Midlife: Travel, Growing Up & Why “It’s Not That Serious” aka The Olivia Special

This week, we’re joined by a very special guest—Olivia—fresh back from months of travelling across Australia (with a little Thailand thrown in too).

From sleeping under the stars in the Whitsundays to navigating “real life” back in the UK, we dive into what travel really teaches you… and why it might just change everything.

We also chat about:

• The shock of returning home (and Tesco being the highlight 👀)
• Why Aussies might have life figured out better than us
• The truth about uni, careers, and the pressure to “have it all sorted”
• Mental load, social media debates, and why people LOVE a moan
• And the big question: are we all taking life a bit too seriously?

It’s honest, funny, slightly chaotic—and packed with perspective.

Don't forget to subscribe and share with your friends.

Keep in touch, follow our socials or send an email to hellomidlife@icloud.com.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:25

Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. I have a special guest.

SPEAKER_01 0:32

Oh, look at that face. This is so exciting. Are you both hung over by any chance?

SPEAKER_00 0:43

A little bit.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

Little bit, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

Yeah. I think that's available. There was some celebrating going on yesterday. Yeah. And some beers. Some beers, yeah. Beers in the sun. It was all that men yesterday. Oh I know. It was great. We had a little wonder dance. Oh yeah, we had a great, I've been having a great time.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

Do you feel like you're back on holiday?

SPEAKER_00 1:11

Yeah, honestly. It's great. I've been loving it. Didn't have to pay for a single drink yesterday because everyone's all excited. So I'm unemployed. I am unemployed. Not for long that I got. Oh no, it's just a job last night in the bar that we went into. Brilliant. Girls. I know. Wow. There we are. She's uh she's back. We're not sure how long for, are we? Uh it well, I went down Tesco and I was just looking around and I thought, yeah, this it's not as um it's not as great as I thought as great as I thought. Like just introduced by like this like bold beer bellied man, like like just like proper, like talking like this, or and I was like, oh with some burnt nice BO all the bees burnt, beer belly, bowl, whatever. I don't remember what else you said, but yeah. Yeah, so that made a thing. Actually, I may go back to Australia.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

I mean, surely you get beer bellies in Australia.

SPEAKER_00 2:19

Honestly, you get them worse. Yeah, yeah. They didn't love a beer. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

Anyway, welcome to Midlife No Crisis. Better get that in quick before we get go off on the tangents that we're likely to go off on. Oh yeah. Can you hear us alright? Yeah, yeah, fine, yeah. Yeah. Are we calling this the Olivia Special?

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Olivia special, yeah. Just call it that. Yeah. This is so exciting, so special. No one will know what we're what that means, but we do. We do.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

You've been there.

SPEAKER_00 2:53

So you've not had a good week. You've not I've had a good week. You've not had a good week.

SPEAKER_01 2:56

No, I've had a sad week, but um yeah. So one of our um one of our um like senior team died very suddenly on Tuesday night. So I'm not really gonna talk about it because I think it'll bring the little bit. No, but yeah, no, it was really sad because it was so sudden, and he was like the nicest man, you know, it's like so typical, isn't it? Like the kindest man, just the messages that we've had from people who work with him, like clients. So he was a commercial guy, and they generally are known to be a bit of a dick because they have to do all the difficult conversations and not pay people and all that kind of thing. But the messages we've had from it, all the people who've worked with him, one of our clients wants to name a garden after him. Really? I said to one of the team the other day, I said, Do you think some do you think he knew? Like everyone thought so highly of him, because maybe not. No, no. At least his family do though. Yeah, exactly. And we said we'd gather everything together and yeah, present it to them. We thought that'd be nice, but so yeah, sad week, and just kind of it just makes you think, doesn't it? I think I can see all the men of a certain age in the office have really been thinking about it because he was only 57, nothing, no real warning signs apart from the weekend before. Um did he have a heart attack? We think so, yeah. He's still with the coroner because it was so bad.

SPEAKER_00 4:32

Yeah, yeah. But yeah, it does make you think, doesn't it? You don't know what's round the corner.

SPEAKER_01 4:37

You don't. You really don't live life.

SPEAKER_00 4:40

Live life love. Live life love. Live life love. Live your authentic, authentic self. Live your authentic life, be your authentic self. That's exactly right. Yeah. Inspirational. That's my inspirational quote. I like it, I like it. Yeah, you do say it a lot. I know. So Olivia, advice. Are you living your authentic life? Are you being your authentic self? I'm so authentic, right? As long as you are authentic.

SPEAKER_01 5:11

Yes, yeah. Oh, that's my advice. Anyway, yeah, so our um in other news, our some of our um, I can't get my words out, social media posts have been very popular this week. Oh, which ones? Well, people love a moan. So um the one that I couldn't find last week about litter, I've managed to track that one down. So people love it when we moan about stuff. And the litter thing really got some traction, like everyone must get involved in it. Um right. And like people talking about calling it out and going and putting it in someone's car if you see them chuck it out of a car and all that kind of thing. Yes. On TikTok. Agreed. Um, and then handbag gate really got people talking on Facebook, didn't it? Do you not see that? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

I did.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

Yeah. It was a 50-50 splitters to a handbag or not, but it was making me laugh.

SPEAKER_00 6:07

The most commented on post is empty. You always have a handbag. Yeah, yeah, handbag accessory. Is it yeah? Because if you've got nothing in it, why would you take a bag? You don't need a bag if you've got nothing in it. Well, no, it's just like I don't know, I feel uh more secure. Oh right. I I like I I acquire items when I'm out. Oh right. Okay. Steal things. I'll have that. Maybe that's a young maybe that's a young person's thing. I definitely don't acquire items when I go out.

