about

a life less ordinary

Welcome to Walkabout Wes

Hi, I’m Wes, and I’m passionate about travelling, and in particular, on a budget, maximising value for money.  Welcome to my little corner of the world wide web! 

I have, however, thrice quit my job, and hit the road to freedom. I didn’t catch the travel bug until I was 29, on my first working holiday visa to Australia.  This experience changed everything for me, and ever since then travel has never been far from my mind.

My experiences include 15 months living, working and travelling in Australia; 4 years living in New Zealand, 10 months travelling South & Central America, 2 months travelling South East Asia and many many weekend breaks in between.

Why Walkabout Wes?  I first heard the term going walkabout in Australia, it’s a term used by the aboriginal’s.  When boys reach an age turning to manhood, they go on a ‘walkabout’ across the land to discover themselves and grow.

Another consideration for the name, I love to walk!  I walk for over an hour each day wherever I am.  When I travel I love to walk around everywhere exploring a new city or climbing a mountain.   

Wes Scotland Railway

The Beginning

I grew up in Reading, a typical English town in England (actually the biggest town in the country), and went on very few holidays until I was 29 years old, in fact, by this age my country count was 4 (including England!)

I was married at 28, separated at 29, and was halfway around the world 3 months later at 30.  I had always done what was expected; got a good job, bought a house, got married.  My life completely changed very suddenly over just a few months.  From talking about having kids, a few months later, I was single, and travelling Australia by myself, and absolutely loving it!!

Office About Me Page (1)

Cross Roads

It was a big decision to make; do I put my head down, focus on my work, chase the next promotion; or do I take the opportunity to escape, see the world, experience something new, and take a risk.  I took the risk (thank God I did!)

I quit my job as an Accountant, put my house up for sale, and applied for a 12 month working holiday visa.  Three months later, I landed in Sydney, Australia for what would be the time of my life.  

This trip changed my whole outlook on life, changed my priorities, opened my eyes, and taught me so much.  I was meeting people from all over the world, surfing, sky-diving, para-gliding.  Would I have experienced these things sat at an office desk in Reading, umm, No!!

New Zealand:

Ten months after returning to the UK after my Australian Visa expired, I had saved enough money to hit the road again.  Time was against me, I applied for my NZ working holiday visa, and landed one week before my 31st birthday, which is the cut-off point for UK citizens applying for the working holiday visa. 

My expected one-year stay in New Zealand turned into four years.

 

Ruth+Wes About

South America:

After 4 years living in New Zealand, I made the really difficult decision to leave, and to move back to England.  So again, I quit my job, gave notice on the apartment and packed my bags.  With no commitments, I decided to head to South America, and spend 4 months there before settling in England.

This was my first time on the continent, and I can’t stress enough how beautiful, diverse, and totally amazing this continent is, (and it’s huge!) wow.

I based myself mainly in Argentina, and then took multiple mini trips to different destinations. 

Machu Picchu

Back in Europe:

I’ve been based in London for 6 years now, experiencing all that Europe has to offer on my doorstep whenever I possibly can.   

A lot of my friends and family are always asking how I afford so many holidays a year, what’s the secret, so I’d thought I’d share my best tips and experiences. 

I want to inspire you to travel as far and as much as you can.  For my top tips on how to save for travelling, check out this article How to save money for travelling.

 

Wes in Rome