An Aussie on the road

Let's get a travel inspiration from an expert

Chris is a thirty year old guy from rural Australia. After spending most of his life in small town Australia, he took the plunge in taking a job in South Korea back in 2007 and has been on the road ever since. Two years in Korea, two years in China, and plenty of adventures along the way - these days he's teaching in China in between jaunts around the world.

His ex-girlfriend, who was running a healthy living blog, inspired him to start his own blog, Aussie on the Road, which celebrated its third birthday last October.

About his blog Chris says: "it is a great outlet for my writing and I've made so many good friends in the travel blogging community in the last three years as well. It's even helped to fund my travels in the past as I've done some media tours and visited some places I wouldn't have if somebody hadn't invited me to visit."

We were curious to learn more about his life on the road and below follows our interview:

What do you travel for (the thrill, the food, culture, people, ...)?

I travel to avoid an ordinary life. Back in Australia I always felt like I worked solely to pay for the food, accommodation, and essentials that I needed to live in Australia. I felt like I was using the money I earned to pay for the privilege of working, and it seemed backwards to me.

We get one life and I can't see the sense in wasting it on this endless cycle of consumption and production. I'd much rather spend my money on experiences and forging friendships than material things. Obviously the thrills, the people, and the cultures I get to experience are all a huge lure, but at the end of the day I just like enjoying my life rather than wasting it.

Do you have any bizarre travel rituals?

Hmm... I don't think so. I'm hopelessly paranoid about missing a flight, so I'm always at the airport before the two hour window you're asked to check in. Sometimes I'm there so early that I have to wait an hour or two just so I can check my luggage, haha.

Who's your ideal travel mate?

I've had the pleasure of traveling with both good friends and romantic partners, and the things they have in common are pretty simple:

- A sense of humour

- The ability to have fun doing almost anything

- The ability to roll with what life deals out

Really, if we can laugh about whatever comes our way and take enjoyment from even the smallest of things, we're going to have a great time and get along swimmingly.

Everywhere you go, what are the first things you normally check out?

Probably stake out a good restaurant and/or bar. The one extravagance I'll always budget for when traveling is good food.

If I'm traveling with friends or siblings, finding a good regular watering hole is pretty essential as well.

See it all or take it easy?

I like somewhere in the middle. I'll definitely never be accused of being too active, as I'm a guy who loves a good sleep in or relaxing day on the beach. But I'm also aware that I lead a charmed life, so I don't take my time anywhere for granted.

What do you usually bring home from the places you visit?

I'm not really big on souvenirs and the like, so a sunburn is probably the thing you're most likely to find me at the airport with. I have started buying postcards from the places I've visited to pass on to my young niece and nephew recently, as I think it'll get them kick-started on their own travel day-dreams.

Did you have any disadventures you would like to tell us about?

I've had two rather unpleasant travel experiences both related to food poisoning and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I made the day long drive between Kashgar and the Pakistan border back in 2012 and had the misfortune to eat some dodgy lamb as we started out on the lengthy return leg. The roads on the Karakorum Highway are mostly dirt and rock, so you can my agony as we bounced and swayed along these dusty roads with the only toilets being holes in the ground. It was gross!

Last year in Thailand I had a similar experience, except this time we were on a day long boat tour. I threw up over the side of our canoe in the 'bat cave' and spent a good portion of the day curled in in the fetal position trying not to permanently scar any of the other people on the tour.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done while travelling?

My site has a pretty extensive bucket list of crazy stuff I've done or would like to do. Some of my friends would say that having a devil's three way just so I could check it off my bucket list was a bit of a crazy thing to do, but I'd say the craziest experience has been running into a black bear while walking through Yosemite National Park after dark. It was only a small one and we were later told they're pretty harmless, but it was terrifying in the moment!

Where's the best/worst place you slept?

Hmm... the best night's sleep I've had has probably been when I passed out in a hammock on the beach in Fiji. We'd had a rather big night and I'd been playing chaperon for some young Aussie girls who were a little unsure of the intentions of the local boys they'd met, so after seeing them safely off to their beds I stretched out to stare at the stars.

The wind rocking the hammock, the waves hitting the beach, and the stars overhead lulled me into a wonderful night's sleep.

The worst? Probably trying to sleep on the floor of the Seoul Train Station. I was doing a midnight run (leaving the country unannounced due to a bad employer) and had an early flight, so had hoped to sleep on the floor and then grab the first train. I was stretched out on my pack shivering when security guards woke me to tell me I had to sleep outside in the rain. Yuck!

What's your favourite foreign word?

I like exclamations of surprise or disappointment like 'Aiya' in Mandarin or 'Anundae' in Korean. They tickle me.

What's the most useful travel expression for you? How many languages can you translate that?

Probably thank you, haha. I can say thank you in maybe 15 or 16 languages?

And, weirdly, I can say 'I love you' in almost as many.

What have you learnt while travelling?

I've learned so much about myself and what I'm capable of. When I left Australia back in 2007 I was an overweight, socially awkward, painfully shy virgin. I hadn't made much use of the life I'd had so far. My time abroad has brought me out of my shell a lot. I'm more social and more adventurous, and I'd be hard pressed to even recognize the guy who left Australia back then.

Do you feel you could get on well with Chris? Follow his adventures also on his Facebook and Twitter pages.