SPEAKER_01 6:37

Go out with an empty bag and get it filled up as you go. I'll have some of that. I'll have that.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

Yeah. Yeah. Oh dear. We can't get away with that in Australia, surely. No. Acquiring items. Acquiring items, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:51

And then the other one that got loads of um like interaction was when we were talking about why we thought women carried the burden of the mental load, and because women take maternity leave. Yeah. Um so we had a comment from Lucky Lego Mom on on TikTok. I mean, I feel like I'm in a whole new world of TikTok. Um, she said, mind blown, this is exactly what happens. We stay at home with the baby, so the life admin, cover the appointments, know where the child is in the nappy, feed, sleep, cycle, and how to sue them, and then we get stuck with it forever. It's exhausting. Thanks for making it clear to me. I feel like I'm not sure we've done her much of a favour there, but well, I do say that we are wise though. We are very wise. Well, we did say we were going to rename this the wise cast, weren't we?

SPEAKER_00 7:40

Yes, because we're so wise. Give out the advice. You're so wise, mum. Yes, thank you, yes. That's all right. You have to say that because I'm your mum. You come to me for advice. Yeah, of course. You do? What do you you do? Do I? Yeah, you said that in a sarcastic way. Oh sorry. That's what mum's are for, isn't it? Being wise. Being wise and good advice. Like living your authentic self life.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

So how was your return home, Olivia? Was it like was it a long journey back or not too bad? It was it was long, but it was pretty smooth sailing.

SPEAKER_00 8:23

I had Wi-Fi on the plane. What I know. I was actually having a great time, but it was I was a bit nervous because we were flying obviously over the war. Oh just a bit like everyone was on edge in the airport. It was Doha Airport, so oh really? Oh but you're like it flies like right around the war, so I reckon it added another like half an hour.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

Well, you'd rather they avoid it, wouldn't you?

SPEAKER_00 8:52

Well, that it was not even fighting anymore. It was nice to see the avoidance of uh of Iran and stuff, like in real time. I was watching, I was watching the plane and just thinking, oh, flying over Gaza, hopefully. Oh god. Yeah. Oh anyway, I think that's all over now. Yeah. We've made friends. I don't think it is. Well, have they not made friends? I don't think anyone's friends, are they really? I don't know. They've not been friends for many years. Did someone not try and shoot Trump? Someone tried to shoot him, didn't they?

SPEAKER_01 9:22

Yeah, no, tried and failed again. Shocker.

SPEAKER_00 9:25

He keeps living, he's like a cat.

SPEAKER_01 9:27

Like well, it happens just when he needs a bit of positive press, doesn't it? Have you noticed? Yeah. Yes, it does, yes.

SPEAKER_00 9:34

I that's exactly what I think. Has he like got a sore ear this time? What did it hit his head?

SPEAKER_01 9:38

Well, he's got a miraculous ear because it's literally grown back, his ear. I don't know if he's a little bit more than a lot of people. Yeah, there's nothing wrong with it.

SPEAKER_00 9:44

I'd reckon it was all a lie. Absolutely. Of course it was a lie. Everyone sat there with them flipping things on their ears. No one bothers bandages on their ears. Do you remember that? And everyone's like Trump supporters, and they all put a bandage on their ear. I was like, is someone winding me up? What col what world are we living in here? No one bothers with Trump in Australia. It's just not a thing. Like it's not a thing in Australia.

SPEAKER_01 10:10

Easy enough to bloody emigrate, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 10:12

Yeah, isn't it? Well, it was like I was like grandad put on the news, and I was just sat there and I was just like, Why are you doing this to yourself? You wake up and you put on like you're starting your day on a bad foot straight away. You're just like putting on, oh have you heard this? Two people got murdered. I'm like, just switch it off.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

Yeah, but you know what I think old people like bad news. I mean, if someone dies, it's like it it keeps them going for a while, don't you?

SPEAKER_00 10:37

I talk about people love a whinge about stuff, but like yeah, I don't know. I don't like whinging. I like joyful. We we like happy news. You love a whinge? What are you talking about? No, it's the biggest liar. Not real. No, I do love a whinge, but not not real, like not on the news, not real life. Not real life. I like happy news. Happy news, yeah. Yeah, I don't like the the news. Positive. We've had this conversation, we don't like the news. I don't I don't watch the news. No, no, I don't bother myself with it. It's definitely bad for you. So what's the weirdest in Australia?

SPEAKER_01 11:14

What's the weirdest thing about being home?

SPEAKER_00 11:16

Um I actually like I don't really know. I I went into my room and everything like mum's chuts out all my stuff.

SPEAKER_01 11:25

That's pretty I even walked into your room and went, Oh, it's not Olivia's room anymore. No, I know, she's gotten rid of everything.

SPEAKER_00 11:34

I was fuming about that. Got a lot of sorting out to do. Um Modus thing probably is the fact that the sun's actually out. Yeah. Like I I I got off the plane and I was just like, What what is going on? The sun's out. Because I I flew out of Perth and it was pissing it down with rain, cold, and I landed in England and I was like, warm, sunny. It's almost like this. Yeah, I don't know what you're on about.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

Like the English Riviera, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 12:02

I mean, it is yeah, it is so nice when the sun comes out. Everyone's way more careful, aren't they? In this country. It makes a big difference, doesn't it? Yeah, everyone's happy. I know someone actually smiled at me in Tesco. No way, I know. Tesco seemed to believe it.

