amy {dot} blog

Traveling as an introvert isn't always easy. You're awkward. You find it hard to insert yourself into conversations. You're worried you're going to spend all of your time alone--or worse, sitting alone in your hostel doing nothing for the whole trip. Traveling with someone would be ideal, but as an introvert, it's hard to find… Continue reading 5 tips for introverted solo travelers

Standing in the Target store's cereal aisle, the shoppers around me must have thought I was a crazy person. Admittedly, had I seen someone excitedly jumping up and down for no apparent reason at 1pm on a Tuesday, I would've thought they were crazy, too. What they didn't know, is I had just received an… Continue reading How I got my Australian Work & Holiday Visa

Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is check my phone to see what I missed. This last week and a half, I've been in San Francisco, with a body that's still on New York time, so I've been waking up pretty early. This morning, when I looked at my phone,… Continue reading Points of no return

It's common in Europe, Australia, and other parts of the world to take a "gap year," whether in between school and college, or after college before entering the work force. In the US, it's not so common--but it should be. Long-term solo travel, whether as a gap year, or as a lifestyle, teaches personal responsibility… Continue reading I’m not going on vacation

Ninety days from today, I land in Sydney, Australia to begin my one year Working Holiday. 90 seems like a big number, but when you consider I first made the decision to move to Oz over 8 months ago, it's a very short amount of time. Am I nervous? You bet. Scared? Of course. Excited?… Continue reading Goosebumps & Butterflies

Today, I clicked the button. What's so hard about clicking a button? Most of us click lots of buttons every day. In fact, I do, too. This button, however, wasn't just any ordinary button. This button committed me to a life-altering change. I purchased my one way ticket to Australia. Non-refundable. That single click is,… Continue reading Suddenly real…

I was born to be an explorer. As a baby, I climbed all the way to the top of my family's stand-up piano. From that perspective, it was like climbing Everest. Luckily, when I fell off of it, I managed to fall back down the front, and not over the back, which would've meant tumbling… Continue reading Not all who wander are lost

Have you ever looked into applying for a visa for another country? As you'd expect, there are a lot of details to keep track of. Luckily, Australia's immigration department keeps everything online, and it's not that confusing. On top of the cost of the visa (A$420) and the requirement of sufficient funds (A$5000), there are… Continue reading Devil in the details