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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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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
I’ve guided in South Georgia multiple times now, I’ve guided in South Georgia multiple times now, and it’s one of the most extraordinary places I know. Beaches packed with seals, penguins stretching as far as you can see, with albatross soaring overhead. But here’s something that surprised me, even after working here. We don’t actually have up-to-date population data for huge parts of the island. Which means we don’t always know what’s changing, or what might be at risk. Launched by the @southgeorgiaheritagetrust, South Georgia WildCounts is working to fix that, bringing together scientists to monitor wildlife across the island for the first time in decades. It’s not the most visible part of conservation, but it’s one of the most important. This week, donations are being matched through Earth Raise, so anything you give goes twice as far. If this place means something to you, too, it’s a good moment to support it. Link in my bio to donate!
New Zealand’s blue mushroom gets its Māori name New Zealand’s blue mushroom gets its Māori name, werewere-kōkako, from the color of the blue waddle on the endangered North Island kōkako, a native wattlebird. In one tradition, the kōkako brushed its cheek against the mushroom, giving its wattle the iconic blue color. The kind of blue your mouth turns after you’ve wolfed down a 7-Eleven slurpee, the werewere-kōkako really does need to be seen to be believed. I’ve found the best time to spot them is in the autumn, in damp areas like the West Coast or Rakiura/Stewart Island. Remember, autumn down under is April through June-ish. I’ve only seen them in the temperate rainforests, popping up amongst moss or leaf litter beneath native trees. One thing I love about mushroom hunting is that you have to slow down and be present. You’ll probably miss them if you tramp really quickly in New Zealand. They’re not that big, maybe up to four centimeters. Often, we saw them somewhat clustered together in pairs, with quite a few in the same area. Once you know what to look for, they become much easier to spot.
Having spent time in South Georgia, this is the ki Having spent time in South Georgia, this is the kind of work that really stands out. South Georgia WildCounts, led by the @Southgeorgiaheritagetrust, is working to update wildlife population counts across the island. Donations are matched this week through Earth Raise. Link in my bio to help get involved.
As it turns out, my favorite place in Canada is La As it turns out, my favorite place in Canada is Labrador ❤️ along with Newfoundland. Trust me, no one is more surprised than me. I’ve always been drawn to big mountains topped with glaciers and wild places that take your breath away. Labrador has that in abundance. I love returning here year after year in the autumn with @adventure.canada. So many of my fellow guides are locals, and getting to travel with them there is so special, especially when we go to the Torngats - which might be my favorite national park in North America. You can’t see it in this photo but at the top of the ridge in the distance, a polar bear was snoozing with her two cubs. What a place!
The @wilddunedin Festival is on right now, and hon The @wilddunedin Festival is on right now, and honestly, there’s no better place for it than Dunedin. One of my favourite cities in NZ, a little wild, a little weird, and completely surrounded by incredible nature. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to visit, this is it. Think wildlife, walks, talks, and all the good local energy. Swipe through to see some of my fave memories from this rad little city at the bottom of the world.
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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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