SPEAKER_01 12:20

Tesco was a big event for you, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_00 12:22

Great to Tesco, like big Tesco. It was it was really exciting. I was pretty excited about it. Just going around going, oh, that's it more ex that's 50p more expensive than when I left. I think I think Australia's got a good supermarket game though. I like it, it's strong. Yeah. Coals, coals, yeah. It's it is pretty good. Yeah, they've got seasonal veg as well. Like it's all actual nice vegetables, it's not like minging, you know, like when you get a strawberry in the winter and you're like, yeah, I don't know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

unknown 13:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

To be fair.

SPEAKER_01 13:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:06

So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

They've got a lot of space and a better climate, haven't they? So they can definitely grow more than we can.

SPEAKER_00 13:13

To be fair, you go to the middle of nowhere and it's not not not cheap at all. I I paid how much I pay, I think I paid ten dollars for a bag of crisps. Yeah. Well, a small bag. No, like a big bag. Like a sharing bag. A sharing bag. So like a fiver for a fiver for a bag of crisps. I know. Where was this? That was in some weird town which is known for camels and gold. That was all I remember that day. Can't remember the name. Can't remember the name of it. I just remember that it's like known for having loads of camels and gold.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

So somewhere near the middle.

SPEAKER_00 13:56

Somewhere in Western Australia that was like really weird, full of like weird people. Oh just weird. It was just weird. It was just generally weird.

SPEAKER_01 14:06

So your favourite bit was Brisbane, because you stayed there the longest.

SPEAKER_00 14:10

Well, I wouldn't say favourite, like I lived there for a while. It is a nice city. Like it's really nice to live in. 50 cent travel, so I can go to like the Gold Coast. I know your mum told me.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

It was amazing.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

Yeah, it's really nice. Good place to live. No, but me and James just did a just did a tour like through the Outback, like starting in Adelaide and going all the way around to Perth. And so you're just in this bus driving along for just hours and hours and hours with just nothing there. And it's like insane. That's great. That's what I loved about it. Yeah, drove across the nullable, which is just nothing. It's just a treeless plane. Drove along 90 mile straight road. They love um, they love like a longest and largest thing that they've got going for him. Red to this place called Penong, and it's got Australia's largest windmill. And you just look at it and you're just like the most normal looking windmill you've ever seen. Oh, right. And you've got all these Aussies going, Yeah, this is my the biggest windmill. This is what we're known for. And I'm just like that's pretty underwhelming. Oh, there's nothing underwhelming about that trip you did. Oh no, I had a you know the trip is so good. James has done it again in Perth. Has he? Gone back. Yeah, so it was Adelaide's crazy story. Adelaide to Perth, and how long is it? Like 10 days or something. Yeah. And then he got to Perth. He's made friends with the tour guide, they're like best mates. So now he's gone. Oh, actually, I'll come back to Adelaide with you and I'll cook, I'll do the cooking. No, so that's what he's doing. So he's got it for well, they don't think it was free, but he got it reduced. Yeah, but for like 400. Oh, right. Well, that's cheap, yeah. Yeah, that's brilliant. Oh yeah, good for him. He's like he's like a surfer dude. Nice, just yeah, yeah. He's gonna come back with a mustache. I can already see it happening. Yeah, so that's cool, yeah. So what was your best bit though? Best bit? Come on, what was your best bit? Well, out of like my like I aside from Brisbane because you lived there for a long time. So oh the Wit Sundays, the Wit Sundays is like the best bit by far. Yeah. Sleeping under the stars on the top of the boat. It's like so nice. You had like dolphins swimming under you, like when you're just like because I felt the boat rocking, and you turn around, there's just loads of dolphins. Oh wow, but it's like you could see the Milky Way, and you're just like, Oh, this is the best thing ever. It's funny, isn't it? Because it's the you do remember the stars. I was saying this. Yes, you said it as well, yeah. Yeah, yeah. It's just alright, it's mind-blowing, isn't it? Yeah, it was insane. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:02

I think that kakadoo trick we did where we saw like hundreds of shooting stars in one night, that was just incredible, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_00 17:10

It was, yeah, but you don't forget it, do you?

SPEAKER_01 17:12

No.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

And that's what I said to James. I was like, You're gonna see so many stars and you won't be able to believe it. And he was like, Yeah, whatever. And then it's the first thing he said to me, like, oh see what you mean the Milky Way, and like he said, it's so it's amazing. A few weird animals as well. Weird animals, yeah. Yeah, kangaroos like everywhere, just like especially Western Australia, like just driving round, and then it's just like yeah, I was trying to cook dinner, and a kangaroo just kind of hopped up and just sat next to me, sniffing my feet like a dog. That was really nice. I didn't see many koalas though, you didn't get to see the koala. I didn't see a koala, and I was sad about that. I was looking out for them everywhere, wasn't I? But yeah, no. You've seen one though, I've seen one, yeah. I've seen a few, yeah. Yeah, you get them in Brisbane. Oh, do you in the city? Yeah, right. That's weird, isn't it? Yeah. Did you not see one in Byron Bay? I was in loads in Byron Bay. Yeah, that's what I was looking, didn't see any. They eluded me.

