Single mum Evie Farrell gets paid to travel the world, and now she’s sharing her top tips for everything from getting through the airport quicker to grabbing the cheapest flights.
Her dream was to travel the world full-time, and in 2016 she did it, using a pot of savings, renting out the family home and writing travel articles on the road.
Watch: See more of Evie’s story in the video above
Watch Sunrise on Channel 7 and stream it for free on 7plus >>
Evie shares all of her and her daughter Emmie’s adventures through her website and blog Mumpack Travel.
“We continue to travel and explore the world, and I like to share all of that with people – especially solo parents, to encourage them to get out and explore with their kids too,” she told Sunrise.
While the pandemic brought things to a halt, Evie has been on seven overseas trips since the border reopened in December, travelling to Fiji, Dubai, Malaysia, Hawaii, Bali, Vietnam and Europe.
Luggage
Her top tip is to travel with carry-on luggage only.
“I think it keeps us really mindful about what we take with us, it enables us to travel really light.
“With baggage getting lost and not arriving at the destination, I think its one of the best ways to travel.”
Farrell also advises to check with your airline to confirm the total weight you can take on board, which is usually seven to 10 kilos in economy.
Evie and Emmie travel with carry-on luggage only to speed things up and eliminate the risk of having their luggage lost. Credit: Jakub Rutkiewicz / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm
Also remember that your case weight is included.
Emmie and Evie use backpacks instead of roller bags, which are usually heavier.
Emmie sometimes takes a pillow and shoves some things in there too as it’s not often weighed.
Flights
When it comes to cheap flights, it can be tricky.
“Just a month ago, I booked flights to Malaysia with Scoot for $300 return.
“They were $231, but by the time I organised doggy day care, they had gone up a little bit, so when you’re looking for cheap flights, it’s important to be able to act quickly.”
Evie Farrell speaks to Sunrise. Credit: Sunrise
Evie uses third-party search engines such as Skyscanner to find cheap flights, but still goes direct with the airline when it comes to booking.
It’s also a good idea to sign up for airline and travel emails and, if you can, set up price alerts.
Travel documents
When it comes to documentation, one thing Evie has noticed a lot of people get wrong is not printing their international vaccination certificate.
“That’s not the green one a lot of us have on our phone, that’s the actual international document that you get through going through MyGov,” she said.
“After the pandemic, it’s also worth checking your passport to make sure it hasn’t expired.”
Treat yourself
Lastly, if you’re looking for a little bit of luxe for less, try booking an airport lounge.
Plenty of airports have private lounges which you can book online.
“We pay around $50 for our access, but there are subscriptions that you can take out to lounge groups that have properties in airports all over the world, and that works out cheaper.”
