G'DAY — NICOLE RICHIE

As the waves crashed along the shore I looked out at the orange sun waking up and saying hello while it rose up into the pink and yellow clouds. The wind was soft but carried a certain coolness that made the hairs on my arm stand up slightly. Looking out through the back door I watched as a pelican searched for food in the shallow water.

This is my first morning living in a Toyota Hiace converted camper van. This is the first morning of the next chapter of my life.

I’m Nicole and a week ago I was living in cold snowy Toronto, working a bartending job at Terroni, a lovely Italian restaurant in Rosedale and spending the rest of my days like many other 23 year old people do, pondering what the hell to do with the rest of my life. That was up until about six months ago when my boyfriend Justin proposed that I come back to his homeland and we do a tour around Australia all while living in a van. The idea immediately peaked my interest. I have always wanted to find a way to live more sustainably and was itching for some much needed change of scenery. Don’t get me wrong I had a pretty wonderful life in Toronto. Great friends, incredible family and a job that paid the rent, my job also led me to so many incredible relationships, including my current romantic one. But, I was having trouble seeing myself outside of that comfortable bubble and was looking for something new.

Happy Camper/ Girraween National Park, QLD/ 📷: Justin Bumpstead

I have always wanted to see the world. Since I was a kid I’ve been interested in the diversity that exists through so many of the cultures and people that populate our planet. In 2016 I moved to Singapore for a school exchange and spent eight months travelling through the magnificent countries of South East Asia. After coming home from Asia, I finished up my degree at Queens University and settled back into my life at home, but in the back of my head I was awaiting my next adventure. After a year of being out of school and working at Terroni full time I started to wonder if I would ever be able to get back out into the world. I was really struggling to figure out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be. So, when the time came for Justin and I to decide what to do when his visa expired, “van life” didn’t seem like that crazy of an idea. Sure, I was somewhat hesitant at first, how could I not have been. Just the idea of moving across the world to join my boyfriend on a cross country trip sounded insane, but then to add the fact that we would spend most of the year living out of a converted campervan was beyond crazy. When I spoke to my family and friends most laughed and said it was unlikely id make it two months, let alone six. Some were extremely critical too, saying that I should be spending the next year of my life working towards a “real career”, but the people that mattered the most supported my decision to go and understood why I needed too. Trust me, the possibility that I will come home broke and broken hearted with absolutely no plans for the future is still there in the back of my mind. But the reality of it is that this could also be the adventure of a lifetime, one I get to share with the man that I love.

So on December 3rd I hopped on a plane and embarked on my journey to the land of plenty. I have just arrived and there will be many adventures to come. Here, I get the opportunity to share it all with you, which I guess makes me your tour guide! So stay tuned because I promise there will be lots to see, plenty to eat and many adventures to come.

xo -Nicole