SPEAKER_01 18:17

They did, they were hiding. Yeah, they knew you were coming.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

And then as we were driving down the coast, I was like looking, staring out of the window, like, I've got to see a koala. This is a koala area. And then these lot were all going, there's one, there's one there, and I was like, Where, where, where? And they were just doing it just to wind me up. And I fell for it every time. Oh man. Oh, Katie. Oh yeah, no, Byron Bay was my my me and Misty's wildlife day. Yeah, we were walking, yeah. We were walking along, saw saw a pot of dolphins, and you walk along, oh koala, walk along, stingray, turn steps, like we we just went on a walk and that was just saw everything.

SPEAKER_01 19:03

Oh what was your so what was your favourite thing about Australia, not place, but what did you like best about being there?

SPEAKER_00 19:12

How laid back it is, like, and like people are just generally a lot happier. Like everyone's just relaxed, everyone takes everything a bit slower, and they don't really care. Like they're not as you know, yeah. You just I I didn't notice when I came back, everyone's like very serious, very miserable. No, like it's like you walk along the street and everyone says hi to each other and like smiles at each other. The Brits are a bit more miserable. Oh dear. Apart from me, not not that's a sweeping statement or presently. I'm sure you get miserable Australians, yeah. But yeah, but the general vibe is just happy.

SPEAKER_01 19:54

Well, like their favourite phrase is no worries, isn't it? It's like Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_00 19:58

It is that is that it is that, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:01

That's what we liked about it though, wasn't it? Yeah, it is just really chill, isn't it? Just yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:07

It's like the outdoorsy lifestyle, do you think, though? Well, it's the sun as well. Well, yeah. If it's always hot and the sun's out, you're more likely to be a bit happier.

SPEAKER_01 20:17

Yeah, but you say that. So we were talking about this the other day. I was talking about Iceland to one of the lads at work who is really into geography and he goes all all over the world on different trips. And I said, There's no way I could live in Iceland because of the daylight. Because when we went in the winter and it we had like three hours of daylight and it was so depressing, I couldn't deal with it. But then if you look at like the happiest countries in the world are like Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, where they have no sun at parts of the deer.

SPEAKER_00 20:47

Yeah, that is, yeah. How do they measure the happiness? I don't know actually. That's the thing, yeah. Is it more that like you know, they've they've got a thus good lifestyle and their countries work very well and things like that? Yeah, maybe. Yeah, I think they've got like free childcare and the school's brilliant and in it, it's all that.

SPEAKER_01 21:10

Yeah, we've got a double whammy of shit weather, shit government, shit.

SPEAKER_00 21:15

Yeah, everything's expensive, yeah. Yeah, yeah, and I think, yeah, I I it's probably to do with that, really. Well, I've just come back and everyone's gone, well, England's is going it's going down the go like it's everything's horrible, government's horrible, everything's expensive, and I'm like, all right, why did I come back? Come back, everyone's moaning about everything.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

Yeah, we do love a moan. I think we've got a bit of a culture of moaning, haven't we? I think that's the problem. Yeah, do we need to cheer up?

SPEAKER_00 21:46

Yeah. Well, I I think I'm generally a bit more cheery since I've been away. Good. Yeah, that's what I want to hear.

SPEAKER_01 21:55

Do you agree, Katie?

SPEAKER_00 21:57

Yeah, I know she is actually, I would agree with that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Happy, happy soul, aren't you? Yeah, I think I've I think one thing I've taken from living in Australia is that everyone's like you just need to take it all a bit less seriously. And like like because there's constantly people going, Oh, what are you doing with your life? Like are you gonna get a real job? Yeah. Have you had a lot of that? I haven't said the real job. No, you dissed me on the podcast. Oh, did I?

unknown 22:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:28

Yeah. I'd tune in and you're like, oh, Owes reckon she's a mixologist. Not even a real job. I'm like, oh cheers for that one. I don't remember saying that. You did say it. I know. Well you've told me.

SPEAKER_01 22:40

I don't think she said it. I don't think it was in that context. I think we were we were just talking about careers, weren't we? And it's like I don't think I would.

SPEAKER_00 22:48

Yeah, I don't think never even claimed to be a mixologist. Well, you look you're a cocktail maker. That's kind of what I meant. You know what I'm saying. Not even a real job. Oh wise. Anyway. People getting on at me though. Wait, you're moaning now, you're starting to moan. Yeah. I've got to get it out at some point, don't I? You need to get your no worries uh laid back lifestyle back again, though. I'm back in England now, that's it. Yeah. I'm allowed to be miserable. Yeah, oh no, no, no, no, no. You do it. Oh, you're gonna be miserable. Yeah. You're gonna be here for summer. Yeah, here for summer, yeah, at least. And then who knows? Who knows? We don't know. I don't know. Yeah. Don't know what the plan is. Pretty skint at the moment, so I need to earn up some money before making any elaborate plans.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

Yeah. But you could live like that forever, couldn't you? Earn some money, go travelling, earn some money. Yeah, you could.

SPEAKER_00 23:41

Well that's what I've kind of realised. This is what I mean, like people getting on at me. Oh, you going to uni, gonna do this, gonna do that? I was like, actually you have to. It kind of like it kind of dawned on me.

SPEAKER_01 23:53

I was like, that's what you want to do, doesn't it? And what you want to get out of life and like yeah, there's all sorts of things you can do that you don't need to go to uni for.

SPEAKER_00 24:03

Yeah, well, I'm not going to uni, I'm burning it off with the nine grand a year. That's been made. The decision's been made. I know, I'd completely agree with that. Yeah. If I lived in Scotland, it'd be alright.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

Yeah. Because I had to pay for it, but well, sorry, I don't. And you live in one of the most expensive cities as well, don't you?

