When I was 25, my friend asked me if I wanted to do a working holiday in Banff amid the stunning Canadian Rockies. I looked up photos and, without giving it much thought, texted back: “When do we leave?”
I’d been working as a journalist for a daily newspaper on the Gold Coast in Australia and was feeling burnt out. I’d always loved to travel, so the idea of living abroad appealed to me.
Within a few months, I quit my job and sold all of my worldly possessions except for what was in my backpack. I’ll never forget that feeling of freedom when I drove to the airport.
By the time I boarded my plane, I felt giddy with excitement about the future.
Our town in Canada immediately felt like home
When we arrived, everything seemed to fall into place so easily.
My friend had connected us with an agency that sorted out our visa paperwork and organized jobs for us in Banff. I started working in hospitality at an arts and culture institution and lived on-site in staff accommodations.
My colleagues were from all over the world, and I loved getting to know more about their cultures and home countries. As for the Canadians — I get why many call them the nicest people on the planet. I found locals I met really easy to relate to, and I immediately felt right at home in the North American country.
My partner from Australia joined me a couple of months in, and we had the time of our lives exploring the area. Although living in the Rockies was pricey, we found pleasure in many cheap, simple activities like hiking with friends or camping in the wilderness.
Eventually, my six-month working holiday turned into a 1 ½-year stint in Banff. But I’d always had plans to move to London — my mom had lived there in her early 20s, and I’d enjoyed visiting the city in the past.
So, with heavy hearts, my partner and I said goodbye to our friends in Canada (who felt more like family) and headed for Europe.
Living in London wasn’t all we’d hoped it’d be
From the moment we touched down, we found living in London to be really hard work. Getting settled was a struggle — especially compared to the ease I experienced in Banff (though the program we’d found definitely helped).
We were pretty broke as we’d spent a lot of our savings backpacking through South America a few months earlier, so we initially had to stay on a friend’s couch. Getting lined up with a National Insurance number (for tax purposes), a bank account, job, and place to live was complicated, but we eventually got there.
In order to support myself, I worked long hours at a café and pub, earning a pittance. At the same time, the cost of living in London felt astronomical compared to Banff. One beer out here was equivalent to me having to work more than half an hour.
My partner and I had grand plans to do loads of travel while we were living in London since it’s short train and plane rides away from so many incredible cities.
But in reality, we could only afford a few weekend trips. When we did travel, we were always on a shoestring budget.
Our big English city never felt quite like home, but I’d return to Canada in a heartbeat
With a high cost of living and tight budget, we weren’t able to take advantage of many big-city perks of London.
And although we met some wonderful people during our year there, we left feeling a little disappointed.
London just didn’t have the same sense of community as our town in Canada. I often felt expendable — just one of so many millions of people trying to survive. Maybe that comes with the territory of living in a big city.
I’m glad we lived in both places, but if I could do it over, I would’ve stayed in Canada longer and maybe have chosen a smaller city for my next working holiday.
For me, our town in the Rockies felt more like home, and I’d still move back in a heartbeat.
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