What is Illuminated Vagabond?

Born out of a passion for travel and new experiences, the Illuminated Vagabond is an artistic look into our travels. We aim to provide useful information in a creative way. Follow our adventures as we capture the world with our cameras. We hope we will inspire you to become an Illuminated Vagabond!

Current Status:

Christina is seeking her fortune in Melbourne, Australia, and Paul is back in New Zealand after a brief tour of Australia. We both have found jobs and are not sure when/if we will be returning home. Paul has just submitted his residency application in New Zealand. And Christina is solidifying her own place in the land of kangaroos. Perhaps 2012 will bring more activity on the blog front from the Vagabonds.
-The Vagabonds

Latest News

VIDEO: Vagabond with a Home…

It’s been over a year of radio silence. The Vagabonds have, unfortunately, become contributing members of society, albeit in two different countries other than their homeland, which is no small task. I guess reality eventually has to settle in. Traveling friends go home to work, to study, to marry… One slowly settles into a daily [...]

VIDEO: “Why Hamilton?”

Among some of the common questions I’m asked such as, “Where are you? When are you coming home? Are you still in New Zealand?”, I’ll add another one “Why Hamilton?”
Since moving to Hamilton I’ve wanted to put together a video that gives people a glimpse of where I am and what it’s like here. Well, [...]

A month of images in the Land Down Under

One month in Australia is hardly enough to scratch the surface of this vast and varied continent. But I knew this going into it, and focused my time on Melbourne, the southern coast (the Great Ocean Road and Kangaroo Island) and the Outback. I was hoping to fall in with a cool group of people [...]

Vagabonds go their separate ways

After spending a spectacular year working and touring New Zealand, the vagabonds have parted ways to continue their travels. Christina has gotten a working holiday visa for Australia, and is currently setting up shop in Melbourne. Stay tuned for some great Aussie articles coming from her– right Christina? I, unfortunately, am too old to get [...]

Laneway music festival Auckland

With some time to kill in Auckland before heading to Australia, I decided to check out the St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival held in the city center. I hadn’t seen any live shows since leaving the US a year ago, so the thought of over a dozen bands, some of which were old favorites (Blonde Redhead) [...]

“In a VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!” –Merry Christmas 2010

Ah the days of the stellar SNL cast, with Chris Farley as the motivational speaker, Matt Foley. The phrase echoed through the classroom and my circle of friends, “I live in a van…DOWN BY THE RIVER!” The ultimate phrase of failure.
Well, it’s a car not a van, and it isn’t always the river we live [...]