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Meet Natalie
I’m SO Glad You’re Here!
Hi, I’m Nat, the passionate storyteller behind MISSTRAVELTHEWORLD.
Born in Bavaria, Germany, and now calling Kent, the ‘Garden of England,’ home, I’ve swapped my dirndl for wellies, but my love for adventure has never changed.
On my 33rd birthday, I quit my uninspiring job and booked a one-way ticket to Bangkok. With Naz, my partner in crime, I jumped into a 6.5-month adventure across Southeast Asia. It was wild, unforgettable, and life-changing.
Now that we’re back in the UK, I’m sooo excited to share all the amazing experiences, tips, and stories with you. My goal? To inspire adventurous souls over 30 to take career breaks, explore sustainably, and fall in love with travel over and over again — just like I did.
Get To Know Me
Go-To COFFEE ORDER
Winter: Flat white | Summer: Espresso tonic
Currently binging
Tales by Light on Netflix
Ultimate Bucket List Goal
Freediving alongside orcas and humpback whales in Norway. 🐋
A ‘pinch me’ moment
Watching the surreal blue flames dance at Ijen Crater just before sunrise in East Java, Indonesia.
Current Reading Obsession
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (still looove watching Parts Unknown).
Early bird or night owl?
Early bird when catching a 5 AM flight with Ryanair.
Weirdest thing I’ve eaten
Barbecued field rat in Battambang, Cambodia.
Most Remote Place I’ve been
Wae Rebo — a remote mountain village on the island of Flores, Indonesia.
Best piece of Travel advice I’ve received
¡Calma! (“Easy!” or “Calm Down”): received from a sweet Cuban lady in the Viñales Valley, as I panicked over my DSLR, which I left in the back of a colectivo (shared taxi). I didn’t think I’d ever see it again, but she was right. Got my camera back and learned that a little ¡Calma! goes a long way — especially in travel.
Nat’s First Travel Adventures
Growing up in a tiny Bavarian village,
I was lucky to have parents who were passionate about showing my little sister and me the best of Europe. We spent our holidays skiing in the Austrian Alps, hiking through Switzerland, and soaking up culture (and gelato!) in Italy, France, and Spain.
Did I love every minute of it as a kid? Absolutely not. Especially the hiking part — urgh!
But somewhere along those mountain trails and road trips, the first seeds of my travel obsession were planted.
And the ironic part?
These days, hiking is one of my favourite ways to experience a place.
Student Exchanges & Semester Breaks
From student exchanges in the UK to finding my travel tribe in the U.S.
Between 2005 and 2008, I took part in student exchanges to Larne in Northern Ireland and Torquay, Devon to improve my English skills for my upcoming “Abitur” (A-levels). Spoiler alert: it paid off — I ended up living in the UK!
Fast forward to 2014: I took my first solo trip to the U.S. (and finally discovered how useful extended semester breaks at uni could be!).
I spent three months volunteering at a student housing & hostel in San Diego, where I found my people: globetrotters from all over the world who were just as travel-obsessed as I was.
That experience gave me the travel bug for good. It took me to Kaua’i, then backpacking through Malaysia, Singapore, Cuba, and Morocco… and honestly, I haven’t stopped exploring since.
Moving to London
How a Trip to the Sahara Desert Led Me to Living In the UK…
During said backpacking trip to Morocco in December 2017, I met Naz on a three-day adventure into the Sahara Desert.
What started with jumping over dunes in the moonlight, sharing a tajine with 8 strangers, and dancing to Berber drums around the campfire somehow turned into something more: a year and a half of a long-distance relationship between Munich and London.
Not the easiest arrangement, for sure, but it gave us the perfect excuse to meet up in different countries.
In August 2019, I packed my bags, said goodbye to Germany, and moved to the UK.
Career Break Travel
Our 6.5-Month Southeast Asia Adventure
On my 33rd birthday in 2023, I traded my old job for a new backpack, and after a little bit of convincing, Naz and I left for a 6.5-month career break across Southeast Asia.
We crossed borders on the Mekong, rode motorbikes through the lush Bolaven Loop in Laos, and trekked to the bottom of Ijen Volcano in Indonesia.
We immersed ourselves in village life in remote Wae Rebo, sang our hearts out at karaoke in Vietnam, and drift-dived with manta rays and sharks in Komodo.
Every single day on this adventure felt like a new, exciting chapter filled with cultural discoveries, unexpected twists and challenges, personal (and couple!) growth, and sooo many ‘pinch me’ moments.
This trip was EVERYTHING we’d dreamed of and more!
Dreaming of a Career Break, but not sure where to start?
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Life in Kent & London
These days, Naz and I are happily “settled” in our new home in a charming historic town in Kent.
When we’re not travelling, you’ll usually find us exploring Kent’s coastline, sipping specialty coffee, slurping oysters in Whitstable, or getting lost on long walks across London in search of hidden corners, new foodie hotspots, and the cosiest pubs!
Although if I’m honest… I’m already daydreaming about our next big adventure. Maybe slow-mading through Japan? Or another career break — this time in South America?
But shh… don’t tell Naz just yet! 😉