About

Who is behind Expert Abroad?

Well actually there are two of us

The name for this blog Expert Abroad was suggested by our youngest daughter. We have a website about our home city, Sydney Expert, which has been running for several years. Travelling is our favourite thing to do but writing about our travels on our Sydney site never felt right so we decided to start this blog. Family, friends, and colleagues come to us for travel advice all the time, so the expert tag has become a bit of a nickname.

What makes us 'experts'?

That depends on your definition of expert. We are going with this one:

"A person who is very knowledgeable about or skillful in a particular area."

We know a lot about travel – we watch, read and talk about it pretty much all the time!
We love to research background information and find hidden gems in the places we plan to visit.
Having a balance between seeing the big ticket sites and spending time enjoying a place as the locals do is important to us.
We make ridiculous amounts of notes before we book each trip so we can plan our time the best way possible.
We have travelled extensively in 24 countries with a few more being added ever year.
We also volunteer as Sydney Greeters part of the International Greeters Association. Travelling is part of who we are, and we love to help others discover their hidden travel bug.

Who is this site for?

We have developed this site for people who do not have the time or inclination to spend as long planning as we do.

If you are looking for great holiday ideas without the stress of figuring it all out yourself you have come to the right place.

This site is especially suited to

For beginner travellers who may have been busy with life and not had a chance to travel extensively.
For people who find it hard enough to get time off let alone have weeks to devote to planning
For anyone who just hates planning and wants to follow an already tested mapped out route

What will you find here?

Hopefully everything you need to plan a perfect holiday!

We share our itinerary ideas to help you decide where to visit
Practical tips for each city we visit, the basics on transport and internet access
Self-guided walks we have made and trialled ourselves
Accommodation we have loved and would return to
Day tours or experiences that have been really special

We are in the planning stages of making travel a six month a year lifestyle (kind of like an extended grown-up gap year), so there will be lots more to share.

Paula Morgan

Paula : Expert Abroad writer, researcher and food critic 😉

Hi, my name is Paula Morgan aka "Sydney Expert". Many years ago I studied travel and tourism with a plan to quit my job as a librarian to become a travel agent or guide. Before that could happen, I had a family and travelling no longer fit my lifestyle so that dream ended, for a while. When my daughter was 12, we took off on our first extended family holiday exploring Europe for eight weeks.

Since then we have travelled overseas for 4-6 weeks every year. In between trips I read, research and plan where to go next. It’s what keeps me going until the next flight and what started me off on my blogging adventure. It’s the best way I have found to make the holiday last. When we eat bad meals on trips, I get the blame as the food research is all up to me.

Charles Akkary

Charles Akkary: Photographer, interpreter & Bag-packer

Hello, my name is Charles, the other half of Expert Abroad. I was born in Australia but travelled as a child to Brazil where I lived until my mid-20s. I returned to Australia and spent the next few years working and exploring close to home. I worked many years in sales roles before deciding to spend my days on the road driving Sydney buses. For the last 16 years, I have been travelling with Paula and exploring far and wide. Nothing makes us happier than being together in new places and experiencing new cultures.

I speak five languages and take selfies like a pro! I also pack Paula's bags cause she seemed to have missed out on the packing gene.

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We have never really mastered blogging on the road, and we tend to pack so much into our days we are just too damn tired lol, so make sure you follow us on social media to see our latest news or ask us a question about a trip you are planning.