A good travel companion is like a good pair of shoes: they’re willing to walk through anything for an adventure and no matter how worn their sole is they’ll patch it up and keep moving. Understandably, when you discover either, you never let them go. Since the day Jade Phillips and I met, it has been nothing but a whorl wind of fantastically ridiculous memories. The kind of memories that words will never do justice. Remembering all the details of a great experience is challenging even for the most diligent of journal writers. A good travel buddy helps fill the missing pieces you forget along the ride. Laughing with Jade about our travel experiences is almost as entertaining as creating them. It never matters, whether we miss our train, enjoy a local cuisine, or get our camera stolen, we carry on with a smile. Always knowing that with each turn, we’re lucky to take advantage of every opportunity. Any chance to interact with a different culture and experience the beauty of this world is worth fighting for. During our shenanigans, we’ve traveled to eight European countries donning little more than the clothes on our backs and a zest for adventure. Venice taught us how to lose our way and spend a serene afternoon playing cards along a canal. Enjoying the boisterous antics of a train ride with Ireland’s own peewee football team was an honor. No one expected to find a random carnival around the corner of a street in Brussels. Trekking the cliffs of Cinque Terre was rewarded by a dive into the vibrant water of the Ligurian Sea. Under attack by an army of blood thirsty mosquitoes we slept in bungalows surrounded by olive trees in Greece. Really, there is more. Evening lights shimmered off the water as we cruised in a new friends boat in Amsterdam. Obviously, we have a plethora of memories together. Ready to hit the ground running, we’ll squeeze every bit of life we can into Australia. Basically, it’s a place dripping with the adventure we crave. Until then, my fellow travel enthusiasts enjoy where you are and the people you are with. Stop to raise a glass and toast, because it’s a beautiful life and it’s ours for the taking. Thank you and good night.

P.S. Find the secret message spelled with the first letter of every sentence!