Author Archives: Melissa Giroux

They tell me that I’m lucky, I’m telling you that I am not. It would be luck, if one morning, I notice that a stranger paid my debts when I would consult my bank account. (Oh Dear, I would be more than happy!) It would be luck, if someone calls me to offer me a free world tour. Well, it is not my reality. They tell me that I’m lucky. My answer is as simple as this: I chose happiness.  So, I travel. The choice to leave despite the expectations There are probably a lot of excuses to stay trapped in our comfort zone. It is Read more

Australia; the one that rhymes with the big pay cheque, wildlife, the Working Holiday Visa … … Paradise for road trips, surf (and surfers) and sunburns. If everybody knows that a big wage also means a high cost of living, it’s so easy to forget about it. I arrived in Australia with my expectations, a bit of money and my plans… Snap!  Reality happened. I ended up being broke more than once. Is it possible to travel in Australia without The Big Budget? Yes, it is.   8 Ways to survive to Australia on a small budget: Shared accommodation: There are tons of Read more

There is a tiny line between my comfort zone and my discomfort. Okay. It might be a bit more than a tiny line. Okay. A creek.  A big creek. A big creek with a weird name (Australia, I am talking to you here!).  So, there is a creek between my comfort and my discomfort. What’s the big difference between a typical life and a backpacker’s life? The backpacker’s life comes with a lot of great travel stories… and a decreasing of standards. 16 things I would never do back home in my comfy pillow-life AKA the 16 things I only do when I Read more

  A visa, one year and a backpacker. What’s missing? Oh yeah… 88 days of regional work. How many backpackers dare to do their regional work? How many backpackers survive until the end? 88 days… So, basically, 3 months. 3 little months in a life, is it really a big deal? I thought so. I survived despite myself. My first experience in Bundaberg was painful surrounded by an awful wage and crappy conditions.  I left after 6 days (which didn’t count toward the 88 days required). Then, I became a dairy farmer in Victoria… and later, in the Tableland. I had to Read more

My life was perfect. A solo backpacker, a single lady, a free spirit, a traveller without any strings, with a facility to “backwash” people from her life…  I thought relationship and travelling was not a good fit. Being also a great romantic, I was secretly dreaming  about this possible scenario… perhaps, one day I could meet this charming backpacker who would change my mind. Snap!  Life happens!  Australia (capital of new lovers) + my exoticism + that charming backpacker = My peaceful life is not peaceful anymore! Here are the reasons why it has been so easy to let Cupid smashes me on the road: Travelling relationships Read more