My take on the big B-word everyone is obessing about lately

BREXIT. This word is ruling European media since what feels like forever. I think I've heard and seen this word way too much lately and especially after the elections it has a bitter taste in my mouth. Before it was just another ordinary and boring portmanteau, now the word looks and sounds plain ugly  to me. 

Anyhow, as we all couldn't help but find out last week, Great Britain (more like, just England.. wait wait... more like just Englands elderly) wants to leave the EU. I admit that I did NOT see that coming. Could our neighbours from across the little pond really want this? Could they REALLY? I'm not going to bore you with the deets again, we've all heard them manifold. Almost a week has passed now since the referendum and as I'm trying to understand all of it, something has just hit me now. It hit me that I never really appreciated what we have here. What we have in Europe, in the EU, a sense of togethrness and freedom to go and see these beautiful countries. A friend of mine made me realise this as she posted something on facebook that also spoke from my heart: 

Sending love from Portugal, flying back to London tonight to France tomorrow to Luxembourg afterwards, rest of the family is in Italy, lived worked and loved in Germany: I deeply feel European, proud and lucky to have been raised around so many languages and cultures, to have learned tolerance acceptance and solidarity.

I've lived, worked and loved in England. I've travelled and admired Edinborough. I've spent family vacations in Denmark and Holland. I want to admire Prague and Vienna and someday go see Poland. I'm at home not just in Germany, I'm at home in Europe. These countries are my neighbours and I am proud to be European. 

Travelling Australia's Outback

Australia is a popular travel destination for many young and wanderlust-ridden graduates and school-leavers. One of the most popular routes for backpackers is up and down the East coast from the Cairns Region down to Melbourne and Adelaide. Amazing must-see places such as Fraser Island, Byron Bay and spectacular Sydney line up conveniently for an easy travel route.

Since it is not as easily accessible and requires some more preparation and determination, many backpackers find themslves unable to delve into Australia's red centre. For me it was not an easy decision either, but I felt like I couldn't leave without seeing THE Australia of my imagination: The Crocodile Dundee Australia, the Red Sand Everywhere Australia, the This Heat is Unbearable Australia, the You're Surrounded By Miles and Miles of Nothing Australia. And so my boyfriend and I decided we had to see it, to experience the vastness and the wilderness of this beautiful, massive 

country. 

Even though we travelled 6792 km in only three weeks and had days where we travelled 700 km in one day and there were times when we hated the Miles and Miles of Nothing and the unbearable heat, it was absolutely worth it. Travelling like this, in an old and small campervan, you learn so much about yourself, what you and your body can take, and about the people you're with. You expand your horizon, push yourself to new limits and possibly change into a different, more travelled, more experienced person. 

It sounds cliché but seeing what nature can do is absolutely breathtaking and awe-inspiring. You can't help but feel incredibly small and unimportant. During those three weeks I've seen the most amazing sunsets and night skies and stars like I've never seen it before. I wrote in my travel diary that those afternoons when I felt like I was melting away in the heat were totally worth the pain when I lay down in the evening  and looked up. 

I can only recommend taking the time to travel like this at least once in your life. It's rewarding and mind-blowing.

Outback Travel Tips:

•  Book / buy your vehicle in time and it's a lot cheaper if you don't go during high season
•  Inform yourself about National Parks, especially if you're travelling the Northern Territory (e.g. we went to Kakadu NP - one of the most beautiful ones in Australia - just after the wet season and many of the most popular waterfalls and swimming holes were closed)
•  Buy enough water and food to last until the next "town" (which is sometimes just a caravan park). We always bought three 10L packs at Woolworths for under $4, that lasted about three days for the two of us. We had a water tank filled with rain water we used for cooking. 
• Buy fly repellent or face nets (if you can't handle 20 flies buzzing around your face) and mosquito repellent for the tropical part of the NT
• Get 50+ sun screen and reapply frequently !