About

I’m Izy Berry, and The Wrong Way Home is where I write about long-term travel done properly: the logistics, the eSIMs, the budgeting, and the destinations, from someone who’s actually lived it rather than just passed through.

I left New Zealand in 2010 on a one-way ticket to Sydney and never really stopped moving. Since then I’ve lived as an au pair in the Czech Republic and Spain, solo-travelled across Europe, South East Asia, and Central America, spent a decade based in Antigua, Guatemala, and relocated with my family to Valencia, Spain in late 2024. I’ve lost count of the countries at this point, but what I haven’t lost is the practical knowledge that comes from actually living abroad long-term, not just visiting.

That’s what this site is for: real logistics for people who want to travel longer and smarter, not another list of “top 10 things to do.” I made plenty of mistakes learning this the hard way, and I started this site to share what actually works, so you don’t have to. That means eSIM and connectivity reviews that come from actually needing to stay connected while working and parenting abroad, budgeting advice that comes from a decade of stretching a household budget across three countries, and destination guides written by someone who’s actually spent time in the place, not skimmed a press trip.

My story

I didn’t grow up traveling but it was always something I wanted to do. That one-way ticket to Sydney in 2010 turned into loops around the world instead of a single trip. Along the way I’ve worn a lot of hats: au pair, solo backpacker, and now a mother traveling with my own kids.

I spent a decade living in Antigua, Guatemala, drinking some of the world’s best coffee, learning Spanish, getting married, and having two children. In late 2024, my family and I made the decision to relocate again, this time to Valencia, Spain, on the Digital Nomad Visa which has been its own whirlwind adventure.

Solo travel taught me most of what I know: how to travel safely, how to stretch a budget further than seemed possible, and how to lean into the discomfort of not knowing what’s next. These days, the trips look different, shaped around my husband and kids rather than a backpack and a one-way ticket, but the same instincts still drive how I plan and what I write about here.

There are still places left on my bucket list. I’ll keep writing about the ones I’ve already checked off.

That’s the whole reason this blog exists: to help share the richness long-term travel can bring into your life and to help inspired others to say yes to a new adventure.