Prue was always the first one hopping off the pangas and into the water. Whether it was chasing puffers, following the sea lions, or admiring sea turtles, this little mermaid form Perth is a cool chick. After our trip to Galapagos we synced up in Quito for another adventure – this time trekking up 4,300 meters to Cotapaxi Volcano.
Meet Prue from Perth, Western Australia.
WHY DO YOU TRAVEL?
For a bunch of weird and wonderful reasons (relationships, study, career) I didn’t travel in my twenties. So now I feel like I’m making up for lost time! I travel for the adventure, to test my comfort zone and to recharge from a stressful job. Its super empowering to make my way around the world by myself, with just me to rely on. Sometimes I feel a bit like a mid-30’s ‘finding myself’ cliché… but I kinda understand why the cliché exists now.
WHAT’S THE BEST TRIP YOU’VE BEEN ON AND WHAT MAKES IT STAND OUT FROM THE REST?
The Gibb River Road through the Kimberley in northern Western Australia. Man that place is special! The trip came along at a time when I needed to escape from my everyday life. My amazing sister Zoe was driving around Australia at the time and asked if I’d like to join her for the Broome to Darwin leg. The countryside is so spectacularly vast up there, with amazing hidden gorge and waterfall hikes, epic sunsets and moon-rises and quintessentially Australian colours – think red dirt meets turquoise waters. It was the company too of course! Big landscapes demand big soundtracks, so we pumped INXS, U2… and Madonna’s Immaculate Collection (sounds silly, but trust me, it works!). It soothed my soul and reinforced the fact that I needed to get out and expand my experience of the world.
WHAT IS THE MOST UNDERRATED CITY YOU HAVE BEEN TO AND WHY?
Cape Town. I don’t know why, but I really didn’t expect it to be as beautiful and sophisticated as it is. I love that you can be at a super cool bar with a mind blowing view, or hiking any number of beautiful trails all within minutes of each other.
WHAT IS THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT OF ANY TRIP YOU HAVE BEEN ON?
I learned to surf in Sri Lanka earlier this year. The crew I learned with was amazing, a bunch of super cool like minded people and the whole week was ridiculously fun! On our last morning we went for our first surf without an instructor. The water was warm, the sun was rising. I had a dirty hangover. I remember sitting on my board thing “F**ck yes!”. There wasn’t a wave to be seen, but it didn’t matter a single bit!
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL THEMED BOOK AND WHY?
I have a couple. Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist – I was really late to come to the party on this one, I read it on a plane earlier this year. I love the layers to the story, I think everyone’s experience of the book is unique, depending on what’s happening in their life at the time they read it. For me it was about trusting my instincts and maintaining momentum.
Another fave is Dirt Music by Tim Winton. His description of the Western Australian landscape is so spot on, it feels like you’re there. This book made me want to visit the Kimberley, and when I finally found myself there it was so exactly how he’s described it that it took my breath away.
After the Galapagos, Prue continues her solo-travels further north to explore the rhythms of Havana, Cuba. To follow along her journey check out her Instagram @pruelizzy
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