Staff Interview with Clauds Bowers

What inspired you to join the Welcome to Travel team?

From a young age, travelling has always been a huge part of my life. Especially since finishing high school I’ve been fortunate enough to travel and live abroad for a good part of my 20s so far. Before applying for the position with Welcome to Travel, I was an English homeroom teacher in Thailand and wasn’t planning on heading home so soon. To backtrack a little; I am in a Facebook chat with the group of legends I met on my TESOL course in Thailand. Around April someone shared the “Things Never Said By Backpackers” video in our group and because it’s so relatable we absolutely loved it. At the time I had no idea there was such a great travel company behind it.

A few months later, Adam and Darryls’ faces kept popping up on my newsfeed so I decided to dig a little deeper and realized what Welcome to Travel: Melbourne was all about. This was when I noticed they were looking for a third person to join the team and I remember reading it with absolute excitement thinking this is my dream job! Unfortunately for me, applications closed two days prior. Normally I would’ve admitted defeat, but I was so pumped up after reading the position description that I decided to apply anyway. I remember thinking after meeting Adam and Darryl over the first Skype interview that I HAVE to work for these guys. When they offered me the position, I was absolutely ecstatic. Of course, I was devastated to leave my 7-year-old students earlier than expected, but I know this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I booked my flight home a few days later and here I am. 

Can you tell us about your role with Welcome to Travel and what qualifies you to be a Travel Legend?

My main role with WTT is leading the 8-day tour around Melbourne. The group’s transition from start to finish of the tour week is insane. They come in as excited and nervous strangers, and leave as a small family full of confidence, and ready to tackle their next move in Australia knowing they have a strong support network behind them.

I am so lucky to be able to show every traveller the city of Melbourne and its surrounding coastal areas from a local perspective, and hopefully allow them to understand why Adam, Daz, and myself love it so much. Not only do we spend each day exploring and ticking off bucket list experiences as a group, we also take the time to support each traveller with their next move. They may want to continue travelling straight away, look for employment in major cities, or complete their rural work early to ensure a second-year visa is granted.

As much as I love hanging out with kangaroos and koalas, eating my way through Chinatown, or “attempting” to surf, I’m incredibly thankful to be a part of a company that values ongoing support and a sense of community so highly. I wish I had a Welcome to Travel equivalent at the age of 19 backpacking Europe—maybe then I wouldn’t have had to learn the hard way so many times, or spend my money so irresponsibly. However, I think because of these experiences abroad I now have the understanding and knowledge needed to support our travellers on their journeys when they arrive in Australia.

You do have some incredible international experiences—whether that be backpacking through Southeast Asia, living in Denmark or the USA, or teaching English in Thailand for eight months. How do these experiences influence the work you do today?

It influences my role 100%. Without my own travel experiences I would only be pretending to understand what our travellers are going through. Travelling and living abroad brings so many emotions and I would be lying if I said it was easy each time. But there is a reason why so many of us crave something more than booking a 10-day trip to a beach resort, staying in a nice hotel room, and sipping on cocktails before heading home again. As nice as that sounds, there is a whole other layer that will only be realized through living out of a backpack and settling into a new environment for a little longer. It’s because of my own positive experiences that I feel so lucky to be a part of the journey of each traveller we meet in Melbourne.

What makes Melbourne an ideal travel destination?

If living abroad has taught me anything, it’s how lucky I am to call Melbourne my home. The city has such an eclectic mix of sub-cultures all around, so you are bound to find an area that suits you the most. For me it’s the music and sports scene that I’m drawn to. The city is continuously showcasing local acts and major international artists at quirky venues all over. No matter what time of year, there is always a major sporting event to experience, with my number one favorite being Australian Rules Football (AFL) that originated in Melbourne and is often referred to as the city’s main “religion”.

Architecturally, Melbourne is also quite interesting, with a juxtaposition of historic buildings from the Gold Rush period to modern and indigenous-inspired designs. For a backpacker on a budget (or just frugal locals like me), there is an abundance of delicious and affordable food options too. All cuisines can be found here, and if you're a vegetarian or vegan be assured you’ll be looked after. The best thing is how beautiful the surrounding areas are if you’re wanting to get out of the city for a while. Whether it be surf beaches, wildlife spots, wineries, or hiking routes, you’ll be spoilt for choice. 

What do you hope participants take away from Welcome to Travel programs?

First of all, I hope they leave the tour week knowing they are part of a strong travel community here in Australia. It’s a nice feeling to know you won’t be alone in your new experiences abroad and to have a travel family to reach out to when needed. Our Whatsapp groups are still blowing up months after a tour with people sharing their experiences. One chat might share a skydiving video, another has a photo from a newly discovered beach, and another has landed a great job. Many travellers worry about making new friends abroad or how to approach strangers in a hostel, and by being part of Welcome to Travel you’re guaranteed to be a part of this network abroad. 

