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No strings attached? 7 Reasons it’s better to travel single!

7 Reasons it’s better to travel single!

Travelling with a boyfriend or girlfriend has got it’s pros for sure! You’ll always have that person to chat to, you won’t feel lonely and you’ll have someone to share all of the amazing places you visit with. However, having experienced travelling with a boyfriend in the past, it does have it’s cons too! Here are 7 reasons why, (in my opinion!) it’s better to travel single:

1. Freedom

Let’s face it, our daily lives are full of doing things with other people in mind. Whether that’s planning and celebrating a friend’s birthday, picking up dinner and cooking for your flatmate or thinking about that thing someone asked you to do for them at work. Whilst most of these commitments are fun and make us happy, wouldn’t it be great not to have to answer to anyone but yourself for a while? Go travelling solo! Travelling as a single person = absolute freedom! You can go wherever you want, whenever you want, do whatever you want!

2. Experience everything!

With noone to answer to, you can experience so much more of what YOU want to do. You don’t have to feel guilty about dragging your travel buddy along to something they’re not interested in and you don’t have to waste any valuable travel time doing what you don’t want to do! With no travel partner to think about you’ll also be able to travel more spontaneously which will lead to new, fun and exciting experiences!

3. Enjoy the single life!

Travelling is the perfect time to have some fun and figure out what you want from your life and all of the relationships in it! You’ll be meeting lots of people, all with different personalities, from all over the globe so why not use your gap year as a chance to flirt, have fun and enjoy new people’s company!? Remember your time abroad is about you and what you want. As a single person you can meet all of these great people without the worry of upsetting anyone!

4. No drama!

Remember those late night drunken arguments with your boyfriend or girlfriend when you’ve both had a few too many!? They’ll be a thing of the past when you travel as a singleton! Instead your drunken nights will be spent playing drinking games with new mates, dancing on the bar and skinny dipping – no drama, just fun!

5. Meet more people

As a single backpacker, you’re more likely to chat and mingle with other people. Not only are single people way more approachable when it comes to travelling but also as you won’t have the ‘safety blanket’ of your boyfriend/girlfriend to fall back on, you’ll be forced into situations where you start chatting to strangers. You never know who you’ll meet along the way!

6. Live the backpacker life

Travelling by yourself will push you into experiencing the backpacker life rather than living like a couple on holiday. You won’t be tempted to book a double room with your travel partner for the night;instead you’ll be in a dorm room with about 8 other backpackers, getting to know each other, sharing travel stories and having fun!

7. Get to know yourself

The phrase ‘Travelling to find yourself’ is a bit of a cliche but there’s no denying that you’ll learn things about yourself along the way! Travelling single allows you to really figure out what you enjoy and how you handle situations..not with your boyfriend or girlfriend by your side..but as YOU. There may be times that, as a single traveller, you feel lonely but that will only make you more independent in the long run! You won’t have that person to turn to when things get tricky and you’ll learn to rely on yourself and trust your own instincts. Your achievements will be fully down to you!

Travelling solo can be daunting but I guarantee you won’t be alone! So many people pack their bags and go travelling solo so you’ll meet lots of people in the same boat as you! If you’re planning a trip and want a little help meeting people when you first get here, why not book onto an arrival package? UltimateOz, Ultimate Thailand and Ultimate Vietnam are a great way to meet people when you first arrive! Check out our tours here!

If you’re in a relationship and planning a trip together rest assured, travelling with someone else can be just as much fun in different ways! Check out our blog on why travelling with a partner is better than going it solo!

Got any advice for travelling as a single person or any points you want to add? Comment below!

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10/07/2015/0 Comments/by Bernie Augstein

Featured, Travel Tips!, Working Holiday Aus

Study VS Gap Year

Study or Gap Year…

The Ultimate question, those finishing the study year have been asking themselves recently..

It’s that time of the year when you’re coming to the end of your study year and you may be wondering..what’s next? Will you start full time work? Will you carry on studying and apply for uni? Or do you need some time out to think about what you really want? You may be pretty sure of your long term goals and be well on your way to the career of your dreams (lucky you!) or like most people, you may be confused about which direction to head in and wondering what to do with your life!

We’ve been there and it’s a tough decision to make. Most of the time you’re expected to decide what you want to do in a matter of months and without having worked in a full time job it can be difficult to know what will make you happy in your career and how you can use your skills to your advantage. If you’re indecisive like I am, you’ve probably sat there with a big pros and cons list trying to figure out what’s right! You may also be feeling pressured by parents, teachers or by your toughest critic (yourself!) to choose the career path that’s right for you. My advice? Keep calm and take some time to figure out what works for you! A gap year abroad between studies or starting your working career is the perfect way to spend your time out.

