Meet Vic Murray

Seen as how every person on my social media is going travelling, I thought it would be fitting to get my friend Vic on the blog to talk about her travels abroad. Trust me when I say, her travelling pictures on her Instagram made me want to drop everything and go see the world!

There is so many things to think about when planning to travel overseas and Vic has absolutely nailed the expertise and advice on travel and how to go about it! This is a must read piece for all those who are inspired travellers and confused on where to start, her journey through travel is one you will want to follow!

Meet Vic Murray...

TELL US ABOUT YOUR TRAVELS SO FAR?

I'll start with trip of a lifetime! I've spent the past 7 months backpacking around Europe and South East Asia with my partner and it was nothing short of amazing. We visited 20 countries in total and loved every one of them in their own unique way. We spent 3 1/3 months in Europe before flying to Vietnam and travelling around some epic Asian countries. Travelling for the length of time is something I'm so proud of and glad we made the decision to do. It grew me so much as a person and put me out of my comfort zone and I seriously learnt a lot.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO GO TRAVELING FOR SO LONG?

There are so many amazing cultures to be experienced and I have always loved the thought of doing a big trip. The whole experience of living out of a backpack and the challenges that come with long-term travel excited me and I think it's important to be out of your comfort zone, as it grows you a lot as an individual. A big factor for me was also my career. I was in a job I loved, but I knew it wasn't my future and I was feeling a little stuck. I needed change and decided that if I was going to quit my job, it would be a good time to travel before coming home and settling down to start a new career and figure out what I really want to do with my life.

HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT PLANNING YOUR TRIP FROM THE BEGINNING?

Research, and lot's of it! I asked around and talked with other people who had travelled themselves to get an idea of places people loved and didn't love as much. I also read lots of blogs and online articles, making notes of places that interested me. Blogs can be super helpful and were my main research source. It actually inspired me to start my own travel blog. Once I had an idea of where I wanted yo go, I Jost dove deeper into the research of each place etc. TikTok is a really good tool for this once you've got an idea of places.

HOW DID YOU CHOOSE THE PLACES YOU WANTED TO TRAVEL TO?

Mainly lots of research and talking to others who has already travelled. I spent hours and hours reading blogs and things online all about other people's experiences and reviews. It can be a difficult task as there are so many amazing countries to be explored, but you just have to think about what kind of holiday you're wanting. As we were travelling, we were also recommended more places along the way from travelling we met. The way we liked to travel was very fast and busy. We would spend max 2-3 nights in each place so we could see everything we wanted and then move onto the next. I think this made it easier to travel to so many places and not have to cut out any we wanted to visit because of time. But, I understand not everyone would like to travel at such a fast pace.

WHAT DOES ORGANISING AN ITINERARY LOOK LIKE?

I found google docs to be super useful for planning to keep everything in one place. Once I had a destination, I would just google all the things to do there and put them in a list. I found a very useful app called 'Roadie' where I added in all the attractions to see where they were in comparison to each other. This was really useful to help centre our accomodation and then when it came to day to day planning, we were able to visit all the places that were near each other on the map in the same day. This is a super helpful tip, to save you from being all over the place!

HOW DID YOU BUDGET IN PREPARATION FOR TRAVELLING?

Save lots and always save more than you think you'll need, because there will always be things that come up that you want to do and need more money for. I'm a pretty good saver in terms of if I put money into my savings. I won't take it out. But again, it's research and getting an idea from others who have already done it. You never know how much things are going to cost until you're there, but getting a rough idea from others can be a good guide for you. Things are always going up in price and people travel so differently, so break things down on how much you're willing to pay for accomodation, food, and activities. There's something for every budget, so you just need to figure out what you're willing to spend, and make a budget for each day.

DO YOU PRIORITISE SPENDING MORE ON ACCOMODATION OVER ACTIVITIES?

