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After the whirlwind of living and working in Sydney, we were super duper ready to escape the urban hustle, head out to the Aussie outback, and finally decompress and unplug. Jelley had spent weeks researching a few different options around Australia, trying to figure out where we could get the best dose of nature. Unfortunately, we happened to be traveling right around the Easter school holidays, which meant most of the usual hot spots like the Great Barrier Reef and Tasmania

After the absolute whirlwind of living and working in Japan, we were excited to point our compass back toward the Southern Hemisphere. Our first stop was back to Christchurch for a friend's wedding, which was such a highlight. It was the first time we had seen the majority of our NZ friends since our own wedding, so it felt like one giant, joyous reunion. Stepping off the plane, it was an adjustment going from Japanese culture back to life Down Under. The culture shock was re

There is a specific kind of magic in enjoying a holiday highlight reel, but nothing compares to the quiet realisation that you have actually moved somewhere new. It is the moment you stop being a tourist and start weaving yourself into the fabric of a different country. For 10 months of 2025, we traded the slow travel rhythm for a full-on working life in Osaka, Japan. We feel incredibly lucky to have been able to call Japan home in 2025 and it was absolutely worth cutting out

After the initial rush of being back on New Zealand soil, we dove straight into a summer of adventures with some of our favourite people. It felt incredible to be home, and we wasted no time booking in some trips to celebrate being back in the Land of the Long White Cloud. First up was a big one for the Jelley family as we headed south to attempt the Routeburn Track one of the famed “Great Walks” down in Fiordland (bottom of NZ). On the drive down, we were lucky enough to cat

After over year of bouncing around Asia, Europe and North Africa, we were finally ready to make our way back to New Zealand to set off on our biggest adventure yet, getting married! As much as we loved the chaos of the road, we were both buzzing with excitement to get back to New Zealand. We knew the second our feet touched the ground in Christchurch, it would be a non-stop sprint of wedding preparations and catching up with everyone, but we were more than ready for it. Getti

Arriving at Marrakech airport was an instant shock to the senses. It was so busy. Something like 17 flights landed within the space of an hour, and passport control (customs) clearly was not built for that kind of chaos. Jelley was pretty relaxed since she knew what to expect, but Luke was feeling a bit more on edge. Brand new country, brand new culture, and a whole lot happening at once. Still, underneath it all, we were both buzzing with excitement about what Morocco had i

After a whirlwind few weeks exploring Greece, we were ready to swap tzatziki and spanakopita for pizza, pasta carbonara, and gelato. Luke had always been a bit hesitant about the classic Italian hot-spots, worried they might be super touristy or overrated, but Jelley convinced him it would be worth it, plus our flights to Morocco were out of Milan, and we'd be passing through regardless. So off we went to Italy, starting with Rome, ready to dive into the chaos and charm of th

After one last beautiful Thessaloniki sunset, we decided to trade mainland Greece for island horizons. The next chapter of our Greek adventure was waiting across the Aegean Sea on the island of Crete! Crete isn’t your typical Greek island. It’s vast, rugged, and full of character. In fact, it’s the largest island in Greece and the 88th largest in the world! Thankfully, we had some insider tips from Jelley’s former UEFA boss who grew up in Crete, and helped us map out a few ge