SPEAKER_00 24:23

Yeah, I've also a lot of uni students. I'm I'm convinced that no one actually does any learning. They just go they're all out on the RAS. They just go, Oh, do you know what I'm gonna do for three years? Get on the piss, and then and then That's what Kate said about her going to uni.

SPEAKER_01 24:45

Waste of money for me. Like total waste of money. And we didn't really have to pay for very much. I had to, I think, what do we pay for? I think we had to pay a little bit towards the fees, but you got like a a bit of yeah, no, we have oh I can't remember. It was a waste of money anyway.

SPEAKER_00 25:00

My technique is I'm just gonna go out on the piss with the uni students, but I don't you don't actually have to have a degree. That's it. You can actually just go out anyway and do it anyway. Well, that's what I did. I went to Leeds with these guys. See, I had a job there, didn't you? Yeah, yeah, I used to come to your house, your uni house. Yeah, I've done that. Yeah, it's fine. There's nothing wrong with that. And then James is looking like he's never wants to come home ever again.

SPEAKER_01 25:29

Oh, that's good because you were a bit wobbly whether he would or not, wouldn't you? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:33

James is a bogan now. Absolutely loves it. Is he yeah? That's good. Yeah, it's good. Yeah, and he But then he's gotta get a job at some point.

SPEAKER_01 25:42

I know, but he will do, he'll get a job easily, won't he? Being a chef.

SPEAKER_00 25:46

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Australia, the place to be. It is. Should we all go? That's everyone, everyone should go. Not that easy. Then you bring friends and family, that's what they need to do.

unknown 25:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:59

Friends and family visa. Yeah. Like a friends and family rail card. I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_01 26:05

I'm not sure they're gonna do that. They don't want people, do they?

SPEAKER_00 26:08

Or they only want clever people and yeah, they only want yeah. They only want good people, skilled people. Healthy people. Healthy people, yeah. I'm out. I'm bottom up. No, if I me and James are there, it'll be sweet. No, not necessarily. Oh. Alright, well no, never mind. I've already looked at this. I've already checked. I did I checked. But you um I can't remember what the visa thing is. I think you can I think I can if you were both there, and obviously Andy's there, so Dave's brother, so I suppose you get enough kind of clout. But because I'm diabetic, it's problematic.

SPEAKER_01 26:54

But I think there's ways of doing it, isn't there? Because you've said in the past about maybe going out for six, eight months a year, and then doing four four months back here. That would be easy to do. Can you own property if you're not a resident? Could you like go somewhere?

SPEAKER_00 27:14

No, I don't think you can. You have to be you have to be a citizen to oh yeah. Or a public resident a resident, yeah, yeah. It's like James, he landed in Australia and he was like, What I'm gonna do is I'm just gonna get a mortgage. And I was like, Why? Just get a job first, yeah. And I explained to him how like you can't just get a mortgage, yeah, and it like blew his mind. I was like, maybe start off with a rental, work your way up. Yeah, that's so funny. Aims high, don't they?

SPEAKER_01 27:51

That's all right. I think you can aim high, can't you?

SPEAKER_00 27:55

Yes, you should aim high.

SPEAKER_01 27:57

How's Freya getting on? Has she done her GCSEs yet? No, she's got arts on Monday, so Monday, Tuesday, or a practical art exam, and then she's got Spanish speaking the week after, and then she they finished school and that's it, she's on to proper exams, so two weeks.

SPEAKER_00 28:15

Oh not long. How is she getting on? All right, is she nervous? Yeah, she's she's quite confident. She's been going to parties, yeah. Yeah, still party time.

SPEAKER_01 28:24

Absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:24

Yeah, the party time.

SPEAKER_01 28:26

We've had a lot of last parties, so Friday night was another the last party before my GCSEs. Yeah. It's like I did that. Yeah, you did do that. So yeah, no, she's um she's doing good, she's she's good at revising. She's got on a wall, she's got pages of keywords and things that she's got to remember, and but like written beautifully. Do you know? Like, I would have scribbled it and I'd be like all over the show.

SPEAKER_00 28:55

And it's like my room was a mess.

SPEAKER_01 28:57

Yeah, you did that though, didn't you? You did all that.

SPEAKER_00 28:59

My A levels, my whole room was just taken over and stuff covered in notes everywhere. Yeah. It all worked. It worked, it did work. Yeah. So there you go. It'll she'll be right. Yeah, it'll be so fine.

SPEAKER_01 29:15

Yeah, she'll be, she will be. Well, even if she's not, it's not the end of the world, is it? And that's the main problem.

SPEAKER_00 29:20

Well, I realised as like no one actually even cares about GCSEs at all. As soon as you Well, the GCSE is your platform for the RA levels, and then your A levels is your platform for the net that's how it works. Yeah, but as long as you get it like decent enough, like as long as you pass everything, you're fine.

SPEAKER_01 29:38

Yeah, that is I mean, when you look at people who apply for jobs to us, I always look that they've got their GCSEs and that they've got what they need in maths and English, but I never like go, oh, they've only got a seven in English. It's passed English.

SPEAKER_00 29:52

No, you've passed it, yeah, exactly. Oh, it's alright. It's fine, isn't it? It's not that serious, seriously. No worries. No worries. No worries, mate.

SPEAKER_01 30:04

Peace and love. Is there anything that you've missed while you were in Australia about the UK other than your family?

