14. February 2026
Location: Noosa, Queensland, Australia
Matt: Staying at Cheryl’s place was truly lifesaving, as it is located close to a bigger town, where they have plenty of caravan repair shops. At one of these places, they managed to get the big plumbing leak sorted, so now our water supply lasts much longer. As for the electricity part of things, I went to a shop called Discount Batteries Ballina, which was recommended to me by our neighbour at the time, where they did not want to do the whole re-wiring, due to liability reasons. However, they did let me use their tools and workshop to make the cables myself. Talk about trust! I spent 6 hours in the rainy conditions around and under the van, managed to disconnect the old batteries and get the new system running, which has been working great for the past 10 days.
We are looking for solo female Wanderess to share a room on our Fiery Hawaii group trip!
With these first repairs done, we finally managed to start exploring the country a bit more, but now the focus is shifting to finding myself a new place to work – one that would count towards the 88 days that I need to complete in order to apply for a second year in Australia.
Mansa: If I was still whining about my “not”-enthusiasm for Australia last week, the story is completely different today. In the last 10 days, Matt almost completely fixed our ‘house on wheels’ and that washed away a lot of worries. We have been exploring beautiful places, sleeping mostly for free, cycling, hiking and generally starting to really enjoy our new way of life. But still – we are not quite there yet.
We are looking for solo female Wanderess to share a room on our Magical New Zealand group trip!
We crossed the border from New South Wales to Queensland, and the time changed for 1 hour. The further north we travel, the greater the difference in the length of the day, when dawn begins, and so on. Sunrise is currently at 5:30 am, and the birds also wake up with the light. Each group of birds (and there are a lot of birds in Australia) has its own choir in the treetops, which is the main reason why we get up at 5:30.
Also, it’s summer here. It’s hot. It’s insanely hot, we can barely breathe in the morning already. It’s humid. If there’s no wind, then the air just stands still and we’re all suffocating from the humidity. Odd, isn’t it, in the summer? 😀
3. February 2026
Location: Australia
Matt: Two weeks ago I managed to buy a campervan or more like a motorhome, and firstly tried to clean it up as much as possible before Mansa’s arrival. But given that it’s a big rig that wasn’t kept in the best condition, meant that cleaning and organizing everything took longer than expected so we had to stay an extra day at Marie’s. She was kind enough to let us do so and I can’t thank her enough for everything that she did for me ever since I came to Australia. On the morning of our departure we took a group photo with our van, said our farewell, shed some tears and promised that we will meet again somewhere on the road.
Since then we have been on the road making our way up the east coast. With every kilometer that we made, it became more and more obvious that I did not get a good deal buying this thing. Turning on the water pump mostly serves as an undercarriage clean, given the leaks in the plumbing, and the batteries that power the fridge and lights are so bad that we can realistically stay “off-grid” for one night. So this past week was basically filled with a lot of me trying to somehow remedy the problems and us not so much enjoying the drive. We bought some tools and a new battery setup which I then spent 3 days trying to make it work, only to admit defeat and realize in how bad of a state the van really is.
22. January 2026
Location: Thailand
Mansa: We rounded up a wonderful trip through Colorful Thailand with my fellow travelers. We had so many beautiful experiences – animals, culture, food, adventures, people and their lives, Buddhism, adrenalins and explorations… The most beautiful memories my fellow travelers will cherish are from diving, elephants, cooking, exploring the small island of Koh Tao with scooters, snorkeling and the beautiful Nang Yuan… and on and on and on. Thailand didn’t give up until the very last day, when we each went our separate ways.
5. January 2026
Location: Australia & Slovenia
Matt: 2026 is here and I’m getting my fair share of Australian experiences in as I saw my first medium sized huntsman spider as well as a web-casting spider (interesting creature). But other than that, I’ve been working all throughout the holiday period and really getting the hang of this cleaning stuff, hopefully Mansa will approve of my new skills. As there are only two weeks left, before Mansa joins me, I’ve been spending a lot of time in the search for the right campervan, but still to no avail. I’m confident that something will pop up now that the holidays are done.
