A Global Home

Words & Photography
by Lara L.



Enacting upon our priority of more experiences than belongings, my husband and I are travelling the world for 200 days. In June we packed up our home of nine years to enable tenants to move in. I thought it would be strange to have them living in our place, but it was actually an easy release as I was ready for this new chapter. For three months before our trip we either housesat or shared with our parents. We successfully adjusted our rhythms to suburban life, which was so different than our own inner-city one. As we departed Australia, I wondered how I would cope with the challenge of different homes that were completely foreign.

As we have passed the 80 day mark, I am continually surprising myself. I realise I am not as attached to the space of our abode as I once was. Indeed, if home is where a sense of ease, contentment, familiarity and belonging can be found, then I have discovered it in all destinations, in varying doses.

Indeed, if home is where a sense of ease, contentment, familiarity and belonging can be found, then I have discovered it in all destinations, in varying doses.

The scent of wood fires, a cool breeze on my face, and comfortable boots on my feet tie me to my infant-self who was born among mountains and feels awestruck when amid them. I find a little routine by selecting the loveliest tea mug in the accommodation to use each day. I adopt local people and animals and look out for their wellbeing.

In Lucca, Italy, I opened the kitchen windows quietly each morning and greeted the roosting pigeons on a neighbouring rooftop. I smiled when they felt safe to approach the window as I cooked, ever optimistic that I might feed them too. As I hung out washing on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, the sight of billowing sheets on terraces, and another woman hanging hers, made me feel infinitely connected to that village – I was living daily life there too, listening to the sounds of conversation, dogs and ringing bells echoing up through the laneways. Cooking in a simple kitchen with local produce from the farmers market filled me with complete respect for the land in which we took our daily hikes. Bent over searching for treasures on the beach brought my mum to the moment, as I remembered childhood fun of finding them together.

Eating baked goods makes me think of my mother-in-law’s love of nurturing others through food. The vibrant colours of a freshly squeezed juice transport me to long talks, walks and juice dates with a dear friend. Playing in the snow with a mountain dog felt a little like playing with our own dog as we noticed their shared mannerisms. On a day like those in Rome or Amsterdam when my husband and I partook in our home city habit of visiting cafes and wandering without a destination - these quiet days put me back together again and release me from any stress.

As the adventure continues I find new manifestations of home: ...Exploring a town or striding across an open landscape and knowing we are exactly where we are meant to be.

Sensory triggers take me not only to the physical of our home city and memories with our beloved family, but also to other holidays where I left a piece of me behind. Rooibos tea drunk in London fills me with the bliss of sitting in our safari tent in South Africa gazing at the trees. Golden autumn grass sparks that sense of freedom I found in Iceland. As the adventure continues I find new manifestations of home: picking olives with a grandmother in Italy and forming a special bond. Feeling a language and culture sink in comfortably. Forming uplifting friendships for five minutes and others for a lifetime. Celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary in a small village on the coast of Italy. Exploring a town or striding across an open landscape and knowing we are exactly where we are meant to be. Setting the table for dinners with a family in a 600 year old house in Switzerland. Trekking above the tree-line of the Alps and hugging and talking to the local lambs each day. The honour of being invited into other peoples’ homes.

My heart is expanding across the globe the more we tread upon it. Home is getting bigger.