When Nicola Easterby travelled to Nepal, she did not settle for a hotel in Kathmandu.
The 22-year-old experienced what life is really like for the country’s people, having travelled to a little village in the Nepalese mountains.
“We slept on the floor surrounded by rats and giant spiders, bathed in the river, watched our dinner be killed in front of our eyes, had dance parties with the local Nepalese kids and got stuck in a flash flood,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
“I will always cherish this experience of actually getting to live like a local.”
Miss Easterby runs the travel blog Polkadot Passport. Her Instagram page, that has a staggering 151,000 followers, takes you around the world from the rocky outcrops of California’s Death Valley to the tea plantations of Sri Lanka.
In fact, in the space of four years she has visited 35 different countries. But surprisingly the Brisbane resident did not set out to become a travel blogger.
“After going to university for a year I knew I couldn’t stay in one place any longer, so I took a gap year (which I am still on… four years later), saved up all the money I could and took off on a four-month expedition across Europe,” Miss Easterby said.
“I never intended to get into travel blogging, in fact, I simply started my blog as a place to share photos of my overseas adventures with my family and friends so I could stop spamming everyone on Facebook. It took a long time before I even realised people could make money from blogging. In fact, it wasn’t until I randomly attending a seminar on “How to become a full-time blogger” that the concept even crossed my mind. Over the course of about a year and half, my blog and Instagram started gaining some momentum and I started to think hey, maybe I can make something of this.”
The first two years Miss Easterby spent travelling were entirely self funded.
She worked multiple casual jobs and ran a photography business to make her travel dreams a reality, but thanks to her blog, a large portion of her travels are now funded by companies or subsidised by hotels, tourism boards and tourism operators.
One of her favourite places to visit has been Turkey.
“It is such a unique country that offers this crazy mix of mind-blowing landscapes, a rich culture, delicious food and fascinating history,” she said.
“I think it’s really underrated as a destination and I hope that changes as they really need the income from tourism at the moment. In terms of natural beauty, Switzerland takes some beating. I love the mountains so that place speaks to my soul. And my favourite city by far is Budapest. It is such a beautiful and vibrant city without being overwhelmingly busy or big.”
Miss Easterby has spent the past two years splitting her time between Brisbane and abroad, but recently relocated to Europe where she plans to ‘settle down’.
Her biggest tip for other travellers was to slow down and appreciate the moment.
“Travel slowly, carefully and thoughtfully,” she said.
“Every time you get to a place, go to a coffee shop for a few hours and immerse yourself in the atmosphere around you. If you are visiting a famous landmark or landscape, don’t just take a photo and leave. Find a quiet spot to sit and appreciate the splendour of what it is you’ve travelled half way across the world to see. Take in the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of everything around you.”
While her Instagram page might indicate otherwise, Miss Easterby said there were some challenges that came with travelling full-time.
She said living out of a suitcase, not having any routine and spending time away from family and friends could take its toll.
“Travelling is also very exhausting, so it is difficult to maintain energy and not get sick or burnt out,” she said.
“The biggest challenge that I’ve had to battle with is not having a place to call “home”. Having said this, I have come to realise home is not about the place, but about the people. That was a really important realization for me to come to. At the end of the day, Australia will always be my home so it is always the place I will come back to. However, for the moment, being in Europe makes travelling a lot more convenient and I figure I should take the opportunity to live overseas whilst I can.”
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