Adventurers,Australia,Profiles,Women

Adventurer: Sally is a travel blogger and content creator from Australia

19 July 2022

Visit Sally on Instagram and her Website


About you

My name is Sally and I am a travel blogger and content creator from Australia. I manage Sally Sees, a sustainable budget travel blog and Instagram page, inspiring people to travel in a way that doesn’t cost the earth – both in the amount we spend exploring it, and the impact our travels have on it.

Travelling is my greatest passion in life, and exploring new places and cultures sets my soul on fire. These days, I am blessed to travel pretty much full-time, and my preferred method of travel is slow, overland travel spending long periods of time in one country. My favourite travel experiences usually revolve around wildlife (whales are my favourite animal!), and I love experiencing different natural landscapes.

I always travel with my partner of 12 years, Brayden. And when we’re in Australia, our fur baby Stanley, a 5 year old Golden Retriever. We have just returned from 6 months travelling in Mexico, and our next trip will be 6 months backpacking through Central America. We have been learning Spanish and hope to continue to improve our language skills throughout our future travels.

Why do you travel and look for adventures?

I truly believe my purpose is to explore our world. I can’t imagine a life spent not getting outside of my comfort zone and experiencing what our wonderful planet has to offer. There is no better feeling than seeing something for the first time, and travelling is the best way to chase this feeling.

Travel makes me the best version of myself. Each day is a new possibility, spent doing things that fulfil me and feed my soul. Whether that’s hiking in a beautiful place, scuba diving in tropical oceans, exploring historic cities or simply being present in a new destination. There is no better lifestyle than that of travelling, and I have strived to make it my full-time reality.

What kind of adventures do you look for when you travel?

I love slow travel. I seek countries or a regions that have a range of diverse landscapes and cultures that I can experience over the space of a few months. Travelling overland without the need to fly is a big part of this experience, to keep my impact low.

Nature and adventures are always at the heart of my destination choices, and I love to venture to places that are a little bit different, and not as popular. Destinations that have migratory wildlife experiences, good hiking opportunities, beaches or tropical islands are always my favourite. I love places where I can stay in the heart of nature, and spend most of my time outside. And being a budget traveller, my travels are usually in more affordable parts of the world, like Asia or Latin America.

What’s your go-to travel hack?

Always seek out local accommodation, tours and transport and book direct. Rather than using online booking systems managed by large corporations, seek out local tourism businesses directly. This ensures they get more of your valuable tourist dollars (and they don’t end up with a multi-national corporation!), and you usually get a better price too!

Got any gear you can’t travel without?

My e-reader! I am an avid reader, and fly through books when I travel. I always have my e-reader in my bag, even if I’m just popping out for dinner. When you travel (especially budget travel!), there is always waiting time. Waiting for public transport to turn up, or for tours to leave, waiting for your food in restaurants. Sitting on planes/buses/trains/boats for hours on end. Instead of getting frustrated by that time, I whip out my book and the time passes by in a flash!

What destination are you eager to go back to?

Baja California Sur in Mexico instantly stole my heart, and despite just returning from Mexico I am already dreaming of going back there in a campervan. All of South East Asia is such a special place for me, and after the pandemic I am so keen to get back there. Borneo in particular is my favourite place in the region, and after living there for 6 months, I am eager to return!

How do you stay safe when you’re travelling?

Research where you’re going, what you’re doing and how you’re going to do it. Turning up somewhere with no background knowledge, no bookings or no prior understanding of the area is the quickest way to get into trouble. Being prepared and knowing of any possible risks is a great way to mitigate any possible problems.

Also avoiding big nights of drinking and nightlife, where bad things tend to happen, is another tip (drinking a lot of alcohol when travelling also adds a huge expense!).

What’s the best way to experience a destination like a local?

Book local places, eat in local restaurants, organise your tour through a local operator. Some things need to be booked in advance, but if you can hold off on booking everything online, you will discover so many more local options when you arrive. Making a conscious decision to choose local is the best way to experience a destination like a local! It is also the best thing you can do to be a more sustainable traveller, ensuring your tourist dollars actually stay within the local community and provide a positive economic benefit.

What’s your favourite word in another language?

Perrito – meaning puppy in Spanish. I love dogs, and in the Spanish language adding ‘-ito’ or ‘-ita’ to most words indicates smallness, or affection. And puppies are both small, and a recipient of all my affection!

When and where are you next travelling?

We are currently in Australia until December. We are back in our hometown of Melbourne, and have a few trips planned around Victoria. As well as a visit to Noosa, our future home!

But our next big trip is 6 months backpacking around Central America, leaving in December. We plan to travel from Belize, through Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica to Panama.

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