back in Sydney (mostly at the beach), but we’ve never spent more than a half day together 1:1 so I wasn’t quite sure how we’d fare traveling this long.

Turns out, we make for excellent travel companions! I look back on this trip so fondly – it was definitely “one for the books”, as they say.

We went to Palm Springs for a few days and did little other than lay out by our hotel pool because, newsflash, Palm Springs in the middle of summer is VERY HOT. Like 100F+ hot. Thankfully we chose a very vibey/aesthetic place to stay, Les Cactus, so I didn’t mind that this was basically all I saw of the town.

From there, we went to Anaheim for a few days for a project I’d arranged with the Visit Anaheim tourism board. Said project involved spending a day at Knotts Berry Farm, sampling the best eats and drinks around the city, and frolicking around some Orange County beaches.

Then we headed up to Los Angeles for 5 days to house sit for Viktoria’s friend in West Hollywood. Surprisingly, LA ended up being the highlight of the whole trip for me. I’d never properly done LA before, and I’m SO glad I waited to do it right with someone who knows the city like her hometown and loves it fiercely. Viktoria planned a fab itinerary for us (which I hope to someday get around to blogging!) and drove us all around the city to her favorite spots + a few others that I requested. By the end, I was about ready to make LA my next home – who knows, maybe someday!

LA highlights include: Venice Beach (specifically the area around Abbot Kinney, not the beach itself), Malibu, El Matador State Beach, The Getty Museum and Villa, Erewhon (oh my god, I lost my mind over their Mexican salad), The Grove, hiking to the Hollywood sign, and just being amidst the fancy homes in the Hollywood Hills.

And lastly, we went down to Laguna Beach so I could fulfill my teenage dream (any other Laguna/Hills fanatics here?). It was everything I imagined: cute shops and cafes, gorgeous beaches, fancy hilltop houses. I could have done with an extra day or two here to go on some hikes or check out more beaches, but I loved 1000 Steps Beach as well as the Merkababe crystal shop where we did a sound healing class.

On my last day in California, Viktoria caught a flight out and I stayed one night on my own in Venice so I could explore the Venice Canals and Abbot Kinney Boulevard a bit more.

READ MORE IN THESE POSTS:

From LA, I flew to London and stayed at an Airbnb in Bethnal Green (East London) for a week. When I travel long term, I try to schedule in stints where I’m laying low and catching up on work, rather than running around exploring – that’s what this week in London was, so I really didn’t do much while there.

London highlights include: Finding the square in Richmond where Ted Lasso was filmed (!!!!!), spotting Juno Temple (actress from Ted Lasso) smoking outside of a flat in Notting Hill, and street art around Brick Lane/Shoreditch.

AUGUST: FRANCE + MALTA + ITALY

August 2023 was spent fully in Europe. It kicked off with a few days in Paris, during which I was originally meant to reunite with my friend Josiah; however, he was out of town working, so he let me stay by myself at his flat in Le Marais (one of the best neighborhoods in Paris).

The weather was mostly crap during this time; the one day it wasn’t, I ventured out with my camera and tripod and took a bunch of photos of myself all over the city. I don’t know what happened, but when I went to look through the photos on my hard drive a few months later, they were nowhere to be found. Nor were the photos I took on the day we went to the Getty Museum in LA last month. I’m pretty militant about backing up my photos and meticulously organizing them, so I’m still shocked (and bummed, and baffled) that this happened. So alas, I have few photos to show for my time in Paris :(

Paris highlights include: Colonnes de Buren, shooting in the rain near the Eiffel Tower, finding the apartment where Emily in Paris was filmed, and hanging out in some pretty gardens.

Next up: 2 weeks in Malta! I picked up my rental car at the airport and got quickly acquainted with the country’s narrow winding roads on the drive out to Gozo. I did end up scraping one side of the car on a chain link fence on a narrow road where I had to pull over to let another car drive past me, but thankfully insurance coverage minimized the damage bill.

I spent a week in Gozo and just over a week in Malta, driving myself on all sorts of adventures (mostly to beaches, occasionally to archaeological sites and villages).

