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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
This was my third season getting to sail around th This was my third season getting to sail around the Arctic with @therealmargaretatwood onboard with @adventure.canada 🐻‍❄️ she’s even more badass than you can imagine ❤️
Every time I visit Scotland, I think I love it a l Every time I visit Scotland, I think I love it a little more. My first three trips with @adventure.canada this past season explored some of the most beautiful islands in the north. I love getting to return to places I’ve visited before. Here are some of my favorite photos from nearly a month exploring Scotland by sea. Enjoy!
Controversial take - I don’t really like orca 🤷‍♀️ Sure, they have beauty, they have grace, but they also have instilled a deep sense of fear in me. Scary dolphin murder pandas, I swear orcas are the thugs of the whale world. They will eff you up. Give me a fin whale or blue whale any day.
I’ve been friends with Jess (the beautiful human I’ve been friends with Jess (the beautiful human behind @bluebohemiantents) forever, and getting to watch her build this brand from a wild idea into something genuinely beautiful has been so special 🥹 She’s a kiwi, a woman, a small business owner, and she pours her heart into making camping feel magic. Her tents aren’t just functional, they’re the kind that make you want to plan trips just to use them. I’ve got the 4m Hybrid Deluxe and I’m obsessed. It’s roomy enough to properly stretch out in and even put in a bed, beautiful enough that people always ask about it, and tough enough for real camping, not just Instagram camping. I can put it up all on my own too. Her Black Friday sale is on now (up to 50% off) and it ends Dec 1. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your camp setup, this really is your sign. They ship from NZ and AU too, which makes life easier. Supporting your friends’ businesses hits different. Supporting women-owned brands hits even harder 💛
The autumn tundra of the Torngats has to be one of The autumn tundra of the Torngats has to be one of my favorite places in the world. If I close my eyes I can smell it so clearly, hear the wind calling, and taste the wild blueberries growing everywhere. My happy place ❤️ I love coming back here year after year, and feel so lucky to get to experience it alongside all my friends from Nunatsiavut. There aren’t proper trails in places like this, sometimes I apologize to the plants I step on 😂 anyone else do that? 📷 by @tomcochrane
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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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