My Travel CV: I’ve travelled the world, this my No.1 tip

The Bali-based founder of Ocean Soul swimwear would rather spend time with locals than lounging on a beach.

The Bali-based founder of Ocean Soul swimwear, Georgie White, loves to travel, but you won’t find her lounging on a beach. This is her Travel CV: 

I got my first passport when…

I was five years old.

My first holiday memory is…

Travelling with my family to Fiji. We spent a lot of holidays there when we were young; Fijians are such beautiful welcoming people.

I’ve been to...

Twenty-three countries and quite a few of them multiple times. I lived in London when I finished school and travelled to Europe’s hotspots frequently. Later I lived in the US (working in wholesale fashion for Urban Outfitters) which gave me the chance to see more of the Americas.

My favourite place in Australia is…

Home in the outer region of Melbourne. The air is fresh, the water is pure, and, surrounded by trees, rolling hills, animals and wildlife, it really is picture perfect.

My first holiday memory is of travelling with my family to Fiji. We spent a lot of holidays there when we were young.

The place I’d love to visit in Australia is…

I’d love to spend more time in Western Australia and visit Ningaloo Reef.

The place I’d rather be right now is…

I am in Melbourne for a quick visit and very happy to be here. It’s a wonderful city and has been fun and festive.

My most memorable travel experience happened when…

I made friends with some Brazilians in Thailand who invited me to join them in Rio for Carnival, which I accepted, of course. It was incredible. Everyone stops for the week and comes together for the blocos, which are the Carnival street parties. Bands march through the streets of Rio with everyone dancing the samba from dawn to dusk; the atmosphere is electric. It is something I recommend everyone should experience once in their lifetime.

I’d love to spend more time in Western Australia and visit Ningaloo Reef.

The place I’ve visited most often is…

The Whitsundays. We’ve been sailing around the islands regularly over the past 20 years. But as I’m now Bali based I travel around Indonesia for surfing and freediving – the Mentawai and Sumba islands are my favourites with their pristine beaches, rich marine life and little in the way of crowds.

The travel experience on my bucket-list is…

I cannot wait to get to Africa. It’s always been a dream of mine to safari on horseback, galloping through wildlife – what a thrill that would be.

The place that most surprised me was…

Sardinia. For all its glitzy reputation, I found it unpretentious and natural. The locals were hospitable, and the produce was fresh and delicious. I would go back in a heartbeat to freedive in those turquoise waters again.

I cannot wait to get to Africa. It’s always been a dream of mine to safari on horseback.

The place that didn’t live up to expectations was…

Positano. Stunning but heavily hit with tourist inflation. All the surrounding towns have the same vista, minus the summer tourist tax so I’d recommend looking at the options next door.

The advice I’d give to young travellers is…

Spend time with the locals to get a greater appreciation of how they live and their culture is shaped. I promise, it’s way more rewarding than lying on a beach.

My holidays are mostly devoted to…

Outdoors and adventure. I’m not great at sitting still so I always add at least one robust activity to my travel itinerary, whether it be surfing, freediving, horse-riding or snow skiing.

The sickest I’ve been on holiday was in the Greek Islands. I suffered the worst case of food poisoning.

The sickest I’ve been on holiday…

I was in the Greek Islands and suffered the worst case of food poisoning from eating an off piece of tuna. It took me out for a good five days.

The worst thing that’s happened to me while travelling…

I’ve been pretty lucky with all the places I’ve been. The worst has been a phone theft, which put a spanner in the works.

The weirdest things I’ve eaten while travelling were…

Bugs in Cambodia where you find crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches and spiders on the menu and not just street food.

The weirdest things I’ve eaten while travelling were bugs in Cambodia.

The travel tips I’d like to share are…

Get a local SIM or data plan, a good first aid kit for the basics, melatonin to help adapt to local timezone and hit the ground running. And I like to use Airtags to keep track of luggage.

Travel has taught me…

To push myself outside my comfort zone, to be more likely to try new experiences, more open minded to differing cultural perspectives and to just go with the flow.

How man flights have you missed?

Four. One was due to a blizzard, one was after Fashion Week (hangover) and the other two were just bad time management.

Travel has taught me to push myself outside my comfort zone, and to just go with the flow. Picture: Supplied.

Passports/visas/wallets/luggage lost?

Just once. The airline lost my luggage from LAX to Hawaii. All new bikini purchases were justified.

Who is your favourite travel companion?

My best girlfriends for guaranteed laughter, adventure and good times.

Flight/cruise/car or train?

Flight. I like to get there quickly and maximise the time on the ground.

An airline lost my luggage from LAX to Hawaii. All new bikini purchases were justified.

Check-in or carry-on?

Check-in always, I love to have more options.

I manage jet lag by…

Drinking litres of water on the flight and syncing my sleep with the destination.

Originally published as My Travel CV: I’ve travelled the world, this my No.1 tip