Are you feeling lost? Well, you've come to the
right place. Welcome to Lostish, where we, Rose
Chachko, and Emmanuella Kathreptakis, share
what it's really like navigating your twenties.
We're two semi -lost girls figuring out careers,
relationships, wellness, purpose, and everything
in between. Each week we dive into the highs,
the lows, and the lessons of chasing your dreams,
finding happiness, and learning to embrace the
uncertainty. We're not here to pretend like we've
loaded all together. We're simply just figuring
it out with you. Episode six. Hello guys and
welcome back to the Lostish podcast. We are very
happy to be back week by week. Episodes come
out every Sunday by the way. Every Sunday, usually
I think we upload them in the morning, don't
we? Yeah, we try to. We try to. But definitely
on Sundays. That's our aim. That's our aim. So
stay tuned for Sundays. Yeah, absolutely. Today's
episode, we're actually going to talk about something
that we're both very excited about and very passionate
about. How traveling has changed our perspective
on life, I guess, and just all the little nitty
gritty stuff that comes with. traveling and basically
and why you should do it while you can and while
you're young take multiple perspectives on this
kind of explain our experiences and how it opened
our mind to a lot of things and how it doesn't
need to be done expensive and how it's Really
something that deserves to be done when you're
young solo traveling as well I think we will
cover that too because a lot of people are like,
okay I want to travel but I don't really know
who I want to go with or I think I want to go
myself and meet people but I'm too scared You
know, so I think we'll touch on that as well.
And the reason why we want to talk about why
traveling changes your perspective on life is
the fact that we actually went traveling together
for the first time and we've mentioned it in
previous episodes but we went volunteering in
Fiji so we were teaching and working in childcare
what in February we did this program definitely
one of my most memorable trip yeah it was it
was one of the most memorable things well actually
one of the greatest things i think i've ever
done it was one of the most fulfilling things
we met the most remarkable people and i feel
like it opened our minds to a whole new world
whole new world it's a place that's like four
hours away from where it's not that far but it's
it's completely different to our reality and
where we live and how we live. And it just made
us so grateful to be where we are. And Fiji is
a beautiful country and the people are just absolutely
magnificent there. It's crazy to see how much
you realize you're stuck in a little bubble back
at home when you go and explore and see all these
new places and experience all these new people
and new things. But it's so beneficial. I've
always been obsessed with traveling. Ever since
I was a little bean, I've been like that person
that will rave on about wanderlust and wanting
to get on my next flight and feeling like I could
travel full time. But we're here to speak about
obviously for the people who, yeah. Are a bit
scared to do it or wondering if they should or
prioritizing other things even though they really
want to travel and stuff like that. The answer
is yes, go go and if you want to go by yourself
go act actually like think going by yourself
is. sometimes better than going with people because
it actually forces you so hard out of your comfort
zone. It forces you to make connections and you
don't understand how many people are traveling
by themselves. Yeah. And then you guys stick
together and you've got a pen power from the
other side of the world. And you're not ever
tied down to doing what anyone else. No, exactly.
Because traveling, traveling can make or break
relationships. friendships as well. I've been
overseas with people that I have definitely had
an interesting experience with traveling, but
then I've also had an experiences with people
like yourself who have been absolutely amazing
and I could travel with you any day, any time.
yeah so yeah the types of people we meet when
we're traveling is just crazy like some of the
people that i i've met some of the most beautiful
people young old children grandparents like absolutely
crazy insane people that i would absolutely want
to see again in my life yeah um while i've been
traveling and just the most kind -hearted like
people ever so down to earth god but then you
have that other side where sometimes you can
meet some absolutely crazy cats out there and
who are, I don't know, can be very intense or,
you know, incredibly culturally different and
culturally different is okay. Culturally different
is great actually because you're allowing yourself
to immerse into a new culture. Um, which I think
is so, so important and it will, you know, expand
your horizons and, um, life experience because
Being stuck in a bubble is so real like I feel
like so we were from Australia we live in Australia
as you can hear by our accents and I think we've
reiterated in previous episodes if you're streaming
in from overseas but I feel like we are in such
a bubble here you know especially living in Sydney
whether you're in the eastern suburbs or the
western suburbs or wherever you're from like
you're in such a bubble and I feel like we don't.
We don't expand our horizons as much as... traveling
forces us to, if that makes sense. Like traveling,
you have no choice but to see a different part
of the world, to see different people, to accept
that there is difference and you're not going
to find people that are going to be the same
as you. Absolutely. It really, it makes you,
and also actually when you're out seeing all
these new things and experiencing all these new
things, you actually gain a new found respect
and like, where for other people but also for
home and for your family and for stability and
routine and all of that. Cause I know every single
one of us has probably experienced at some point,
like, yes, I know I could travel full time, but
when you're in that moment, you're like, Oh,
I missed the comfort of my bed or I missed my
hot shower. The smell of my sheets or like, you
know, my mom telling me to like go do my laundry.
Like, you know, like, yeah. And we're saying
that is a reason to do it by the way. Oh, 100%.
You gain a new found respect for the world and
for your. world back home yeah oh i really like
that you gain and you found respect for the world
and your world um so let's talk about How it
doesn't need to be done in an expensive manner?
Oh, you can do traveling on a budget 100 % not
saying that you can't go That you you need to
go overseas and be broke Absolutely not because
you know what like you do need money You do need
savings to go and travel but you can do it in
a much cheaper way than a lot of people Not saying
that if you want to do it in a glamorous way
You absolutely can you can go and stay at five
-star hotels, but it doesn't have to be don't
let that stop No, it doesn't have to be but some
people that's how some people want to do it some
people want to do it cheap and literally, you
know, house hop or stay in hostels or sometimes
camp out. Like, you know how my favorite place
to travel is? I don't feel like I'm on either
two of those ends. Neither do I. I like experiencing
the country for what it is. Yeah. What I mean
by that is if I go to Fiji, I'm happy to stay
in a volunteer home and go and eat street food.
And if I stay in Dubai, I'm happy to stay in
a five -star hotel. Yeah. And if I go to, you
know, Paris, I'm happy to eat croissants on the
corner cafe. Yeah. And in Greece, I'm going to
stay in little Airbnb cabins that are right on
the water and eat gyros every single day. I like
experiencing each country for what it has to
offer. And I think that's one of the things that
people don't do enough. And you want to go, sorry
to interrupt, but you want to go to... A country
to see the country not because they have an amazing
hotel and and you're going to stay in the hotel
the whole time we actually had this thing so
when we went to Fiji we did the first week in
a volunteer home which was shared with like 20
plus people and then we stayed in a resort the
last three days of the trip and oh my gosh we.
genuinely when we were in the resort like yeah
it was great you've got the amenities you've
got the big swimming pool you've got your showers
you've got you know your nice bed sheets but
We both said that the first week of our trip
was the most unforgettable by far and we felt
the most immersed in the culture. And if we had
never, if we never had the chance to go back
to that beautiful country again, that we would
feel like we had seen it all. It also just makes
you appreciate air conditioning. Oh my God. We
were struggling hard because there was no air
conditioning and Fiji is a very, very hot place.
Let's just paint the picture. So we were in 38
degrees. humidity, no air conditioning, just
a loud fan in our room sharing on bunk beds that
were wobbling with no like borders. We had roughly
two minute showers that were cold, which was
actually refreshing. Really nice. And it wasn't
like a shower. It was a tap. Yep. Like it was
like a little tap. We had to be worried about
geckos and geckos and all the mosquito diseases.
But it made it all the more fun. Oh, dude, because
everyone is also in the same boat and we all
became like really close with all the other people
living in the volunteer home and we were all
kind of in it together. And then obviously we
got to the resort and we were like, oh, this
is really nice. But it was like, no, it wasn't
the same. Like, I feel like, you know, we didn't
have to leave. Yeah. My most memorable parts
of the country were not that. No, it was beautiful.
Don't get me wrong, it was lovely. But like,
it's just funny because every other time we had
spoken to someone, because obviously Fiji is
a big destination to go to from Australia, they
were like, oh, yeah, the resorts are mad. There's
all these activities you can do there. The food's
incredible. The views are incredible. And but
we'd never leave. Like you don't even need to
leave. You don't need to leave your resort. Well,
if I had gone and just did our last three days
for our whole trip, I don't think I would have
enjoyed it. I don't think I would have enjoyed
it. No, no. Like I can do that here. Oh, yeah,
absolutely. You just go book the Sheraton out
and you know, have a vibe. You don't need to
travel to a different country. Yeah, that's that's
most certainly I think. Yeah. If you want to
do it on a budget. Absolutely. If you want to
do it expensively. Yeah. So fine. Same applies
for everywhere. Really. I've spoken to multiple
people that like, for example, let's talk. about
some of our travel experiences and some of the
things that we've learned along the way. So I'll
talk about my most recent trip, because that
was another really one that was most memorable
other than Fiji, which was I went and did Scandinavia
with my boyfriend, which was actually very, very,
very beautiful fun. Yeah, I've never seen, honestly,
I don't think I've ever seen. Such beautiful
landscapes in my life. I was obsessed with the
place So we went and did like we did it in minus
30 degrees Northern Lights hunting situation
every time I like facetimed you you were like
wrapped in a blanket Had like this like hat on
or like fucking four scars Actually, so we can
give some advice along the way, I was actually
going to say one of my favorite parts of traveling
is figuring out navigating that country while
I'm there on my own. Like when we were there,
we went through some rough experiences like having
to figure out how to half speak Norwegian to
a bus driver to get us up a mountain in Tromso,
which is like in the middle of nowhere. It's
not the capital. It's like all the way up the
top, pretty much touching the top of the earth.
um or like you know navigating when things close
or whipping out a map do you know how many times
i've pulled out maps when i've been overseas
and literally just been like okay i don't think
i've ever looked at a proper map unless I was
overseas. Like here you've got the Google Maps
which you can also use overseas but a lot of
the time it's like you're walking around. It
makes you very independent. It makes your brain
go. I remember once, I'll go back to my Greece
trip as well, so the year prior to that I remember
once, it's just a funny memory, we didn't know
how, I was on another trip with my boyfriend
in Greece and we were island hopping and I literally
remember having to connect my phone to the dingy.
I think the Wi -Fi was called dirty laundry or
something like that, the dingiest Wi -Fi. So
I could FaceTime one of my friends because I
couldn't like I can read and speak fluent Greek,
but the maps in Europe, the train maps all over
the place, people that no, no. I couldn't figure
out how to get where she wanted to meet us. I
had to join some dingy wifi, make sure I was
connected and I could also see the map at the
same time. So I could FaceTime her to be like,
how do we get there? Can you meet us here? What
trains do we need to stop at? It really, like,
it builds your confidence so much and makes you
like, I feel like I can conquer the world now.
If I can figure out the map to Europe, I can
conquer the world. Well, that's the thing. Also,
yeah, tip before you go traveling. get the map
of the place that you're staying at. Or like,
you know, if you're... Download the apps as well.
Download the apps. Oh, we need... That was one
of my biggest tips. I downloaded all the Aurora
apps that my Airbnb hosts told me to do. Get
your guide is a great one. Get your guide. It's
got all different excursions and tours for like
a really good price. What other ones? Hostel
World if you're looking for hostels. Booking
.com, the G, everyone knows that I guess. But
I mean more in terms of like when you're in the
country, research and speak to the locals and
see what they do and how they get around and
what restaurants they eat at and what transport
they use because you'll actually end up realising
that you're having more fun trying to navigate
how it is to genuinely immerse in their culture
but you're also saving money. You are. In the
long run, 90 % of the time. You know what's also
a really good tool, sorry. just came to mind,
TikTok. Oh my God. Anytime I go overseas or go
to another place, TikTok is my best friend. Cause
people are constantly posting cheapest place,
places to go and eat in Bali, cheapest places
to go and visit in Paris. Like, like, oh my God,
TikTok would be your best friend. Um, Yeah, oh
we need like a like a travel company to sponsor
us because I feel like We will review the food
we will immerse ourselves in the culture Okay,
I want to speak about one more thing, okay one
more thing post -travel depression The feeling
of having to come back home as much as you want
to and then having to mold yourself back into
your normal life when you feel like there's so
much more out there and navigating that and feel
like you want so much more out of life now, I've
experienced that. Every single time. I've experienced
it after Fiji. Oh yeah. After Fiji, after my
most recent holidays and trips. And oh my God,
I've really like, I went to, I went traveling
to New Zealand. I had never been before in me
and one of my beautiful friends, Nisha. Shout
out Nisha. Oh my God. Best travel partner ever.
Um, we went and traveled New Zealand and we were
there for maybe like, yeah, around three weeks.
And I remember when I got back I literally cried
in my bed because I know I did I like my little
like my cat was in my arms and I was crying just
like licking the tears off my face because I
was so sad that experience had ended and I don't
know why I think that country just really affected
me in a weird way and it came at a time where
I really needed to travel and get out and and
have new experiences and meet new people and.
I had the best time and same with Fiji. I was
so sad after Fiji. We were on FaceTime being
like we're so depressed. We want to go back.
It's crazy because you end up feeling so disconnected
when you come back. You feel so disconnected
from your reality. And you don't want to be in
the same old patterns you were in before. I don't
know. Maybe that's just us. Actually, no, it's
not just us. No, it's a universal experience.
