It's a Drama Podcast

After spending seven weeks backpacking around India with my kids (teenagers age 16 and 13) I thought we should do a podcast on the country (and put to bed the silly myths that surround visiting India).

When I told people that we were planning a trip to India the response was...let's say colourful.

Some (mostly those who were born before the 1960s and had spent their youth discovering Asia on a couple of quid) encouraged us: 'you'll love it' they said and went on to talk about the beautiful Indian beaches or the temples in Hampi.

But others weren't so encouraging.

They warned us about getting sick and losing ten stone, said that we might get eaten by giant rats and be left for dead— or worse, pushed out into the river Ganges on a raft made from a billion plastic bottles.

This week's show comes after a long winter hibernation which included (for Liz at least) mainly cream, potatoes, belly pork and wine.

But. It is spring in New Zealand now and we are back and raring to go!

If you have ever dreamed of emigrating to Australia or New Zealand but spending Christmas in the sun seems a bit weird, then you will love this show!

In this episode, we…

Share the differences between Christmas time in New Zealand (Southern Hemisphere) and how that differs to the big day in the US/UK (Northen Hemisphere)

The pros and cons of spending Christmas in the sunshine and the big secret that anyone wishing to do Christmas time on the cheap should know about!

This week's show is a continuation from Episode 5 - Couchsurfing as a family (how to save money).

After that show, we got lots of please for us to elaborate on the 'weird Italian host'.

Now.

Because I am very delicate and old, please don't go attacking me and say I should be grateful that this guy let four rag- bags sleep in his house.

I am; I was very grateful.

But. This guy was a bit...weird

Eccentric.

So we thought we'd share. That way, if you are considering couchsurfing with your kids (and you absolutely should - it's the best!) you might want to avoid this certain Italian host.

Unless your kids are harder than mine and like small wooden structures.

In this episode, we…

Talk about our very unusual couch surfing host that we experienced in Florence, Italy

Talk about Florence, alcohol, rabbits and toilets. Your mind must be boggling.

This week’s show is a continuation from Episode 5 - Couchsurfing as a family (how to save money).

After that show, we got lots of please for us to elaborate on the 'weird Italian host'.

Now.

Because I am very delicate and old, please don't go attacking me and say I should be grateful that this guy let four rag- bags sleep in his house.

I am; I was very grateful.

But. This guy was a bit...weird 

Eccentric.

So we thought we'd share. That way, if you are considering couchsurfing with your kids (and you absolutely should - it's the best!) you might want to avoid this certain Italian host.

Unless your kids are harder than mine and like small wooden structures.

In this episode, we…

Talk about our very unusual couch surfing host that we experienced in Florence, Italy

Talk about Florence, alcohol, rabbits and toilets. Your mind must be boggling.

If you have ever thought about leaving your home country and emigrating, I bet New Zealand was on the short list. Since 2010, New Zealand has seen, amongst other nationalities, 10,000 Americans and 42,000 British get off the plane in Auckland or Wellington and prepare to spend their future living in New Zealand.

Some of those immigrants last only a few years; they decide that New Zealand isn't the place for them and head back home. Usually complaining that they can't get decent bacon.

But some, like us, stay and make 'the land of the long white cloud' their home.

My family (husband and two kids) have been living in New Zealand for the past nine years, we emigrated from the Uk in 2010 and now New Zealand is home. We all love it and are very happy here but there are a few things that can get on your nerves. Apart from the bacon.

This podcast is a discussion between Sonny and I where we look at what we like (and what annoys us) about living in New Zealand.

Sonny says a few things about New Zealand that I don't agree with (like the internet being rubbish?! I don't think it is) but that's the beauty of this Podcast; to get two different perspectives. One from a cocky young buck and the other from a stuck-in-her-ways- old biddy.

For Pinterest ⇓

• Outdoor time is a huge priority in New Zealand. When we lived in the Uk people would talk about what new chain had opened up in the high street or whether you had been to the fancy new mall that you had to spend three hours in the carpark queuing to get to.

• Living in New Zealand will instead see you talking about the size of the surf, the hiking conditions, if the weather is right for fishing or (and this is a biggie) your kid's sport. This was a bit of a learning curve for me as both my kids are lazy little sods and hate playing sport. We do love hiking as a family though so that solved that little problem.

