Van Life, Canyons & Sharks
Sharing her standout travel experiences, Katie (27), a wealth management professional, talks to ZK7 about swimming with sharks, hitch-hiking, Tomorrowland, Vegas and starting the van life.
Instagram: @Katieleighburgess
What inspired you to travel?
When I was 16, my friend from school invited me on a cruise around the Mediterranean.
We visited so many places including Gibraltar, Barcelona, Pisa, Rome, the south of France and Sardinia. The best thing about visiting all the different places was that I got to learn about how different they all are.
It was this trip which kick started my love for travel!
What does travel mean to you?
Adventure and fun! I always travel to have fun.
What is your favourite musical experience?
Tomorrowland!
It was the best by a 100 million miles.
It was a last-minute decision to go. We went on the Viagogo (ticket exchange) website and bought tickets but we did not know if they were legit. Then 4 days later, we were at Tomorrowland (Belgium) and I was like, is this even real.
It was the most insane festival and it is not like any festival in the UK. For example, you have a mini Lidl onsite, hammocks, areas to chill, clean showers and an outdoor gym. They also do yoga in the camp sites. It was incredible!
They have mainstream music, trance and a bit of everything across the different stages. You do not have to be a raver to go to Tomorrowland.
If you could go at any point in your life, you should!
Have you ever missed a bus, train or flight?
After Tomorrowland we were meant to catch the bus home, which was leaving really early in the morning. When we woke up, it was chucking it down with rain and we were not feeling great after 3 days of festivaling, so we missed our bus.
We ended up hitch hiking (in a really nice Jaguar) to Cologne (Germany), which was a few hours away. We managed to book a flight to London from there. With the free time we had before our flight, we ate schnitzels, drank German beer and walked along the ‘padlock’ bridge. So we had a really nice, chilled time in Cologne before we headed to the airport.
It was a bit of a stressful disaster at first but turned out to be fun and a good story to tell.
Which is your favourite trip so far?
We went round the west coast of America, visiting San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The trip was amazing just because every day we did something different. Even though there were some places which were similar, they all had something unique about them.
Would you visit any part of the west coast again?
We were in Vegas for a couple of days and it was so much fun. It was insane and such a cool place to walk around.
I would definitely go to LA again because in my opinion it was such an incredible place, but so many people I have spoken to just do not like it.
Santa Monica was so nice because you have people that just skate around. They have gyms on the beach and they all live that LA healthy lifestyle, with yoga and protein shake.
I just love it!
I would not go to Hollywood again as it is not the nicest place. It is so busy and I did not really think it was that interesting.
I would visit Lake Tahoe again. When we went it was out of season, so unfortunately, we did not get to ski there but the views are incredible.
Far better than the views of the Grand Canyon.
The Grand Canyon is cool but I just feel when you look at it just looks the same as the photos. Plus, it took 8 hours on a bus to get there from Las Vegas. But if you are rich you can just get a helicopter. When we got there you look around, have an ice cream and then you are back on the bus for another 8 hours.
It was funny though as my brother told me it was one of the 7 wonders of the world and then I was all over social media like 1 out of 7… DONE! Then 2 weeks later he said it wasn’t really. And then I was like, I must look so stupid. Hopefully, other people thought the same as me as that would make me feel better.
Which experience has given you the biggest adrenaline rush?
When I was in Thailand snorkelling, we tried to find sharks as they had to be around but we literally could not find any and then the instructor was like SHARK! SHARK!
It was 20 meters away from me and I was petrified. Then I was even more scared because if they hear my heart beat going really fast, they might think I am bait or something. I was so scared as I have a fear of not being able to see what is in the water, so I hate going in lakes and stuff because I cannot see what is around my feet.
It was scary until I saw the shark but it was quite small, so I was relieved about that but it did have an evil looking face.
If you could travel with someone famous, who would it be?
I love watching Jack Whitehall travel around with his father and he is just so funny and ridiculous. I think it would be hilarious to travel with him.
If you could live abroad for the rest of your life, where would it be?
