Journal #61: Daylight’s Coming
5/1/16
Today’s Cover Photo: Sumner Beach, Christchurch, NZ

Over the course of 61 days, I have slept in 21 different places. This means that basically every three days for the past two months, I have packed my bags and traveled somewhere different.

At some point, everything changed. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment, but all I can say for sure is that at the end of March my trip felt like a really long vacation, and now at the end of 2 months, the traveling feels normal- almost like it’s a lifestyle.

It has definitely been exhausting, but it’s also exciting: every new place is a completely different experience and adventure, and I’ve had a blast just meeting different people and becoming familiar with different styles of life.

I remember hearing a quote once that said “When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable” which I’ve always felt meant that rather than try to force things and live my life as I do the United States, I should adapt to my surroundings and do my best to live completely differently. This is what I’ve tried to do the past 2 months and I think it has been a huge help in making sure my trip has gone well.

I also can’t overlook the impact of staying with locals through AirBnB instead of hotels or hostels: 51 of my 61 days were spent in AirBnBs, and every experience was fantastic (if you’re curious about the remainder: I spent 4 nights camping, 2 nights in hostels, and 4 nights in hotels). All 12 of my hosts went above and beyond to make sure that I not only had a good time but also that I understood how real people actually lived in their respective cities.

Overall the trip has been fantastic and while I’m sad to see it end tomorrow, I look forward to the next chapter in my life!

Since this inevitably will be the main question I get asked when I get back, I’ve decided to list here my three favorite places in New Zealand and Australia!

New Zealand

1) Mount Cook/Aoraki

Everything I loved about Southwestern New Zealand is summed up by my time at Mount Cook. Although I didn’t get the chance to climb the mountain itself, this is one of most breathtaking areas I’ve ever had the chance to visit.

2) Routeburn Track

Starting in the epic Milford Sound and ending in the equally dramatic Mt Aspiring National Park, this three day trek through the mountains and valleys of the West coast of Southern New Zealand is just awesome. I was also lucky to have the chance to do it with an equally awesome group of people!

3) Wellington

Hands down my favorite city in both New Zealand and Australia, I had an absolute blast in Wellington. It is a beautiful city filled with great, fun-loving people dedicated to good coffee, good beer, and good times.

Honorable Mentions: Queenstown, Mount Sunday (Rohan)

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Australia

1) The Outback

To be honest, I had a really good time everywhere I went in Australia. So the three things I’ll highlight are the three experiences that provided the sharpest and best memories. Being out in the outback is an awesome experience- particularly since I got the chance to “Swag camp” which meant sleeping in the open-air without a tent. Having the chance to cook some Kangaroo steaks while sitting under the stars near King’s Canyon is a memory I’ll never forget.

2) Tasmania

One of things that still really irks me about my time in Tasmania is that I never really got a good landscape photo of what it looked like, because it is a stunning place to visit. It was Fall when I visited and I drove through beautiful valleys, dotted with mountains and trees with rich golden leaves. There was also the unreal sensation of seeing Wallabies and Pademelons hop across the track while I was hiking!

3) Darwin

The surprise entry on the list! I had an absolute blast in Darwin- from swimming with Crocodiles to sitting on their stunning waterfront with a cold beer in my hand, it is a fun place to visit.

Honorable Mentions: Sydney, The 12 Apostles, and The Great Barrier Reef

This is sadly my last blog post until I travel again. Thank you to everyone who has read or looked at the blog- I hope I helped either encourage you to travel to NZ and AUS or brought back memories of past trips here.

Tomorrow I fly out from Auckland to San Francisco, and then I will be in Saint Louis for a few days before going up to Kalamazoo for a weekend. Finally, I’ll return to Saint Louis before slowly making my way back to San Francisco!

Thanks for reading the blog and I hope to see you all soon!

Signing Off,

Morgan

Map of the Full Trip: