The name of this blog originated when I jumped in the pool for a game of inner tube water polo (a wildly competitive game), and my coworkers discovered that Potter and water rhyme quite nicely. They proceeded to chant it at any chance they got.

While I do plan to spend a fair bit of time in the water during my time in Australia, I chose this title to better reflect the fact that I was jumping into uncharted territory, and embarking on a new adventure.

A little about me: my name is Emily, I’m 26 and am from Berkeley, California. I quit my job – the only one I’ve known as a post grad – and decided to travel the world, starting in Melbourne, Australia. Originally, my goal was to travel for three months, spending 6 weeks in Australia and 6 weeks in South America. Then I realized, why limit myself? I have nothing holding me back, no commitments, and if not now, when?

My plan, at the moment, is to start in Melbourne on a working holiday visa. Whether I stay in Melbourne to work, or move on to a different city is undecided, but I’d like to hit Perth and Sydney before I depart. My visa affords me the ability to leave and enter the country as many times as I’d like in a twelve month period, so I will likely visit New Zealand at some point during the year.

I started this blog so that I can look back on it in the years to come, and not depend on hand-written scribbles in my notebook to remember all of my adventures, and because friends and family have asked me to. I’ve read travel blogs and watched loads of travel-related videos in the past few months, and I love all of the different perspectives of destinations around the world, so I thought I’d add my ownI plan to write about my prep for the trip, destinations I visit, and my overall experience. More than anything, I’m using this blog to connect and reconnect with people around the world.

As I mentioned, I decided to quit my job to embark on this adventure. This entire experience, from little planning to lack of financial stability, is very out of my comfort zone. As I spent my final night of the summer staring at the millions of stars in Pinecrest, my second home for the past seven summers, I’m aware of what a profound and privileged position I’m in. I think about my highest highs and my lowest lows, that have all happened under the same sky. I can’t help but doubt myself, but I know this is what I need to do. I’m thankful for everyone who has made my little ‘walkabout’ possible, and in the wise words of Scotty P, I have no ragrets, not even a single letter.