Six and half months ago I left Sydney to go to England for a month, with the intention to work on my upcoming book in the countryside with a friend and then return back to Sydney ready for the Aussie summer. The loose plan I had in mind for my time in Europe fell to pieces and since September, it’s been an absolute roller coaster 6 months.
In a very succinct summary, here are a few of the main events –
I ended up extending my time in Europe, road tripping across Montenegro and Albania (I’d highly recommend going to Montenegro if you’re going to Europe anytime soon), riding a hire bike around Paris for 10 days, adventuring around a small island in the Phillippines for a month, working at the Australian Open in Melbourne, going to Hawaii for 6 weeks….. and now, here I am, writing this article in Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast of Australia.
Montenegro from top of Kotor.
It’s become a reoccurring theme in my life, that things don’t go to plan. I could write a long list of things I had planned and crumbled but I could write a longer list of the amazing moments, opportunities and experiences that have occurred as a result.
Here’s a few things to keep in mind:
– Have a plan, but more importantly, have an overarching direction.
– Keep perspective,when you look at things from a bigger view, they often don’t seem so bad.
– Be open-minded, ready to take on new avenues.
– Say Yes and see where it leads, that’s always fun.
– People are genuinely out there to help you, you will find people who align with your goals and they’ll be stoked to be apart of your journey too.
– Have structure but within that, make space for spontaneity.
– Know your fundamentals – What makes you happy, what you like to do for fun. These are key.
If things went to plan, I wouldn’t have ended up here.
These are just a few things I like to keep in mind and have helped make the last 6 months an unreal time. Anyway, this is what my last week entailed.
Part 1: Our van broke down
The initial plan was to drive from Sydney to Sunshine Coast, to be honest, probably even further. Stopping at all coastal towns along the way, adventuring to new sunset spots and eventually making our way up North till we didn’t want to go any further. That was the plan…. the van didn’t even make it to Sydney. My friend was driving it from Melbourne to Sydney and 4 hours in, the van carked it. The wiring to the fuel pump gave way, and it was no longer road trip worthy.
Newcastle
Part 2: Sydney to Newcastle
With no van, one of the main ingredients to the road trip, we needed a new game plan. We overcame the first hurdle by organising a ride share from Sydney to Newcastle. A guy named Billy from the UK picked us up in his Van and off we went. I love this, when adventures cross, even only for a moment and you can share a few stories. Essentially, rideshare is like organised hitch-hiking. They both entail jumping in a car with a stranger, however, organising a rideshare saves you from standing on the side of a highway for half a day.
Fun fact: Billy bought his van for $700 when he arrived in Australia 10 months ago, and has done well over 10,000kms in it, going as far from Cairns to Adelaide.
In Newcastle, we were able to stay with my good mate Jorden. Jorden and I adventured around Siargao last year in December, so it was great to catch up and explore his favourite local spots with him. One of the great perks of travelling, is the amazing people you meet from so many small and random places around the world. You just never know when you’re going to end up on their doorstep.
Newy swell.
Boy vs water.
Put your phone down.
Part 3: Newcastle to Sunshine Coast
This was the biggest win for the week. From Newcastle we found a relocation car to Brisbane for $5 a day. With the Commonwealth Games on in the Gold Coast at the moment, companies are sending loads of cars up the coast for little to nothing. We scored a very new car, with cruise control and plenty of sleeping capabilities.
Boomerang beach.
Boomerang with some good waves.
Running Update:
The weekend and I spent up in the Sunshine Coast, primarily focused on my training for the Ultra Marathon.
On Sunday, Brad from The Running Company Sunshine Coast and I went out and clocked up 30km. This was my longest run ever, in the lead up to the ultra marathon I am slowly trying to increase my weekly long run. I struggled to walk for a couple hours after I finished but that’s all part of the journey. This week I ran 76.2 kilometres and raised $437 towards my goal of $5000 to help put 100 kids through school in Bali.
If you to get on board with me, you can donate here.
https://thebalihopeultramarathon2018.everydayhero.com/au/bali-hope-ultra-to-put-100-kids-through-school
Here’s to another great week, if your plans crumble don’t worry, the new one will be just as exciting if you let it.
JL
I’m sure where you can find love in something, you will find discomfort. If you’re going to hurt and bury yourself in something that pains you, remember the why. Remember why you love it, why you started, why the younger version of you grabbed on and didn’t let go. When you uncover the reason why you fell in love with it, you’ll flourish out of the enduring times. – Josh Lynott
