I have a number of Instagram followers who reside in Australia. Some of them actively comment on my Instagram stories, and others I’ve actually had some private conversations with via Instagram messenger. One of them lives in Sydney, and she asked how long I’d be in Australia and where I’d go. I told her that Chris’s family is in Melbourne, so we’d spend the majority of the time there, but we always do a side trip somewhere else domestically. This year, Chris chose Newcastle in New South Wales. Her response was, “Why are you going there? Usually people only go to Newcastle if they have family. International tourists (like me) don’t really go there.”

I appreciate her conversation, as I do anyone who is technically a stranger on social media who wants to have non-combative conversation or engage with me in a positive way. But I secretly kind of love it when people ask me the question “Why are you going there?” of any place we go. Other people tend to dislike it. But I actually relish it because it’s ultimately indicative of the fact that not all the places we choose to go to are “mainstream,” that they may be roads less taken and traveled to. Perhaps they are gems that only locals or those within a country or given area know about. It’s one huge perk (or what I think is a perk) of having married someone who is from another country with family still residing there: it’s an opportunity for me to immerse myself in that culture and see places that I otherwise probably wouldn’t have visited, or visited to the level of depth that I have.

Places that are on the most traveled-to lists, destinations like New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, ALL OF ITALY — these are places that need no explanation when people choose to visit them. No one ever asks, “Why are you going to Paris?” because the cosmopolitan city speaks for itself in its name. But there are so many other places less traveled to that are incredible and have special things about them. Back in 2018, I got so many concerned responses, warning messages, and “Why are you going there?” questions from people when I shared we were going to Colombia. Now, Colombia is ON THE MAP. Americans are going there in hoards. It’s one of the “it” places to visit. Endless bachelor/bachelorette parties are happening there.

We spent the day exploring Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary, Nelson Bay, and Tea Gardens today. We indulged in a sumptuous seafood platter, complete with fresh creamy oysters and mussels that Kaia went nuts over. We saw some gorgeous views at Gan Gan Hill Lookout of the Tomaree Coastline. We also spent some time at the beach, where Kaia had endless giggles and threw a tantrum when we told her we had to leave. Who knows — one day when tourists have tired of Sydney, Melbourne, and Cairns when visiting Australia, Newcastle and the surrounds may be next on the map!