From Gizzy to the Globe: Our Overseas Enthusiasts reflect on the highs, lows and laughs of their European adventure

Farm-raised Gisborne sisters Liana and Maika, Kathmandu’s 2025 Overseas Enthusiasts who scored the trip of a lifetime, have reached the halfway point of their European adventure. The girls have been chasing sunsets, indulging in local cuisine and reconnecting with their family history.

Here’s how the pair are navigating the highs, lows and laughs that come with international travel.

We are just over halfway and all we can say is, “Wow!”

Where do we even begin?

If anyone had asked us what our plans were for 2025 it would have gone a little like this...

Liana would be supporting people in the community as an Occupational Therapist and walking along the beach with her husband Te Aorangi. I would’ve been serving at my local church, walking the dog and working as a Communications Specialist.

It’s fair to say, Kathmandu totally blew our plans out of the water the day they told us that we would be their Overseas Enthusiasts!

It’s time to get real…

We’ve been travelling for two months now, and our 2025 looks nothing like what we had planned. Eight countries, 25 cities, countless recipes of authentic cuisine, tonnes of new international friendships, and a camera roll bursting with the most incredible European summer snaps. Somebody pinch us!

Though, like all great adventures, there have definitely been highs and lows, and we wanted to dedicate this blog to some raw, honest and open banter about the realities of travel and getting out there! We are both happiest in the outdoors and we don’t shy away from exercise, both for fitness and our mental health. But let’s dive into some of the things that have surprised us, challenged us, and some of the unforgettable moments that make it all worth it.

We started in Dubai. Our high was reaching the top of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. Low, it was so hot you could fry an egg on the road, (and probably your bacon too!) We learnt that most locals stay indoors or completely move out of the city for the summer because of the heat.

Next stop was Madrid. High, biking around and seeing history come to life, gardens from kingdoms years past, and enjoying a slower pace than your average city life. Madrid was so sweet we couldn’t name a low!

Not far from Madrid was a small, humble town named Velverde del Majano, the birthplace of our fourth great-grandfather, Manuel Jose’. He was a Spanish whaler that set his sights on Aotearoa in the 1830s and married five Ngāti Porou women, the first wife, Taapita te Hinekaipuke, is who we come from. We got to visit where Manuel was born and learn about our whakapapa - an experience you just can’t begin to place value on.

Style meets survival

Then we had our biggest challenge yet, the last 100km of the Camiño de Santiago trail. We were confident with the great range of Kathmandu gear we had but doubt creeped in about how we would manage the distance. Our highs were getting to know our small walking group of awesome people, completing a goal that looked absolutely mammoth, and not getting blisters! Hah! Low, being absolutely shattered post-Camiño that even looking at a set of stairs hurt our muscles.

We reckon it’s important to say, 100km is a long way, and we were advised to only carry 10% of our body weight on our backs while our other bags (Hybrid Trolley, v5, 70L) were transported each day for us. This meant that having breathable light-weight backpacks (Valorous Pack 20L), purpose-built hiking shoes (Oboz Katabatic LT) with great socks (MerinoLink Federate Socks) comfortable and UV protective clothing (Women’s Ridge UPF Long Sleeve Shirt), as well as the best hats (EVRY-Day UPF 50+ and Heritage cap) and accessories were not only essential but were absolute game changers over the 100kms.

Next was Portugal. High, easy, when sun went to sleep, and the city came to life. One of the most beautiful places at night I’ve ever seen, both Porto and Lisbon were incredible. Low, also easy. Getting 13-year-old Maika Deja Vu on the train there, spewing my guts out because of motion sickness. Meh, not fun.

Amsterdam was next, Liana here, a high for me was visiting the Rijks Musuem, which boasts artwork from numerous historical icons like Van Gogh and Rembrandt. I also loved renting bikes and cruising around the city every day - a city that has more bicycles than people!

The highs, the lows, and the laughs

At this point, nearly six weeks of being constantly around the same person began to take its toll. My sister and I had our fair share of arguments, tears and frustration while we navigated travelling with each other. With so many decisions to make, languages to learn and places to orient, our bodies and minds were feeling tired and sometimes overwhelmed. Not to mention, our bodies were adjusting to different climates and time zones - for example, we’ve tweaked our dinner, sleep and wake time by three hours, to adjust to the European sun. We’ve embraced the idea of an afternoon siesta while the sun is high and at its full effect. This then leads to planning sightseeing later in the evening, followed by a 9pm dinner (which would be extremely late for us if we were back home – but hey, when in Rome).

A crucial healthy habit we’ve formed is planning more rest days, as well as staying hydrated with water and electrolytes (despite the Italian’s claim that drinking wine is the best way to hydrate)! Our water bottles have become our best friends - and Maika has been telling everyone that will listen to buy a soft reservoir for their bag because “they’re just so convenient for when you don’t want to remove your backpack”.

*Maika here* It’s not only true, but it has meant that I average maybe 5 litres of water a day! I call that, winning!

Staying connected to stay sane

Another healthy habit that’s kept us sane as we take on this adventure has been to connect with friends and family. We videocall and message people from home a lot, which gives us a sense of normalcy and grounding. We’ve also been fortunate enough to catch up with friends and family in person. In Paris, we caught up with a few lovely friends from New Zealand - including two Gizzy Girls’ High School friends who are living in London.

Following Paris was Nice, and then Florence, Rome, and Naples. The highs included stand-up paddle boarding, a pasta making class at a 12th century Tuscan winery, and a Capri tour of the infamous blue and green grottos. Honestly, we could write a novel about the experiences we’ve had. So many adventures get crammed into a single week, and we feel so grateful to be able to create endless incredible memories that we will cherish for a lifetime.

Packing light, living loud

One thing that we have learned, is that, though we are girly girls at heart and never shy away from heels and glam, so much of travelling favours the nomad that is practical. Thankfully, our Kathmandu gear strikes the perfect balance, stylish enough to feel put together but durable enough to handle whatever the days throw at us!  We’ve been wearing and re-wearing our favourite shorts (EVRY-Where 5” shorts and Seeker lined 4” shorts), reaching for our go-to Kathmandu tee (Organic Cotton T-shirt) , and thrashing our Oboz shoes and breathable backpacks every single day, spoiler alert, they’re super durable! This trip has been a crash course in smart packing and travel essentials, and we wouldn’t have it any other way than to be doing this with the best Kathmandu gear!

Thanks for tuning in to our halfway travel blog check in! Stay tuned for our Overseas Enthusiasts wrap up, which will include chasing our Swiss great-grandfather's footsteps in Safien Platz, exploring the magic of Switzerland, cruising through a week-long sailing adventure in Croatia, and visiting one place we have both really been looking forward to - Prague!

Lots of love!

Liana & Maika