Why take a Gap Year?

There are so many advantages to taking a gap year: you’ll have some more time to reflect, find out what makes you happy, gain confidence, experience different cultures and discover skills you never knew you had (who knew you could make a bracelet from a coconut shell in Fiji!?) You’ll figure out how you enjoy spending your time and just as importantly how you don’t! Are you an outdoorsy nature lover? Do you enjoy having a set routine? Are you always the one getting the party going or are you maybe a little more reserved? People say travelling changes you, and it may sound cliché but it’s true! Be prepared to go home a different person, with different values, opinions and ideas. You’ll figure a lot out about yourself during your gap year which could help you decide which kind of industry you want to work in.

Working Abroad

Unless you’ve been saving for a few years, chances are you’ll end up working at some point during the year to fund your travels. Taking a Gap Year is a massive turn-on to prospective employers because not only will you gain work experience, you’ll also be gaining valuable life experiences. You’ll be opening up doors for the future without even knowing it, ready for when you start looking for a job. Check out our blog ‘How travel can help you land your dream career.‘

University

More and more people are taking a gap year so it’s easier than ever to take some well deserved time off from studying to travel the world. If you choose to go to uni, Universities are usually happy to defer your entry for a year so if you have an idea of what you’d like to study after your year out you can apply and get everything sorted before you even get on that flight! You’ll be able to enjoy a year of no applications and chill outs knowing you’ve got your spot to study after! If you’re a little less set on what you want to do (like I was!) you can still apply for uni during your travels too and with all your travel experiences to talk about in your uni applications and personal statement you’ll be a more attractive candidate too..win win!

Wondering whether to finish your studies, then travel? If you have the option to travel now, do it – you never know what the next few years may bring! I know lots of people who travelled after uni who wish they had done it before starting their degree. Your circumstances may change after uni – you might have added, unexpected responsibilities and travelling might not be an option straight away. You’re young, have probably spent most of your life studying and now is the time to be free, experience the world & have some fun, safe in the knowledge that it’s actually going to improve your future career rather than hinder it! You have nothing to lose! 😉

Get in touch with us to discuss your Gap Year options!

Share your experiences and stories with us in the comments below!

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21/06/2015/0 Comments/by Bernie Augstein

Featured, Travel Tips!

40 Signs you’ve been backpacking for too long

1. You can’t remember the last time you shared a room with less than 4 other people.

2. You’ve tried all of the different Goon bags and have decided on your fave (Fruity Lexia -obvs!)

3. Eating Subway (footlong) for breakfast, lunch and dinner is the norm.

4. Finding half a bottle of shampoo in the hostel shower excites you way more than it should!

5. Long journeys no longer faze you.

6. You know all of the best drinking games..

7. ..and have become and absolute pro at the limbo.

8. You don’t know how you ever lived without your sunnies permanently attached to your face.

9. You know the happy hour of all the local pubs and wouldn’t dream of spending your booze money on a fully priced meal.

10. You’ve got used to dressing in the dark and tip toeing into your dorm room at 4am to avoid waking your dorm buddies up!

11. You’ve mended your flip flops more than once.

12. You never thought you would become a ‘roller’ but you’ve started rolling all of your clothes to avoid creases..or..

13. ..you’ve completely given up on worrying about creases in your clothes and have started shoving your stuff back into your backpack.

14. You’ve been wearing the same anklet for the last 11 months & you can’t count how many bracelets you’re wearing.

15. You’ve accumulated so much stuff along the way, you have to have a ‘backpack spring clean’ at least once during your travels!

16. You get excited about small things. Having a clean towel brings you so much comfort & happiness.

17. You’ve got a million new friends on FB..

18. ..and added a million new travel photos to your account.

19. You’ve lived off Pot Noodles, beans on toast and some simple yet effective pasta combos (tuna & pasta, tomato & pasta..the list goes on)..

20. ..so walking past someone handing out free food/drink samples without stopping becomes an epic fail. Desperate times call for desperate measures!

21. You’ve learnt to get changed anywhere & in front of people whilst maintaining your modesty…most of the time!

22. You’ve sat inside McDonalds or outside the Apple store for hours using their WIFI.

23. You can sleep anywhere. Your mates floor, the airport, in a bar..backpacking can be tiring, people!

24. You’ve tried sneaking into clubs by rubbing your mates stamp on your wrist. Do people actually pay $30 entry to get into clubs these days?!

