Kelsey's travel diary

Buckle up for a long post!!!

I’ve officially been in Sydney for 3 days now. I am SOOO sorry I haven’t updated y’all. I have just been trying to adjust and have honestly hit the ground running ever since I landed.

Travel Day:

Can we talk about how long I was in the airport for? 10 hours total. I flew from Nashville to LA, then from LA to Sydney. The flight from Nashville to LA was a little less than 5 hours. The flight from LA to Sydney was a little over 15 hours. Someone was sitting in my seat when I got on so I started to panic. I thought they were going to move me to an aisle seat. Turns out the couple was just in the wrong seat. I am so thankful nobody sat in the middle because it would’ve just made it that much more uncomfortable. I want to say I maybe slept a total of 5 hours off and on that whole plane ride. I tried taking melatonin to help, listening to some white noise, nothing. Maybe it was just because my emotions were everywhere or maybe it’s just because I couldn’t simply get comfy. Probably both honestly. Before you land you have to fill out a customs form to make sure you’re not bringing anything illegal into Australia. I don’t know why but filling out this card always stresses me out. It’s not like I am smuggling stuff in so I don’t know why I stress so much. After I landed I exchanged some money just incase I need cash while I am here. I brought $300 USD and it exchanged for about $380+ AUD (which it should’ve been about $456 AUD according to google. So I am not sure if I got screwed or thats just how much they take out in fees. Either way I didn’t even realize it should’ve been that much until it was too late.. strike one Kelsey)

Saturday morning:

I got a shuttle & headed to my hostel! I will be posting my hostels after I stay in them just to be safe. I arrived to my hostel about 10am and couldn’t check into my room until 2pm. They allow you to put your bags into a little room which is honestly a life saver. You just have to hope and pray no one takes your belongings. I did end up keeping my backpack on me just because it had my laptop & iPad and other important things in it. Needless to say I kind of wish I would’ve left it at the hostel while I walked around Sydney because it was one of the hottest days I’ve ever encountered. Ended up being 108 degrees (42 degrees celsius). I am going to have to start learning celsius, how to write the date (which is just the day first, then month, then year), and eventually I will have to learn to drive on the complete opposite side of the car and road. That’s just a few things I need to learn. After I stored my bags away I met my friend Julie for breakfast! We only had a few hours before she had to head to the airport to go to Melbourne. We walked around town then stopped in for a drink at a random pub. I met Julie on the EF tour I did back in the beginning of the year. We loved Australia so much that we both decided to move. Thankful I got to meet up with her before she headed to her new home. Once we went our separate ways I checked into my hostel. I finally got to shower after the long plane ride & walking around in 108 degree weather. Let me tell you it felt SO good. The hostel is basically a dorm room but for travelers. I got settled into my room, relaxed for a bit, and met my new roomies. Then started getting ready for my first night in Sydney.

Saturday night:

Instead of getting over my jet lag by sleeping I went on a party boat. Why not? I booked this previously with a group called “Bondi Beach Babes”. Not knowing a single person, because yes, you HAVE to put yourself out there when you’re solo traveling. I walked from my hostel to Cargo bar where we all met for pre drinks. The walk was only about 25 minutes! I met a girl named Lisa who I ended up dancing the whole night with!! Trying to get onto the boat was an absolute nightmare. Somehow Lisa and I got into VIP thanks to these two random guys. We had an absolute blast. If you didn’t see my pictures from the boat party I will post one below. The view made everything worth it!! I booked another boat party weeks ago and I kind of wish I would’ve waited. I don’t know why but I didn’t think of being STUCK on a boat with no way out. Maybe it’s because I was just so exhausted from traveling. So I am still going to give the other boat party a chance. After we got off of the boat I headed back to my hostel and went to sleep. Finally!!! A girl checked into the room around 3 am and woke majority of us up because she was so loud. She threw her bag off the top bunk onto the floor which made me so mad. But it is apart of hostel life so I have to get used to it. I just wish people would be considerate! I am fully prepared to get no sleep for the next few months.

That was my full first day and night in Sydney!! Can’t wait to share more with y’all.

Xo