• House prices. We talked about the cost of living in New Zealand in our previous podcast so if you want to know more about prices, go and listen. I also wrote an in-depth blog post about how much wages were and how far your money will go in New Zealand and I recorded a vlog on the subject so I won't speak too much of it now. Let's just say - house price wise - you get a lot more bang for your buck than in the UK.

• So far away. Not sure if this is a con or a pro though. Depends on whether or not I am in favour with the rest of the family.

• Time difference. referring to the UK here - America is only (only she says) 18 hours behind, you can still make that work - the UK, on the other hand, is a pain. When you've had a glass of wine at night they are eating their Weetabix, putting their important heads on and mouthing to each other about how they think you're an alcoholic who lives on the other side of the world.

If you want to know more of the things that we like and don't like about living in New Zealand then please take a listen to the podcast. It's twenty minutes long and will be a massive help if you have ever dreamt of packing your bags and heading down under!

Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe on iTunes! Thank you for your support! X

If you have ever thought about leaving your home country and emigrating, I bet New Zealand was on the short list. Since 2010, New Zealand has seen, amongst other nationalities, 10,000 Americans and 42,000 British get off the plane in Auckland or Wellington and prepare to spend their future living in New Zealand.

Some of those immigrants last only a few years; they decide that New Zealand isn't the place for them and head back home. Usually complaining that they can't get decent bacon.

But some, like us, stay and make 'the land of the long white cloud' their home.

My family (husband and two kids) have been living in New Zealand for the past nine years, we emigrated from the Uk in 2010 and now New Zealand is home. We all love it and are very happy here but there are a few things that can get on your nerves. Apart from the bacon.

This podcast is a discussion between Sonny and I where we look at what we like (and what annoys us) about living in New Zealand.

Sonny says a few things about New Zealand that I don't agree with (like the internet being rubbish?! I don't think it is)  but that's the beauty of this Podcast; to get two different perspectives. One from a cocky young buck and the other from a stuck-in-her-ways- old biddy.

For Pinterest ⇓

• Outdoor time is a huge priority in New Zealand. When we lived in the Uk people would talk about what new chain had opened up in the high street or whether you had been to the fancy new mall that you had to spend three hours in the carpark queuing to get to.

• Living in New Zealand will instead see you talking about the size of the surf, the hiking conditions, if the weather is right for fishing or (and this is a biggie) your kid's sport. This was a bit of a learning curve for me as both my kids are lazy little sods and hate playing sport. We do love hiking as a family though so that solved that little problem.

• House prices. We talked about the cost of living in New Zealand in our previous podcast so if you want to know more about prices, go and listen. I also wrote an in-depth blog post about how much wages were and how far your money will go in New Zealand and I recorded a vlog on the subject so I won't speak too much of it now. Let's just say - house price wise - you get a lot more bang for your buck than in the UK.

• So far away. Not sure if this is a con or a pro though. Depends on whether or not I am in favour with the rest of the family.

• Time difference. referring to the UK here - America is only (only she says) 18 hours behind, you can still make that work - the UK, on the other hand, is a pain. When you've had a glass of wine at night they are eating their Weetabix, putting their important heads on and mouthing to each other about how they think you're an alcoholic who lives on the other side of the world.

If you want to know more of the things that we like and don't like about living in New Zealand then please take a listen to the podcast. It's twenty minutes long and will be a massive help if you have ever dreamt of packing your bags and heading down under!

Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe on iTunes! Thank you for your support! X

We have decided to do a series of life in New Zealand and so this weeks podcast covered the basics on how expensive it is to live in New Zealand.

We have been living in New Zealand for ten years. We emigrated from the UK where we lived in the very posh (and bloody expensive) city of Bath.

If you are posh you have to say 'Barrth'. I always like to try my best.

We now live in the very down to earth, (although a little more expensive to live) region of Taranaki on the West Coast of the north island in New Zealand and we love it.

So many people comment on how New Zealand is expensive, and yes, compared to some places in the world (especially Asia) it is quite pricey. Like anywhere though, there are pros and cons of living in New Zealand, but generally, I think the cost of living is pretty reasonable.

