Hi, my name is Hannah Eccleston. I have been winging my way around the world for the past 6 years and have no idea where I will be going next!
Me, a princess?
Let me start by stating the obvious- I’m not royalty, just a girl from Liverpool, UK who has always been a bit ‘high maintenance’ and that trademark doesn’t fade when it comes to travel. There are so many things I can’t stand or find gross and I can be partial to emotional dysregulation (tantrums). Nobody is perfect but honestly I think I am only getting worse the older I get, e.g. I used to find hostels fun but now I can’t bare them, I once travelled without a hairdryer and now carry around a hairdryer, rollers and hair extensions (you know, just in case), I used to catch frogs in my garden with my brother and best friend but now the sight of a frog makes me scream and in some cases even cry!
But all that being said my thirst for adventure and discovering all the world has to offer has been a constant from a very young age and I feel I am just getting started…
An unholy communion
I was definitely born with an adventurous spirit. When I was younger I would always run off to find a tree to climb and loved spending time outdoors and in new places exploring. But it was the day of my Holy Communion, aged 8, that my dream of travelling was truly ignited- by none other than my hair dresser for the big day. She had just returned from a summer of doing Camp America and as she pinned back my very extravagant bun she told her tales of being across the Atlantic, free from parents, exploring the beaches of Los Angeles and running into Hilary Duff. I was in awe and my imagination was running wild. As a kid who loved the outdoors but was equally obsessed with movies and celebrities, America sounded like perfect place for me. I wanted to be there! I couldn’t wait to make my holy Communion, grow up and get on a plane.
I made a promise to myself that day that as soon as I was 18 I would go and travel and live somewhere other than the UK. America was the goal but as I got older I was excited by everywhere new I went. The list of places I wanted to travel to and work in became extensive. However, not everything went exactly to plan.
A spanner in the works
Having always been such a confident girl- putting on shows in the school playground in primary school, competing in every sport you can in high school, the older I got I found the less confidence I had. I lost myself a bit between the ages of 16/17. I had the best group of friends I had had for years and we were all growing up and becoming adults. At times I felt left behind. I had a huge problem with self confidence and what I now realise was major anxiety and body dysmorphia. At my lowest of lows I found myself in an abusive relationship which halted all my plans of travelling. I became a shell of a girl, the hopes and dreams I once had became unreachable for me at this time.
I went to university when everyone else did. I dropped out after a term. I then went back to university to study fashion promotion and found myself enjoying it. I had always loved fashion and clothes were a huge part of my life and expression. Through working on something I had always been passionate about I was able to find myself again and build back my confidence. This helped me to find the strength to finally break out of the abusive relationship that had been holding me down for so long.
Back on track
I had my life back and the first thing I did was book a holiday with my 2 best friends. An inter-rail trip around Europe. This was the most fun I had had in 2 years. I was loving life. This got the ball rolling and as soon as I was back from this trip I applied for Camp America. 8 year old me was elated!
My summer at camp America was one to remember. I loved it so much and met so many people I ended up deferring my final year of university and headed to Australia instead. I think I had my mum and dad worried I wouldn’t return to finish uni but I knew I would. I wasn’t going to let 3 years go to waste. And now my confidence was back so I new I could achieve anything I wanted.
I was never going to let anyone stand in my way again.
Covid times
Covid struck whilst I was in Australia. However, due to working in rural Australia on a farm at the time I seem to dodge all the most exciting lockdowns and regulations. I worked everyday and lived in a big house with people my age. I felt lucky. The pandemic did help to bring me home though and I finished my final year of uni in lockdown.
During this time I started to struggling with my mental health. I had major anxiety and was diagnosed with body dysmorphia which eventually developed into an eating disorder which I have been dealing with for the last 3 years. Yes I had got myself out of a terrible situation I had found myself in at 18 years of age. However, it turns out, having kept it to myself and attempting to forget it, I only ended prolonging the side effects and getting hit with them even harder, later down the line.
Into therapy I went and this is somewhere I have been a few times since. But that didn’t stop me from graduating with a first class degree! Woo! And it’s not something I will ever let deter me from anything I want in life.