It’s tricky because I would not want to be too far away from my friends or family but I would love to live in Ubud, Bali (Indonesia). There is a large UK and Australian community in Bali, so it is easy to make friends and you could live the digital nomad life. The cost of living is cheap and you can still earn decent money. Plus, the food is really good, so I think I could live quiet a healthy lifestyle out there.
Everywhere in Bali was so beautiful from the rice fields, natural hot springs and amazing waterfalls.
The local people are the nicest people you will ever meet.
When you get in a taxi, literally the first thing the driver says to you is ‘thank you so much for visiting our island, we are so happy to have you here because most of our income is from tourists.’ It is how they keep their economy going.
Instagram: @Katieleighburgess
Which European city would you live in?
Even though I have never actually been, I would say Lisbon (Portugal), as it always has good weather, you can go surfing and it is meant to be a really fun city. I can imagine it being really chilled where everyone is happy as they get their vitamin D fix.
Have you had any encounters with creatures?
In Thailand, even though we stayed in a really nice hotel, we had geckos on the ceiling and they would just poop on you and you could see the poop trails on our bed. It was not nice.
We got bitten to death by mosquito as well.
Which is your favourite continent for food?
I love going to Asia for the food as their whole pallet is totally different. Food is a main factor for me when it comes to choosing where to travel. When I was in Thailand, I lived off Pad Thai, which is my favourite meal.
Which country is on your bucket list?
I am desperate to visit Costa Rica, so I can learn Spanish, do some yoga, learn how to surf (as I have never surfed before) and visit the rainforest. It has been at the top of my bucket list for so long and I wanted to do it this year but with Covid, it was just not going to happen. I would just love to live that Costa Rican lifestyle for a few weeks.
I would also love to tour South America but I would do that on a separate trip.
Havana (Cuba) is another place high on my bucket list. I want to go and learn how to salsa dance, explore the streets and drive classic pink cars.
How will you travel in the future?
I am someone who has to do something if I think of it, before I over think it. I know Asia and America are not currently on the cards but I need to get out and I need to travel.
I follow a few blogs of people living the van life, where they have travelled to countries like Portugal. Living the van life has become a big thing, especially with Covid restricting international travel.
I have had a lot of holidays cancelled this year so I just thought I might get a camper van and go exploring anywhere I am allowed to like France, Portugal, Spain, Cornwall, Scotland and Switzerland.
I have so many places I want to visit. I just love the freedom living the van life gives you.
So I have bought a van and it is parked on the drive at my dad’s house. I will convert the camper van in April 2021 ready for summer road trips.
Where will your first van life trip take you?
Well it is really hard to drive a camper van and I did not realise until I went to pick it up, so I need to go somewhere not too far, just to get used to driving it. So I would like to go up to Scotland even though that is a long drive, to visit all the old castles and drive along the coast.
What is your top travel app?
Even though I have not started living the van life yet, the app ‘Park4night’ tells anyone in a van or car where you can park overnight. It is a community which share parking spots with helpful photos and comments.
It is good if you are on your own or living the van life for the first time because there are different rules in different countries. You cannot ‘free camp’ and park overnight in Italy for example, so it is always good to check on the app first.
What has traveling taught you?
The main thing for me is that it has made me more confident.
Just doing a few solo trips kicked me totally out of my comfort zone. It taught me how to be completely happy and content by myself.
The first solo trip I did I was totally petrified. What if I do not talk to anyone all week or what if it is really lonely, what if I cry and I hate it but it was the best thing I have every done.
When you are on your own, you make a point of going to talk to people and make friends. I am quite a shy person in some way but it really pushed me out of my comfort zone and now I would quite happily go up to someone in a hostel and start talking to them.
It breaks you out of your shell.
If you are a shy person or nervous about it, there is more reason to do it as it will change you as a person. It really does develop you and your social skills.
What advice would you give first-time solo travellers?
Do not over think it!
I booked Miami last year 4 days before I flew out because I knew if I thought about it for too long, I would think about scary things and not book.
Research Airbnb experiences like wine tasting as it is a great way to meet people. Also just research fun places to visit before you go.
Follow Katie on Instagram
@Katieleighburgess