Not really. We were happy to find a decent and affordable accomodation to stay in, as long as it has good reviews and was in a good location. Location was everything to us, as we preferred to either be walking distance or close to public transport, so we didn't have to waste money on expensive taxi's etc. Personally, for us, activities would be our priority as we knew we'd have lots of fun and they would be the things we remember in the years to come. Accomodation didn't have to be fancy as long as we had a bed to sleep in, that was safe and nothing too grim, because you really don't spend that much time there.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COUNTRY SO FAR THAT YOU HAVE VISITED?

This is a really hard question to answer, but something I get asked by everyone! I don't have 1 single favourite - I've got a few and all for different reasons. We'll start with Croatia, as it's truly beautiful! We did a Sail Croatia for a week which was an amazing way to explore from South to North and also great to meet other people. The scenes there were incredible and we truly had so much fun because we did a sail and got to know the people on our boat really well, so at the end we were a big family!

Greece is gorgeous, it's like no other place in the world. Santorini has amazing sunsets and walking through all the little cobble streets is just something I found so cool and unique.

In South East Asia, Vietnam was our first stop after Europe and we enjoyed it so much. Vietnam has so much to offer. Really good food, the people are so lovely and there's so many things to do all the way from North to South. It's also incredibly cheap! Vietnam is a destination I think should not be missed! I could ramble on about so many amazing places but I'll leave you with those.

DID YOU STRUGGLE WITH THE LANGUAGE BARRIERS IN SOME COUNTRIES?

Surprisingly not really. France was probably where we had the most issues, but if you download Google Translate you'll be fine. You'd be surprised how many people speak English, even in South East Asia.

IF YOU COULD DO SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY ABOUT YOUR TRAVELS, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Honestly, I'm not really sure! I think we had an amazing trip and put our time and money to good use. We spent lots of money on buying our meals, instead of cooking which is very expensive in Europe so we could have cooked more, but I'm a big foodie and sucker for a good meal, so it's not something I regret. My backpack broke when we got to Vietnam, so we brought a suitcase, this was a huge mistake as it's a mission to drag around. It ended up breaking and we had to find a new backpack anyway. Lastly, pack very smartly. I packed pretty well, but I still think there were things I could have left at home! You need to think super hard about how many times you think you're actually going to wear something, before you put it in your bag.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE LOOKING TO TRAVEL FOR A LONG TIME?

Just do it. Honestly, don't be scared. If you don't have anyone to go with, don't let it hold you back! There are so many solo travellers and you meet lots of people along the way in hostels. You can opt for a Contiki, or a Sail Croatia etc which is a really good way to meet people too if that's what worries you. Otherwise, save lots, pack light and take a backpack! You end up wearing the same clothes all the time and you just want to be comfortable. Long-term travel really is incredible. You have so much time to think, learn and enjoy, and when you return it's the same as when you left, nothing really changes..people are still doing the same things were before - so don't feel as though you'll miss out on anything, because you don't. The only thing that you'd miss out on is all the incredible places and adventures you'll explore if you don't just do it (thanks Nike, for the slogan. But it's true).

WHAT WAS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT YOUR TRAVELS?

For me, it was probably being away from my family during special times. Christmas was a bit strange, as it wasn't really celebrated in Cambodia where we were at the time and it would have been nice to be with all our family. My sister also had a baby while we were away, so it was hard not being there to support her and meet my little nephew. The things I learnt about myself along the way was also difficult at times. Travelling for so long can force you to think a lot because you have the time to, so that can be challenging at times but not to say it's a bad thing. I came away with lots I wanted to work on, change and just grow myself to be a better person.

IS THERE ANY PLACE YOU ARE MOST SURPRISED ABOUT?

Vietnam! Loved it so much and it's incredibly cheap! The people in Vietnam are so so kind, very helpful and there is so much to do and see all the way from North to South. Shopping is very cheap for lots of knock of designer and branded stuff, but it's good quality. If you're looking for good and cheap shopping, this is your place to do it. Most other countries get their stuff from Vietnam. Everyone should have Vietnam on their bucket list.