Don’t Quit

“It’s very easy to quit during the first 10 years. Nobody cares whether you write or not, and it’s very hard to write when nobody cares one way or the other. You can’t get fired if you don’t write,...

Pack Your Bags, But Leave Your Fears Behind

Guess what? I’m running a competition and I’m giving away a round-trip ticket to anywhere, worth up to $1000! Next week my book launches in North America. Holy shit. This crazy writing and...

The Problem with Being a Travelling Writer

When I set off travelling, I imagined myself creating art while on the move. With so much inspiration around me, I assumed that tapping into a creative headspace would be a piece-o-cake. On trains...

The Highs and Lows of Launching a Book

The last few months have been a speedy blur of firsts for me: first time launching a book, first time on radio, first time on TV, first speaking engagement, first time creeping stealthily through...

Gallery Motorcycling Thailand

Surviving the Melbourne Winter Blues

Summer is ending in Melbourne and the weather is cooling down. But in this city, that transition is not a gradual twist of the thermostat, it’s an overnight snap between heatstroke and frostbite....

The Man Who Seems to Have it All

Travel, money, internet fame—does Nomadic Matt have it all? Matt Kepnes opens up on travel blogging, dealing with bad press, and whether or not he has it all… Matt Kepnes’ story is fascinating. If...

Hanging Out in Bookstores

Bookstores! The smell of paper. The piles of stories. All the great authors pressed tightly together, spooning on the shelves. These are some of the reasons that you’re more likely to find me in a...

A Reason to Stop Avoiding

For sixteen months, my own personal doomsday has been slowly approaching. With the launch of my book, I knew I was going to have to face up to something I’m terrified of. I’m not talking about deep...

A Big Change

Notice anything different? Well yes, I gained a little weight from too much coconut milk soup in Thailand, but it’s not that. And yes, my frizzy, sun-damaged hair desperately needs professional...

Butt Naked at Sixteen Thousand Feet

I don’t often feature guests on my blog, but when fellow Aussie Will Jackson from The Bearded Wanderer sent me this hilarious piece, how could I possibly say no? As I shuffled my seemingly...

Big News: I’m Heading Home to Launch my Book!

Our motorbike trip has ended abruptly as though it never was. Now we’re in the busy city of Chiang Mai, Thailand, neck deep in piles of work. It’s difficult to imagine that just a few weeks ago we...

Inspiration Versus Idiocy: The Fine Line Between Success and Failure

Before I set off on a motorcycle adventure, I thought a lot about death. Motorbikes are seriously dangerous, right? Riders often end up painting the road with the brushstroke of their face. They...

One Last Attempt at Motorcycle Touring

It took me about 45 minutes on the back of a bike to decide that motorcycle touring is the most dangerous, uncomfortable, and inconvenient form of travel there is. My knees burned, my frontal lobe...

On the Road in Thailand

Earlier this year, Ivan and I toured the Bolaven Plateau in Southern Laos on a Honda Smash motorcycle. I thought we were going to die (see bike name), but we did not. In fact, it turned out to be a...

Too Long in Bangkok

Bangkok. You either love it or you hate it. Or, if you’re like me, you love it for about 30 minutes … and then you loathe it. We came to Bangkok ten days ago to get some errands done. After living...

Are you feeling ready to begin?

Whether you’re starting on your NaNoWriMo novel or you’re beginning another big project, you may be feeling like you’re not yet prepared to start. Before embarking on a big journey, like writing a...

Travel, passion, and romance: Lessons from my grandma.

My Grandma was born on Halloween. When I was little, she told me that being born on All Hallows’ Eve made her a witch. I believed her. It explained why she was a woman who ran with the wolves and...

Stranded on a Desert Island

We live on a little island in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand, and the only way to get here is by boat. At this time of year, Koh Tao has a brief but intense rainy season. A lot of locals head...

“Lions will eat you!” and other useless travel warnings

When I tell people that I’m heading off on any kind of adventure, I tend to attract grim horror stories from every Tom, Dick, and Harry… Me: I’m going on a camping trip in the outback! Tom: I hope...

Public Speaking: Scarier Than Death?

It’s an old cliché that people are more afraid of public speaking than they are of death. Can you believe that? I mean—seriously, people, what’s so scary about standing before a bunch of chumps...

The Trouble With Pinterest

If everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you? My answer to that question used to be an emphatic “No!” until just recently, when I was with a group of friends who were all jumping off a cliff. I...

An Adventure on Two Wheels in Laos

Falling in love with motorcycle touring while exploring the Bolaven Plateau. Given that Laos is a country with some of the worst medical care in the world, the concept of heading into the remote...

“I’m Afraid to Fail” And Other Excuses for Being Average

Failure. The word alone makes your butt clench up with horror, doesn’t it? How many of your daily decisions revolve around avoiding failure? How many calls go unmade? How many projects remain...

Facing My Fear Of Sharks

“Try a thing you haven’t done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time to figure out whether you like it or not. ” - Virgil Thomson...

Confronting Your Greatest Fear

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been afraid of the ocean. Just say the word “ocean” and this is where my imagination goes:The Scary, Scary Ocean. By Torre DeRocheIt’s pretty easy to live a...

Giving a Makeover to a Five Dollar Bungalow in Thailand

Since relocating from Australia to Thailand at the start of the year, my partner and I have been searching for the perfect place to call home … In the hills of Koh Tao, we found a bungalow that...

A Shopping Spree in Bangkok

I almost had a heart attack when I first entered the Aladdin’s Cave of the Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok. So. Much. Stuff. So much pretty, sparkly, colourful stuff. And some of it was going...

A Five Dollar Bungalow in Thailand – In Search of the Perfect Accommodation

Is it still possible to find decent accommodation for $5 a night on a tropical island? My partner and I went hunting for a thrifty shack in Koh Tao, Thailand and tried not to kill each other in the...

Do You Eat Roadside Food When You Travel?

Right now, I’m a little preoccupied while finishing my manuscript with my editor, but I know it’s important to keep feeding my blog readers with some juicy meat. So here you go— I used to be afraid...