Mansa: The last few days have passed by so quickly. Most of the things I had to pack were ready, but not quite yet. The suitcase also contains a backpack for the Thailand trip. The logistics of packing were difficult – for the first time in my life, I packed more luggage than I should have! I was also moving out of my apartment at the same time, so the last day before leaving was downright chaotic.
Today, my fellow travelers and I are going to explore Thailand – we will spend 14 days between Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and on vacation we will be on Koh Tau. A cocktail of experiences awaits us! Thailand is one of my favorite countries, I don’t even know how many times I have visited it. In 2025, Matej and I also lived there. Next time I will report from tropical places!
29. December 2025
Location: Australia & Slovenia
Mansa: I baked 22 potitsas (traditional Slovenian Christmas and Easter pastry) in the last 10 days and lots of delicious cookies. I spend a lot of time with my dogs, go out into nature (if the sun comes out somewhere, or else the fog takes over) and I’m slowly packing for my departure.
In January, my group and I are going to Thailand, where we will enjoy 14 days of great food (protected by UNESCO, that’s how good it is!) and wonderful culture, and then I’m joining Matt in Australia. Such a long trip (3 years) requires quite a bit of preparation – sorting out the bureaucracy with banks, insurance, selling the car, considering what I’ll take with me and so on. Packing is actually not that easy – I’m heading to Japan in March, which will still be spring-like cold at this time. So, I wish to pack the right amount of clothes with me, which will be suitable for several circumstances and seasons. Occasionally people say: “You’ll buy (or throw away) there…” Yes, but since I care about this beautiful planet of ours, I don’t want to litter it even more just to make it more comfortable for me. Hence the careful preparation.
Matt: I got to experience my first Aussie Christmas (Crissy) as I’ve been invited to spend it with Marie’s family. The whole experience was really nice and enjoyable, although different to how we celebrate Christmas in Slovenia. Given that they invited me over, I didn’t want to arrive emptyhanded, so I decided to make something traditionally Slovenian and I can now say that Mansa isn’t the only one that makes potitsas anymore, as I made 2 myself as well (with her instructions though). They turned out better than expected and they seemed to enjoy it, so I’m happy with myself. I’m definitely not doing them again in the summer, it’s hard work, so I have even more respect for Mansa.
But other than Christmas, I’ve been regularly going to work and already had my first solo shift!
20. December 2025
Location: Australia & Slovenia
Matt: I’ve been in Australia for almost three weeks now and even though December is supposed to be the start of their summer, the weather apparently didn’t get the memo (it’s been mostly cloudy and with 18°C). During this time, I’ve applied to 10-15 jobs in the local area, receiving no answer from most of them. I did have two interviews, but that’s all it was, I’m pretty sure that the fact I’d be only able to work until the middle of January (since that’s the time Mansa is joining me), is not exactly appealing to potential employers. But you know what they say: there’s sunshine after every rain, and that’s been the case for me as well, as I did manage to get a job this week as a cleaner at a luxury holiday resort.
Meanwhile, I also spend my time in search of a proper campervan via Facebook Marketplace and other local Australian sites. No luck so far, but I believe, something will pop up when the time is right.
Mansa doesn’t have time to write anything this time, as she’s busy baking Christmas sweets.
6. December 2025
Location: Australia & Slovenia
Matt: successfully arrived in Australia!
The journey has been long, with a 20-hour layover in Chengdu, China, which I used to visit the Chengdu Panda Research Base and saw giant pandas in real life! Such an amazing experience, would definitely recommend if you’re ever in Chengdu.
Once in Australia, the immigration process went smoothly and soon I was already on the train heading south of Sydney to Marie, our fellow traveller that joined us on our trip Charming Ireland this year, and has offered me a place to stay for the time being. The journey has taken its toll on as I got sick from the strong A/C on the long flights, but I’m pushing through it and already got most of the paperwork out of the way as well as applied for a couple of jobs in the neighbouring area.
Oh yeah, that’s all of the luggage I brought with me to Australia, 18.8kg all together.
Mansa: for the first time, the situation is reversed – usually I’m the one who travels, and Matej stays home. This time we switched roles and I admit, it’s a little strange.
