Joe, 25: Trading London life for surf and sun in Australia

Hey! I’m Joe, 25, and earlier on this year I moved from Barnsley, UK to Sydney, Australia. I was based in London for most of my early 20s working at ASOS. I’ve now decided to fly 10,000 miles away to live the Aussie dream.

Living in London had been on my bucket list. But seeing other people live their dreams abroad made me realise that I was missing something. I’ve always wanted to move out of my home country but didn’t know how or where to start. For me I wanted to explore the world and just take each day as it comes. I’m the classic type B personality.

So, being on social media helped me so much. Although there isn’t much male representation for solo travel. I want to create content to help guys like me travel the world. Social media has given me everything I need to prepare and plan so for the last 6 months, my FYP (For You Page) was full of Aussie life content, so it felt normal to move when I did. In terms of logistics? I had been working since I was 16, so I kept saving and saving for a move like this.

So, I didn’t want to put as much pressure on myself when I first moved as it can feel quite anxiety-inducing. I almost told myself that the first few weeks were like a holiday so I was very open to doing new things solo. Now, I’ve just secured a full time position with sponsorship after 4 weeks. The job hunt hustle was real. LinkedIn saved me.

I definitely think a new routine was strange. Early mornings? Early nights? And $20 pints were not on my radar. But as I’m settling in you can see a new version of yourself develop and it’s amazing. Messaging my friends back home has been a challenge but you make it work and each call means so much more. Same with calling my family. It’s a culture shock but in the best way possible. I’m so calm, relaxed, and have such an amazing work life balance. I’ve gone from sweaty tubes to slow walks on Bondi beach.

Yes! If you are a guy who feels stuck or doesn’t know where to start travelling. Follow @guyswhotravel on Facebook, IG and TT. All I wanna say is, DO IT. It always works out. You may feel scared but as soon as you land. All the fear goes away and you start the life you’ve always wanted.

So, it’s too soon to say, but now I’m here I would love to travel more and just make the most of my time in Australia. This is a huge country so I feel like there’s always something to do.

If my WHV ends, I’ll be getting sponsorship by my employer to stay long term so I can apply for residency.