This week’s podcast conversation stayed with me long after the recording stopped — the kind of conversation that gently nudges you to ask yourself am I really living the way I want to?
My guest is Irene Bakhshev, better known to many as Irene Adventurette. If you’ve ever stumbled across her photography online, you’ll know exactly what first caught my attention — wild places, remote tracks, vast mountains, quiet moments that feel earned rather than staged. But what truly drew me in was her words.
Irene once shared a quote that stopped me mid-scroll. It spoke about comfort being overrated, about saying yes before you feel ready, about living loudly rather than safely. And as I’ve learned over a lifetime of travel, those words ring very true with me.
A life anchored in Tasmania — and stretched across the world
Irene’s home base is Tasmania, a place many of us instinctively understand. That small island at the bottom of the world that somehow contains everything — wild coastlines, remote mountains, deep forests and an immediacy to nature that grounds you the moment you arrive.
For Irene, Tasmania became more than home. It became her teacher.
After moving here around 15 years ago, she discovered hiking — first day walks, then multi-day treks, many of them solo. Those experiences didn’t just build physical strength; they built confidence, resilience and a deep trust in herself. Tassie shaped the traveller she would become.
Now, whenever she returns home after months on the road, she heads straight back out onto the tracks — a way to reset, to ground herself, to remember who she is.
And I couldn’t agree more. Twenty minutes in almost any direction here and you’re back in the wild. It’s magic.
Solo travel, wide open
Irene travels solo most of the time — a choice that brings freedom, but also deeper connection. When you travel alone, people talk to you. They invite you in. You experience culture not as a spectator, but as a participant.
From spontaneous adventures in Kyrgyzstan (booked on the spot after plans changed) to months spent travelling through Pakistan, Irene has repeatedly found that generosity exists everywhere — often strongest in places we’re told to fear.
She shared stories of being welcomed into homes, invited to family meals, treated as kin by people who owed her nothing. And one story in particular stayed with me — a hike to a remote Fijian village that turned into a lifelong connection. A simple act of kindness that helped a family buy a car so their children could attend school… and Christmas cards that still arrive years later.
Those are the moments that don’t appear in brochures.
Going slowly, saying yes
As we talked, I found myself nodding again and again. So much of what Irene described mirrored my own experiences sailing through the South Pacific — arriving by dinghy rather than cruise ship, sharing fish, being gifted produce from gardens that were really small farms, attending village weddings where the bride price was pigs and woven mats.
You only see these things when you slow down.
When you say yes.
When you stay curious and open.
We laughed about language barriers, about drawing pictures in the dirt, about hand gestures and sound effects being far more effective than translation apps. Because connection doesn’t require perfect words — just presence.
“Aren’t you afraid?”
It’s the question every solo traveller gets asked. Irene still hears it constantly. And her answer is simple: confidence grows over time. You learn. You make mistakes. You discover that people, for the most part, are kind and willing to help.
Cities, we agreed, can feel far scarier than remote places.
And fear, when you really examine it, often comes from imagining futures that haven’t happened yet.
Living because life is finite
One of the most powerful moments in our conversation came when Irene spoke about her mother, who passed away when Irene was a teenager. That loss shaped how she lives — fully, deliberately, without postponing joy.
Life isn’t guaranteed. Time isn’t endless.
So why wait?
It’s a philosophy I share deeply. Loss has a way of sharpening clarity. Of reminding us that every day is worth something.
Irene’s advice to would-be adventurers
If you’re sitting at home thinking I’d love to do what she does, but I don’t know where to start, Irene’s advice is beautifully simple:
Don’t overthink it. Take the first step. Say yes. Go.
You’ll learn as you go.
You’ll meet people you never expected.
You’ll see places that change you.
And you won’t come back the same.
I feel sure you will enjoy this conversation, – I sure did!
Until next time…
Go gently. Go curiously. And don’t stay small.
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