Get to know me

Hello! You’ve found me, and I’m so glad you’re here; it’s meant to be!

So I’m Liz Carlson, and welcome to my blog, Young Adventuress; a no-filter, vaguely chronological space filled with stories and misadventures about my travels over the years with some musings about life thrown in for good measure.

I’m that cliche “ordinary girl on an extraordinary journey” if one is allowed to say her own life is extraordinary at 35. Basically, I travel a lot. Usually alone, too; that way, I don’t have to compromise.

A friend once described me as cynical but kind in equal measure, a disturbingly accurate bio. If you’re a fan of chaos, brutal honesty, sarcasm, and girls who think they are wittier than they actually are, then you’ve come to the place. No, no, don’t run away just yet.

I started this blog 14 years ago when I was getting ready to move to Spain to teach English and procrastinate on life. I’m sure you can relate. I thought my path would take me to graduate school to become a medieval history professor (raises eyebrows). Instead, I turned out to be a professional nomad (read: hobo). My parents are, of course, thrilled.

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The Solo Female Traveler’s Manifesto

Solo female travel in your thirties? It’s so much better than you think

I lived on and off in Spain for years. Once, I was in Salamanca while studying abroad in college and learning to dance all night in the discotecas and still go to class the next day. Another year, I was in Córdoba to teach English and learn to swear in Spanish. And then, one final year, I was in Logroño, in the magical winemaking region of La Rioja, and that was the year I chose to live abroad over love and to appreciate a good vintage.

I started this blog to chronicle my adventures and whine about all things bureaucratic in Spain. At the time, there wasn’t heaps of info online about being an expat in Spain. So I decided to write all the things I wish I had known before moving there. Like why they eat cookies for breakfast and eggs for dinner. And how to open a bank account: the answer is, it’s impossible.

Breaking up to travel and how blogging saved me

How to Swear Like a Spaniard

A few years later, I learned that “professional travel blogging” was actually a thing, right around the same time I was basically deported from Spain – one of those beautiful scenarios where they f*cked up my immigration paperwork and promptly refused to fix it. So I said ciao for now, and I moved back into my parent’s attic outside Washington, D.C., to work for a year. t was completely undignified but needed to happen. This was my last real job, and where I spent my pitiful lunch breaks building my blog properly, saving as much as I could, and finding online work. I

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How to get paid to travel the world

Over a decade ago, I walked into my boss’ office and told him to stuff it. Then, I moved to New Zealand, where I began blogging full-time and developed a deep and abiding love for men in stubbies shorts and gumboots. I’ve gone

Today, I Quit My Job to Travel the World

How to move to New Zealand as an American

Me Talk Kiwi One Day

10 years of living in Wānaka as an expat

First, I lived in Windy Wellington before I hit the road and settled in the very special and Instagrammable mountain town of Wānaka on the South Island of New Zealand, blogging away and chasing adventure.

Then, in the spring of 2018, I endured an awful experience where I came across a mass whale stranding basically alone and cut off from the world. I was several days into a long tramp in a remote part of Stewart Island, not even on a track, when I came across nearly 150 pilot whales beaching themselves in the surf. To say it was traumatic is a massive fucking understatement. Far from help with no reception, I spent two days with them as they all died in front of me. I was not ok.

It was a pivotal moment in my life. As an empath, whales come across as very human. They look at you with intelligence while they cry, and I could do nothing. I could only move a baby. It was horrible, and I felt something shatter inside me around control. As an eternal optimist, I was in a hopeless situation. Nothing could have changed what happened.

The worst day of my life: finding 145 stranded whales in New Zealand

But I changed. I started to work with Project Jonah, who help run the marine mammal stranding and rescue responses in New Zealand; we have some of the highest whale stranding stats in the world. Somewhat empowered, I have learned and trained on how to help with strandings and encourage people to do the same.

Already interested in conservation, I jumped off a cliff with my work and now try to do as much as I can to inspire others to care for our planet and its creatures, especially whales.

Then, in 2019, after a lifetime of solitude, I fell in love and up and moved to the seaside outside Christchurch in Lyttelton for a few years. Life was rather stationary for me during COVID. I didn’t know where my passport was back then, and instead of running towards airport gates last minute, I decided to launch NODE – designer houseplant space. With our borders shut indefinitely, I didn’t know how to sit still, so I opened a plant shop because, why not? I have had a long obsession with houseplants, and I wanted to create a community space on the South Island that united my fellow plantie people. It. Was. Fucking. Awesome.