SPEAKER_00 30:14

No. No, not really buses, you know. Oh, double decker bus. Well, no, I don't even I don't that wasn't a miss. That was just uh I've kind of forgot that double decker buses were about, they just don't have them. Oh single deckers. Less people, you don't need a double decker bus. Less people crammed onto public transport.

SPEAKER_02 30:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:39

Um must have missed I miss a actual good pub. Like the pubs are dreadful in Australia. Are they? They just don't have any atmosphere. It's not a pub, they're not pubs, pubs, are they? It's hotels. Oh yeah. Do you remember that they they set out yeah? Yeah, it was yeah, they're a bit weird. Uh I quite like that though. Quite like this. I have a little schooner.

SPEAKER_01 31:10

Yeah, because a schooner's the perfect amount for me.

SPEAKER_00 31:13

This is this is what we were saying, yeah. Schooners are great, yeah. Half just not quite enough. Pounds too big, pounds too much. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So they've got that over. We should bring it in. We should bring it in. I don't know why we haven't. It is a genius, it's a genius move. Because it is like if you have a pint in Australia, the last few swigs are just a bit too warm, and you're just drinking it. Like they really thought it through. But the pubs aren't as good as here. No. And the beer isn't either. Oh. Apart from Tui's News. Two is news, alright.

SPEAKER_01 31:55

Two he's new is the best, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:57

4x gold though. Red floor. I don't think I'll remember that.

SPEAKER_01 32:03

Hey, I don't think they had that very much. I don't remember drinking that all that.

SPEAKER_00 32:08

It's a Brisbane thing, it's all brewed in Brisbane, so oh right.

SPEAKER_01 32:12

No.

SPEAKER_00 32:12

No. We wouldn't have had it.

SPEAKER_01 32:15

And what what do you think's changed about you two while you've been away, do you think, in terms of your relationship? Because you were only 18 when you went, weren't you?

SPEAKER_00 32:25

Yeah, not much. I think we're the same, aren't we? Yeah. Yeah. I think I'm just a bit more of an actual, like, properly functioning human. You've grown up, uh, yeah. She did come home and sorted out a wash-in into like darks and whites and put the washing on and then made breakfast this morning. And what there was all of this going on, and I was like, oh impressive. Yeah, that's a big thing. Things I can do now. You can, you yeah. It's in just like you're you're like it's she's like a natural an actual adult now. Yeah. I think. Not really. Not really. I would say you are. Yeah. Yeah. We're like m pals, aren't we? Yeah. A bit more, yeah. It's like I I do feel a lot older since coming back. Like I think it's weird because I think I've come back, I've lived this whole life, and then I've come back home, and there's people my age who are still doing the exact same thing. Like one there was a guy from my year who was working in Tesco. Like, I'm not it's not a bad thing, but I walked into Tesco and he's still working in Tesco. I was like, oh. Yeah, but that's what happens, though. Yeah. That was odd. But did you expect him to be doing something else? Well, no, it's just like I think because I've obviously gone out and then I've been here lived lived on my own. That happens though, when you go away like that, you do such a lot of stuff, don't you? Yeah, and you come back. We did it, didn't we? And then you just go in the club and sit down and you're looking around going, everyone's the same.

SPEAKER_01 34:01

Yeah, I remember I distinctly remember my first night in the Lost Tuck Arms after I got a couple of years.

SPEAKER_02 34:06

Yeah, I do, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:07

And just being really disappointed because I felt like I was a fundamentally different person, yeah. No one else had changed a little bit, like everyone sat in the same place.

SPEAKER_00 34:18

I think yeah, it was I remember that. I was expecting when I came home, but I came home and I was a bit like, oh, this is this is like it's like cool. Yeah. Like people are excited to see you, and then it's like, all right. Yeah, well that that's what happens really. And you can't really you can't really tell people exactly every single thing that you've done and everything that's happened to you and how you've changed, and you know it's like I keep like I'd be tweaking to people and like, oh wait, I did this and I did like I was just saying to mum, I completely forgot that like I'd been in Thailand beforehand. Like I'm I'm bigging up like me being an Australian. I was like, oh, I haven't even told them about me in Thailand because it just feels like so long ago and I've got so much to say to people, and it's like yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:04

How long were you in Thailand for?

SPEAKER_00 35:06

Six weeks, yeah. That was so nice.

SPEAKER_01 35:11

That was it. Yeah, could you live in all around Thailand? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:15

Could you live in Thailand? Well, you had the discussion, uh I think I could. I said I think I could. I love that. Why couldn't you? I don't know, it's not like it's a nice place to go on holiday. I just think a lot of the people, like a lot of English people that live there, I've noticed this, are all very weird and I think they're up to something dodgy. I don't know what. They're up what the dodgy thing is, but they're up to something. Well, yeah. Well, they might be. They definitely are. Oh, I could just like people who live in Dubai. Not sure like why are you there?

SPEAKER_01 35:59

Oh because they don't have to pay any tax.

SPEAKER_00 36:02

Yeah, it's a tax well, yeah. Easy, that's as easy that. But that's what's why people go over there. Well, they now have to come back and pay their tax. Oh, yeah, true. Yeah, kicking themselves. Yeah, that's true. I think it's actually fine over there. Well, we're going, aren't we? We need to sort that out as well.

SPEAKER_01 36:19

I know I was gonna ask, we need to hotel get bombed.

SPEAKER_00 36:23

Oh, that's what the one we had, yeah. The one we'd put down on the sounds like a eight holiday.

