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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.

100
ish countries
7
continents
14
odd years
Find me on or or I'll email you!

My recent adventures

A big life update: join me in the Arctic

Let me help your travel dreams come true by connecting you with an Arctic adventure

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Takaka: a golden getaway to Golden Bay

This remote corner of New Zealand packs a punch

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How the Heaphy Track become my new favorite Great Walk

Predatory snails, prehistoric-looking rare birds, and a flat track? Count me in!

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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
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

Solo female traveler ✈️ Author of “Houseplants & Design” 🪴 Polar expedition guide ❄️ “one of the most powerful women in travel” - Condé Nast Traveler

Liz Carlson☀️Young Adventuress
Travel has taught me more about myself than any ma Travel has taught me more about myself than any map ever could. I’ve been a diehard solo female traveler for nearly 20 years (👀 I’m old). I travel solo to reconnect, to be free, to grow.

@lonelyplanet’s new book, Women Travel Solo, captures that exact feeling—through 30 inspiring stories from women around the world, some who are friends of mine, and all who inspire me. I’ve been doing a lot of work with Lonely Planet this year, and can’t wait to share more soon. 

📘 Available now – link in my Stories 💙
A sea of penguins on South Georgia 🐧 A sea of penguins on South Georgia 🐧
Sunny autumn morning at @hapukulodge in Kaikōura Sunny autumn morning at @hapukulodge in Kaikōura ☀️ I’ve stayed on and off here ever since I moved to New Zealand over a decade ago, and their treehouses never cease to amaze me. Curled up with a book, a giant bed, a toasty fire and views for days, it is certainly hard to check out of here.
In about 2 weeks I’ll set sail for my biggest se In about 2 weeks I’ll set sail for my biggest season yet working in the Arctic at sea with @adventure.canada 🐻‍❄️ and I’m really excited! Starting in Scotland, we’ll be heading off to the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland and all around Canada from the remote Northwest Passage finishing in Newfoundland. I love being at sea and guiding, being part of a team that feels like family 😊 feel free to DM if you’re keen to join me on one of these adventures!
Love those clean Antarctic lines 💙 Love those clean Antarctic lines 💙
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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

  • A big life update: join me in the Arctic
  • Solo female travel in your thirties? It’s so much better than you think
  • All eyes on New Zealand’s most spectacular aurora in decades
  • A year of learning to let go

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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