Wanderlust With: Ashley Freeman
Ashley Freeman is living the travel dream (and we're totally jealous of her).
As a personal trainer, Ashley Freeman gets to mix travel with pleasure, visiting some of the most lush and breathtaking places in the world teaching classes and inspiring the masses.
Suffice to say we're more than a little jealous so we decided to grill the lady herself on where she's been, where she loves to go for a little R&R and how we too can stay as fit as she does while on holidays.
Q. What was the last holiday you took?
A: I just got back from Hawaii (pictured). I was teaching a few classes at Wanderlust, the yoga festival. We were in Hawaii, then in Costa Rica.
Q. Do you usually only travel for work?
A: No, that just happened to tie in nicely. I guess a lot of my travel is my retreats. I guess it's mostly based around work. I don't feel like it's work for me.
Q. Which destination is the best for retreats?
A: Thailand. I run retreats in Thailand and also go to train there myself. There's a strip of gyms that are really incredible. It used to be a Muay Thai destination but now it's got things like crossfit and cross training and heaps of gyms on this one street. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere so you just go and train, and there's really good food, and you knuckle down.
Q. First holiday you took?
A: It would probably be with my family to Bali, maybe. We used to go to caravan parks down the coast to Kiama. We used to go there every year. I loved that. That's probably my earliest memory.
Q. What's your favourite destination?
A: I still always say Australia. I just love Australia. There are so many places I've been over the world. I used to work on a cruise ship dancing. We did musical theatre and had different sorts of themes for our shows. We went to a lot of places but I still just... every time I come back to Australia I think our beaches are so clean, our air's so clean, we've got rainforest, jungle, bush, desert, snow. I love it. I think we're so lucky.
Q. What are your top 3 things to do in Australia?
A: We have a big camp, truck thing. So I guess going camping. I love surfing though I'm not very good at it, but I love it. So definitely that. And hiking I guess. Just getting outdoors. I love hiking to the highest point you can see. Australia's so great for being outdoors. Ocean, inland and being amongst it.
Q. What are your top 3 things to bring when you travel?
A: Every time I travel I will always take a protein powder and greens just because I'm vegan and sometimes it can be hard to find things but I feel if I've just got those two bases covered. I'll always take some good shoes, runners, in case you want to run or explore. I think that running or walking is a great way to explore the area. You get to take in the smells, the sights, the sounds much more than you would in a car. Then I usually take some resistance bands, skipping rope and Olympic rings which you can hang from anywhere. They're the three pieces of equipment I like to travel with.
Q. Beach, city or mountains?
A: Ah! I think beach because I could live without mountains and I could live without cities but I hate being too far from the water. That's what I don't like. If I feel too far inland for too long I dunno. I think beach.
Q. Lastly, share with us your favourite pic:
Ashley capturing the Bali sunrise while on her honeymoon.
Pictures: @ashleymfreeman (Instagram)
finder's Wanderlust With is a monthly series featuring travellers and bloggers from around the world. Check back every 10th of the month to be inspired for your next journey.
