My Experience
Fraser Island is probably my favourite place in Australia.
This was my last stop on my East Coast vacation. I took a bus for five hours from Brisbane to Hervey Bay, where I took an hour-long ferry ride to Fraser Island, where I would be doing a three-day guided tour with a company called Cool Dingo Tours. I was looking forward to doing Fraser Island this way, because you stick with the day people over the course of your tour, which gives you the chance to really get to know your fellow travellers.
Over the course of three days, I met people from all over the world, including England and Canada, and was able to form bonds with this over this time. I was the youngest member of the group, but I never felt excluded. Everyone was interested in my story, and how I ended up traveling around Australia on my own. Similarly, I was interested in their stories. Like me, some people were traveling alone, while others were with their friends, or even on their honeymoon.
On Fraser Island, I had no cell service, and as such I was able to truly disconnect from everything around me and focus on what I was doing, and truly appreciate all that Fraser Island had to offer. After our days of touring, the group would head down to the restaurant for dinner and drinks, and we would talk about our days, and what we were looking forward to doing in the days ahead. As I've already mentioned, part of the beauty of traveling alone and staying in hostels is the opportunity to meet people with the same desire to see the world. Even though I was on my own, I never felt lonely over the 10-12 days I traveled around the East coast.
The time I spent on my own was eye opening in a number of ways. First, I was able to prove to myself that I am capable of stepping out of my comfort zone and being open to new experiences. Second, I realized that I truly had a passion for travel and adventure. Last, I had a new found independence. If someone had told me a year or two ago that I would one day be traveling around Australia on my own, I would have laughed in their face. "No way!" I would have said. However, if someone was to say to me today, "In a year you'll be traveling alone across Europe," I would say, "Sign me up!"
This was my last stop on my East Coast vacation. I took a bus for five hours from Brisbane to Hervey Bay, where I took an hour-long ferry ride to Fraser Island, where I would be doing a three-day guided tour with a company called Cool Dingo Tours. I was looking forward to doing Fraser Island this way, because you stick with the day people over the course of your tour, which gives you the chance to really get to know your fellow travellers.
Over the course of three days, I met people from all over the world, including England and Canada, and was able to form bonds with this over this time. I was the youngest member of the group, but I never felt excluded. Everyone was interested in my story, and how I ended up traveling around Australia on my own. Similarly, I was interested in their stories. Like me, some people were traveling alone, while others were with their friends, or even on their honeymoon.
On Fraser Island, I had no cell service, and as such I was able to truly disconnect from everything around me and focus on what I was doing, and truly appreciate all that Fraser Island had to offer. After our days of touring, the group would head down to the restaurant for dinner and drinks, and we would talk about our days, and what we were looking forward to doing in the days ahead. As I've already mentioned, part of the beauty of traveling alone and staying in hostels is the opportunity to meet people with the same desire to see the world. Even though I was on my own, I never felt lonely over the 10-12 days I traveled around the East coast.
The time I spent on my own was eye opening in a number of ways. First, I was able to prove to myself that I am capable of stepping out of my comfort zone and being open to new experiences. Second, I realized that I truly had a passion for travel and adventure. Last, I had a new found independence. If someone had told me a year or two ago that I would one day be traveling around Australia on my own, I would have laughed in their face. "No way!" I would have said. However, if someone was to say to me today, "In a year you'll be traveling alone across Europe," I would say, "Sign me up!"