SPEAKER_01 36:29

Yeah, I think we should change it now sooner rather than later. Are you still going? Do you think we should change it? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:38

Yeah. Oh dear. No, we're not going anymore. Not to Dubai. Where are we gonna go? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 36:45

I mean, I feel like that's a podcast in itself, isn't it? It took us lit like 12 months to decide on Dubai. That'd be a great podcast. Get Joe and Nick on it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:54

That's all we're doing to discuss where we're going for a week. And we'll do an hour podcast on it, and by the end of it, we still won't have a clue. No. But the podcast would have been brilliant. Crap. There'll be lots of like, yeah, that I don't know. I I really don't know. Why don't you go to somewhere like weird? Like somewhere random. Go to like where? I don't know. Like spice.

SPEAKER_01 37:25

Why don't you go to like go I'm gonna do a bucket list of places that I want to go to since I've been watching Race Across the World of this series. But someone was talking about South Africa the other day, and I'd really like to go to South Africa.

SPEAKER_00 37:40

Yeah, I'd go there. I'd go there. Yeah, isn't it a bit dodgy for fights? How long's the fight?

SPEAKER_01 37:45

Ten hours, yeah, that's alright, isn't it? It's just Joanna, isn't it? With she can only do a few days.

SPEAKER_00 37:52

Four days is a bit much. Well, she did it to Vegas. Yeah. Why don't you go to like Slovenia? Slovenia does look nice actually.

SPEAKER_01 38:02

It does, but October. We need to guaranteed weather, don't we, for October? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:09

It's like Japan. Too far. Too far.

SPEAKER_01 38:12

Too far, yeah. Egypt.

SPEAKER_00 38:16

Egypt.

SPEAKER_01 38:16

Egypt, yeah, there's some nice places there. We did talk about Morocco as well, didn't we?

SPEAKER_00 38:21

Yeah. Morocco's cool. Oh, yeah, we did talk about Morocco, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:25

It's a mindfield. It's a mind for see. We've gone down the rabbit hole. Yeah. Throw in go to Dubai. Throw in Hick and Joanna's hype. Well, we've got to see it. I I want to see what it's like. What are you doing? Built by slaves. I've dropped my shoe. My shoe fell off my foot. Why are you wearing shoes anyway? I don't know. That's a good question. I've no idea. We're inside. I know. I don't know. My Birkin stocks. Kmart Birkenstocks. Kmart. That's another thing I miss.

SPEAKER_01 39:02

Kmart? I don't remember Kmart. Is that new?

SPEAKER_00 39:05

No, I don't remember it. Yeah. It's good though. It's like a you'd love it in Kmart. You would love Kmart. Yeah, yeah. Ah. Right on my feet. Cheap, like good stuff in there. Everything you need. It's all that. You're calling me cheap.

SPEAKER_01 39:39

Right, I've got I've got um some quick fire questions for Olivia. Oh gosh. Let me get ready. Go on. Um how easy was it to find work in Australia?

SPEAKER_00 39:52

Easy. Easy peasy. Easy peas. Well, not initially. I think you have to know people, maybe. Yeah. Depends on how much experience you've got.

SPEAKER_01 40:03

Yeah, because you'd got you'd done a few bits of like worked in a cafe and stuff, hadn't you, before you went?

SPEAKER_00 40:09

Yeah. If you've got no experience, you are screwed.

SPEAKER_01 40:12

Are you?

SPEAKER_00 40:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:14

Okay. I'm just ticking things off a list for Freya because she's coming.

SPEAKER_00 40:18

Yeah, oh right, is it to go? She needs to get some get a job. Yeah, get it. If she got some experience. Yeah, get do they just put you into like if you hospitality, they just put you into a trial shift? Yeah, they just put you in. Right. And then and then they tell you whether or not, yeah. Well, I suppose that's how it works, isn't it? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:37

And was it really expensive? Or I know Katie, you said it wasn't too bad, but uh no, it's not really like relative to how much you earn, it's actually pretty cheap.

SPEAKER_00 40:50

Because you earn so much more. Yeah. Like I only paid $260 a week for rent.

SPEAKER_01 40:56

Oh my god, that is so cheap.

SPEAKER_00 40:58

Yeah. And £130 a week. That is ridiculous. I know. Yeah. And earning $40 an hour. Oh my god. That's what I mean. Yeah. When you look at it like that, you're like, how can how can you be you can't be grumbling that the cost of living crisis? Not when you come over to the PO double rent half the money.

SPEAKER_01 41:26

See, it's probably the reverse here, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. You probably pay like twice as much and get earning half as much. It's like do you think that's a hospitality thing over here, or do you think it's just their lifestyle?

SPEAKER_00 41:38

Um I think hospitality is just a lot more respected in Australia as like an actual job. Yeah. Like here it's like you do it when you're 16, and if you're still doing it, it's like, oh well, what are you doing with your life? Yeah. Yeah, it's not like that in Australia. No, it's like a quite a respected career type. Yeah. That's what I liked about it. Yeah. Because I actually enjoy working in hospitality, I think it's quite fun.

SPEAKER_01 42:04

And what do you think? Um so it's obviously changed your mind a little bit about jobs and careers and stuff. Yeah. What what do you think you will do next?

SPEAKER_00 42:16

I've listed off about 20 different plans. Um so kind of changes. I change my mind within half an hour, every half an hour about what I'm gonna do.

SPEAKER_01 42:30

Yeah. But that's understandable. You've only been back about three days, haven't you?

