You’re on the plane. Swirls of turquoise and teal radiate from the ocean below. There is no border between the sky and the ocean. It’s an endless blue.

The aircraft is filled with a buzz of excitement. And then you see them. Not one, not two, but multiple islands. You’ve reached the Whitsundays. Any air of doubt you’d been struggling with suddenly evaporates. It’s beautiful, surreal. You think you’ve seen it all until suddenly, there it is –

Your new home.

The plane begins its decent. You’re filled with uncontrollable joy. This is the start of your new adventure. You moved here for the money, but you’ll stay for the island.

The plane lands. You step out and breathe in the fresh air. This place is literal paradise. Palm trees flank the roads. Seagulls flap around haphazardly. White sands and clear blue oceans surround you.

There’s a new seed of doubt in your mind: what if this place isn’t all it makes out to be? What if I made a mistake moving here?

But then you see your induction leader and he puts your mind at ease and you realise that this was the best decision you’ve ever made.

4 Months Ago

Four months ago I made the decision to move to an island. I had been hired to work as a nightfill team member in the island supermarket and I was pretty damn excited. I’m talking doing a crazy amount of research excited. Except I couldn’t find a whole lot about island life.

So, here’s five things I’ve learnt since moving to an island.

1. You will meet two types of people.

The Island Princesses.

And

The Island Prisoners.

The Island Princesses are your happy-go-lucky island residents. They realise how privileged they are to live in such a pristine environment, and they make the most of their free time. You’ll find these guys frolicking around in the surf, hiring kayaks, going on sunset cruises, hiking to the highest point of the island, throwing pool parties, and basically just living their best life.

3-6 months is an average employment span for these guys. But can last up to years if they keep up their cheerful disposition.

The Island Prisoners are the guys who came to the island with unreal expectations. Magical staff accommodation, overly competitive salary, easy working hours, basic levels of privacy. They’re so blinded by everything that’s not good, that they can’t see anything that’s actually great. They feel like prisoners on the island and are constantly fighting for a way to escape.

These guys will stick around for a max of 3-4 months, if you’re lucky.

It’s up to you to decide how you’re going to live your island life.

2. The island is small.

If you grew up in a small, crappy, boring town like I did, you will understand just how big of a role gossip plays in daily life.

Now imagine your small town but ten times smaller. The only way to leave this small town is by boat or plane. People get bored quickly. They want something to talk about.

Katie slept with Johnny? Better go tell ten people.

Bobby got fired for smoking weed? Let’s chuck that on my Instagram story.

Suzie had a breakdown and left the island with one day’s notice? Jesus, hurry up and publish it in the island magazine. This shit is juicy.

Nothing you do will stay a secret for long.

Talk openly to the wrong person and he will tell your boss you’re a lazy worker.

Hook up with the wrong person and rumours that you’re easy will swirl around the island.

Reject the wrong person and even more rumours will blossom that you’re a terrible person.

Island life is incredible. If you keep a low profile. Everyone is only in it for themselves. And they will try to take advantage of your honesty.

But you will also meet amazing people. And they will make the bad days seem insignificant.

3. You will make incredible friends.

Be it at work.

At the bus stop.

Even from your induction group.

You will meet some truly amazing people who will motivate you to get out of bed every morning when all you want to do is sleep.

Find these people.

Find a friend who will tirelessly encourage you to pursue your dreams.

Find a person who will go on hikes with you and teach you how to sail.

Find a person to confide in. Keep that person around even when the things he tells you makes you question your faith in humanity.

And find people to laugh with. Find people who will laugh with you on the dance floor. People who will laugh with you when it’s 2am and you’re all exhausted at work. People who will laugh at your ditsy moments and smile at your intelligent ones. Find these people, and never let them go.

The people you meet will either make or break your time on the island. So meet lots of people, and keep them around.

4. There’s more to the island than just working and getting drunk after work.

Things to do when you’re bored and in bed:

Go to the beach.

Sunbake.

Swim.

Kayak.

Sail.

Paddleboard.

Build a sandcastle.

Play beach volleyball.

Gym.

Mini golf.

Tennis.

Lazer tag.

Bowling.

Go carting.

Golf.

Hike anywhere.

Eat.

Drink.

Watch the sunset.

Watch the sunrise.

Take an art lesson.

Go on a cruise.

Dine.

Look, the list is endless. Just don’t tell me there’s nothing to do. So many people get into the routine of: wake up, go to work, go to the bar, get drunk, go home, go to sleep, do it all again tomorrow.

Don’t do that.

Live a little. There’s plenty of free things to do. There’s plenty of paid things to do. All it takes is a little motivation.

5. The island is what you make of it. Some people have a great time, some do not. Some people see the white sands and crashing waves and see freedom. Some people see a prison. Some people start a family on the island, some people run and never come back. But all people will feel joy during their first few days.

The joy of new possibilities and endless opportunities. Do some courses, pick up extra shifts.

Don’t let anyone’s negative comments deter you. Yeah, some of the staff accommodation isn’t up to scratch. You’ll make it work.

No, we don’t get paid extra on public holidays. But we also don’t have to struggle for money when our accommodation is cheap and we have full time jobs.

Yeah, some of the staff rules are crazy. But they’re there for a reason.

If you’re unsure about it, just do it. Honestly, just go for it. Even just for the adventure and the opportunity to say that you moved to an island.

You never know who you’ll meet.

And from personal experience, I have zero regrets moving here. You might call me an island Princess, but I prefer the term, ‘optimistic opportunist.’

With my time coming to an end on the island, I have no regrets. And I know I’ll be welcomed back on the island in the future with open arms.

This island has become my home away from home. And I love it.

I really do.

As Shia LaBeouf once said, multiple times, “just do it.”