It even led me to my first book deal, where I wrote New Zealand’s first book about indoor plants: Houseplants and Design.

The 10 most Instagrammable spots in Wānaka

23 things I’ve learned my first month in New Zealand

So I just wrote a book about houseplants and happiness

But that old adage, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans,” rang true, and I had a few years where I just got bitch-slapped by life quite a few times. I had a heart attack on Valentine’s Day. My stepdad passed away unexpectedly, and I couldn’t go back to the US to help. Other crazy family stuff. One of my best friends passed away. I got taken to court by a psychotic employee. And my relationship imploded.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?

Over the course of my spectacular blogging career, I developed a full-blown addiction to polar travel. Nearly ten years ago, I managed to snag a spot on an expedition ship to Svalbard in the Arctic, inspired partly by my love for epic nature but more accurately by my deep and abiding love for Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series. Ice. Adventure. Bears. I was hooked.

It took a few years of me relentlessly pitching expedition companies before I finally landed a spot to go to Antarctica. I don’t know how many ‘no’s’ I heard before I finally wore Intrepid Travel down to a ‘yes,’ but it was a lot. I was not to be deterred. Three weeks at sea with penguins, icebergs, big seas, and whales, and I never looked back. In 2022, I hosted my own group down to Antarctica, and it was AWESOME. It was the kick in the ass I needed to spur me on to my secret dream of becoming a polar expedition guide.

A new polar chapter begins

Curious about traveling to the Arctic?

I’m now alternating between spending part of the northern summer in the Arctic with Adventure Canada and the southern summer in Antarctica as an expedition guide with Intrepid Travel.

Now, I’m also launching a new venture where I help connect people with their dream polar adventure. You can come along with me on the trips I’m guiding on, or others which match what you’re looking for. If you know you’re keen already, fill out this expression of interest form to get started.

On my blog, you will find the most marvelous collection of stories of my travels, my misadventures (of which there are many), and things I generally find interesting (also many). Creating and experimenting are important to me.

I am passionate about things like good coffee, birds, reading, Antarctica and the Arctic, being outside, and conservation work (both here in New Zealand and overseas). I believe that we are in the world to do good and to grow as much as we can. I like to inspire and make people smile (and snort with laughter if I can manage it). I also ramble on a lot about birds. Just roll with it. If you’re easily offended, you’ve come to the wrong place.

And I like to think I’m different than most other travel blogs. I also tend to think of myself as a curious traveler after profound experiences, and the idea of ticking stuff off a bucket list makes me want to punch a wall. I also manage to f*ck up quite a bit on the road and get myself into trouble. I also swear. A lot.

I write like we are friends, you know, in a non-creepy way. Hi new friend!

Sidenote: I get trolled a lot – people say mean things to me online – I am not sure why; I think I’m lovely.

When this started happening 12 years ago, I didn’t know what to do. When I would get a mean comment I could cry and eat cookie dough and feel sorry for myself. Then I decided to own it and created the annual “best hate comments of the year” list, which is one of several random things I am known for, along with falling off a camel in Jordan and just generally ranting.

Disclosure – in my defense, I really don’t rant *that* often, guys, though I do rant enough that I have an entire category on my blog denoted “this will probably get me hate mail.”

If you need a laugh, check them out below

The best hate I got in 2016

The best hate I got in 2015

The best hate I got in 2014

The best hate I got in 2013

The best hate I got in 2012

So pull up a chair and stay awhile.

My blog is a collection of anecdotes and adventures that will hopefully entertain and make you smile, and also not take life too seriously. But sometimes I also like to muse over the bigger questions, like why abbreviation is such a long word and what can I do to be a better human.

I’ve got over a decade’s worth of stories on here, many of which I haven’t looked at since clicking publish, so lord knows what kinds of goodies you might find on here if you start digging. No need to point out all my typos, thankyouverymuch.

In the meantime, if you want to catch up with me in real time, follow me below and be sure to subscribe to my emails!

If you find yourself in this part of the world, be sure to say hi!

If you’re interested in becoming a contributor and be part of the YA team, check out this page here.