Blog | katielofbladtravels

Feb 1, 2018
1 min

VIDEO: Backpacking Australia’s East Coast

Here it is! 10 months of backpacking the East Coast of Australia with Ultimate Oz and Loka Travel wrapped up into an 8 minute video. Lewis and I started our journey in Sydney, NSW and ended in Cairns, QLD and loved every second in between. If you’re considering doing a working holiday in Australia, DO IT. “Hope when the moment comes You’ll say I did it all… I owned every second that this world could give I saw so many places The things that I did Yeah, with every broken bone

Did Traveling Change Me?

Sep 23, 2017
2 min

Did Traveling Change Me?

Did traveling change me? Of course. But you may be surprised about some of the ways how: I’m braver. Jumping out of a plane at 14,000 feet? Check. Moving to a town where I know no one? No problem. I’ve done loads of things many people would consider scary in the past year, bring it on. I give less of a f*ck. Before I went away I felt like the littlest dumbest things mattered so much more to me. Stupid things like if my shoes matched the rest of my outfit, or if my shirt was s

A Guide to Magnetic Island: Australia’s Best Kept Secret & Most Underrated East Coast Stop

Aug 17, 2017
7 min

A Guide to Magnetic Island: Australia’s Best Kept Secret & Most Underrated East Coast Stop

A Guide to Magnetic Island: Australia’s Best Kept Secret & Most Underrated East Coast Stop I am SO excited to write this post. I feel like I’ve been let in on Australia’s best kept secret and I can’t wait to share it with you. You’ve probably heard of Australia’s Fraser Island and Whitsunday Islands. They’re two of the most popular stops for travelers along the East Coast. But I was recently lucky enough to have spent 2 nights on an island that completely stole my heart and I

Fraser Island or The Whitsundays? Which Australian Excursion Should You Choose?

Jul 11, 2017
5 min

Fraser Island or The Whitsundays? Which Australian Excursion Should You Choose?

Our group on Fraser Island The Crew at the Whitsundays Cruising crystal clear sea water on a yacht, strolling down white sand beaches, driving a 4×4 down sandy island shores… these are bucket list items unique to Australia’s Fraser Island and the Whitsunday Islands that travelers dream of when they plan a trip to Australia. While Fraser and the Whitsundays are both located in Queensland, there are many major similarities and differences between the two. They both cost quite a

What Do You Dream of Next?

Jun 16, 2017
2 min

What Do You Dream of Next?

It’s a weird feeling to have your dream come true. To know you’ve conquered it. To have set goals and spent countless seconds, minutes, hours, days and weeks fantasizing about what it would be like, imaging how it would feel, picturing it becoming a reality. Then to have it happen; in some ways exactly how you’d expected it to be and in some ways more different than your wildest dreams. It’s not sad exactly, because you achieved it, but it’s weird. Like, what do you dream of

Which Aussie Zoo Should You Visit? Taronga Zoo Vs. Australia Zoo

Apr 27, 2017
4 min

Which Aussie Zoo Should You Visit? Taronga Zoo Vs. Australia Zoo

If you didn’t cuddle a koala or take a selfie with a kangaroo did you really even go to Australia? Australia is home to two of the world’s most famous zoos: Taronga Zoo in Sydney and Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast. I was lucky enough to visit both during my time in Australia: Taronga with my family in January and Australia Zoo with Lewis and our friend in April. If you’re planning a shorter trip to Australia you may not have time to visit both… so how do yo

Six Month Update

Mar 15, 2017
2 min

Six Month Update

Was it really six months ago that I was wrestling with my packing cubes and trying to shove a year’s worth of crap into a 65L backpack? A whole half-a-year ago that I was saying goodbye to my friends, my job at Soul and waving off my family at Logan airport? When your only routine is to not really have a routine, time flies. Lewis and I have met some legendary people over the last six months and it’s crazy to see where everyone we’ve met has now gone off to. Indonesia, Thaila

How to Find the Noosa Fairy Pools

Mar 6, 2017
1 min

How to Find the Noosa Fairy Pools

The Noosa National Park is 100% a must do if you are ever on Australia’s Sunshine Coast. It is such a great and relatively easy walk with view after view that will take your breath away! If you’re visiting Noosa, check out my ultimate guide to Noosa, Sunshine Coast! There are a few different walking routes you can take through the National Park but the most popular one by far is the coastal walk. One of the coolest spots on the walk are the Fairy Pools which, apparently, were

Paddling Through Noosa’s Everglades

Mar 5, 2017
3 min

Paddling Through Noosa’s Everglades

This Saturday Lewis and I got to knock off something that’s been on our Noosa bucket lists since we moved here: Explore the Noosa Everglades! The Noosa Everglades are only miles from our house and are one of only two Everglade systems in the world (the other being in Florida). Over 44% of all Australia’s bird species reside within this region, 1,365 species of plants have been identified and over 700 native animals co-exist in the Noosa Everglades. At 10am we met our boat in