Here's what we covered in the podcast:

• Average house prices in New Zealand are $525,000 NZD. This is $360,000 US and £275,000 GBP.

• Our gas bill per month is $150 NZD. This is $102 US and £78 GBP

• Our electricity bill per month is $320 NZD. This is $220 US and £170GBP. (listen to the podcast to hear where our electric goes!

• Grocery bill for us (family of 4 with a wine addiction - us, not the kids) is $350 NZD which is $240 US and £185 GBP

We also talk about the cost of renting a house in New Zealand, particularly Taranaki, the region in the North Island where we live.

Last year we took the kids backpacking around the world for a year and rented our house out while we were gone. we charged $600 NZD a week which is $410 US and £315 GBP. Ours is a four-bedroom house in the country and we rented it fully furnished.

If you watch our latest vlog on the cost of living in New Zealand you will see how much new cars are but here's a rough average of what cars cost to run in New Zealand:

• Petrol per week (I have a Peugeot 207 SW 1.6 Petrol) $100 NZD. This is $70 US and £55 GBP.

• WOF (warrant of fitness required every six months) $57. $40 USD. £30 GBP

• Rego (tax disk) per year $270 NZD which is $185 USD. £140 GBP.

• Sonny said that for a day out with his friends will cost him approx $25 NZD

• I'll let you listen to the podcast to hear where his money goes...

We then talked about the average wages in New Zealand which is $49,000 NZD that equates to $33,000 US and £25,000 GBP.

If you are a tradesman, a teacher, a nurse or a GP then listen to the podcast and I tell you how much you can expect to earn if you were to come to New Zealand and live.

We hope you enjoyed the show this week, as I said, this will be a series of life in New Zealand, how much things cost, the Pro's and Con's of living on the other side of the world and more!

If you like the podcast, please don't forget to rate us on iTunes and leave a comment over there - it helps our algorithm hugely!

See you next week,

Liz x

We have decided to do a series of life in New Zealand and so this weeks podcast covered the basics on how expensive it is to live in New Zealand.

We have been living in New Zealand for ten years. We emigrated from the UK where we lived in the very posh (and bloody expensive) city of Bath.

If you are posh you have to say 'Barrth'. I always like to try my best.

We now live in the very down to earth, (although a little more expensive to live) region of Taranaki on the West Coast of the north island in New Zealand and we love it.

So many people comment on how New Zealand is expensive, and yes, compared to some places in the world (especially Asia) it is quite pricey. Like anywhere though, there are pros and cons of living in New Zealand, but generally, I think the cost of living is pretty reasonable.

Here's what we covered in the podcast:

• Average house prices in New Zealand are $525,000 NZD. This is $360,000 US and £275,000 GBP.

• Our gas bill per month is $150 NZD. This is $102 US  and £78 GBP

• Our electricity bill per month is $320 NZD. This is $220 US and £170GBP. (listen to the podcast to hear where our electric goes!

• Grocery bill for us (family of 4 with a wine addiction - us, not the kids) is $350 NZD which is $240 US and £185 GBP

We also talk about the cost of renting a house in New Zealand, particularly Taranaki, the region in the North Island where we live.

Last year we took the kids backpacking around the world for a year and rented our house out while we were gone. we charged $600 NZD  a week which is $410 US and £315 GBP.  Ours is a four-bedroom house in the country and we rented it fully furnished.

If you watch our latest vlog on the cost of living in New Zealand you will see how much new cars are but here's a rough average of what cars cost to run in New Zealand:

• Petrol per week (I have a Peugeot 207 SW 1.6 Petrol) $100 NZD. This is $70 US and £55 GBP.

• WOF (warrant of fitness required every six months) $57. $40 USD.  £30 GBP

• Rego (tax disk) per year $270 NZD which is $185 USD.  £140 GBP.

• Sonny said that for a day out with his friends will cost him approx $25 NZD

• I'll let you listen to the podcast to hear where his money goes...

We then talked about the average wages in New Zealand which is $49,000 NZD that equates to $33,000 US and £25,000 GBP.

If you are a tradesman, a teacher, a nurse or a GP then listen to the podcast and  I tell you how much you can expect to earn if you were to come to New Zealand and live.

We hope you enjoyed the show this week, as I said, this will be a series of life in New Zealand, how much things cost, the Pro's and Con's of living on the other side of the world and more!