I also hope our travellers appreciate what Melbourne has to offer after experiencing the city and surrounding areas from a local perspective. Once they’ve caught a glimpse of the Aussie lifestyle and had a positive experience in their first week, they are able to visualise themselves living and travelling the country long-term. With our ongoing travel and employment support, the initial feeling of uncertainty as they step onto the plane with a one-way ticket suddenly turns into pure excitement.

What hopes do you have for the future of Welcome to Travel?

Honestly it’s been such an exciting whirlwind since I started back in September last year that I haven’t really thought too far into the future. What I do know is that as long as Adam and Daz are doing their thing it’s going to be great. It’s no surprise to me what they’ve managed to achieve in such a short amount of time. Becoming an award-winning tour within the first year of running is a huge testament to the endless hours of hard work and genuine passion that comes from the guys. Welcome to Travel is not just a tour, but about building a strong travel community in Australia. I know this is something we will never lose sight of, so I’m just excited to see how much this community continues to grow!

Why do you travel?

Well that’s a huge question! I guess it would stem from the type of upbringing I’ve had. My parents met overseas and never let starting a family get in the way of their travels, so my two younger brothers and I grew up essentially backpacking around Europe as a family many times. As soon as I finished high school, my parents were confused as to why I hadn’t boarded a plane yet. This strong support and encouragement from my parents from day one is a huge reason why I travel. Not once did they show signs of apprehension or distrust in my ability as a 19-year-old solo female backpacker. My motivation stems from years of listening to their own quirky and unique travel stories and wanting to figure out what it’s all about myself.

Backpacking with my hard-earned savings taught me 10 times more than my four-year university degree ever did. As cliche as it sounds, when you’re young and impressionable why not learn about yourself, other cultures, and how the world ticks rather than mind-numbing university topics like why young people don’t read newspapers. I believe travelling is an absolute privilege and it’s up to you as an individual to get out of it what you put in. I wouldn’t have experienced the things I did if I hadn’t put myself in challenging situations or had just waited for the fun to come to me.

The best part is the people you meet along the way….The travel legends of the world. Goodbyes are always hard once those friendships have formed, but if travelling wasn’t a part of my life and I hadn’t crossed paths with each of those people, I would probably be a very confused young lady wondering what on Earth I was missing. 

Why do you think others should travel and experience new cultures?

Experiencing new cultures, languages, and countries through travel is not only interesting but it teaches you a lot of things that you may not realize at the time. Firstly, you become weirdly patriotic and proud to be the nationality that you are. You will find yourself promoting your home country for no apparent reason and celebrating things that would’ve otherwise annoyed you at home. 

Secondly, experiencing new cultures provides you with a broader understanding of what multiculturalism is all about, and in turn develops your ability to show compassion and appreciation. 

Lastly, I believe time spent travelling as a young person gives more clarity about what you may want to pursue next in terms of career or qualification. A lot of countries encourage at least 12 months gap year after high school for this very reason—to avoid spontaneously enrolling into a career path just because of an old-fashioned societal expectation. This is an area Australia could improve on due to the high number of course changes/drop-outs in further education. I know I did a lot better in university after my first year abroad than I would have without a break after high school.

Do you have any travel advice you’d like to share?

When things get tough, remember why you’re doing it. Know that homesickness and culture shock are real things and it happens to everyone. It’s part of the experience and will get easier with time. Try to get into the habit of saying yes to trying everything that comes your way. Try new dishes, explore new areas, and accept social invitations from a new group of friends. Don’t ever feel like you’re intruding on an existing travel group; if they invite you to join them on a night out, remember they’ve invited you because they genuinely want you to be there.

Don’t spend time updating your social media or giving your friends and family a rundown of your movements throughout the day. Leave the phone check-ins to before bed to allow yourself to detach properly throughout the day and absorb your surroundings. Although I’m sounding like a “be in the moment” travel Yoda, I am constantly working on improving these very things every time I travel. 

What does meaningful travel mean to you?

Meaningful travel isn’t always easy to find. For me, I had to break down a few layers before I figured this out—especially in this day and age when perhaps a prime Instagram shot becomes the sole motivation for visiting a location. Meaningful travel is putting down the phone and forgetting about keeping tabs on the everyday movements of your family and friends back home. It’s about getting to know someone you might never have approached in your home environment and being surprised at what you learn along the way. 

It’s about missing your connecting train, being overwhelmed by the language barrier, booking the hostel with bed bugs, and having a mental breakdown, but then ordering the best meal of your life in the town square all alone and being invited to join the old couple sitting next to you drinking some local wine. As Hollywood movie as that sounds, this happened to me and I needed that gesture of kindness so bad I almost started crying.