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A normal girl living her biggest, messiest dreams.

Get to know me

As seen on

These are my unfiltered adventures, musings and stories.
I talk about birds, coffee and overcoming personal fears too much.

60
ish countries
7
continents
10
odd years
Find me on or or I'll email you!

My recent adventures

A solo adventure on the Gillespie Pass

A hard but rewarding adventure in the Southern Alps

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6 epic backcountry adventures for first-time solo trampers

Who needs friends when you’ve got glaciers, hot pools, and mountain vistas?

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25 photos that will inspire you to visit Fiordland

It’s never been a better time to visit the most beautiful corner of New Zealand

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More adventures from the blog

My favorite stories

All the mean, nasty and godawful hateful things people say to me online

Guys, why do people troll on the internet? Why are blogger hate comments ...
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Solo and single in the most romantic place in the world

How glossy and polished is the travel industry today? Well, I suppose it's ...
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A broken robot: the face of a burnout

My whole life I’ve always been told that my face reads like an ...
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More inspirational stories

Where I screwed up big time

That one time I crashed a scooter in Bali

A week ago I found myself upside down in a ditch full of ...
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Getting Naked in Istanbul

**Warning this post borders on the TMI, but I thought it was too ...
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This might be my funniest story of all time

Guys, the funniest thing happened to me the other day. Now, I know I ...
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More confessions
World Map
Roads through Iceland
Iceland
New Zealand Road Trip Part 1
New Zealand Road Trip Part 2
Australia
Spain
Canada
Finland

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Join me on Instagram @YoungAdventuress

youngadventuress

Mother of plants @node.nz 🌿 Nature frother & #birdnerd 🐧 Friend of kākāpō and the girl with the whales 🐳 It’s all in my blog ⬇️

Liz Carlson☀️Young Adventuress
House hunting on Rakiura // Stewart Island. In my House hunting on Rakiura // Stewart Island. In my heart I know each of these baches and homes all have incredible stories. I wish I could learn them all! Who lives here? Who first built this place? What kinds of storms have they seen? And most importantly, when can I move in? @southland.nz never ceases to delight and surprise!
34 twirls around the sun 😎 recently I was chatt 34 twirls around the sun 😎 recently I was chatting with friends and someone asked if we could go back to any age what would it be. For some reason this has stuck in my head, and my answer hasn’t changed. I wouldn’t go back. I’ve enjoyed many moments in my life, some years far better than others, but none remarkable enough where I would repeat. There’s no amount of money I could be paid to go back to high school, and remembering my twenties makes me so tired - where did all that energy and tolerance for booze come from? I feel like every age is special and has meaning, and I’m looking forward to 34. I feel like I’ve become comfortable with who I am and what I want. My need to please others has taken a backseat as I try to put myself completely and utterly first. So far, it feels pretty awesome.
Favorite time of year at one of my favorite places Favorite time of year at one of my favorite places @twopaddocks 🍁
🍁AUTUMN GIVEAWAY🍁 . Win some of my favorite 🍁AUTUMN GIVEAWAY🍁 . Win some of my favorite goodies to keep you cozy this fall. I’ve teamed up with some of my go-to local New Zealand brands to spread the joy with you guys as we inch towards winter. I’ve got my favorite @wilsondorset to keep you warm, a lovely (and hardy) Birkin potted up from my shop @node.nz as well as some dried flowers in a handcraft vase from @nedcollections and my favorite autumn scented candle from @lytteltonlights. I can’t give away alcohol in New Zealand so I’ve got this epic retro chilly bin from @zedencider + a voucher for Countdown where they stock these ciders (go for feijoa)! Hope this keeps you comfy and snug as a bug as the colder days creep in. Let’s keep supporting local! ・ To enter, simply: ☺︎ Like this photo 👍🏻 ☺︎ Be following @zedencider @wilsondorset @lytteltonlights @nedcollections & @node.nz and me of course @youngadventuress 😎 ☺︎ Tag a friend who loves autumn too in a comment below 👯‍ (each friend is an extra entry) This giveaway is open to anyone in New Zealand who loves autumn 🙌🏻 Competition closes on Thursday May 19th at midnight with one winner will be announced on this post on the next day. Good luck!
The days are getting crispier, and the sun disappe The days are getting crispier, and the sun disappears by 5pm. Winter is coming to Wanaka, and for the first time in a long time, I’m considering skipping it. I don’t have a concrete place to live; I’ve got my current Wanaka flat til July 1st. Do I find a long-term rental in Wanaka while I save for a house? Do I go back to Lyttelton and throw myself back into my plant brand @node.nz? Do I fuck off overseas for a few months and seek sunnier shores and bigger influencer paychecks? Do I go back to my family in the US for a while? Don’t get me wrong, I love winter and I am excited to be back by the mountains; I’ve always been a four seasons kind of girl. But my life is still very much in limbo. Normally I have a pretty clear path I follow. With my anxiety I’ve learned to make decisions quickly so I don’t end up in limbo which stresses me out. But I’ve been in limbo since my breakup in November and I still don’t know what direction to go in! Normally this is not something I would have shared in the past, but I’ve decided to be open about it so that others might relate to my struggles. You are not alone. . Six months of feeling lost. I’m trying to figure out what to do. I think I’m still coming to terms with having the rug pulled out from under me. I’m a homebody and introvert, and it’s always been so important to me to have a safe comfortable space at home I can retreat to. I thought I had that but it disappeared, and I find I just don’t have the energy or will to rebuild it on my own right now, even though I crave a routine. I’m so tired. Do I keep my stuff in storage and try to see this freedom as an opportunity? Do I buck up and admit to myself that my old life is gone and it’s time to build a new one? Being untethered sucks and is wonderful at the same time. I guess im just hoping the right opportunity will present itself soon. And if you have any advice for lost wanderers like me, I’d love to hear it 📷 @markclinton
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Who is Young Adventuress?

Hi, I'm Liz, and I got my first taste for traveling when I was 16 years old. On my own, 12 years and 50 something countries later, my wanderlust has only grown and the list of countries I want to visit longer. After living in Spain for the past few years and returning home for a stint, I then quit my job and moved to New Zealand and I've been here ever since. Follow my misadventures as I wander, eat, and photograph my way around the world

Get Inspired

  • 25 photos that will inspire you to visit Fiordland
  • Inspiring the next generation of Antarctic explorers
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Featured Stories

  • My big issue with fear and travel
  • The best hate I got in 2015
  • The Story of the Kākāpō + Giveaway
  • Why Experience Still Matters

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