Roam with Surfolk: Ab & Al

Your ‘against the grain’ moment - when did you choose a different path?

When we packed up our lives in the UK and moved to aus, we came chasing the Australian dream. To us this was an opportunity to earn money faster than the UK, have less stressful jobs, and be able to jump on the property ladder (in which country we weren’t sure.) After a couple of broken bones and a reality check were we couldn’t work, we realised that might be some people’s Australian dream, but not ours.

Our Australian dream is the freedom that this life gives us. Wide open spaces, endless opportunities to chase hobbies, the opportunity to spend money if we want (mainly on diesel and boards) but then work again as soon as we need to, and be reassured that it’s possible in this country. We also realised that so many others had the same mindset, and so we were all against society’s grain, but in a collective community.

What inspired you to take on the lap of Australia?

We had a life set up in QLD. A job, a unit, friends & a van for weekend adventures. We had to complete work in the outback for our visa and met other like minded travellers. We left our home in QLD and realised that we will never be this age again, with no ties & no major responsibilities. We connected with some of the welcoming instagram travel community & realised if we didn’t take the opportunity to start the Big Lap now, the opportunity might never come again. As people that lived very fast in the UK, it inspired us to slow down, trust the process & live against the grain. 

Why do you document your travels on film?

We are pretty new to documenting our travels on film but the grainy, nostalgic vibe of film just seems so cool to us. Not only are the pictures epic, but they take you back to the time when the picture was taken and jog parts of your memory that were left in the moment.  

What does ‘the good ol’ days’ mean to you?

If our future selves look back at us now, we went them to think ‘yep, they lived life the way it’s supposed to be lived.’ Salty, slow, sun kissed & so so free. The good ol’ days are about getting out there and exploring. All you need for that is a camera & a car, right? (plus boards…)

What do you love most about life on the road?

Our three favourite things about life on the road would have to be: 1) The opportunity to chase your hobbies. We planned our lap of Australia around the wind for kitesurfing, and have recently started to surf. There’s rarely a day that we can’t do one of them! 2) Being outside and in nature. Whether this is in the ocean, in the mountains, or under the stars at night. We sleep SO much better on the road. 3) The community of like minded legends that we get the pleasure to spend time with. We can’t wait to meet more of you!