The Ultimate Backpacker’s Guide to Sydney, Australia

Feb 27, 2017
8 min

The Ultimate Backpacker’s Guide to Sydney, Australia

You’ve arrived in Sydney! For most travelers Sydney is your first glimpse at Australia, enjoy it!! There can be a lot to figure out and while the best way to get situated is to just get out there and live. Hopefully this guide can give prepare you a little for whats to come. Sydney Basics: Food and grocery shopping: You’ll immediately find out that everything is more expensive in Sydney… especially food and drink. There are two main grocery stores in Australia: Coles and Wool

The Ultimate Guide to Noosa, Australia

Feb 16, 2017
5 min

The Ultimate Guide to Noosa, Australia

If you like crystal clear ocean water, pristine beaches, incredible food and loads of outdoor activities and picturesque views Noosa is the place for you. Located within the Noosa Biosphere Reserve, a Unesco-recognised area famous for its highly diverse ecosystem, the natural beauty of this area is unlike anywhere else. Noosa is a popular stop off point for many that travel Australia’s East Coast. Many of the tours departing for Fraser Island start or finish in Noosa and it’s

ALONE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD

Jan 23, 2017
2 min

ALONE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD

Hi hiiii. Where to begin? I feel like my last post got pretty deep and this one may be a bit of a downer as well. Let’s start with the positives: If the first 12 days of 2017 are any indication of what the rest of my year in travel is going to look like I am in some serious good luck. My family’s trip to Australia was epic and I am going to go into much detail about all the amazing things we got to do in some more posts this week. Sydney fireworks, Taronga Zoo, Bondi Beach, W

The Best Spot to Watch the Sydney New Year’s Eve Fireworks

Jan 23, 2017
1 min

The Best Spot to Watch the Sydney New Year’s Eve Fireworks

Watching the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Sydney is a major travel goal for so many people, myself included!! This year I was lucky enough to take part in the festivities and it was totally worth the hype!! We grabbed an Uber and met my family at their Darlinghurst Airbnb. Being NYE, Sydney was crazy and we were so lost as to where we should watch the fireworks. To access one of the Sydney city recommended spots you have to line up (or even camp out!) hours and hours in advanc

Finding Balance and Happiness in 2016

Dec 31, 2016
3 min

Finding Balance and Happiness in 2016

I feel a little weird posting this because I feel like every other post I see on social media is full of negativity for 2016… there’s even a fake horror film trailer depicting how terrible this year was. But 2016 has been, without a doubt, my best year ever. I think it’s true that sometimes you’ve really gotta hit your lowest lows in order to get that kick in the ass you need to go after your goals. I was 110% coming off a years worth of struggle in 2015. Fresh out of college

100 Things I Learned in 100 Days of Travel

Dec 19, 2016
7 min

100 Things I Learned in 100 Days of Travel

It’s been 100 days since I left home on my year long adventure around the world and I’ve already learned so much more than any class has ever taught me. Take LOADS of pictures and videos. Just when you think you have enough, take double what you already have. Buying food from grocery stores will alway be cheaper than eating out. Buy a reusable water bottle. You’ll save hundreds. Make connections: some of the best days of travel were when we reached out to friends of friends o

Finding Jobs & Housing in Australia: The Struggle is REAL

Nov 21, 2016
3 min

Finding Jobs & Housing in Australia: The Struggle is REAL

The undercurrent of discrimination towards backpackers here is coming as a shock. It’s not really noticeable at first because Australians appreciate the tourism and economy boost that backpackers and travelers bring to the area. Day-to-day Australians are super nice and totally welcoming. But any potential employers and real estate agents are so so untrusting of us. I kind of get it. I quit my job at the restaurant here in the exact sort of way that must make employers hate w

Two Month Update

Nov 15, 2016
5 min

Two Month Update

It’s been two months! Here’s a list of random thoughts/things I’ve noticed over the past few weeks that I’ve been keeping on the notes section of my iPhone for your reading entertainment. Two months later and I think I’ve only just gotten over the dehydration from the flight out here. Not being dramatic. I would give my first born child for a Dunkin iced coffee. I never knew how dependent on iced coffee I was until I had to live without it for two months. They just. Can’t. Fi

Nov 15, 2016
1 min

VIDEO: 4WDs ON FRASER ISLAND (AND MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT VLOGGING)

Holy cow have I had a hard time uploading this video! Wi-fi in Australia gets 2 big thumbs down. Fraser Island on the other hand gets all the thumbs up haha. Hands down the best weekend we have had in Australia so far! From speeding down remote beaches in our own 4WDs, a scenic sea flight, swimming in crystal clear Lake Mackenzie to tubing in Eli Creek, it was an absolutely incredible 3 days with some equally incredible people. Will do a full post on our weekend soon but in t

WE FOUND AN APARTMENT!

Nov 8, 2016
4 min

WE FOUND AN APARTMENT!

I have been waiting to post until I have good news… I didn’t realize I was going to have to wait this long!!! There is SO much to catch up on and now that I feel like the wait is over I have a lot of posts coming up! I still haven’t written about Fraser Island! It was 100% the best thing we’ve done in Australia so far and I can’t wait to do a post all about it. My Fraser Island video has been ready and waiting to get posted for weeks now but the internet is such CRAP everywhe