It is not easy to give up a secure job in today's Italy, a country where youth employment is still widespread. Gaia Mainini was working for the Italian railways as a train conductor, a job during which she also managed to gain a degree in psychology, but she struggled to find her job satisfying.
Being still under 30 at the time, Gaia decided to take a gap year and come to Australia with a working holiday visa.
“You know when you find yourself in front of a globe," she tells SBS Italian. "And you tell yourself: I am free to choose where to go, which country should I pick?"
"I Googled to find some info and I found out that the countries often quoted as the best destinations in the world were Australia, Canada and Northern Europe."
In the end it was the weather that twisted her arm: "Excluding cold countries I decided Australia was the perfect destination for me."
Gaia landed in Sydney in 2013 and after a few months working in the city she moved to a farm in Byron Bay, which she describes as, "one of the most beautiful places in Australia."
Here she worked for the 88 days specified-work required to renew the visa for a second year. After that she began her trip around Australia in a van with an Italian friend she had met in Australia: Carolina.
"My trip to Australia started in the moment I left my comfort zone in Italy and I got on that plane to Australia," Gaia says.
Together Gaia and Carolina drove along the East Coast all the way up to Cairns, then they left for the desert, reaching Perth and finally Darwin. They were the best two months of her life, according to Gaia, who has now gained some notoriety on the web, thanks to her YouTube channel GAGA IS HERE.
Backpacker Gaia Mainini dispenses travel advice for fellow Italian travellers on her YouTube channel 'Gaga is Here' Source: YouTube
The channel hosts a series of videos with travel advice and information in Italian for those who want to move to Australia.
"The idea of uploading videos started when I was working at the farm because relatives and friends wanted to know how my experience was going," explains Mainini.
"Partly because I am lazy and partly because I did not want to repeat myself endlessly, I started to recount my experience through the videos”.
Soon the YouTube channel attracted an audience beyond Gaia's family and friends.
“Many people started to follow me asking for advice so I kept talking in front of the camera, trying to give them useful and clear information: all you need to know before leaving.”
But what is the most important piece of advice according to Gaia? In her opinion, having some money put aside is important to start the trip with more ease, enjoying some indulgence every now and then.
Another important thing, she says, is to not be afraid of being alone.
"Don't be afraid of setting off even on your own, because you are never alone when traveling, at every stop you will find someone you can share a beer with."
Listen to the full interview with Gaia (in Italian) below on SBS Italian:
Get a glimpse of Gaia's adventures below:
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