As my degree was coming to an end, I knew that fashion, although a huge love of mine, wasn’t a career I was ready to pursue. In fact, I didn’t want to pursue a career at all. I wanted out of the UK, again. So I applied to work in Spain, as an English teacher. Bearing in mind I have a scouse accent, get so awkward around children and I couldn’t speak a word of Spanish. But I had a vision- me on the beach, yoga everyday, fluent in Spanish in a few months. (Spoiler- it didn’t turn out like this).
The pains of Spain
Hailed as brave by everyone I knew, I left for Spain the Autumn of 2021. I had a mixed time there. I made some great friends for life and was even taken in by the loveliest Spanish family of a lady I worked with. But I wasn’t loving life. I felt slightly out of control and in a country I couldn’t speak the language and my confidence started to dwindle again. I have never quit something before so I headed home for Christmas to take a break. It was then I met a boy.
Love in Liverpool
At this point in my life I’d already travelled to a fair few countries so I was surprised when I ended up meeting the love of my life in Liverpool. More so because I thought I’d already met every boy in Liverpool, but obviously I hadn’t.
I met Tom in a bar in town I had been coming to since I was 16, at 3am on a Saturday. How we had never met before was beyond both of us. He was also from Liverpool and a coincidentally he had also spent a year in Spain and spoke fluent Spanish. We met up that Wednesday for our first date. I was heading back to Spain on the Friday so proposed that we do our second date In Spain. He agreed!
I went back to Spain. I quit my job the first week back but then had to sit around for 2 weeks and wait for Tom, who had booked tickets to Spain after our first date. We had our weekend date in Spain and have been together ever since.
He had a job he hated and all he wanted to do was travel- the man of my dreams!
We hatched a plan to save money and be on our travels by the end of the year. This was February. So, I came home from Spain, got a ‘normal’ job (well actually, I had 3) and we saved. ‘Saved’ is a term I will use loosely here, as during this time we did take a 2 week holiday to Spain for a festival and enjoyed a gorgeous weekend away in Italy.
Setting the wheels in motion
We realised saving was something neither of us were very good at and so we figured the only way to really be sensible was to actually have an end goal. So on the day of Tom’s graduation (which was delayed for 2 years thanks to COVID), we booked tickets to Colombia, South America. A place I would never have thought of going as a female solo traveller. I only agreed with the promise of visiting Australia or Asia in return.
We booked our flights based on the cheapest date we could find-November 23rd. We had just over 4 months to save as much as possible and we would be on our way!
Goodbye UK, hello South America
As the leaving date approached we said our goodbyes by means of a big going away party (any excuse for me to be the centre of attention).
And on the 23rd November we boarded the train bound for London and waved goodbye to our families on the platform. Those goodbyes had been the hardest for me. As I have grown up I have found myself appreciating and loving the life I have been lucky to have at home. I have the best family and friends a girl could wish for and leaving them was hard. What’s more, is that since I met Tom, even though we both had dreams to travel, I could, for the first time ever, picture living happily in the UK (Liverpool only). But the pull was too strong and my list of places to travel, too big. So off we went.
The beginning of this BIG chapter
We had no plan for South America, just 2 one way flights to Colombia. We had saved about £15,000 between us and we were determined to make that last!
We had the most amazing 3 months. I fell in love with Brazil and Argentina and we danced salsa (badly) everywhere we got the chance. I did hikes I never thought I would and even spent 4 days camping in the Jungle! We were robbed (three times!) and had to avoid conflicts in Peru but overall it was the best travel experience of my life.
As the money in our accounts dwindled, our sights were set on Australia. The plan- to live and work and make back all the money we had just had so much fun spending. A quick stop in Singapore and Bali on the way and we arrived in Sydney, Australia, March 2023.
The past year we have had fun playing house in a gorgeous little flat I will cherish memories of forever. I have worked 2 jobs and we’ve lived a balanced life of experiencing Australia and saving our money.
After 10 months of working our socks off, we sold half of our clothes and all our furniture and we headed up the Gold Coast and hired a camper van for our last hurrah down under (for now). Then, we booked 2 one way flights to Bangkok.
Now
So here we are, on the Southeast Asia leg of our big adventure. We have less money than we did when we left the UK, November 2022, but I know it will be fine.
Like always with me and travelling, there is no plan. For now we are just happy taking every day as it comes. All I know for sure is that I want to travel EVERYWHERE!
So I welcome you to come along for the bumpy ride. Read about my stories on the road, embrace my recommendations and learn from the (many) mistakes I make.
