Lost in life, found in travelling

I love stories. About courage and decisions, to start a business, start studies after being thirty, start a relationship despite feeling fear and of course my favourite topic is travelling. I have decided that now and then I will offer an interview with those, who have shown their courage and set off on a path less travelled in any area of the life. Today, I am bringing an interview with Juli, with a trained interpreter who decided to swap Prague (Czech Republic) for Australia about three years ago and lives in Perth these days.

Hi Juli, I was very excited for this interview. I am curious about your experience and adventures you have encountered in last two or three years. You have travelled a lot and because I like to write about things that are a bit different, or about people who don’t live a “standard life”, I was thinking about you. I would like to know how you journey looks like.

Let’s start with the idea of travelling – everybody’s idea of travelling is different, what is yours?

After three years in Australia, travelling means freedom to me. It is something nobody can take away from you, experience nobody can give you, you just need to experience it yourself. You experience things that you wouldn’t have if you were just sitting at home, especially not in Slovakia. 

You meet unbelievable people, you learn what you are capable of. You will encounter various obstacles you have to deal with and you would never guessed you could tackle.  

So for me it’s a freedom, experience and probably the best decision of my life. 

How did it start?

When did you realise, that this path was tempting for you?

God, it was way before travelling to Australia. I have always liked travelling, however at that point I did only short trips around Europe. You have couple of weeks of annual leave, so you go to Spain, Italy.. But I remember when we went to Thailand for three weeks. Then, I felt like I really liked the lifestyle. To go and see a waterfalls, experience a different culture, meet new people. It was something I preferred much more than going back to work.

When I was returning back, I was stressed out that I had go back to the office. And then it started. The whole year after that, I was struggling, it wasn’t a domain in which I wanted to work, I was stressed out, felt overwhelmed and then I decided to give travelling a go and it worked out.

You’ve mentioned returning back to work, guess that’s hard for everyone. Everybody would prefer being in Thailand than working. However, when you were making the decision about going out there and travel, didn’t you have this voice telling you “c’mon, everybody would like to travel, if it was that easy, everybody would be doing that!” How was this for you?

I have never really followed people who did the “normal” things. I grew up in Slovakia, people there are more closed off and negative. What I observed with my friends and colleagues was that they prefer a routine. They had their jobs, families, friends, their home and that was what they wanted. 

However, I felt that wasn’t what I wanted. I had some inner need to change my life. I felt that something was wrong, that I was doing something wrong, I was stagnating, groping. 

That year, something significant happened, there was a change in my that time relationship. Until then, I had a boyfriend, we had lived together and it was just different, cause you don’t want to leave, despite the relationship is not ideal. I couldn’t imagine just leave – from my boyfriend, friends, family. Just to break the chain and leave to another country and try something new. 

It was very hard for me to change my life, because I never liked changes. However, the moment when I became single was the moment when I had to get out of my comfort zone and try.

Whether I was scared or wasn’t, I was just hoping it would change later on and maybe the decision to go would bring me a better life and maybe I would show to other people it made sense. 

Decision making

So what was the last straw that made you leave Slovakia. I mean Prague 🙂

The final kick came due to work, I worked too much, I wasn’t able to sleep, I barely ate, I was stressed out, it was just too much. I felt a lot of pressure.

Then we broke up with my boyfriend, so I sort of got my freedom back. However, even though I moved out, I still felt like something was wrong, that things were not the way I would like them to be, you know, when you just feel good. 

And my parents, despite they would obviously like me to be closer to them, they saw I needed a change. They told me that they knew I had anxiety and depression, and that I should do something about it. I had a colleague that time who told me about Australia. Australia wasn’t my dream country, however I read some stuff about the country, got some info and even emailed to you, to find out what’s good about the country, where to go, which direction to take and then I decided to give it a go. 

So I think this was it. Stagnation in life, the feeling that you want something else from life and you want to find yourself. I was completely lost. It was like a carousel, the same things happening all the time. 

So basically you sensed that there must have been something more you could get out of life. 

Yes, that there was something more. And it is true, that many people can see just instagram. And they see people who travel and they ear money like that. And some people think that it’s not real, that that only happens to people who are attractive and they had built it up somehow. However, I think it is possible to travel these days. You have many options, if you are brave to go somewhere. Courage is the most important at the beginning. And then it’s just gonna work out somehow. 

So looking backward, you think it was a good step. 

For sure, 100%.

Before you went to Australia, did you go anywhere else?

After I finished Uni, I went to the US for three months, I think it was actually the first time when I realised that I really liked it – a different culture, speaking English, a different lifestyle, to see a different world, not just being at one place, in Slovakia. So I was in the US for three months and I remember, when I was returning home, I was sad and didn’t want my trip to be over. 