My accommodation in Gozo, L’Gharix Temple Retreat, was perfect: a tiny stone room in an old farmhouse owned by a South African life coach and healer. There was even a cave on the property where sound healings and meditations are held! I wish I’d had time to check out all the spiritual goods on offer, but I was on a mission to see all the best beaches on Gozo. It definitely didn’t disappoint.

READ MORE IN THIS POST: The Best Beaches in Gozo, Malta

In Malta, I based myself at Għand in-Nanna B&B in Mellieħa for 5 days (my Malta adventure days), and then at Two Pillows Boutique Hostel in Sliema for 3 days (my work catch-up time). From this time, I mostly remember watching the sunset from Sea View Cafe down the street from my B&B and getting super tipsy off of half a limoncello spritz every night, the glorious day I spent walking around the stunning headland at Riviera Beach, and my day trip to Comino (a tiny island between Gozo and Malta that’s hugely popular for boat tours and has the most vibrant turquoise water). I did almost nothing in Sliema except take myself on a little excursion to nearby Valletta and wander the cobblestone streets.

READ MORE IN THIS POST: Malta Trip Itinerary: How To Spend 1 Week In Malta

In late August, I flew from Malta to Rome and reunited with Josiah to do a little road trip around Puglia, an area we’ve been obsessed with visiting for years. We spent one night in Rome and wandered around the city sweating absolute balls. We somehow managed to find the worst pizza in Rome (this is why I live and die by Google Maps reviews, people – no one wants to be served cardboard pizza!), and also the best gelato in Rome (Buccianti Gelateria, near the Pantheon – the Maria flavor is *chefs kiss*).

The next day, we took the train from Rome to Brindisi, picked up our rental car, and headed north to explore the region for a week together.

Here’s a little fun fact: Malta drives on the left side of the road, and Italy drives on the right (and BTW Australia drives left and US drives right). So I went from driving on the left to driving on the right in quick succession, which tripped me up for a good day or two (i.e. I was driving like the slowest of grannies on the highway).

Another “fun” fact that I conveniently forgot: Italy in August is HOT. We found ourselves in the midst of a heat wave, which saw temps in the 90s (30s) most days. My heat tolerance is pretty high, but Josiah’s… not so much. I feel like we didn’t get to enjoy Puglia as much as we could’ve just because of how uncomfy the heat was, as we had to limit time spent in the sun so Josiah wouldn’t melt.

The highlight of our trip was our amazing accommodation in Noci, Masseria Murgia Albanese: an 18th century manor farmhouse-turned-B&B. We stayed in a separate little stone building outside the main house which was essentially a standalone apartment with multiple bedrooms and sitting rooms, a kitchen, and a wraparound courtyard. Easily the best value accommodation of the year at just 90 euros/night. Our apartment as well as the main house was stock full of antiques and family knicknacks – it was seriously so cool.

North Puglia highlights included: Alberobello (SO BUSY), Matera (SO HOT, and technically outside of Puglia), Locorotondo, Ostuni, Polignano al Mare (featuring an aesthetic coastline popular for beaching, cliff jumping, and fine dining), and Calette di Torre Cintola (an old quarry-turned-ocean pool).

Josiah and I drove south to Salento for his last two days in Puglia, which were a bit of a whirlwind as we tried to fit a lot in. We hopped around between various caves, viewpoints, and rock formations along the coast.

We also spent one day at Bagno Marino Archi, a ‘beach’ club on the cliffs, to satisfy my need for beach time and Jo’s need for constant shade. I don’t know how many more beach clubs I need to visit to absolutely prove that I hate beach clubs, but here’s another data point to support that hypothesis! It was so busy that we were stuck with loungers all the way in the back with no view and no breeze, surrounded by Italians smoking.

The drive back up the coast to Otranto was SENSATIONAL though. And our final evening together in Lecce was so lovely – what a surprisingly delightful little city! I very nearly returned for my final days in Italy, that’s how much it charmed me. Or maybe it was Gelatario, the natural gelato shop where I indulged in an incredible dark chocolate gelato that I still remember, 10 months later.

Knowing that I’d be wanting more time to explore and lay out at some Puglian beaches, I allocated a few extra days for myself in Puglia after Josiah departed. I based myself in the south near Otranto at Agriturismo Il Megalite, the loveliest accommodation with the BEST food (all made with local produce). The grilled veggie plate was to die for, and the house wine was so absurdly cheap I’d have been a dummy not to order it every night.

