FLASHPACKERS TRAVEL

We’ve been on the road for 12 months now and this is the one question that is consistent. My down to earth reply is that you have to do what is right for you. If you don’t like to plan then don’t. For us, planning is the way to go. Both my husband and I like to be organised, so for that to flow, then we have to plan. These are the hard facts about planning; It takes time, sometimes a lot of it Even the best made plans can be ruined…… hello COVID, or like our recent trip through … More To Plan or not to plan?, that is the question.

Thursday, July 8, 2021, Darwin: It’s been six months now since we left Victoria on our year off and because the ‘Trol’ needs a service, we are forced to take a little hiatus in our travels today, so we have some time in the van to reflect and catch up on things. I thought it would be interesting to look back on the last six months and share some stats and highlights with you. Car stats….. Distance travelled by car: 17,528 km. Distance travelled towing caravan: 11,762 km. Number of places stayed in van: 60. Number of places stayed in … More Half Way Around our “BIG LAP”!

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced us and millions of others around the world, to rethink our travel plans we adjusted our sights (just ever-so-slightly) and took aim at a ‘Big Lap’ of Australia rather than an overseas trip.  As it turned out, it was rather an easy decision to make: Still take a year off, but buy a caravan instead! But then came a whole raft of questions: What brand? On or off-road? How big? Do we get bunks for the future grandies? What colour scheme? Toilet? Shower? Washing machine? Leather or fabric upholstery? Suspension? Disc brakes? Etc, etc, etc.  Eventually, we … More Preparing our Nissan Patrol to take on a Lap Around Australia by Greg Elliot.

It is nearly 8 months to the day from when we left our home in Woodend for a life on the road. Initially pet sitting, then into a gorgeous rental in Daylesford for four months.  In hindsight, the time we spent in our cottage was a true blessing.  It reconnected us with each other and with the things we love, bush walking, bird watching, eating pizza, drinking champagne and relaxing in the huge spa bath with a candle or two. We have moved from a 25 sq home and planned for seven months of house-sits with a box of kitchen … More Our Van is Called………

It was January, 2020 when we sold up most of our belongings and put the rest into storage and began our life on the road.  Obviously, we had no idea what was to come, so when we packed up all our belongings we literally only kept with us the items that we anticipated taking overseas with us.  I left all my unfinished stitcheries and sewing items in storage and Greg left all of his tools. Recognising that these items would bring us comfort in preparation for life on the road, we recently retrieved them from storage. I retrieved a quilt … More Coincidences and Victoria Silo Art Trail

Create the Story You Want to Tell – Michelle Elliot What do you regret in life? I’ve always hated that question, it is like it asks you to undo all the threads that you have created in your entire life.  I end up not answering it because I find it hard to regret anything because I just can’t imagine what life would be like without my gorgeous kids born, but I did often ponder just one regret. I had a dream of travelling the world.  I imagined that I would finish school and become an air hostie and travel or … More Our Original Story

We have decided to hunker down in the most gorgeous town of Daylesford. It was purely a geographic decision with Mr Flashpacker working in Woodend and me in Ballarat. It has given us the security and stability that we needed. We try and walk through the gorgeous wooded streets or around the Daylesford Lake daily. We are visited by Australian birds many times throughout our day. They include Kookaburras, Magpies, Crimson Rosellas, Currawongs, Finchs, Thornbills, Honeyeaters and a King Parrot. Honestly, it’s been our saving grace. We love the beauty they bring and birds are one of our favourite animals. … More Strange Days Indeed

In the days before Victoria went into full lockdown and without a home to return to, a very good friend gifted us the use of their motorhome. We were beyond grateful and found the solitude and peace we needed in the beautiful town of Port Campbell.  Admittedly we were in full lockdown in the motor home, but it gave us the time to mull over whether we still wanted to travel overseas. There was so much to think about. So many options that could occur and all at the mercy of the government and the decisions that we would not … More Altering our 12 month travel plans.

Wow, what a crazy two weeks since our last post. Over here at flashpackerstravel we unfortunately bought into the fear of our situation a little too much.  It was difficult to remove ourselves from the constant news reports, the conversations around us and on social media about this virus. One of the hardest posts that kept resurfacing on social was the ‘stay home’ memes. It was hard to read because we don’t have a “home” to go back to.  We were floating on cloud 9 three months ago, with seven months of housesits all lined up and in 11 weeks … More True Freedom

We have really tried to stay true to our love of travel with our site, but it is really difficult to not get swept up into the COVID-19 hype. We are determined to keep our images and words positive and uplifting, in the hope that when you look at one of our posts, it brings a smile to your face and for a moment you are thinking of nothing but the beautiful images we want to share with you. It is three months today that my Mum passed away.  I bring this up because it doesn’t matter how focused you … More HOW DO YOU STAY POSITIVE WHEN THE WORLD HAS GONE CRAZY AROUND YOU?