And then I had a job, so I just travelled around Europe and to Asia as I mentioned before.

For example cause people will be wearing normal clothes not gym clothes :)))

That’s it. 🙂

Otherwise, the shock wasn’t too crazy, but of course, Australians are different, the culture is very different. Or actually they don’t really have it. They have aboriginals, then Australians, who are actually immigrants. 

After Brisbane, you moved on the Gold Coast and we met then. How was it here for you?

Gold Coast is like my second home, cause I spent the most time there and I also returned there from my holidays in Slovakia. Gold Coast was a big adventure :)))

It was on the Gold Coast when I saw the ocean in Australia for the time and fell in love with it and that was the reason I stayed in the country. I tried to spend as much time by the ocean as possible. 

I saw a different lifestyle again. In Brisbane, people are in a rush more, but when you’re on the Gold Coast, you see that people work, but they can also enjoy their life. They go to the beach, have a barbecue. It is more chill. 

And Gold Coast is beautiful, like Australian Miami. Not sure how it is now, I haven’t been there for a while.

Busier. 

Now I live in the area, which is similar, I have a bike and can ride it to the beach or around, there is a bicycle area, so you can see the ocean whole time, similar as on the Gold Coast. It is also very chill. But about Gold Coast – it was mean to me few time. 

Obstacles can be overcome

Yes, Gold Coast can be pretty mean to people, you are not the only friend, who struggled with work here. And that was my other question. 

Don’t know about you, but I’m a person who doesn’t really share hard times on instagram. I feel like I can deal with them on my own, and the good times are to be celebrated with others. However, it can give people a skewed idea that life is just amazing, perfect, it’s all about trips and living five minutes from the beach and problems don’t exist – and I am contributing to this :). What was the hardest moment for you?

I think the beginnings, when you come to Australia or any other country. I tried to find a job, a place to stay, friends, but it was hard. My whole time in Brisbane felt lonely. I had a coworkers and some friends, but it wasn’t what I wanted. 

Gold Coast was a bit better, because we met :), but I think that I was just groping the first year. Looking for jobs, trying to put food on my table, living with nice people but I also wasn’t lucky quite often. I moved a lot. Million times in Brisbane, the same on the Gold Coast. It was never what I wanted. Those moments were the hardest I think. On the Gold Coast mainly because I struggled to find a job. I either lost jobs cause we weren’t busy, or they didn’t want to pay me, etc.

And then corona came.

Yes, that was even worse. On the other hand, I think that if I didn’t experience that, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I had never experience anything like that in Europe, at least not in such an extent. 

You come to a new country, you speak their language, however they speak a bit differently. You try to fit in, cause you want to stay for a year or two. 

And I think, thanks to me going through all this by myself, it’s easier for me now. Because now I can see a different side of Australia. Some people come here with someone else, with a partner or friends so it’s a bit different. They start somewhere and when they have some issue, they don’t feel as lonely, cause they can manage the issues together. I think this was the most difficult bit. To make decisions on your own for yourself. Otherwise, there wasn’t anything really bad what happened to me. 

So if you’re doing it on your own and something doesn’t work out, you can’t blame anyone?

Yes, only yourself :)))

I remember our moment on Miami Beach…

Our moment :)))

… when you were deciding what to do. It was at the time corona started and the whole hospitality industry was pretty much shut down and it was impossible to find a job for anyone who was from overseas. And you were deciding if to go home and nearly got a plane ticket to Slovakia. And you ended up in North Queensland instead :))

That is true, I would lie that only the beginnings were difficult… this covid… It happened just when return to Oz from Slovakia, after Christmas, everything was closed for two months.

You came here in the mids of February and everything shut down at the beginning of March. 

And then, everybody who I spoke to kept saying there was no other way, that covid would continue, that I should have gone home if I don’t have money, etc. It was horrible, that’s true. I was ready to go home, I was nearly packing and buying a ticket home and then… it somehow worked out :)))

You found a job in the part of the country, where they still wanted workers and it wasn’t that bad with covid over there. 

Exactly. 

Well, there is always a solution. When you mentioned your beginnings and fitting into the community, and that it was very hard to make decisions and be on your own… what exactly it gave you?

I’ve learnt to rely on myself. That’s important. Despite people trying to talk you out of some things, you just have to try. There is another way how to do it. For example, when I supposed to go home and was thinking what to do. Everybody was like “come home, you don’t have money”, etc. And you saw many backpackers leaving. 

It’s important to consider more options. And if you want to stay somewhere, it’s not just about luck. You have to keep trying.

I was applying for jobs in different areas of Australia. I got a job in a bar in a small town in Far North and that was my luck. 

You sent around 30 resumes all over Australia, correct?

