Hitchhiking is so random. I love it. I've read private love letters from Albert Einstein in Italy, played my didgeridoo at a French festival, lived in a eco village in Wales and ate the best fish and chips of my life somewhere in Tasmania - all thanks to the world of hitchhiking.
My first hitchhike was in Wales in 2004, at the time it was a long way from my Australian comforts. I recall my nerves almost got the better of me. Multiple times cars came speeding over the horizon as I haphazardly raised my quivering thumb, not quite ready to leap into a strangers car. However, I was not left to linger in my fears for too long, within a few minutes a super fancy 4WD came to a sudden halt. I shit my pants with excitement, as my potentially newest best friend called me over and asked where I was heading. To my utter surprise he was going exactly where I needed to be, Prestatyn, where I was to conqueror my first long trek through Wales, The Offa's Dyke.
Since that first hitchhike I haven't stopped. I've travelled through Britain, Europe and Australia along the wild roads meeting interesting folks from all walks of life, whom most are eager to take me on their local adventures and introduce me to local delicacies and cultures.
What I love about hitchhiking are the things that keep me completely present, time is suspended and distance becomes illusionary. I love discovering new stories which is why I'm making this podcast, so I can share these stories whilst combining my three passions; hitchhiking, traveling and meeting people.
I've always been infinitely curious about our world and the humans in it. My fascination with human stories began during my career in radio, where I worked as a creative writer with DMG Radio Network and then an audio producer for Nova 100 breakfast Radio - rated the No.1 FM breakfast program in Melbourne at the time. Following this I worked as a freelance producer and voiceover artist for eight years producing various shows such as Alice Cooper Late Nights and Jonathan Coleman's My Generation where I got to speak with Sir Paul McCartney - lovely chap!
Smack bang in the middle of my career, I found myself in the midst of a self proclaimed quarter life crisis which saw me ditch the radio career to embark on a global adventure to film and capture the stories of other 20-somethings to hear how they were navigating their lives and futures. The result was the Quarter Life Crisis Chronicles. View promotional trailers here
My passion for travel quickly grew into a desire to experience diverse cultures, people and stories. My late twenties were spent teaching English in Azerbaijan, learning Italian in Italy, exploring indigenous psychedelics and working as a travel writer for Best of Peru, followed by a stint living in an eco village in Wales, where I built ‘hobbit’ houses. The house was featured on Grand Designs with Kevin McCloud - also a lovely chap!
Now at the ripe old age of 38, occasionally I'm convinced that I've escaped the grips of my quarter life crisis so I'm now making my own podcast 'The Hitchhiker' which is a fascinating account of the people and cultures I come across as I hitchhike around various countries. When not shaking my thumb at strangers I also act as a key judge in the Australian Podcasting Awards.