Six weeks before beginning my Australian adventure; packing up my life in London and venturing into the unknown, I read Can We Live Here? – a travel memoir by novelist Sarah Alderson who did exactly that. Bored of the daily commute, mortgage repayments and mercilessly saving for an annual family holiday, Alderson and her husband John said goodbye to home as they knew it and set off travelling with their daughter Alula. From bustling Mumbai to Goan beaches, the pristine streets of Singapore to the shores of Perth, they ventured across the globe before settling for five years in Bali.

Such a trip was not without its pitfalls; financial worries, deadly snakes and toddler tantrums were just some of the obstacles the Alderson’s faced when becoming accustomed to their new nomadic lifestyle, and the author writes a candid account of what life was like for them as a family. But, as expected, with the lows, also came the highs: the beautiful countries they were able to call home, the experiences they were able to offer their daughter, the more simple way of life they were able to live.

An insightful, witty and inspiring tale, Can We Live Here? has done nothing but further excite me for the adventure I’m about to begin.

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