Why Walkabout
In traditional Australian Aboriginal communities, a Walkabout is a rites of passage journey, which adolescent males would undertake to make the traditional and spiritual transition to manhood. In 2010, in a crazy fit of restlessness, I embarked on a Walkabout experience of my own, and my life was turned upside down; experientially, emotionally, and actually quite literally. I left my job in Melbourne, Australia, bought as long a ticket as the airline would let me, and flew to the United States. I had one night of accommodation booked in a hostel in LA and that was it. I knew no one, I had no plans, and I had never been so excited!
My adventure almost ended before it began when the big scary immigration official didn’t want to let me in. He didn’t like the fact that I had a 6-month visa, and a 9-month plane ticket and didn’t want to release me into the country. It was a real life episode of Border Control and I was very nearly put back on the plane and sent packing back down under, but us Aussies have a way of sweet-talking ourselves out of trouble, and after 3 hours in the holding bay, they finally let me loose in LA.
And so it began. I bought a soccer-mom van, slept on people’s couches (and when I couldn’t find a couch, in the back of my van in Wal-Mart parking lots), toured 40 something states and drove over 35,000 miles, built fences in Seattle, had my birthday in Edmonton, worked on a camp in Texas, was inducted into a secret society, visited my first of 53 national parks, had some incredible adventures, witnessed some unbelievable things, made so many new friends and met some beautiful people.
So here I was, thanks to my ridiculous obsession with travel. I had left everything behind and was now, very poor, and on the other side of the world. What would make more sense than to pursue a career in travel? For the past 6 years, I have worked as a travel consultant, and travel manager and immersed myself in all things travel. It has been an amazing ride, but unfortunately my store had to close in the midst of an epic pandemic. So here I am, writing a blog about what I have learned, expertise I can offer, and hopefully some mildly amusing anecdotes along the way.
I have also started my own independent travel business, Forever On Walkabout, and would love your support. If you have upcoming travel plans, please send me a message through the ‘Contact Me’ form, or email me at foreveronwalkabout@gmail.com. I would love to be able to help, and would value the support!
My Walkabout in 2010 was definitely a transitional and formative experience, but thankfully it hasn’t ended there. I have to come to see travel as a lifelong wandering, an itch that can never fully be scratched, an education that never ends. That is what this blog is all about.
In the words of the great philosopher Crocodile Dundee, a walkabout is:
“A spontaneous journey through the wilderness of one’s choosing in an effort to satisfy one’s itchy feet. A need to be elsewhere, the craving for the open road, that space over the horizon…something that you can’t quite touch so you have to go find it because it’s you know, just there…or maybe it just feels good to go walking around. Yeah, that’s Walkabout.”
