Jess Newell
Jess at the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet
At age 24 I (over-)packed my suitcase, two best friends and took off on a 10-day escape to tourist mecca, Phuket – my first overseas adventure as an adult. Jumping off the plane and into the throng of Patong, I paid way too much for a beach towel before over-bartering with the wrong genuine Tiffany seller and getting myself kicked out of her shop (minus the silver-plated bracelet).
But something inside that inexperienced tourist clicked somewhere between the Thai cooking class and the white water rafting. I knew I needed more.
And that travel bug didn’t just bite, it latched on for dear life.
Now 29, I’ve traded in the suitcase for a stained, sweat-soaked (still over-packed) backpack that has survived 13 countries and counting. And boy have we had one hell of a ride.
I’ve been blessed by holy men in Kathmandu and paid my respects to the ANZACs at Gallipoli. I’ve watched the sun rise over Angkor Wat and set along the Ganges. I’ve made momos in Lhasa and had the best pho of my life in Hanoi. I’ve climbed the Great Wall and clung to the side of a 7000ft cliff face at Mt Huashan. I’ve floated in the Dead Sea and received a flattering marriage proposal from a sweet young Jordanian in Amman. And while having a beer in the backstreets of West Jerusalem listening to Hey Jude, I just knew no amount of Maccabee could quell my insatiable thirst for more.
Over the last five years I’ve had expectations exceeded and preconceptions completely thrown out the window. That’s the inexplicable beauty of travel.
And my backpack? That old bag has plenty of miles left in her yet.
Safe travels, Globelles xx
Australia | 29 | Currently Exploring Adelaide, South Australia