Anyway: I took December to bake cookies and potitsas, to slowly sort out all the things I want to finish before I leave as well. Slowly, slowly I’m packing, preparing things for my mom that I would like her to send to me to the other side of the world via future travelers (e.g. Slovenian coffee, and some other home goods 😊). The days are actually passing by very quickly – but that’s usually the case, isn’t it?
I’m also selling everything I don’t need or that will find a better home in the upcoming years when I’m not at home (for example my car, my fridge, some books, and other useful things). This way my traveling budget gets a little big bigger (just a little bit) and I find new home for useful things – I don’t like the modern way of throwing things away if they are still useful.
28. November 2025
Location: Slovenia
15. November 2025
Location: Slovenia
Manca has returned from Oman – a beautiful desert country, where the beauty of rocky mountains and orange dunes is crowned by the friendliness of the locals. We discovered the cities of Muscat, Nizwa, Al Hamra, Bahla and Jabreen, walked through the souks, drank karak and swam in the wadis. We danced in the desert under the full moon, and the day after we watched giant green turtles in the wild laying eggs on the sandy beach. We can only speak highly of our local team – they made the trip even more memorable. The wonderful fellow travelers made for good company, and the trip will remain in our memory for a long time.
Meanwhile, Matt is already slowly packing. Leaving for more than a year requires careful planning of what to take with us – our suitcases will be quite small despite moving to Australia, and we also plan on taking with us Barcaffe (Slovenian coffee brand) and a few other regional delicacies that you can’t get in Australia. Vegemite is not on our list of favorite foods 😀 He also wrote down all the instructions on how to obtain an Australian working holiday visa. The file will be published soon, and it contains absolutely all the information that is otherwise scattered all over the internet. Convenient!
31. October 2025
Location: Slovenia
We’re moving to Australia!
Matej was granted a working holiday visa for Australia, which allows him to work legally and travel around the country without restrictions. The visa application process was quite lengthy – it took him 5 months to obtain all the necessary documents to apply for the visa. After applying, it was approved in 21 days.
At the end of November, he will fly to Australia, where he will first arrange all the formalities (obtain a tax number, set up a bank account, etc.), and in January (after the Colorful Thailand trip) Manca will join him.
The question we get most often – “Where will you live? What will you do?”
This is where the biggest adventure begins. We will buy a campervan, which will be our home from now on. With a campervan, we will not be tied to one location, we will be self-sufficient with cooking facilities, our own bathroom and sufficient fuel tank, fresh and waste water tanks will enable a completely normal life. The plan is to travel all of Australia in a good year – the country is huge, diverse and stunningly beautiful in many ways.
Meanwhile, Manca is preparing for a new tour of Oman. She has just returned from a wonderful trip to Japan, where she made very friendly connections with her fellow travelers. Japan is beautiful in autumn – the temperatures are very pleasant (warmer than in Slovenia at the same time), the tourist crowds are gone, and in November the leaves also start to turn red and yellow.
In the upcoming “Weekly”, Manca will report in more detail from Oman!
12. October 2025
Location: Kranj, Slovenia
Some busy days are behind us! We were creating new travels with full force, our main focus being Hawaii and Japan. Fiery Hawaii have already launched! Japan will be posted during later today and tomorrow.
Mansa returned from a very successful tour of Uzbekistan, where September temperatures were much more welcoming than the ones in August. This was followed by a weekend getaway with her girl friends in Kofce in mountain parts of Slovenia, and we also met up again with all our fellow travelers from our January trip to Thailand – big thanks to the organizers Urška and Grega for their effort! Next week, fellow travelers from our trip to Ireland will meet up, but Mansa will already be in Japan by that time. It’s nice to make new friends while traveling – shared memories create a very special chemistry.
Meanwhile, Matt completed the demanding creation of trips to Japan and South Korea which are finally ready to see the light of day. He created 3 trips: 1) Hokkaido – Northern Beauty of Japan, 2) The Heart of Japan – land of geisha and samurai, and 3) Southern Japan and Korea.
All three trips are designed so that travelers can travel to one of the mentioned areas, or they can also combine them together like 1+2 or 2+3, or all together and experience the Incredible Japan and South Korea in its entirety.
