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I Quit My Job and Landed in Australia

The date forever etched in my mind 23rd August 2017, I was working for a PR Agency in London, dreaming of hot summer days and white sandy beaches. I searched google for the whitest sand in the World and the result Jervis Bay, Australia. Let’s be honest I had no f**king idea where Jervis Bay was but the image of blue skies, waves and oceans was enough. 

I had dinner with a couple of girlfriends before heading home, wherewith 10 seconds of courage and a few wines deep I pulled open my laptop and booked a flight to Sydney Australia. I mean why not, right? 

Waking the next morning with an epic headache and a faint memory of doing something life changing the night before struck. Then check of my phone and boom I’d emptied my savings to  buy a ticket to Australia. I leave in 3 months and need to SAVE. 

Landing in Sydney as a solo traveller was the most exhilaratingly anxious, but most amazing experience of my life, (I’d also broken up with the boyfriend, but that’s another story). 

First stop Wake Up Hostel – I’d booked in transit as I sat in Singapore airport for what felt like 20 hours, I think it was 12. I was happy to see a bed of any kind and a 4 bed dorm room did the job. I kicked the jetlag sideways. 

Then you could describe it as universal energies, one of travels best unknowns, that energy that puts people and experiences in your path that you just have to be open to and accept. This first happened to me in the reception area at Wake Up, some dude with long blonde hair and surf board under arm stopped me in my tracks – he worked for this tour company called Mojo, I was like Mo “what” me surf, hmmmm. 

Total honesty he gave me a sneaky discount to jump on a Sydney Weekend Escape, 2 night 3 day adventure to somewhere called the central coast.

Not really knowing what to expect I showed up, lugged a massive foam board onto the most beautiful (almost) deserted beach, with 10 strangers and a surf coach called Adam (the guy I randomly met in the foyer of the Sydney hostel).

Full of confidence I mimic the dry land imitation skills, feeling like I’m nailing the techniques, I’m definitely ready to face the 2 ft baby waves I see in front of me, keen to get that money shot photo of me on a surf board gliding along a wave…With the full intention of making all my friends jealous of my new found skills, far far away from that PR agency day job I once had. This my friends is living the f**king dream. 

I wade into the water jump on the board effortlessly paddle over the smallest bumpy waves, I’ve got this! A little further a wave comes at me bowls me over, hair in the face, that perfect image of me gliding on top of a wave looking hot was fading fast!

It was the most challenging 2 hours of my life, if you could imagine trying to do a push up while rolling around in a dryer, that pretty much sums up my first ever attempt at livin the dream. 

The best was to come, my muscles aching my mind fading, while at the point of exhaustion and almost about to give up. Then wave of the day rolls past Adam gives the back of my board a nudge and yells “up, up, up up” with my last burst of physical energy I push and jump to my feet as quickly as I could, then the energy of the wave pulls the board, I’m standing up right gliding along the top of white water heading towards the sand. Bang my fin hits the sand bank (you’re supposed to jump off before this point), and then my knees shake and I fall off into 2 inches of water.

That was enough and I was hooked…I’m livin the dream! 

Talk about life changing experiences this was certainly one, not content with riding the white water I returned to Sydney and booked an 11 day Sydney to Byron adventure with Mojo, you can follow the journey in my next blog. 

Xx Amber 

Hot tip: Pre-plan your airline ticket purchase and save as much moolah as possible, buying mine on the fly didn’t help my savings! But hey if I didn’t make that drunken late night purchase I may never have ended up in Australia. Choose your own adventure!