As much as I loved road tripping with a friend, I also thoroughly enjoyed driving myself around and being able to spend as much time as I liked at beach after beach (after beach). I was very much in my element, lapping up so much Mediterranean sun and sea and not returning to my accommodation til nearly dark. The sea water in Salento is SO unbelievably turquoise it borders on tropical – my favorite!

South Puglia / Salento highlights included: Lecce, Mulino d’Acqua Beach, Faraglioni di Sant’Andrea, Panorama due sorelle, the Cave of Poetry, ‘Nfucaciucci Bay, Cala dell’Acquaviva, and Piscine naturali in Marina Serra.

SEPTEMBER: ITALY + SRI LANKA

I waited until the last possible minute to decide what to do with my last week in Italy (and in Europe). I was thinking I’d find somewhere to lay low and catch up on work… but then YOLO mode activated and I impulsively booked a trip to the Amalfi Coast!

Have you ever visited a place you’ve been dreaming of for ages and it ended up being an absolutely magical experience… then revisited it years later and didn’t feel those same magical feels? Like, did you and your tastes change, or is nothing as good as that first hit?

Either way, I wasn’t feeling the Amalfi Coast quite as much as I did on my first visit, 16 years ago. I think this was mainly due to peak summer crowds (even in early September it was SO BUSY). I based myself in Maiori, which was one of the ferry stops for village hopping along the coast – so it was super easy to get around by boat or even by bus.

But man, those crowds REALLY know how to get a girl down! I waited ages for the (very late) ferry to Positano, only to want to immediately turn around upon encountering swarms of tourists on the streets. I waited even longer to hop on a bus to Ravello (they all kept skipping pick-up due to being full already), only to find out that 90% of the people roaming around the town were Americans (yes, I realize the irony in that).

Ultimately, my favorite experiences were when I avoided those popular spots and wandered around the smaller villages and lay out at the beaches just outside of the main towns. Fornillo Beach is an excellent spot from which to escape the madness in Positano (while still being able to enjoy the views!). And the Path of the Lemons walk is a low-traffic alternative to the famous Path of the Gods. The views on this trail are GORGEOUS, and Cuonc Cuonc restaurant on the Minori end of the trail has THE BEST food – all produce is sourced from the family’s garden (not to mention, it’s an A+ sunset viewing spot).

Amalfi Coast highlights included: revisiting Atrani, laying out on the beach in Amalfi town, walking the Path of the Lemons, Ravello, Fornillo Beach, Acquachiara Beach.

After that, I had one day in Rome before flying to Sri Lanka!

I still can’t really believe that trip happened. Though I’d locked it in months prior, part of me was convinced it was a scam, because it made no sense for a tourism board to run a 2-week blogger trip with just TWO bloggers in attendance. But sure enough, Phoebe and I were driven all around Sri Lanka, put up at some extremely nice hotels, fed generously for every meal, and booked onto some incredible travel experiences. We were treated like royalty!

I also could not believe how *breezy* the trip was. These organized blogger/influencer trips tend to be manic, stressful, nonstop ordeals – not really my style, hence why I haven’t done many over the years. But on this trip, we were given an excess of time to see the sights and even rest between them. We also inexplicably stopped at some less-popular places that were nothing to write home about, and skipped many of the more-popular spots that would have made for some epic photos and videos. Like why didn’t we do the famous train ride to Ella where you can hang out of the train car? Or a safari at Udawalawe NP where we could’ve seen dozens of elephants in one spot? Or the cutesy beach town and fortress at Galle?

The whole thing was puzzling, really – definitely not the trip I’d imagined. But I’m so glad I went! Sigiriya was by far the best thing we did. Our driver having a heart attack mid-trip was the scariest thing that happened (he’s fine). White water rafting was the funniest thing we did (my first time doing it!). And I’m so glad I was paired up with Phoebe, a very talented vlogger from Australia – we had so many good/deep chats over those two weeks and learned a lot from each other.

