„Cheers mate“

What will I do after graduation? The question didn’t go off my mind at the end of High School. Do I want to study? And if so, in what direction should I be heading to? These questions got stuck into my mind.

Suddenly, there was the idea: How about a stay overseas? A break traveling after stressful studying and exam preparations seemed to be an excellent choice. Australia has always been a fascinating country for me, so the decision was made quickly. And I have to admit, it was the best decision of my life. I started straight away with travel preparations which wasn’t as easy as I thought… But let’s talk about that later.

Start of my trip & typical farm life

In October 2014, my 8-months travel to Australia started at last. I was so excited prior to my trip as this was my first big stay abroad. All by myself. The flight was tiring and long, I was even happier when I finally arrived at my first destination, Melbourne (with lots to follow). Close to Melbourne I worked on a horse farm and lived the real “Aussie-life” for a few months. Summer season was really hot in Down Under and therefore work was exhausting, nevertheless I definitely enjoyed this time and got to know lovely people. In between my work periods I did several shorter trips around Australia. I went to see the Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, for example which is a big mountain in the middle of the Australian outback. During another week of holiday, I spent time along the Great Ocean Road and travelled part of the 243 km at the South Coast. Nature was incredible and so various! At the end of my time on the farm I said goodbye to everyone with „Cheers mate“, a common greeting in Australia.

 

Road trip along the east cost

After this valuable experience close to Melbourne my travel continued. I decided to drive along the East Coast with my car “Bernie”, which I bought while still in Melbourne, an old Ford falcon from 1998. He was my loyal companion during the rest of my trip. At first, I traveled by myself. After just a few days I met Pia, who travelled with me from then on. She is still a very good friend of mine. The adventures we experienced together still have a huge impact on our lives. The following months were full of action. We went hiking, slept on the beach, went surfing, snorkeled with turtles and jumped out of a plane at the end of our trip. At the beginning of my travel I never thought that I would be able to go skydiving. Well, I became braver during the journey, even now back in Germany I’m more courageous than before. I will definitely skydive again in future.

We had the best times when we simply drifted away and thus experienced the local culture and people. Without any obligations we roughly planned our day and travel route in the morning. The rest of the day, we enjoyed the possibilities of on–the-spot- surprises. Spontaneity was our best friend! During this time I learned a lot about myself and got time to think about my future path of life. This is why it was quite easy for me to find the right field of study when back in Germany.

 

Work & travel webinar

I am happy to share my experiences from my work & travel trip with you. As I have been a bit overstrained at the beginning of my travel preparation, I prepared a free webinar about the “to dos prior to your work & travel adventure”. This will ease the start in your adventure abroad. You will hear useful tips and tricks, for example, which countries are especially applicable for work & travel.

Feel free to register here. I am looking forward to your participation!

Antonia Schüttler, Trainee Sales & Marketing