That’s it. Despite covid was a big obstacle, I overcome it and I am proud of it. I would never be so brave before Australia. I think I would have got so stressed out, that I would have just packed myself and gone home. 

However, because I was in Australia and had this unfortunate situation of no one helping me, I think it made me stronger, I became braver and learnt to manage difficult situations and always told to myself I would work it out, I would make it. 

So you basically built up your confidence thanks to tough situations. 

Yes. A confidence I didn’t have before. 

A sensitive topic. Money

A think another topic that people deal with, I know I had to deal with it and you have mentioned it, is work and money. 

Of course, the plane ticket to Australia costs some money. Australia is also one of the most expensive countries in the world and your come here to work. Let’s be honest, you won’t be lying on the beach for a year. 

What sort of jobs have you experienced, is it hard to find a job and are you able to save money so you can travel more?

I think Australia is a great country for saving money, because of the wage is much higher than in other countries. If you have just a part-time job, you can save something. Thanks to that, Australians can work for few months and then they can go on holidays for few months, cause they can save for that. This won’t happen in Europe, definitely not in Slovakia.

I have tried different jobs, most of them were in hospitality, in bars. I have tried waitressing, but I’m not good at that. I’ve also done cleaning in hotels, which is paid well. It’s that sort of job you don’t even consider in Slovakia. Here in Australia, it’s paid nearly as well as bartending. (Note from Simona, hospitality workers have sometimes better wages than admin workers, thanks to the casual work loading – extra rates for evening, weekends and public holidays).

I tried to get an office job since I worked in the office before I went to Australia. However I have work and holiday visa and these “office employers” don’t want people whose visa won’t allow them to stick around long-term. They won’t risk hiring you and you leaving in no time.

So I stayed in hospitality for a long time, everywhere I went – to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Far North Queensland and then back to Gold Coast.

Now, when I’ve come to Perth in Western Australia, I had more interviews for admin jobs, for example for a receptionist, admin assistant and so on, what didn’t happen before. If you have an experience in hospitality in Australia, you can get a job anywhere in hospitality, however if you don’t have admin job experience within Australia, it’s hard to get an admin job.

You have mentioned two paradoxes. The first one is, that it was very hard to find a job when covid started. And they don’t want to let you go from any job, since a lot of backpackers left, so now it’s much easier to find a job. 

The second paradox relates to money. I agree, that Australia is a great country when it comes to saving money thanks to higher wages, however it is also very expensive. So if one is not careful with outgoings, or loses their job even for a week or two, it’s not fun.

Exactly. I know people, who has a job, a good job, they can make a lot of money, but they are spending so much. They have a car, go to bars, to parties and that’s expensive. Drinks and eating out is very expensive. Plus rent. So I agree, if you are not careful about your expenses, you won’t save anything. But it’s possible. It’s not like you work just to pay your rent and food and you’re left with nothing. This is how it was for me in Slovakia, where I didn’t have much left for me from my wage.

Now, I pay rent which is not the lowest, but I can still save money. 

You have two jobs currently. How many hours a week you work?

I have started the second job recently. Before I did around 35 hours in one work, however because of covid and restrictions, they decreased my hours. Now, with the other job I do around 45 hours a week. So it’s similar to having a full-time job. However I can manage it with my free time, so I don’t have a problem with it or don’t feel like I just sleep, eat work and repeat. I have a schedule, I can go to the beach and enjoy my free time as I need. 

Good times

We have spoken about hard times and money. On the other hand, what where the good times and the travelling around Australia like. I think you have been in North Territory as well, and you have also visited your dreamy Esperance.

Yes, I have been there twice already. The highlight of all Australia was Queensland, specifically Daintree Rainforest, I think it was the nicest bit on the Eastern shore, however I haven’t seen New South Wales at all. I felt so different in the Rainforest, different air and nature is just beautiful. Simply, rainforest. Very tropical and wild. 

When I think about Western Australia which has the best beaches, I think would say the best part was the North of Western Australia, where you have bits with waterfalls, you can do hikes, lookouts and stuff like that. 

And then we have Esperance on the South, it’s beautiful with the most beautiful beaches in Australia. The whole South when you travel from Esperance to Perth, the beaches are absolutely stunning. The water is crystal clear, blue and azure.

Are you scared of sharks when you go for swim?

Currently, yes. I was thinking about this the other day, I was talking to a friend and I said that when I was in Queensland, I wasn’t thinking about sharks when entering the water. I think it’s not that prevalent around Gold Coast. It’s not like you have to be scared. 

However, there have been so many shark attacks in Perth, they spot some somewhere every day. Some of the beaches have an alarm system that goes off. We’ve had few fatal attacks lately and they didn’t find the person. It is dangerous and I live in the area where there’s a lot of them, so I prefer going to little coves with cliffs so sharks should not show up there. It is then safer for families and kids.