In between, we also treated ourselves to a short trip in our home country – the Logar Valley in its autumn beauty never disappoints. Our beloved Slovenia is a beautiful country.
29. September 2025
Location: Uzbekistan and Slovenia
This is getting kind of repetitive. This time we’re back after a month, we promise it won’t be like this all the time, after all it is called “The Weekly” for a reason.
Mansa is currently back in Uzbekistan, where this time around, the temperatures are much more welcoming (only 30°C, compared to 45°C last time). Matt has spent the last week finalizing the Japan trip, which will be posted by the end of the week, so stay tuned.
25. August 2025
Location: Croatia
It’s been almost 3 weeks since the last update and like always, a lot of things happened. Manca survived the scorching heat in Uzbekistan, while Matt was occupied partially with doggy-sitting and some more house renovation work. To cool off we went to Julian Alps for a couple of days, sleeping in a mountain hut with gorgeous views.
With our calendar being full for the near future, it was quite the task to find the right time to do some unwinding amongst all of the thing that are happening, but we managed to move a few things around and get a week off. So, we’re currently relaxing on an island in Croatia, with a half-board accommodation (couldn’t be bothered with cooking for ourselves), enjoying slow mornings with some midday naps almost a guarantee, while still preparing future projects.
6. August 2025
Location: Azores (Portugal) and Slovenia
Another 2 weeks passed and life rushed on. Mansa in Azores (again, for the third time in a month), Matt at home in Slovenia. Much has been going on – Mansa was dealing with lost luggage of 22 people for 4 days, separate hotels, lack of hotels and moody Azorean weather, while Matt was finishing the Japan project.
Mansa actually stays home for a few days again only – next trip is to Uzbekistan. The country is diverse and abundant, and she’s excited to visit it in August and then September again. The only downside are definitely the temperatures – staggering 45°C and more. Mansa is used to humid and hot places, like Thailand or Indonesia, but doesn’t do well in dry and heated lands. We’ll see how it goes!
23. July 2025
Location: Azores (Portugal), and Slovenia
Mansa spent 10 days in the beautiful Azores again – you can see the beauty of this archipelago in the photos, and her smile says a lot. I only came home for a good 3 days, and tomorrow I’m going back, somewhere towards the small islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The group was wonderful, the fellow travelers were incredible, but the weather not so much! When someone asks me which month is the most recommended to go to the Azores… 😀
Matej, meanwhile, was busy behind the computer. He wrote an entire program for a 1-month trip to Japan:
- the first part covers South Korea and the Japanese island Kyushu – 12 days,
- the second part covers central Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and many other hidden gems in between) – 11 days,
- the third part covers the northern island of Hokkaido and ends in Tokyo – 10 days.
He worked on this program for 3 months – the logistics are beyond reason, and finding information, providers and negotiating prices took… a long time. The offer for a trip to Japan will be announced at the end of August for 2026. Stay tuned!
9. July 2025
Location: Azores (Portugal) and Slovenia
Mansa: Azores are called “European Hawaii” for a reason. The contrasts of colours are insane – from pitch black lava to all hues of green in nature, to vast blue ocean all around and locals livening up their houses with red doors and orange window-shutters. And then there’s flowers. Hydrangeas with flowers bigger than my head, wild roses, giant wild agapanthus, all sorts of lillies and other flowers beyond imagination. Indeed, Azores don’t have meadow flowers like the rest of Europe, but botanical beauties just grow everywhere.
I’ve written various tips and itineraries and how-to’s to visit Azores – check it out here and admire this beauty with your own eyes.
Matt: Over the weekend I had taken an English test, because in order to apply for a Working Holiday Visa in Australia, I need to have certificate that shows my knowledge of the English language is at least “Functional” (level B1 by European standards). Therefore, last week my time was split between doing English mock tests and preparing wood for winter time back at my parents’ home.
More about the test and everything else related to the acquisition of a Working Holiday Visa as a Slovenian citizen will be posted in the following weeks.
27. June 2025
Location: Azores (Portugal), and Slovenia
Summer has officially begun.
