About me

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

Ahoy! Welcome to Travel Mermaid.

Thanks for stopping by to find out more about my story.

My friends call me Shezz. I’m a native Londoner who first left England 10 years ago to embark on my pilot year abroad. Little did I know that it would lead me on adventures halfway across the globe to Asia Pacific, living in places I’d never dreamed of.

Growing up in London, I met so many people from all walks of life and was inspired by their travel stories. I always yearned to migrate and saw travel as a way to really experience life.

So, after I met my Czech Sailor and finished my degree, without a job, home and a little over £1’000 pounds to my name, we emigrated to Prague for my first expat experience. It became one of the most transformative experiences of my life.

I guess you could say, the rest is history.

I’m not a full-time traveller but a full-time teacher. After a TEFL course and a few odd jobs in Prague, I worked as a teaching assistant in an international school.

From then on I decided to pursue a career that I loved, that allowed me to lead a lifestyle I wanted. So we left Prague prematurely for what would become my final two years in London.

Since then, we:

• returned to Prague for an even more enjoyable year of skiing, mushroom picking and visiting fairytale Czech castles.
• paid $10’000 AUD to get a permanent visa to Australia. Then emigrated to Port Douglas for 12 months, got married (!) and had the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest on our doorstep.
• followed our hearts and moved to Thailand for two years, but ended up living in its sex-pat capital, Pattaya.
• ate our way around the ‘Food Capital of Australia’ for 12 months, aka Melbourne!
• emigrated to Kuala Lumpur, where I’ve been living for the past two years. It’s brought us a love for the jungle, kitesurfing holidays in Southeast Asia and lots of fun trips across Malaysia.

Related Read:
Expat Living in Kuala Lumpur: Why it’s the best in Asia

Next stop?

In July this year, we wanted to migrate to Brisbane to buy our first home, begin other exciting ventures and try to stay long enough to finally gain citizenship in Australia.

But we’ll be taking a minor detour before that happens! Instead, we’re super stoked to be heading back to one of our favourite places in the world, Port Douglas. For at least 3-6 months, we’ll use the time to slow down, reflect and plan life’s next steps. And hopefully leave being independent kitesurfers!

What can you expect from Travel Mermaid?

Have you ever found yourself saying “I’d love to live there!” But found a ton of reasons not to?

Being a serial expat has changed my life for the better- exponentially- and millions of others feel the same. I believe more people should live abroad, even if just for a short time.

On Travel Mermaid, I want to give you an insight into life as an expat in some interesting destinations across Asia Pacific. There’ll be tips, trips, guides and honesty, to help you maximise your experience if you decide visit. Guaranteed are highs, lows and mistakes along the way!

My aim is to inspire you to make a move, book a flight or put a few epic places on your bucket list.

Sustainable Travel

Travel is a luxury only a few of us are fortunate enough to experience. Over 80% of the world’s population has never been on an aeroplane, so let’s make every trip count.

As much as possible, I try to travel consciously by:

• minimising my carbon footprint
• always respecting the well-being of local communities
• taking preference to resorts that are eco-friendly
• avoiding activities that are harmful to animals or the environment
• venturing to destinations not overwhelmed by tourism

The more I travel, the more I see the effects of our actions upon the planet. Travelling consciously is easier than you might think hopefully I can inspire you to do the same.