But of course I am scared. You come to Australia with the distorted view of sharks, crocodiles, spiders and snakes, etc. However you get used to it. It’s good not to think about it too much, however if it keeps happening, you have to be aware of it when you are walking into the ocean which is their territory.

What is next?

Let’s have a look into the future. I know you want to keep travelling after you will stay in Australia for while. What is next? Can you see yourself in Europe?

Honestly, before I went to Australia, I thought I didn’t want to live in Europe, I wanted to find a country that I could call my home. I thought it could be may be Australia, or somewhere else. However, now when I live here, I miss European stuff, like snow or mountains. We are from the country which is very mountainous, I grew up surrounded by mountains. 

We have beaches here in Australia, but I miss the variety. I would love to be somewhere where you can also have colder weather, snow but you also have beaches and warmth.

I am not sure if it would be Europe, may be Spain, I think that was the country I liked the most in Europe. However, I don’t want to say anything, because if I keep travelling, let’s say to South America or to Costa Rica, may be I will want to stay there so I will. 

I also consider other things, like being closer to my family and friends, I don’t want to be away from Slovakia for years again. I can’t tell where I see myself. I think time will show. My opinions change every year. 

What I thought two years ago, and I was already in Australia, is completely different from what I think now. It is affected by who you meet, what they bring into your life, you might completely change your opinion about things. And I also think it changes with age. Before I didn’t know what I wanted, I was lost. Now I am calmer, and tell myself things are the way they should be.

I am laughing as you are saying this. I used to be a master planner and always wanted to know, what was going to happen, where I was going to be, with whom and how I was going to feel – I nearly wanted plan how I would feel! Now, when I am older, I think “I feel how I feel now and I will feel how I will feel future and let’s see how that’s gonna be”. 

The same with Europe. I also miss some things. I think mainly coziness. I think that’s the one word expressing it, everything is smaller, pretty much tiny. 

And different… I don’t want to say anything bad about Australia, it’s a beautiful country, however it seems like we have more challenges in Europe, life in Europe is just not perfect. It seems like in Australia, you have a good wage, the sun, the beach and the government looks after their citizens. For example, when covid came they gave money to those who had lost their jobs…. it seems like this place is like in a bubble. I might be missing a different lifestyle, it might be temporary, however it seems like the government looks after its citizen too much. 

It can feel a bit shallow and there’s many rules preventing people from making their own decisions. For example, if you want to wear a helmet when riding a bike. It’s a silly example, it’s a petty issue, however it’s one of the examples of the government creating rules on everything. They do so to keep people safe, however it also makes people a bit… stupid :)))

Yeah.. sounds right :))

Is there anything you would like to add for all those people who are at home, either in Slovakia, or Czech republic – or any other country – and they’re thinking about starting their own adventure, however are worried if they’re about to make a mistake?

Well, this is an interesting question, because since I am in Australia and my friends from there saw it and there’s a possibility to live there, they’ve asked me this many times. I think there’s not much information about Australia in Slovakia and Czech Republic. It is not that popular to travel here, than it is to another countries. It was the same for me.

I would say, that there’s no need to worry and try. Australia has changed me a lot. Everybody who is hesitating, they should try and not to worry about things as prices, different culture or anything like that, cause you don’t know that till you arrive to the country.

I think this is applicable for all countries.

Yes. If someone’s passionate about travelling, they should go for it. And Australia’s worth it. When I look back at these three years, I have seen big part of it and every bit was different, it’s very diverse and it always feels like going to a new country, it’s given me so much. To see, taste, experience and meet people for example like Aboriginal Australians, it’s a great experience.

For me, just that I gave it a chance and that I am here is a big step and recommend it to everyone. It doesn’t matter if it’s for someone who’s travelled the world or someone who hasn’t been anywhere. I think Australia needs to be experienced so you can create your own opinion.

For sure, now there are various news circling around the internet, for example that they transport unvaccinated people to concentration camps, not sure if you have seen it. This is spread by so called independent news. One of my acquaintances even messaged me to tell me he was so sorry for me :))

:))) This is another positive thing about Australia, it’s very safe, for example this whole pandemic, didn’t affect us too much, unless you were in a hotspot, at least not me, and we didn’t have that many cases. It’s also cause Australia is so isolated from the rest of the world.

Yes, it was annoyingly strict, however in the end of the day, we lived in a bubble here, we could still go out, except people in Melbourne or Sydney.

Yes, it was completely differnt.

Juli, thank you very much for your answers and your time and wish you all the best.

Thank you Simi, thank you for the chat.