25. You started a blog/journal but have forgotten to post/write for a few weeks now- you’re just having too much fun!

26. Clean toilets & hot showers become a luxury and you can’t even remember what a hot bath feels like!

27. You’ve been carrying around the same water bottle for 3 months and refilling it at any opportunity.

28. It’s strange to you when people don’t wait for their change at the bar. That could buy you half a schooner of beer!

29. You’ve got used to the heat and now anywhere with air con feels like the Antarctic.

30. You’ve heard someone having sex no more than 3 feet away from you. Oh the joys of hostel living!

31. You’re constantly battling your room mates for the free plug to charge up your phone.

32. You have constant tan lines even though you haven’t been sunbathing in a while.

33. You’ve got $9.70 in your account but still go out on the piss – where there’s a will there’s a way!

34. Your backpack is so heavy, you’ve started dragging it as much as you can and are seriously contemplating fashioning some backpack wheels.

35. When you aren’t going bare foot your, flip flops are your best friend.

36. Luxuries such as perfume & aftershave are a distant memory.

37. You memorised your passport number a long time ago but..

38. ..You still feel guilty walking through customs at the airport no matter how many times you’ve done it. Did someone plant something in my bag!?

39. Sleep is no longer a necessity. You’ve learnt to survive on 4 hours a night. You can sleep when you’re dead right?

40. You agree with most of these!!

Can you think of any more? We want to hear from you. Comment below!

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14/06/2015/0 Comments/by Bernie Augstein

Australia, Featured

The ULTIMATE Internship in Sydney

Being an Ultimate Intern described in one word: AMAZING!

When I came to Australia on my own I was a bit nervous and worried that I might not be able to handle everything, including the foreign language, the new people and the new city in general. There was no need to at all! Already after the first week I knew I was having the time of my life! And I still do!

How to describe the internship at UltimateOz? Well, first of all, get rid of the boring image of interning in an office, where everyone is wearing a suit and is sitting next to each other in a small room focused on his computer. As an intern at UltimateOz you’ve got your own desk right behind the travel agents and get in contact with the customers every day!

Usual tasks are for example applying for Tax File Numbers and bank accounts, managing all the mail of our customers and working on our facebook page. Furthermore we have to do various bookings for the UltimateOz programme in Sydney, the Outback Range, Surfcamp or other tours and trips for our customers all over Australia. What I was afraid of the most in the beginning was answering phone calls. 😮 Especially when talking to other companies, where the people had a hard (Australian) accent or when it was pretty noisy in the office, I struggled to understand them. However, so far I feel at least much more confident than in the first weeks and I even did bookings via the phone or Skype! (proud of myself!)

Furthermore you can try yourself out in group leading! Going along with our customers having the time of their lives is just awesome! We start with a city walk checking out the best places in Sydney, followed by a pretty cool harbour cruise with a real Aussie barbie. Then we’re heading off to basecamp, including fun activities like sandboarding and a dolphin cruise. There’s just one rule: What happens at basecamp stays at basecamp! 😉 Saturday means party time, but before the great pub crawl, we do the Coogee to Bondi beach walk to catch some breathtaking views!

You really take part in the daily business work with everyone else of the awesome crew and help them out with special tasks – instead of making coffee (we’ve got the coffee run for that!). From time to time you might end up tethered at your chair with cling wrap and a cardboard box over your head, but it could definitely be worse!

Every couple of weeks you get the chance to check out new trips and tours like OzSnow, Surf Camp or a part of an East Coast Trip! Can you think of better team building session spots?

Due to the location of our office right at Central and Railway Square, there’s a lot happening every day. Last week there was a film set in front of our door; Hollywood is calling! Moreover we often see people promoting new stuff, which usually means free food! Now we’ve got breakfast cookies for the rest of the year!

Overall my experience as an intern for UltimateOz was definitely the best way to spend my semester abroad, which is part of my tourism management studies back home in Germany. It has been 4 month full of fun, new experiences, new things to learn and loads of awesome people and friends for life!

After my internship, first I will travel to Cairns; do the skydive and go snorkelling. (already so excited! :)). Then I’ll fly to Alice Springs to start a tour through the outback via e.g. the Ayers Rock, Coober Pedy, Adelaide and the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne!

Then it’s time to say goodbye to Australia, but one thing is for sure: I’ll come back! 🙂

Nadine – ULTIMATE intern

09/06/2015/0 Comments/by Bernie Augstein