About Elliot
My love for travel stems from spending six months driving around Australia and backpacking through Southeast Asia shortly after turning eighteen. The endlessly changing landscapes, diverse wildlife, exciting activities and eccentric characters I met on the way had me hooked from day 1. Fast forward a couple of decades and around sixty countries and little has changed. The campsites and hostels have been replaced with more luxurious offerings but the thirst for adventure has never waned.
Where are you originally from and have you lived abroad?
Originally from Billericay, Essex. Though I spent around 3 years in my early 20’s living, travelling, and working abroad in Australia, New Zealand, Latin America and Europe.
Countries Elliot has visited:
Austria
Belgium
Bolivia
Bosnia
Colombia
Czech Republic
Denmark
El Salvador
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Guatemala
Honduras
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Jordan
Luxemburg
Malaysia
Mexico
Montenegro
Morocco
Netherlands
Nicaragua
Norway
Panama
Singapore
Slovenia
Spain
Last Trip: Maldives
Next Trip: Portugal
About Elliot
When you're not working or travelling, you're...
Hiking, playing table tennis or experimenting in the kitchen.
How many languages do you speak?
English and conversational Spanish & German.
Which place exceeded your expectations on your travels and why?
Namibia, the whole country is achingly beautiful, full of stunning landscapes, diverse wildlife, and rich in human history dating back over twenty five thousand years.
What is your first great travel experience?
My first adventure after turning eighteen with my three best friends. After a culture shocking, but fantastic week in Hong Kong we arrived in Sydney, bought an old car with a quarter of a million miles on the clock and hit the open road. Over the following months we discovered the visceral delights of this great country, from the amazing inland waterfalls and swimming holes, through tropical rainforest to unspoilt beaches and coral reefs before cutting a path through the Outback to the opposite coast.
Which is your favourite beach, why and where is it?
Any of the remote beaches in Western Australia. Sand dunes give way to soft powder beaches and tropical waters with not a soul in sight for miles in either direction.
Which passport stamp are you the most proud of?
Colombia – Visiting in the early 2000’s.
What destination is at the top of your bucket list?
Madagascar – Because it’s a completely unique ecosystem and it’s still an unspoilt destination.
Have you ever worked abroad?
After qualifying as a Divemaster, I worked in Spain as a dive guide and assistant instructor. Whilst travelling in my late teens/early 20’s I took multiple casual jobs in hospitality and agriculture to fund my travels.
If you had just 24 hours in a big city, which one would it be?
Cape Town, there’s just so much to do. I’d start by abseiling down Table Mountain, exploring the museums and cultural heart of the city and finish the day with one of many amazing culinary experiences throughout the city.
What’s the best party you have been to while travelling?
My engagement party in the Okavango Delta. After proposing in a canoe at sunset overlooking bathing hippos and elephants, an impromptu party sprang up in our tiny campsite. With just a small speaker for music, headtorches for lighting and a patch of sand for the dancefloor, we danced the night away along with our fellow guests, our guides, drivers and cooks.
What’s the funniest/strangest thing that’s happened to you abroad?
Being delayed 24 hours at the Panama/Colombia border post (a shed with a desk in it) as the Border officer was out fishing. After spending the night in the front room of a local resident, who adorned us with his life story despite our linguistic shortcomings, we once again found our border guard absent the following morning. This champion for flexible working hours turned up with less than an hour before the only boat of the day across the border, fishing gear in hand.
Okavango Delta, Botswana