Mansa left to Azores today – her trip is 10 days long, and she will have 3 such trips throughout July. Matt is in Slovenia with numerous projects around the house – some renovation, some doggy sitting (yes, family business is a dog hotel :D), some more painting and refreshing the looks of the house.
We planned some nice trips throughout the summer. Mansa stays at home only for 4 days each time, so days have to be planned ahead to make sure we still enjoy summer to the fullest. We’ll enjoy a brunch on lake Bled, hike a lot, visit beautiful spots around Slovenia. Stay tuned for some ideas!
20. June 2025
Location: Slovenia
Matt is still occupied with house renovation – who knew painting a humid basement would be such an extensive project. He also bought himself a 3-month climbing gym pass and he’s really excited about being back on the wall. Meanwhile Mansa has been preparing to spend most of July in Azores, which means packing the necessary gear and preparing social media content in advance.
The temperatures are constantly around 30°C, so having a pool really comes in handy when one needs to cool off to stop our brain from overheating.
One morning we headed off to our beautiful mountains. The mountain trails in Slovenia are so vast and diverse, that you can easily spend the whole day just observing the nature and the magnitude of the mountain ranges surrounding you. We both really needed a day in the mountains, just to clear our heads. We liked it so much that we’re already making plans for multi-day hikes in August, whilst staying overnight in mountain huts.
13. June 2025
Location: Kranj, Slovenia
Life is happening so fast.
We have successfully completed our first group trip to Ireland! A group of 9 guests joined us two guides and we visited everything from Dublin to Galway, Connemara, Wild Atlantic Way with Cliffs, Doolin and Dingle, the Ring of Kerry and Gap of Dunloe, cute Cobh and charming Kilkenny. We enjoyed pints of beer, fresh local food (did you know Ireland’s cuisine is so delicious?), local whiskey and beautiful views beyond the wildest imagination.
Ireland was a real treat.
Mansa has been working on new trips now, and Matt is helping with house renovation. November’s New Zealand has already been posted (a trip is almost guaranteed!), and January’s Thailand will also be online by the end of the month, Ireland next year, and soon Japan.
8. May 2025
Location: Koh Tao, Thailand, and Japan
Life is just flying by!
Matt stayed on Koh Tao, Thailand, and had a few courses, since we last posted. He had some fun dives, a few ReActivates and certified his first Open Water Diver student. Another 40 dives done in merely 2 weeks – talk about eat, sleep, dive, repeat! Saying goodbye to new friends wasn’t easy, but we’re going home now – another chapter finished in a Book of Life.
Mansa had a very successful tour in Japan (join us in 2026!) in the meantime. They visited Tokyo and the famous Shibuya, never-resting Shinjuku, charming Senso-ji and its bustling market, sky-high SkyTree, tuna auction market Toyosu, and even went to Tokyo Disneyland! Then came Kyoto and its beautiful bamboo forest Arashiyama, zen garden of Kinkaku-ji, oldtown Gion, Nara park and its large population of wild deer, a temple of thousand torii Fushimi Inari Taisha… Osaka offered EXPO 2025 and lively Shinsaibashi street, and Hiroshima served as a reminder to humanity about atomic weapons use. Japan offers such variety of experiences that Mansa can’t wait to be back in October 2025!
24. April 2025
Location: Koh Tao, Thailand
What a ride it has been…
Our diving Instructor Development Course has started and on all of sudden time had to be managed immaculately. We had training exams in physics, standards, physiology, equipment, rules, diving calculations, environment and our planet, then knowledge presentations, open and confined water presentations. At the same time you don’t want to miss a day of diving because underwater somehow became more relaxing than anything above the water. Managing 3 successful Instagram pages in between and lastly working on new projects and preparing for my (Mansa’s) upcoming tour to Japan.
A true rollercoaster.
But we made it. Yesterday we were proudly called diving Instructors for the first time and we expect it to open a whole new series of doors – whether that be professional or just for fun.
Today is Mansa’s last day on Koh Tao. Matt is staying 2 weeks longer, but Mansa has a group trip to Japan. She’s flying to Tokyo (Japan), but then returns to Bangkok (Thailand) and we both fly home at the same time. It will definitely be hard to say goodbye to all new friends we made here, but that’s just one of the cons why traveling can hurt – you meet a whole bunch of incredible people from around the world, who then you may never meet again in your life. But they surely made your time awesome!
