The First Postcard : Unemployed, Educated, and Planning an Escape
The Reality Check
Date : 26th June 2026
From : My living room
Status : Degree completed, Coffee machine mastered, Mildly confused
Exactly one month ago, I finished my geography degree at Portsmouth. I packed my life up, moved back home, and immediately started working at a local café nearly every single day.
They don’t tell you this when you come to the end of uni, but there is a very specific, weirdly quiet panic when you trade a university experience for a hospitality job. you have this massive milestone behind you, but suddenly your daily goal shifts from “finish your diss, and see your friends” to “don’t burn the milk” and “the customer is always right”.
Starting this blog is my way of keeping my brain connected to the things I actually love - and a way to take my mind off the early morning shifts.
The Great Routine Reset
Adjusting to life after uni is weird. For years I lived under my own roof, with my own rules, a set routine, and my closest friends right down the corridor. Going from that to living back with my family is a major shift. Fun fact : I’ve boarded since I was 11, so I haven’t properly lived at home for a decade.
My boyfriend just moved in with me, which has been amazing but obviously took some getting used to. I’ve spent the last few weeks catching up with home friends, going for walks and runs with family and friends. Also, playing with the dogs. But I’ve barely seen my uni friends, and losing that effortless, daily routine hits hard.
I found that I completely fell out of routine when coming home and just felt as though I was aimlessly wandering. Day by day I’m getting it back, although it will be different and new that’s also fine. Going with the flow of life can be hard but nothing will be the same forever, no matter how much we want it to be.
Catching Flights, Not Eco - Guilt
All those café shifts do have a purpose though, Australia, if you couldn’t tell. Saving to catch that one-way ticket for early next year just seems impossible at points and hopeless. In all honesty though, I haven't even had my first pay check yet so maybe let’s stay optimistic for now. I found it really helpful at the beginning to create a rough plan of budgeting for each month. For instance monthly costs, Australia fund, spending money, coffee dates ;) and so on. This just put my mind at ease, I have never been good at budgeting, but with all this free time I may as well try.
Here’s the thing, I love travelling, but I also love the planet. This isn’t going to be a space where I lecture you, give you a list of strict rules, or tell you what you can’t do. Also let’s be real… who’s listening to a 20 year old grad. I want to figure out how we can travel, explore, and fully live our lives while keeping our impact low and our budgets realistic.
Think of this as a group chat where we figure out low-impact travel together, and sustained travel products that would be perfect for a holiday or even a move across the world. Totally judgement - free!
What’s Dropping In Your Mailbox Each Week
To keep things organised (because my brain currently isn’t), each digital postcard I will publish will cycle through one of 4 vibes, you can see these buttons at the top of the site, so you can pick and choose as you feel, depending on what you want to know about or relate to.
Post - Grad Life : the funny, raw truths about surviving hospitality shifts, routine resets, and figuring out life after uni.
Australia Prep : The ultimate blueprint of tracking sheets, visa steps, and saving from scratch.
Eco-Hacks : Realistic, down-to-earth tips for exploring the world sustainably on a budget.
The Mailbox : A dedicated space where I answer your questions about any of this chaos.
Lets Chat !
If you take a look in the about section you’ll see the mailbox feature. it’s completely anonymous if you want it to be. Drop me a question or DM me about eco-tips, visa prep, or just use it to rant about your own post-uni experience, i’ll be answering them in dedicated Q&A posts.
And if you want all these updates sent straight to you (don’t worry I won’t fill your inbox), pop your email into the newsletter box found on the home page at the bottom. ill be sharing the unedited, behind the scenes budget-breakdowns, travel fails, and honest updates that don’t make it onto the main grid, as well as a snippet of the newest postcard.
Another postcard pending
Miyah 🤍