Sri Lanka highlights included: Sigiriya, Wilpattu NP safari, Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, Dambulla Cave Temple, Little Adams Peak, Nuwara Eliya, Nine Arches Bridge, Colombo.

READ MORE IN THESE POSTS:

LATE SEPTEMBER – EARLY DECEMBER: AUSTRALIA (Canberra, Gold Coast)

Lumping these 2.5 months in Australia into one heading because this post is already too long and there’s not really much to talk about for this timeframe.

In short, I hibernated at Pete’s parents’ house and worked, only ever leaving the house for my daily walk and our weekly coffee date… mostly because our car died and we could only borrow his parents’ car on weekends when they weren’t using it.

Yep, our trusty old Jeep Grand Cherokee had an oil leak that would’ve cost more to fix than the car was worth, so we sadly ended up selling it for parts. Considering it successfully towed a caravan all around Australia for 2+ years with little issue, it was kind of existing on borrowed time at this point anyway. It did everything we asked it to, so I’m not too mad about it.

In late November-early December, I flew to the Gold Coast to house sit in Burleigh Heads for the third time. Sadly it was just Cilla I was looking after this time, as Sally had recently passed 😞 And it was just me, while Pete was back in Canberra working.

As always, I loved my time on the Goldie. I went to Currumbin Beach a few times, hit up Pacific Fair (literally the only mall I enjoy), had my annual facial at Skin Divinity, and walked down into Burleigh village most days. I did get pretty badly sunburned early on, which knocked me out for a couple days (why yes, I did conveniently forget to pack both sunscreen and aloe, d’oh!).

MID-LATE DECEMBER: BALI

In mid-December, Pete and I flew from Canberra to Bali for two months. My last few weeks of 2023 included a week on Gili Meno, a week on Gili Air, and a couple days in Ubud.

Gili Meno was AMAZING, exactly what I dream of when I imagine an island getaway. Think: small walkable island, white sand + turquoise water, ample opportunity to snorkel right offshore, cheap delicious freshly-caught fish, and Robinson Crusoe vibes.

READ MORE IN THIS POST: A Gili Meno Beach Escape

Gili Air I didn’t enjoy as much, but that’s probably due in part to having high expectations. I found it less walkable (bikes are a must!), hotter (when away from the sea), not very swimmable, and more developed. I had no idea how many healthy cafes were on this island either! Though I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would, there were a few highlights: swimming with a turtle, eating some incredible wood fired pizza on the beach at sunset, and going to a private breathwork/ice bath/sauna session at Casa Magick.

Ubud was HOT AND HUMID AND BUSY AF. Pete wasn’t feeling super great when we first arrived, and my main camera lens appeared to be malfunctioning, so it wasn’t the best start to our month in this town. More on Ubud in the 2024 recap ;)

This Year’s Highlights

Staying in a penthouse with beach views in the Gold Coast
Sunsets and waterfall hikes at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat
Revisiting my favorite place in Thailand, Krabi
Seeing my family again after 5 years apart
The Southern California road trip with Viktoria
Falling in love with the LA lifestyle
Solo road tripping and beach hopping all around Malta
Reuniting with Josiah in Italy and continuing the road tripping and beach hopping in Puglia
A week on Gili Meno

This Year’s Challenges

The worst jetlag of my life, which pretty much killed my time in Puerto Rico :(
Money stress (let’s just say it’s not the best time to be traveling on the Aussie dollar, or to be a blogger)
Being away from Pete for 5 months
RIP to our car
Spending US$300 to ship a package from the US to Australia and having the employees at the shipping store be absolute MONSTERS to me when I dared question the price (in short, they ripped me off once I realized it would’ve been cheaper to ship via the post office, despite them telling me it would be more expensive)
Inexplicably losing photos from *2* days of my travels
Traveling with 2 passports: always a privilege, but sometimes a hassle (note to self: apply for visas under my AU passport when flying directly from AU to that country!)
Scratching my rental car in Malta
Tech troubles: having to replace my laptop, camera lens, and kindle all in one summer

What’s Next in 2024?

Given that 2024 is half over as I’m writing this post, I know exactly how the first half of the year is gonna shake out 😉

Expect another nomadic year from me, another trip around the world, and hopefully a new home by the end of it!

READ MY PAST YEAR RECAPS: