Lovelly Travels

Travelling with kids is one thing, but deciding to turn your life into an everlasting travel adventure is next level.

For Chantal Patton and her wander loving family, this is the reality.

Growing Up Without Borders is the website and Youtiube channels that follows the adventures of the Patton family. I had the pleasure of speaking with Chantal and swapping travel tales from our digital nomad lifestyles.

From house swapping to home schooling, Chantal and her family have navigated it all. 100 countries down and they have no intention of slowing down anytime soon (well, bar the minor blip of the pandemic.)

So many pearls of wisdom and wonderful travel stories in this episode, it's a must for any travel loving family!

Have you ever travelled with a sibling? It could be that familiar family fun, or it could be fraught with childhood tension.

For Emma and her brother James, travelling together as adults has led to some amazing experiences and created a special bond through the memories they share. Travelling across 9 countries over the years together, they have had some unforgettable experiences.

We hear about James's love for travel, their very different approaches to travel and where they both want to get to next with their own families - and together. Join us for some sweet moments of reminiscing and funny anecdotes from this travel loving family.

It's time to for you to grab your funny hats and papal slippers, maybe a little tiny wafer and a goblet of red wine - and is that white smoke I see or a witch being burned? We're going to put some knights Templar on trial and punish people for thinking that the earth is round. So start crawling through your secret tunnels and REPENT YE SINNERS! We are going to the world's smallest country - The Vatican City!

Emma visited the Vatican City in 2018 and got to tick off one of the two special territiories on the UN reocgnised list! This is one of the few countries Emma has visited which is acceptable to spend just 1 day in, because seriously, it's that small!

Darius has not yet been but thoroughly enjoyed putting together the facts and the intro for this very special country on our list. All puns welcomed!

Extreme sport and extreme travel! Amanda Thompson doesn't shy away from a challenge. Combining sport and travel can be an incredible way to see the world, expanding your mind and your horizons all at once.

From the boardroom of Australia’s biggest banks as a leading Financial Advisor to qualifying three times for the Ironman World Championships despite health issues, Amanda Thompson has never been afraid of a challenge.

Amanda says "Living (some of) my life in lycra has gifted me some amazing travel experiences, both nationally and internationally. When I took up the sport of triathlon, the gruelling training and feeling of exhilaration at completing such a time consuming and body taxing event was front of mind. What I didn’t see coming was the doors this sport would open to travelling to destinations I wouldn’t previously have considered, as well as sightseeing in a completely different fashion – by bike!"

Join us as we hear from this inspiring athlete about her adventurous approach to travel, work and life!

We’re off to the beautiful island of Vanuatu 🇻🇺 in the South Pacific. Emma and Darius have both visited and enjoy taking a walk down

memory lane.

Emma spent just a few days there - literally! One day in 2005, on Mystery Island as part of her Schoolies cruise. Something she only realised on her second trip to Vanuatu, again on a cruise, in 2019. She visited Port Vila and went out on a scuba diving day.

Darius had a lot more to share after getting to experience more of the culture. We talk about his diving, cava, volcanoes and culinary experiences.

Make sure to share your Vanuatu tips in the Lovelly Travels Community

Incredibly in 2006/7 (yes it was over New Years, Darius and Emma happened to randomly bump into each other somewhere in the world! That place was Prague in Czech Republic.

This week we're travelling back in time, as we often do, to revisit this experience. From cobbled streets to epic castles, delicious hot raspberries to some of the finest beer = Czech Republic is a gorgeous country to visit.

We spent most of our time in Prague but Emma also made a quick visit to the spectacular Czesky Krumlov.

Hear what we loved, hear what we could do without, and hear all about why this country is a must for your bucket list.

It's hard to believe but we are STILL in this and it's going to be a while yet. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Emma started having conversations with people from around the world about what was really happening in their home countries - and we are still having these conversations.

It is now October 2021, and Melbourne is still in some form of lockdown. No way could we have ever imagined or predicted it would look like this still 18 months on. Danielle Phyland, a travel blogger and one of our regular podcast guests certainly could not imagine how it would have looked. And we know! Because we spoke back in April.

Have a listen to what we thought would happen back in 2020 and what is the reality now in October 2021. I hope we're not checking in again in 2022, but I'm also quite enjoying getting this snapshot of this super challenging/interesting/ ever changing time in our lives and for the world.

Did you ever take a gap year? Emma did when she was 18 between high school and University - living in the UK and travelling through Europe and Asia.

But what about an Adult Gap year? This week we welcome Jenny Cook, author of Adult Gap Year to tell us all about this awesome life experience.

Jenny is a life enthusiast, world traveller and life long learner. She’s a creative who loves to travel and explore other cultures.

She says “living my best life and inspiring others is my mission.”

Make sure to get a copy of Jenny’s book at https://jennycook.life/book or on any reputable online store. It’s an Amazon best seller!

Our final stop on the state tour of Australia, the last but definitely not least - Tasmania.

Fun fact: you have to go OVERSEAS to visit this part of Australia, it's located on the bottom of Australia and this island state is a true gem!! A pearl in the ocean if you will.

Actually, something you can do here is sample some of the amazing seafood - oysters, salmon, prawns and so much more. Tassie is famous for its fresh produce and incredible food and wine season. Salamanca Markets in Hobart is a must to sample a whole range of delicacies.

We're joined on this episode by Emma's lovely friend and Tasmanian born and bred, Selina Bush. She shares with us so much of her gorgeous state. Emma had only been to Hobart and Launceston so now has a HUGE list of places to visit next time.

From Cradle Mountain to Bruny Island, wineries to epic trails, this state is breathtaking and although it may seem small - deserves a solid amount of time to explore!

Thank you for joining us on this fun 8 part series and please let us know if you enjoyed it! We'd love to do some more in the future. Thank you to all our Aussie guests for sharing their incredible states with us. I still call Australia home and after listening to this series, I'm sure you can see (well hear) why!

"We’re taking our tour of Australia to the capital - the Australian Capital Territory in fact. A lot of people know it as Canberra, however that’s the city! Fun fact- ACT is a territory all of its own. And it’s situated inside another state!

We welcome back Alison Hallworth to talk about her former home state. This one is jam packed full of tips for places to visit in the ACT. Some people think there isn’t much to do, especially after being dragged their on a school trip or family holiday as a kid. But there’s heaps to do and the state has come a long way in a short time with a vibrant cafe and restaurant scene.

We’re coming to the end of our first series, our tour of the Australian states - so make sure to listen in to the rest over on Lovelly Travels.

Also you may notice the photos for this episode are a tad random. Alison’s photo is from the Dinosaur museum. Emma’s photo is with co-host Darius and a bunch of friends during the year 9 Canberra school trip. We promise both photos were taken in the ACT - love a pic with a story!"