“I traded my stable life for an unpredictable adventure, and it’s been the best decision of my life.

As an 18-year-old, I left my quiet England life to backpack across South America. It was a thrilling and existential crisis-inducing experience that helped me realise my inner wanderlust. Or so I thought – because 4 years later, I was still in London, stuck in the rat race of earning on the weekdays to live on the weekend. I was doing well, being an immigration lawyer and an officer in the British Army, but I wasn’t happy. I wanted to live life like it was one grand adventure.

The tipping point came in 2015 when I decided to become a digital nomad. First stop – Melbourne. In just a few months, I fell in love with the city and a girl and decided to extend my stay here for another year. That turned into another year and that into another and another until I became a citizen 2 years ago.

It wasn’t all easy, however. There were years when I made only 30k/annum while trying to desperately figure out my purpose in life. I finally settled in sales and led a comfortable life for a few years, but couldn’t quite feel fulfilled yet.

Until one fine day, a conversation with two women from Monash University changed my life. All my life, I thought travel and work were separate; I often ended up having to choose between them. But this woman made me understand that they don’t have to be – that I could use my experience in startups and integrate travel into my work.

I took that revelation and stitched it with another passion of mine – startups and innovation. The result is Startup Vagabond, a venture for me to help write stories, build communities, and help support and connect Australian tech & innovation with the world.

Australia has given me all that and so much more. I can’t say how it would have turned out if I left the country after the first nine months. But I know this: What I have now – I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.” Dickie Currer