Storyteller: Emily Lush
WILD TASTE OF WONDER-LUSH
with global storyteller Emily Lush
With 50 countries in 5 years mapped out in her soul, it's fair to say, Emily Lush loves to travel. She's a storyteller with all the savvy social skills to manage work on the roam. her passion for indigenous and cultural sustainability are well-preserved in her words and imagery. She's a 'Brissy' girl (Australian), now based in Tbilisi, Georgia. The Caucasus region is her current lifestyle muse.
Wow. Over 50 countries explored in 5 years. Where and why did you start travelling and how will you know when it is time to stop?
I’ve travelled my whole life, starting with family trips when I was 5 or 6 years old. While studying at university I took my first trip to Southeast Asia with my then boyfriend (now husband), and fell completely in love with that part of the world. So much so, I returned a year later to do an internship in Luang Prabang, Laos, and that’s when I became interested in a different kind of travel style – spending longer periods in one place and really getting to know a town, city or region. That first ‘expat’ experience shaped the way I travel today.
Last year (2019), I travelled non-stop for 10 months. Even though it was a great experience, I pretty quickly realised that moving around at such a fast pace just isn’t for me. But this year (2020) is quite different. I now have a home base in Tbilisi, Georgia and enjoying the focus on local travel around the Caucasus.
I will never stop travelling either. It’s always been my passion and is essential to my work.
Is there one place or travel experience that was so profound it changed you as a person?
My first trip to Southeast Asia almost 10 years ago had a huge impact on me.
Prior to that, I had only really travelled in the US and Europe and a few places in East Asia. That trip opened my eyes to a number of global issues I was naïve to, which influenced me to look beyond journalism and writing, to pursue a career in International Development. After I finished my Masters degree in Communication for Social Change, I eventually lived and worked in many of those countries I visited.
What came first for you... writing or your sense of wanderlust?
Writing. I studied Journalism as my undergraduate degree and have always loved writing. I love researching, interviewing people and the process of putting a story together. Travel provides so many opportunities for that. In the past couple of years, I’ve gravitated more towards photography and visual storytelling, but writing will always be my first love.
You are an Australian now based in Tbilisi, Georgia. How did you find your way there and what is about Tbilisi, out of all the other places, that has you grounded for a while?
I first travelled to the Caucasus in 2017 and have been back twice since. This part of the world really resonates with me… the history, the culture and the food in particular. Georgia is a small country but even if I stayed here for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t run out of things to do or places to see. Now is a very exciting time to be here, as tourism is getting off the ground and there are new projects popping up all the time. It’s exciting to be involved in that, and it’s a privilege to be able to support community initiatives and small businesses that prioritise responsible tourism. I will always keep coming back here; it’s my happy place.
Please tell us a little about your childhood and where you grew up in Australia. A country so far away from most places, what or who was it that inspired you to explore the world so intently, and establish yourself as a full time travel blogger?
I grew up in Brisbane. I’m very fortunate that my parents are both passionate travellers and thought it important for my sister and I to have those experiences at an early age.
I never intended to become a blogger, but I always wanted to be a writer. When I first left Australia, I didn’t really have a firm plan. I started blogging for fun, never thinking it would turn into a source of income or a career. It wasn’t until about 3 years later that I started taking it seriously and setting goals.
I’m not a full time travel blogger – I also freelance as a writer, photographer and communications consultant. Blogging takes up about 75% of my time.
Your Instagram page is an enviable collection of stunning images from all over the world. You travel, you write, you take photos and you have a great portfolio of stories published with an impressive social media following to prove it. There is no doubt you have nailed a way to travel for work successfully. Can you share any highlights and/or hurdles that made your career take off, (literally)?
Looking back, the most important step was the first one – having the conviction to leave Australia and go live in Southeast Asia when I didn’t have a plan and a lot of people around me were sceptical. I always try to have an abundance mentality and put (often blind) faith in the belief that opportunities will come up and things will work out.
Another important thing has been finding my voice and understanding my audience. Travel writing is a very crowded space, so you really need to work hard to stand out. Figuring out what I’m passionate about and how to find those stories was crucial. I’ve always been interested in culture, especially handicrafts and textiles, so I started writing on those topics and things progressed from there. It’s a constant process though. There are so many things I’d love to do – freelance more, start a second blog, write a book, the list goes on. I’m extremely lucky to have the support from my partner and family. I really couldn’t do all this without them.
What is the first country you visited and what other countries have you lived in?
My first overseas trips were to Fiji and Vanuatu with my family. Apart from Australia, I’ve lived in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and now Georgia.
What do you love most about what you do?
The best thing about my job is meeting people and sharing their stories. I always seek out social enterprises, community based tourism projects and the like when I’m travelling, and I try to highlight these as much as possible on the blog.
What has been your most treasured travel memory so far?
It’s hard to pinpoint a specific memory, but it’s usually the small things that I remember most fondly. My first trip to the Caucasus is packed with so many experiences that I treasure. We stayed with a family through Airbnb and one Sunday, they invited us over to learn how to make khinkali (Georgian dumplings) before serving up an amazing spread of food. We sat and talked with them for hours.
As a total travel addict, how do choose your next destination?
I very rarely travel for leisure, so deciding where to go next is a strategic business decision. I consider what areas my readers would want to learn about, what would compliment my existing content, and where I might find a good story. It sounds boring, but that’s the reality of being a blogger.
On a personal level, I know the places I love spending time, and I tend to re-visit places I have a strong connection with. I’m not interested in counting countries or going everywhere – quite the opposite. Southeast Asia and the Caucasus are the two regions I’m most interested in. As well as revisiting those countries already mentioned, my focus going forward will be on ‘stitching’ the two regions together by exploring more of Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
This year has presented a great void for travel. How has Covid 19 impacted or inspired you? Do you know where you want to travel to next when the world opens up?
The pandemic has obviously had a huge impact on my business and livelihood. It’s been tough, but at the same time it’s been an opportunity to re-evaluate my goals. In an industry that’s very go-go-go, it’s rare that you get a chance to pause. In the downtime, I’ve been focusing on addressing small jobs that were constantly put on the back burner – mostly behind the scenes stuff.
When I start moving around again, it will be very slowly and cautiously. I don’t plan on travelling beyond Georgia until I go back to Australia next year. Apart from that, I’m hoping to get back to Southeast Asia at some point in the next 24 months.
What is your ‘must do’ travel tip that you can’t wander without?
Be open-minded, have an abundance mentality and don’t be too steadfast in your plans. As someone who loves spreadsheets and usually breaks everything down into minute details, it’s a challenge! But having more flexibility and going with the flow sometimes (not always, but sometimes) is the only way to open yourself up to new experiences.
What a year. How do you feel it has altered the way we view the world? In a few years from now, how do you see 2020 in reflection?
Yes – in every way imaginable. 2020 will probably be looked back on as a turning-point year. I hope that in the long-term 2020 will make us think more seriously about things like sustainability and self-sufficiency. It’s shown us just how interconnected our planet is.
In terms of travel, I think 2020 will remind us that non-essential travel is an immense privilege and not a right. As the industry rebuilds, it’s an opportunity to lean towards a more ethical and sustainable kind of tourism. I hope things continue to move in that direction.