7. April 2025
Location: Koh Tao, Thailand
We logged over 100 dives! What an adventure it has been so far.
We have officially started our Instructor Development Course. 2 weeks of classes and training, 2 days of Examination and we’ll officially be Diving Instructors!
We have had some incredible days in the past week. Sun, palm trees gently swaying in summer breeze, frangipanis and bougainvilleas started blooming so everything smells flowery and a touch of pink is added to otherwise green island scenery.
Whenever we have a morning off (and only meet for studies in the afternoon) Mansa takes time for a relaxing session of morning yoga on our balcony, followed by a slow breakfast with insane view over Tanote Bay.
When we dive into studies we learn about pressure, volumes, gases, effects on human body, physiology and physics, loads of equipment and how it works and crazy math behind RDP tables.
Fun. 😀
27. March 2025
Location: Koh Tao, Thailand
It was a nice week.
We’re nearing 100 dives on this island and yesterday was the first time we went to Southwest Pinnacle. An incredible diving site with thousands of fish, insane amount of anemone coral and surprising depth as well. The next day we had a morning off and we jumped to the nearest beach – and there were dozens of baby sharks right in the shallows!
Such an abundant life!
We haven’t officially started the Instructor Development Course in diving yet, but we’re already preparing for it. There’s a crazy amount of material to get through, so we’re glad we started early.
20. March 2025
Location: Kawthaung, Myanmar
We went on a “visa run”.
What does that mean? Thailand allows tourists 60 days of holiday without a visa (payment) upon entry into the country. After 60 days you have to leave the country or extend your tourist status for 30 days (this costs approx. €30). If you extend for 30 days, then you also have to leave the country at the end of that period – and you can only extend once.
We are staying in Thailand longer than that, so we decided that after the 60 free days we would leave the country for one day, cross the border of another country and get a stamp in our passport (in this case Myanmar), and then go back to Koh Tao, Thailand.
Such trips are no secret and not unusual in Thailand – it’s all done under the auspices of a ‘travel agency’. Slovenians do need a visa for Myanmar, which costs about 50$, but there is a grey area here too – a day trip is actually considered a trip and you only pay 10$ to “visit” Myanmar. The agency organises all the transport, you just turn up and give your passport. The whole venture costs about 4500 THB (about 135€) per person.
An interesting experience!
14. March 2025
Location: Koh Tao, Thailand
Time flies so fast! We’ve been in Thailand now for 2 months. We first had a group trip around Thailand, and then Matt and me moved to Koh Tao.
We’re doing visa run tomorrow, which means we will leave the country for 1 day, cross the border with Myanmar and then return back to our little paradise.
We still dive every day. Our Diving Instructor course doesn’t start until April, but we’re very involved in training already. Our course director Burak is very strict with all rules and how-to’s and that’s actually a fantastic thing – we learn by the highest standard.
6. March 2025
Location: Koh Tao, Thailand
We finished our divemaster training! Still, we stay involved and we dive every day. In the morning we assists the instructors and gather additional experience, and in the afternoon it is time to work at the computer – and we work a lot. The website is growing, which brings a lot of marketing as well. Mansa creates new content, writes articles and creates traveling programs, and Matt puts it all on the website.
But when we do take a free afternoon… Well, we head to the beach. Beach photo next time!
28. February 2025
Location: Koh Tao, Thailand
It rained all week. While locals are used to monsoon rains and their aftermath, tourists were quite confused – after all, it rarely rains for 5 days straight here.
Parts of beaches on this dreamy island were washed away. The island is quite hilly (347 metres at its highest point) and the meteoric water brought with it a lot of material from the forest and the hills. Some streets had more than 20 centimetres of material deposited and were flooded up to the waist. At one point the main road turned into a river and life stopped for a short time.
We are lucky. Our home is on a hill, so all the water flowed past. Also, all credit to the builders – there was no water leaking into the flat anywhere (except in the kitchen), which cannot be said in many other houses and commercial buildings.
It should clear up on Friday. We shall see!
