About Me

Hello, my name is Hilary and I’m addicted to travel.

It all started out innocently: a month long Archaeology course in Greece during my third year at Uni. But that was all it took…

Next thing I knew I was careening around the UK with one of my besties, drinking Guinness in pubs across Ireland and desperately trying (and failing) to understand the accents of chatty old men on the streets of Edinburgh.

Next it was festivals: Guinness’ 250th birthday in Dublin, drinking beer in smoky tents at Oktoberfest and pub-crawling the historic cobble-stoned alleys of Prague.

After two trips to Europe I was eager for more. I spent a few months backpacking the infamous “banana pancake” trail of South East Asia with my friend Caitlin. We lost ourselves in the sandy islands of Thailand, watched the red sun rise at the Full Moon festival and immersed ourselves in the hospitable culture of Southeast Asian locals. 

The next year I spent 4 months trekking the continent of South America with my friend Adam (also the start of this blog).  Adam and I witnessed the colourful Brazilian Carnaval, floated down the Amazon River on a cargo ship with only hammocks to sleep in and spent 4 days hiking the Inca trail, in the rain, to see Machu Picchu. The two of us ticked off 8 new countries and spent an excruciating total of 336 hours on busses.

After returning home, it took me five days to pick my next trip: Africa and India. My Kiwi companion and I toured from Kenya southward through 8 African countries and ended up in Capetown. We saw the great migration in Tanzania, swam in the Devil’s pool at Victoria falls, cage-dived with Great white sharks and I finally completed a lifelong goal: riding bareback on an ostrich.  (Yes. Don’t judge. That was a lifelong goal of mine…) From Africa, we flew to Delhi and endured the trials and tribulations of India and Sri Lanka before going our separate ways home.

Yes, I have to admit it: I’m addicted to travel. I want to learn about the world. I find myself endlessly curious about new cultures and new people. Travel is the driving force of my life.

Apart from traveling, I love food. I obsessively love food. I love to laugh and drink wine and eat and cook. I will try anything once: snake blood and homemade whiskey in Vietnam, barbequed scorpions from a food stall on the streets of Bangkok, or even sketchy-looking street meat from dirty stalls at a bus stop in rural India. Both my doctor and I are amazed I haven’t caught some sort of deadly parasite over the years… *knock on wood *

I consider myself independent and strong: in every sense of the word except physical. In fact, I often have trouble opening water bottles on my own. My friends believe I would most definitely die of dehydration locked in a room full of unopened Dasani bottles…

I LOVE puns, and I HATE biking.  I am incredibly indecisive and I don’t have an all-time  favourite anything. Even the thought of picking favourites stresses me out…

I am no fun to be around when I am hungry. Getting “Hangry” (Hungry and Angry) is my one serious downfall (easily solved by a snack – seriously, it’s like magic).

And yet, I am certain that all of my problems can be solved by sunshine, a run and a skinny vanilla latte from Starbucks. When the world looks bleak, this is an unbeatable combination!

Over the years, I have had my heart broken countless times: by men, by friends and by the things I have seen in the world around me. But I truly believe that, for every sad moment in my life, there will be a happy one to replace it in the future. Without the bad times we cannot appreciate the good… and most of the time, disaster goes hand-in-hand with an EXCELLENT story!

Happy Travels and thank you in advance to all who read, comment or follow my blog.

Cheers,

Hilary Lust

18 thoughts on “About Me”

  1. Hi! I think your blog is awesome and i nominated you for the Sunshine Award. If you wish to participate, follow the steps outlined on my post by clicking on the following link: thevibe101.wordpress.com/2012/12/13/the-sunshine-award/. Whether you join in or not, I think your blog is amazing! The Vibe

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    • Aw, Thank you! I’m so flattered that you would think to nominate my blog! It’s so great to hear when others enjoy reading about my travels. I’ll check out the Sunshine Award rules and see what it takes to participate in the chain. Thanks Again!
      Cheers,
      Hilary

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  2. Good to travel when you are young and strong. I saw most of the world when I had a lot of free time and no responsibility. I tell my kids and anyone willing to listen. Travel, test life and have fun before a permanent job. We will work for 50 years. Need some fun and memories before getting lost in real life problems. Have fun and be safe.

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    • Ah it’s so nice to hear that from someone who has already seen the world! Very occasionally I think to myself “what am I doing with my life?!” Then I realize that I’m doing what I love! I’ve never heard anyone say they regret traveling too much!

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  4. Greetings from Australia Hillary,
    I love your energy and zest for adventure which I can fully appreciate, having travelled and lived in Europe for about five long lovely years. Archaeology sounds quite fun actually and was the one thing I was considering studying when I was a young boy. :). All the best on your journey through life.
    Keep smiling and God bless you

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    • Well thank you so much! Taking archaeology courses in Greece was an incredible experience! Wouldn’t have changed it for the world. The work as a full time job was, however, slightly too meticulous for my liking. So I’m back to square one with “what I want to do when I grow up” provided I ever do 😉 haha! Thanks for reading my blog! I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reply, looks like I’ve missed a few comments in the chaos of travel.
      Take care!

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    • Thanks Terri!
      Sorry for the late response. It appears I’ve missed a few comments while I’ve been on the road. It definitely has been a wonderful adventure so far! Africa offered more than I ever could have expected from a continent. Can’t wait to go back. India has been a whirlwind thus far as well, stories to follow soon!
      Thanks for the comments, it’s always a pleasure knowing that people enjoy my adventures as much as I do 🙂

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    • Thanks Becky!! Although I know I’m not the only one that’s been flitting around the world with amazing stories! I’ve loved your posts around Europe (mainly the ones concerning Spain and France). I have never visited either place and have been contemplating a trip to that area of the world! Like you, I adore tapas. So I have a feeling if I went for a “quick trip” I’d probably love the place so much I’d never return…. hahaha. Thanks so much for the nomination! Keep up the great blog you’ve got!

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