If you like the podcast, please don't forget to rate us on iTunes and leave a comment over there - it helps our algorithm hugely!

See you next week,

Liz x

This week, the podcast focused on Couchsurfing. We recently backpacked around the world with our kids for a year. Our budget was approx $75 a day for the four of us - which wasn't easy considering we have two gannets as teenagers.

This week on the podcast we explored the dark murky waters of Couchsurfing.

We recently backpacked around the world with our kids for a year. Our budget was approx $75 a day for the four of us - which wasn't easy considering we have two gannets as teenagers.

One of the ways we were able to stick to our budget was by Couchsurfing. In case you aren't familiar with this amazing organization, it is a website that pairs travellers - who are in need of somewhere to stay, with a host, who has a spare room, bed (or sometimes a couch) to offer.

We wanted to discuss the pro's and con's of Couchsurfing and to try and answer the most commonly asked questions that people have. Also, when I tell people that we took our teenagers to sleep on strangers couches they are quite rightly filled with doubt!

There is a misconception (which I too used to have) that Couchsurfing is for twenty-year-olds who are looking for a good time. Not true. And anyway, even when I was twenty I was still boring so that puts an end to that theory.

Some of the points that were raised were:

• Is Couchsurfing free?

• Why would anyone want to couchsurf?

• What is it like to Couchsurf as a family?

• Is Couchsurfing safe?

All of these questions and more were discussed, and hopefully, we convinced you that if you are looking to travel and haven't got much money (but you have got a great sense of adventure), then Couchsurfing really is the best.

There is a fabulous story that we touched on. We were in Italy and one particular Couchsurfing host was ...let's say 'eccentric'! I loved him, (because I am weird and slightly vindictive) but the kids were honestly terrified.

Seriously, they were never in any danger - they simply saw how one crazy Italian man lived his life. It was a brilliant experience. Anyway, have a listen to Sonny's interpretation of this and let me know if your teenagers would have felt the same.

If you would like to hear more about the crazy Italien then leave a comment and we will see to it!

You can read further here:

Couchsurfing with kids, the good, the bad and the bucket

The Couchsurfing Website: https://www.couchsurfing.com

This week, the podcast focused on Couchsurfing. We recently backpacked around the world with our kids for a year. Our budget was approx $75 a day for the four of us - which wasn't easy considering we have two gannets as teenagers.

This week on the podcast we explored the dark murky waters of Couchsurfing.

We recently backpacked around the world with our kids for a year. Our budget was approx $75 a day for the four of us - which wasn't easy considering we have two gannets as teenagers.

One of the ways we were able to stick to our budget was by Couchsurfing. In case you aren't familiar with this amazing organization, it is a website that pairs travellers -  who are in need of somewhere to stay, with a host, who has a spare room, bed (or sometimes a couch) to offer.

We wanted to discuss the pro's and con's of Couchsurfing and to try and answer the most commonly asked questions that people have. Also, when I tell people that we took our teenagers to sleep on strangers couches they are quite rightly filled with doubt!

There is a misconception (which I too used to have) that Couchsurfing is for twenty-year-olds who are looking for a good time. Not true. And anyway, even when I was twenty I was still boring so that puts an end to that theory.

Some of the points that were raised were:

• Is Couchsurfing free?

• Why would anyone want to couchsurf?

• What is it like to Couchsurf as a family?

• Is Couchsurfing safe?

All of these questions and more were discussed, and hopefully, we convinced you that if you are looking to travel and haven't got much money (but you have got a great sense of adventure), then Couchsurfing really is the best.

There is a fabulous story that we touched on. We were in Italy and one particular Couchsurfing host was ...let's say 'eccentric'! I loved him, (because I am weird and slightly vindictive) but the kids were honestly terrified.

Seriously, they were never in any danger - they simply saw how one crazy Italian man lived his life. It was a brilliant experience. Anyway, have a listen to Sonny's interpretation of this and let me know if your teenagers would have felt the same.

If you would like to hear more about the crazy Italien then leave a comment and we will see to it!

You can read further here:

Couchsurfing with kids, the good, the bad and the bucket

The Couchsurfing Website: https://www.couchsurfing.com