SPEAKER_02 42:34

You've got yeah, time.

SPEAKER_00 42:36

I've got. I mean, in fairness, you have just got a job as well. You've done pretty well, I would say. Yeah. I think I'll be surprised has gone on. Surprise I sent you that, didn't we, my mum and dad? Oh, yeah, that was lovely. Oh, it's so cute, yeah. Um same again today. We're doing it again. Oh, really?

SPEAKER_01 42:54

And do they not know you're back?

SPEAKER_00 42:55

No, no. Uh I need to like myself up. Um yeah, she's gonna be opening the door. Oh, that's cute. Yeah, it's gonna be so cute.

SPEAKER_01 43:08

And if sorry, we've gone off the subject. Sorry, so I've got another one. If you were gonna go travelling again, would you go back to Australia? Would you go somewhere else? Is there anywhere else you fancy going?

SPEAKER_00 43:18

Uh I think I'd probably do it. I want to go to New Zealand.

SPEAKER_01 43:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:22

So I think I'd probably do New Zealand, see how I feel there.

SPEAKER_01 43:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:26

Go back to Australia at some point.

SPEAKER_01 43:29

Hmm.

SPEAKER_00 43:30

Yeah. New Zealand's like high up on my list, Japan as well.

SPEAKER_01 43:33

Yeah, I'd like to go to Japan. I would like to go to Japan.

SPEAKER_00 43:39

Just let's just go traveling and not quit your jobs.

SPEAKER_01 43:42

We'll quit our jobs. There's more to life. Something I have learnt this week.

SPEAKER_00 43:48

Yeah, there it is, though, isn't it? My advice as the general general thing, it's not that serious. It's not that serious. It's not everyone is too serious. rhythm of like then nine to fives yeah man i'm never i'm never getting a nine to five ever that's my plan no she yeah that's one thing she's come back and said that's she can't work in an office can't work in an office and can't do a nine to five nope nope but then james is like that he's the same so yeah I think I think we only do it because it was what people did isn't it like yeah no I it makes a lot of sense like it's like oh you you work in an office so you've you've made it that's like that's your oh is that how we people oh I think like as soon as you work in an office it's like oh like that's you've made it now I'm not gonna have to we've made it like we've made it Katie we've made it yeah we're working an office have you well but have we dun dun dun and then my last question and then we'll finish is um so if you were gonna give Freya three pieces of advice about going travelling I should probably have given you some warning about this shouldn't I um what would they be? Okay uh first piece would be don't have yourself like a rigid plan don't go like don't plan loads and loads and loads beforehand just land and figure it out I think that's like the best possible way of doing it because you meet people and then like they're doing something so you go off with them. Another thing don't be really stingy with your money because like a lot of people they'll go oh that's quite expensive but like it you're gonna do something and then years down the line you're not gonna have a clue how much you paid for it but you'll go oh that was so glad I did that.

SPEAKER_01 45:47

See I completely back that up because we went bungee jumping did you do it I thought I think you'd gone by that no I didn't do it. Yeah yeah I didn't do it and I didn't do it either because I thought I couldn't afford it and I've always regretted not doing that bungee jump always regret yeah yeah yeah and you wouldn't remember how much it cost you think yeah wouldn't have had a clue would remember the wouldn't have a clue yeah good advice so that's good advice yeah my third piece oh third piece that's like I don't really know now um like try and like really put yourself out there with people I think there's a lot of people who are quite they go into hostels and they're really shy but you end up meeting people from like everywhere and they're all like you meet some weird people and then like you meet and then you meet you meet the most interesting people yeah I think a lot of people they get a bit nervous and they're like oh no I can't I don't like putting myself out there.

SPEAKER_00 46:44

Yeah but you find that in hostels that people kind of kept themselves that's like some people will just walk around with their headphones on won't talk to anyone and that's the worst decision you can make because it's just yeah I had the best because you just like end up like you go on a night out and you're like with these random people that you just met at the best time. You've got to put yourself out there with it all.

SPEAKER_01 47:06

Yeah well that's what it's about traveling putting yourself out of your comfort zone why go all the way over there and not make any friends like seems like we doesn't it yeah yeah you can even marry one of them exactly like I did. Yeah oh good advice I like it that is good advice there you go Freya go for anyone else land just land that's that's the general just land what we've been saying yeah just well in fact that's like James has taken that advice made friends with the tour guide and gone off doing this so maybe we need to do that for our 50ths just land somewhere just land somewhere you see I reckon we could do that. We could I'll book you a mystery flight and then you just get to the airport and find out where you're I'd love that cool at yeah let's do that let's get somebody else to do it for us Joanna would not do that no way would you know but maybe they should maybe this is that this is their cool maybe they should at the moment I'd love that yeah I would love that I'll I'll plan this for you guys just get to the airport and just be like no idea when you get handed your holding pass and you're like oh maybe you could be a travel agent Olivia maybe you could be like a specialist in people who want adventures you could like I'd love that that'd be this is another job another one for the list oh well it's so nice to see you back I think um I can see that your mum's happy smiley face is yeah very pleased to have you for however long however long it might be yeah it's all great Fab so next week is our 50th episode 50 50th yeah that's big news I know 50th episode in our 50th year so we should probably do something a bit special shouldn't we what should we do I don't know we'll have a think about it. Book flights book flights yeah I did think maybe we should do like a room 101 as it's everyone's favourite but oh true I do love a room 101 yeah that's her favourite that's my favourite one so right I'll see you next week see you next week bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye