FAQ

What’s your name?

Jessica Byrne

How old are you?

Where are you from?

I live in Australia, on the Gold Coast but I was born on the North Shore in New Zealand about 30min north of Auckland.

How many countries have you been to?

11, counting the one I live in.

What camera do you use?

I use my iPhone 6 Plus camera and my Sony DSC-HX60V but I prefer to use my iPhone it’s more convenient to use and easier to upload photos to social media. I currently am looking for a new camera.

How do you afford to travel?

My trip to England and Scotland in 2009 was a trip with my school friend and her family when I was 14 so my mum paid for me to go.
My trip to Thailand in December 2014. I paid for it by saving up from my job, I saved about 30% of my pay per fortnight and put it into a high interest savings account. It took me about 4-5 months to save.
My trip to Europe and the United Kingdom also my trip to Turkey and Greece I paid for myself. Again, I saved a percentage of my pay each fortnight and put aside. This trip was a lot bigger and cost a lot more so it took me about 8 months to save for.

Also, I’m living at home with my mum at the moment, trying to pay off my personal loan. Right now I care more about being debt-free as soon as I possibly can than being “independent”, so that enables me to build up my savings and travel on the side. My main focus is travel at the minute.

How much did your trip cost?

Thailand cost me about $7,000 for both me and my mum. It could have cost us a lot less even half of what we spent, but this included the cost of my surgery over in Phuket and we decided to book a 5-star resort for my comfort.

My Europe trip cost a little under $10,000 including airfare for an 20 day trip. I stayed in hostels about half the time and the other half was on “Simply Italy” Contiki Tour.

My trip to Turkey and Greece cost me around $9000 for 30+ days, this is just an estimate as I haven’t written up my total spendings yet.

What do you usually pack in your bag for your trips?

This will greatly depend on where you are going and the season/climate and what you plan on doing once over there. But I am currently working on writing some packing lists for the countries I have visited and the seasons I went.

What have been your favourite places so far?

Italy is defiantly my favourite country, my favourite city in Italy would be Florence, it’s such a beautiful city with so much charm and character. Edinburgh is my ultimate favourite place in the world, I loved the architecture and how medieval everything still is. Bodrum, Turkey is also one of my favourite cities. But I loved everywhere that I’ve been, but those are the first places I would love to revisit.

Do you have any travel tips?

– Travel with an open mind and full of excitement.
– Always make double copies of important documents and keep in separate places.
– Try at least one new thing everyday.
– Pack as lightly as possible.
– Don’t plan every minute, leave time to get lost.
– Ear plugs and eye mask! You’ll thank me later.
– Turn your phone off when you leave your hostel/hotel, give your full attention to the now.
– Don’t rush! Take time to people watch or sit and read a book, don’t be moving 100km/h 24/7.
– Drink plenty of water.

Were you ever scared traveling alone as a woman?

Never. Granted, I rarely go out walking alone at night, and if I did it was always in a well lit, busy, touristy area. I never walked down back alleys or quiet streets alone. Being a woman shouldn’t keep you from traveling. That’s no way to live. However, I do choose female dorms over mixed dorms in hostels not that I don’t feel unsafe its more of personal preference (I cannot stand loud snoring!)

If you have any more questions please feel free to leave a comment below or email me.