In 1981 my parents decided to leave the U.K for the idea of a better life in Australia. At the age of 7 I thought this was the end of my world, leaving everything I was familiar with, my friends and most importantly my Grandparents (who I imagined I would never see again!). Moving To Australia was a scary thing for 7 year old me!
I remember sitting at Heathrow airport sobbing my little heart out (see picture) as we waited to board the big metal tube that would tear me away from my homeland to what I thought was a land of stick huts, snakes and Pampas grass!
Little did I know that moving to Australia, marked the start of my travel bug!
Over the years I dreamed of travelling the world and at the age of 17 I embarked on my first ever solo trip across the globe to return to the UK to live, work and study.
At the age of 20 I decided to start applying to airlines to be a flight attendant and eventually was accepted for an interview & medical with Air New Zealand in Auckland. I was SO excited!
Things with Air New Zealand didn’t work out and as life went on I stopped pursuing this dream, got married and had a family. Years later I finally made it into the travel industry, this time as a travel consultant. A role I enjoyed for over a decade!
Leaving for my interview with Air New Zealand in Auckland
It is over 41 years since we moved to Australia and in that time I have returned to the U.K 11 times, the Mainland USA 3 times, New Zealand 5 times, Singapore 3 times…as well as visiting Canada, Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Hawaii (yes I know that is also the USA), Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France and so many more amazing places.
I have hiked a volcano in Hawaii, bathed an elephant in Thailand, enjoyed a picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower and been serenaded in a gondola in Venice.
So Moving To Australia here was definitely NOT the end of the world…in fact it was just the start!
My bucket list continues to grow and my dreams are big! I hope to share my memories and dreams here with you and take you along for the ride! Are you thinking of moving to Australia? Want to know what to do when you get here? Why not read my Melbourne and Brisbane blogs to learn more about two of Australia’s most popular cities’.
Rebecca Henley
Rebecca was first bitten by the travel bug at the age of 7 when she emigrated to Australia from England with her family. Since then she has been travelling the world, working in the travel industry as a Travel Consultant and creating travel related content in the form of blogs and travel guide videos.