Cobbold Gorge, Queensland.
For many of us, travelling the globe and getting paid to create magical memories would be the ultimate dream.
In 2020 when COVID hit, Curtin Master of Marketing graduate Joss Taylor, made the courageous decision to quit his day job and dive into the competitive, yet exciting world of content creation.
Today, he and his partner Megan are the travelling duo behind Instagram account @seaustravl – sharing their adventures with over 60,000 followers around the world
Joss said it was growing up in Katanning in rural WA, where his love for the outdoors first began.
Some of his fondest memories were camping with his family under the stars.
Years later, his passion for exploring the unbeaten path continues, with him and Megan embracing life on the road and creating unforgettable memories in remote and beautiful parts of Australia.
What made you decide to quit your job and travel Australia?
The decision evolved after meeting my partner, Megan. Her passion for travelling the world really pushed me to venture out and explore the world around me.
Some of my fondest memories as a child were travelling with my family to different remote locations in the Australian outback. Now, as adults, we wanted to tackle the entire country before we decided to have our own family. We were at a stage in our lives where we didn’t have any major commitments, and it just felt like the time was right.
When COVID hit in 2020, we started documenting our travels around WA on our joint Instagram account which later evolved into, @seaustravl. As our following grew exponentially, brands began reaching out to us and we soon realised that we could afford to travel as content creators.
A year later, we took the leap and decided to quit our jobs to travel Australia.
Leaving my full-time job as a Digital Marketing Coordinator was an extremely hard decision because I loved my role, which made the decision a whole lot tougher. But, for us, the whole experience of travelling around Australia was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that outweighed the negative of potentially losing a job.
What were some of the biggest challenges you encountered when making this decision?
Obviously, financially. It was very stressful. We had to save up a specific amount of money that we needed to survive off for the year, as we both wouldn’t have the security of a job and regular income.
One of my biggest challenges was having a ‘gap year’ for travel on my resume, I feared this would harm my future employment prospects. Now, I realise this isn’t a big problem today, as it’s become more common for people to take career breaks to travel for personal reasons. However, putting my career on hold and not knowing how my future would look was a big mental obstacle I had to overcome.
At the end of the day, the setbacks are not worth worrying about. Getting outside of your comfort zone can be very hard for many of us. But the experiences you gain, the people you meet along the way and what you learn about yourself far outweigh what a career can give you – except for money of course!
What were some of the biggest things you learnt while travelling?
To trust myself more and understand that everything will be okay, even if certain situations are unplanned. I learnt early on to get comfortable with not knowing.
It was daunting not having a clear plan for the next month, particularly transitioning from my normal full-time work routine which I had been following for several years. However, travelling taught me how to adapt to the fear of the unknown and have confidence in not knowing, which is a big part of daily survival on the road.
From a professional perspective, it was getting the opportunity to create some incredible content for some big brands. On the road, I had to be agile and adaptable, as I often had to teach myself how to create proper invoicing, pitch decks and various other documents, so I found myself figuring out many of these skills on the fly.
Finally, what are your top three tips for others wanting to step outside their comfort zone?
Although this may sound very cliché, just do it. While travelling around Australia, we met many retirees who wished they travelled more when they were younger. Why? So, they could be more adventurous and visit more places. These conversations reiterated to us that we made the right decision to take that leap of faith.
Stepping outside your comfort zone will feel completely unnatural, but if you don’t take the first step you may never know what opportunities may come your way. Travelling around Australia made me realise how much more there is to see and do out there. For example, Tasmania is such a small state, but we spent nearly three months in Tassie just driving around, exploring rainforests, camping on the beach and even in the snow!
Many of the skills we learnt on the road have been transferable across all aspects of our lives. For us, we would have never created @seaustravl had we not travelled, and this has opened so many doors for us, such as making a living as travelling content creators!
Joss Taylor, Digital Marketing Specialist
With a background in marketing, education and tourism, Joss Taylor is a Digital Marketing Specialist based in Perth. Since graduating from Curtin with Diploma of Marketing (2015) and a Master’s in Marketing (Distinction, 2016), Joss has worked for a variety of industries, including working as a Digital Marketing Coordinator at Curtin. Joss is also the co-founder of @seaustravl, a content creation brand on Instagram.
