As the saying goes, traveling is not just about eating, drinking, and having fun—it allows us to step into the wider world, understand other cultures and histories, and discover the unexpected. Sometimes, travel can even be the very nourishment that changes a life.
Priscilla Ng, a post-80s Hong Kong girl, is the blogger and travel columnist behind “I Am the Travel King.” Right after university, she went on a working holiday in Australia. That one year of experience set her on the path of solo travel and turned her into a backpacker. Seven years on, she has no intention of stopping. Every journey remains a fresh challenge, and the constant act of venturing out has become a major driving force in her life.
“The best decision I’ve ever made in my life was to go on an Australian working holiday.”
Compared to many, Priscilla’s working holiday came relatively early. She went right after graduating from university. At the time, she had no idea what would happen when she returned—she just knew that academic life had been too intense and she wanted to go out and see what the world was like.
“I remember when I first arrived in Australia, I had to figure out so many things on my own. Finding a job and a place to live wasn’t easy, but I was lucky to quickly meet a group of new friends. When people share similar experiences, it’s natural to hit it off.”
Except for Canberra and Brisbane, Priscilla managed to leave her footprints in other Australian cities during her working holiday. She worked as a waitress, a phone card salesperson, and even as a farmer. Through it all, she discovered her problem-solving abilities were stronger than she thought and learned to value every hard-earned dollar.
Among all the places, the one that captured Priscilla’s heart the most was the remoteNorthern Territory.
“Initially, I hadn’t planned to go to the Northern Territory. I was supposed to work at a ski resort in Victoria. But then I met my then-boyfriend in Australia, and in the end, I gave up the Melbourne job for love and came toAustralia’s Northern Territory—Darwin.”
And so, Priscilla began her six-month life in the Northern Territory. The most interesting part was when she worked as a hotel waitress and met guests from other parts of Australia who would ask her about traveling in Darwin and beyond.
“I love how life keeps throwing new challenges and experiences my way to keep me moving forward,
Because of this, Priscilla has never given up on the idea of making travel her career, even after returning from Australia. She’s taken on various part-time jobs and continued writing online, sharing stories from her journeys. This year, she will collaborate with a new online tour platform, Guyguide, to lead tours back to Australia’s Northern Territory. A graduate in Hotel and Tourism Management, her ultimate dream is to open a backpacker hostel where she can make friends with even more people.
Perhaps there are many uncertainties on this journey—and in life—but it is exactly these unknowns that bring anticipation and spark the imagination.
Related Reading
Travel Archives and Trip Sharing from “I Am the Travel King”