An Open Letter to Brooke Saward: World of Wanderlust

Dear Brooke,

I have been following your inspiring story for over a year now and I just felt the need to let you know just how awesome and inspirational I think you are. I have so much respect and admiration for you and what you do and checking your blog on a daily basis is one of my favourite things to do.

For anyone who hasn’t checked out World of Wanderlust, here’s what I absolutely love about it and why you will too!

Brooke is a twenty something full time traveller from Tasmania who booked a one way ticket out of Australia after graduating and decided to make her life AMAZING! She’s travelled to 50+ countries across 6 continents and has a HUGE social media following. And with photos like above and throughout this piece, it’s no wonder why! From Brooke and her adventures, I’ve learnt some pretty valuable lessons and outlooks on life that I always try and carry with me.

Chase your dream. Like every dream, you’ll face many road blocks and hurdles, people telling you ‘you can’t do that’ or questioning why, what, how. But at the end of the day, it’s your life and your dream. No one’s going to hand it to you on a golden plate. You have to work for it, fight for it and make it happen for you.

Take the road less travelled. Whether it be some lake in Slovenia, a mountain range in Peru, a back street in Paris or an Island in the Pacific, adventure and beauty is all around. It’s not always about the destination, but the journey you take to get there and once you’re there.

Get to know people to learn about a culture. Brooke usually has meet ups at various destinations across the world to meet readers and explore a city with them. Getting to know locals is an invaluable skill because it’s once you put your map down and have a quality conversation with someone from the country you’re in, is when you’ll learn what it’s actually like in that culture.

Life isn’t meant to be smooth sailing. I’m not entirely sure of all the hurdles that Brooke has experienced in her travels, but I do know about some entry denials, flight delays and I’m sure there’s many others, but hiccups occur, you get lost, baggage goes missing, you stay in a less than desirable hostel and things get stolen. Whilst at the time it can be scary, daunting, overwhelming and can leave you not wanting to get out of bed, life goes on. And it’s all of these hiccups that make for a good story after your trip.

Indepence and confidence is beautiful. These days, there’s so much pressure to go to uni, get a boyfriend, buy a car, a house, get a job, get married and then get sucked into ‘life.’ But what if you want to do something different? I want to go on exchange whilst at university, then once I’ve graduated, go and live in Edinburgh, or Paris, or New York or Tokyo, who knows but I want to explore this world inside out and not stop until I have. Brooke makes travelling the world, having dreams and pursuing them look absolutely beautiful.

So Brooke, thank you so much for brightening my days when I’m bored studying or working. I truly admire everything you are doing with your life and I hope you never stop living your dream. You’ve inspired me to pursue mine, reaching for the moon and if I miss, at least I’ll be among the stars.

Check out Brooke’s blog here: http://www.worldofwanderlust.com/

*I do not take any credit for these photos. They are all property of Brooke Saward.