Every single person that has gone traveling to
the extent that, like not just a family holiday,
like we're talking, going out and seeing the
world. Like actual travel experiences. we'll
understand where we're coming from. Also, and
it applies to short trips too, sorry, but like
even if you're going somewhere for three days
to a week, the same thing could happen. Change
of complete experience. Also, Can I just say
you need to volunteer in a different country
once in your life because oh my god like I think
I'm gonna be volunteering overseas every year
it completely changed my life like my whole perspective
on life and nothing mattered in that moment I
was like oh my god I not only do you feel like
you're doing good but it's the best way to connect
with people it's the best way to immerse yourself
in. immerse yourself into a new culture, into
new environment, new people. And you feel like
you're getting something more out of it. Obviously
we always wanted to travel together, but we were
like, we want something a bit more fulfilling
than just going and sunbaking. Like we want,
no seriously, nothing wrong with sunbaking, we
love sunbaking. We live near the beach, we could
go to the beach in Bondi anytime, any day. And
we were obsessed. We had, oh my God, experienced
those little kids. The kids, oh my God, the kids,
the people. Teacher etta. Oh Guys we're gonna
cry on the pot for the first time um Yeah, oh
actually one more point that I just remembered
that I written down you really wit. It's so funny
to witness What every what different countries
and what different people consider to be a good
life? Do you know what I'm trying to say my like
Lord if a good life in Sydney? just even just
back home like a good life in Sydney compared
to a good life where I used to be living in Dubai
compared to a new life in Greece for example
that's just the three places I've experienced
the most is actually crazy and then I look at
places like what people considered a good life
in Scandinavia or in Fiji or in London I don't
know wherever like it's so shocking to me how
so some people are so happy with so little Fiji
is a perfect example of that. Oh my goodness.
To have a good life in Fiji. I've never met more
beautiful people. I've never. You need family
and human connection. That's it. You could be
living on the street, but as long as you've got
your family there and you can have some food
and you've got your people, nothing else matters.
We visited a village. So at the school that we
were volunteering at, the teacher took us, beautiful
teacher Eta took us to her Fijian village and
introduced us to everyone. And the village is
pretty big. Like I don't know how many people
live in there, maybe like a hundred or so. Everyone
knows everyone. Everyone's feeding each other,
bringing cakes, bringing, you know, salads, bringing,
like, they all grow fruit. They're all bringing
it to each other. You'll see the kids playing
outside together, including everyone. Like, we
were there. Everyone was saying, hello, come
and join us. Do you want some food? Let me make
you some tea. Let me do this. Bula Bula. We literally
wanted to come back and get Bula tattooed on
us. Yeah, because it was just like, beyond. Trip
touched our hearts human connection. There you
go. Mm -hmm. Let's see Is there anything else
you think we need to touch on before we wrap
up? I Think those are the main parts. But yeah,
I think if we'd have to give one piece of advice
to anyone If this hasn't convinced you enough
already to go out and trace your travel dreams
You can always come back home. Yeah like don't
ever feel like you're going to be stuck even
if it means booking a one -way ticket somewhere
you can always come back home you can always
come back to your comfort but you'll never regret
or have what ifs if you yeah do and do it while
you're young you know do it while you're young
because The older you get, the kind of more responsibilities
and life gets a little bit serious and things
like that. And I feel like doing it while you're
young, while you can, you know, go and get a
new perspective on life and meet people that
will form your circle later on in life is amazing.
So please go and do it. We know that there's
situations where people can't prioritize traveling,
even if it means doing it in a cheap way. But
if you do have the opportunity and the only thing
stopping you is your internal thoughts, we promise
you won't regret it. Yeah. And it's not something
that like you can save up and you can work towards
it. Put a little bit of money in your savings
every time you get your paycheck. Like I think
that's the one thing that I'll never regret spending
money on. No. Like I was literally saying this
to my friend at work the other day. I was like
$2 ,000 on a designer bag. You could not catch
me dead. $2 ,000 on a plane ticket. I'm there.
Take it. Take my card. Yeah. That's literally
me. Yeah. And it's a really good, good, good
spending opportunity if you are going to spend
your money. Spend it wisely guys. Yeah. Oh, well,
that's us. That's our trouble. We're going to
go back to our next trip guys. We are. We're
going to go back and plan what we want. We really
want to go to Japan next, don't we? Yes. Japan
or Canada. Wow. Okay. Let's go do that now. All
right, you can everyone and we'll catch you in
the next one