Before my trip
 

1. Why are you traveling?
   
   I’ve got a whole page on this blog dedicated to that question. The short answer: Because life is too short to delay your dreams.
    

2. Why are you traveling in New Zealand?
   
   I wanted to spend a longer time in one country and explore it thoroughly. I’ve been on exchange in Finland and that was in general pretty “dark”. Literally: There wasn’t a lot of light during winter.
   My options to travel on a “working holiday visa” were: Canada, Australia or New Zealand. Because these are the only countries where you could get such a visa (being from Belgium).
   
   I decided Canada would be too dark. And once I figured out that Australia had all the poisonous animals, my decision to come to New Zealand was quickly made.
    

3. Why did you go on exchange to Finland?
   
   Basically I wanted to be sure of seeing snow… and holy sh*t I saw tons of snow. I absolutely loved it! We had about 5 months of snow. I love snow. I love how it makes the surroundings white and it gives some kind of cozy feeling. I love the sound of walking in fresh crusty snow.
    

4. So, you’re taking a career brake. What will you do there, in New Zealand? Do you have any specific plans?
   
   This was THE most common question I had before my trip. I had no specific plan. I only knew I wanted to travel trough the north and south island of New Zealand. I didn’t know what my itinerary was going to look like. I decided I would figure it out when I arrived in New Zealand.
   
   I didn’t have any specific plans. I knew I wanted to do some “woofing” (volunteering work on a farm in exchange for food and accommodation).
    

5. The question that everyone has, but no one dares to ask: Isn't it expensive?
   
   Nowadays nothing in this world is for free. Some people even pay for love. Ok, I’m exaggerating here. You get the point right?
   
   Sure traveling coasts money but there are different ways of traveling. If you want to go abroad for a year then you’ll be traveling in a very different way from people who are going on an “all inclusive-I-need-a-brake-now-holiday”.
   I guess it also depends on what kind of luxury you are looking for and what kind of traveling you can handle. I don’t mind camping or sleeping in a van. I’m sure some people out there wouldn’t like my style of traveling but everybody has his own preferences in that. For now, mine is based on keeping things low budget :-). If I really didn’t like this gypsy lifestyle, I wouldn’t keep doing it.
    

6. Aren't you afraid?
   
   I think I had a healthy kind of fear before leaving. I wasn’t completely freaked out, because then it would be a ridiculous idea to go on this kind of adventure. I had a bit of adrenaline. I bit more then the one you have before setting off for a skiing holiday or a 2 weeks sunny beach holiday.
   I had to pack everything for a year in 1 backpack. That was my biggest struggle honestly. It’s hard to pack for a year, bringing only 18-20kg of your most favorite clothes and most useful shoes. I am a girl after all, haha.
   I wasn’t afraid of traveling alone because this wasn’t my first adventure to unknown places. I’ve been traveling on my own before, usually not that long. I’ve been to Japan on my own, even though I visited my 2 host sisters there. I figured that if I could handle my way around Japan and being on my own in Kyoto, I could probably survive in other places as well. You just have to think straight and go by common sense.
   Talking to locals or people that visited the country earlier helps as to answer some of your questions in case you’re afraid of something.
    

7. Are you traveling alone?
   
   Yes. Most of my friends back home are having babies, renovating houses or getting married. They don’t have time for this kind of adventure.
   I’d love to find a boyfriend who would want to explore the world with me. So far, I haven’t met “the one” yet.
    

8. Aren't you going to miss your friends/be homesick?
   
   Sure I will.
   As I’m writing the answer to this questions 4 months after my departure I can now tell that I did miss you guys already.
   I have been homesick for about 2 days so far, haha. That shit happens to everyone!
    

During my trip
 

1. What’s your name?
   
   Hi, I’m Mel. What’s your name?
    

2. Where are you from?
   
   I’m from Belgium. Where are you from?
    

3. Do you speak French?
   
   MEL:      Oui (yes, I do).
   XXX:       Oh, nice.
   MEL:      I’m native Dutch though.
   XXX:       Oh, I didn’t know people speak Dutch in Belgium.
   MEL:      Yeah, we do. (It’s called Flemish, see question 4) About half of the country speaks Dutch.
   XXX:       Oh, but I thought they speak German.
   YYY:       Oh, but I thought they speak something like “Flemish” there… or what is it called?
   
   XXX:       So, you speak Dutch, French and English? Wow
   MEL:      Yes… and a bit of Finnish.
   XXX:       Wow, how did that happen?
   MEL:      I went on exchange there :-)
    

4. What’s is Flemish?
   
   Well, Flemish is Dutch actually.
   
   XXX: Oh, really? So it’s the same language then?
   
   Yes. It’s the same language. It’s the same but not the same. You can compare it with British English and American English. Same-same but different :-)
    

5. How long have you been here (New Zealand)?
   
   About X months now. What about you?
    

6. How long will you stay?
   
   Probably about 6 months. I might travel a bit trough Asia later on. I’m not sure yet.
    

7. Where did you travel from?
   
   Name of a place in New Zealand. What about you?
    

8. Where are you traveling to?
   
   Name of a place in New Zealand. What about you? :-)
    

Expected after my trip :D
 

1. How was Australia?
   
   Well, Sydney was great! The rest of Australia is on my to do. Shall we talk about New Zealand now? :D
    

2. What was the best part of your trip?
   
   To be announced later
    

3. What was the best place you visited?
   
   To be announced later. I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to choose just one…