About

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” – Terry Pratchett

Sonja - Migrating Miss - At Mount Cook New Zealand

Hi! My name is Sonja.

I started Migrating Miss on a whim in 2015 while I was living in Australia. It was a side project to give me an outlet to talk about all the travel I’d done in the previous few years while I was living in Europe, and while I figured out what I was going to do next.

What started out as a way to talk about budget backpacking, solo travel, and living abroad has expanded to include family travel with my husband, Phil, and our two little boys, plus more about our life in Scotland, where we now work for ourselves as full-time content creators and digital marketing strategists.

But let’s go back a bit…

I grew up in New Zealand, with parents who’s love of travel was passed down to me.

Then I started moving around the world when I was 16 and then I never really stopped!

After going to highschool for a year in the USA I was hooked on living abroad and immersing myself in another culture and place.

I went to university to study Law and Criminology but jumped at the opportunity to spend my last semester studying abroad in Canada, on beautiful Vancouver Island.

A short stint working in New Zealand followed, but then I jumped the ditch to Australia, chasing more money to fund my dream of moving to the UK.

Before long I was packing my backpack and travelling through South East Asia en route to Scotland, where I spent the next two years living and working and travelling Europe at every opportunity.

Offseason travel became my thing, partly for affordability, fewer crowds, and having another perspective on popular places.

Of course, I made the most of European summers too!

But in the meantime, I fell in love with living in Scotland.

However, all good things must come to an end, including, unfortunately, my working holiday visa.

It was back to Australia, an epic road trip across the whole country, and settling back into working, saving, and making the most of new opportunities. Including starting this website…

But you can read more about that in How I Became a Full-Time Travel Blogger!

I crammed a lot of adventures into a short time in Australia, because before the year was up I was back on a plane, on my way to teach English in Spain!

Living in Spain satisfied my dreams of being a teacher and learning another language, and it was everything I hoped it would be.

Except I wasn’t quite done with Scotland yet, and more particularly, a certain someone who lived there.

In 2017 I moved back to Edinburgh and married my best friend in front of our friends from all over the world.

I’m not a digital nomad by any means, and preferred to live at our home base in Edinburgh and travel at every opportunity. Especially after the arrival of our beautiful Baby B at the end of 2018, and then Baby E in mid 2021.

And now, our newest venture is moving to the Isle of Skye! We’ve upped our boys and business (I mean, it’s online, so that’s pretty easy, the boys, less so) and started a new life in a cottage by the sea. Much more to come on that!

Why Migrating Miss?

The best money I’ve ever spent is on travel and experiences, and if you get me started talking about travel, you better be ready for a long conversation!

Being able to travel is a privilege, but also something that many people think is out of their reach when it doesn’t have to be.

I wanted to show people there are so many different ways to travel, solo, as a couple, with your family, selling everything you own for a long trip, or taking short breaks when you can.

It’s all possible, and I’ve written about how to do it!

Whether you’re looking for inspiration to travel or move abroad, or are actually planning your trip, you’ll find something here for you.

Migrating Miss is a space to share the knowledge I’ve gained from travelling and moving countries since I was 16 years old.

Have a look around! You’ll find most of my recent content features Scotland and the Isle of Skye, since that’s where we now live. We even have a Facebook Group for people to come and get more tips!

Hit me up for all the knowledge I have gained and I’m bursting to share.

I mentioned I love to talk about travel, right?

So let’s do it!

Let’s Talk Travel – Contact Me

Message me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, leave a comment on a post you like or email me at sonja at migratingmiss dot com.

Introduce yourself, tell me about your adventures and ask me anything you want to know about mine.

Travel blogging isn’t just my passion, it’s also my job

If you want to collaborate, then check out my work with me page. 

Random facts about me:

  • I’m a qualified lawyer in New Zealand. I signed the fancy book to be admitted to the bar, but I’ve never practiced.
  • I moved to the United States when I was 16 partly because growing up I was obsessed with the Babysitters Club books
  • I love trying out new things but have a tendency to get distracted and find something new to try instead of sticking with a hobby. That’s why my parents still have my stamp collection and my eraser collection somewhere in storage…
  • I’ve been to 40 countries (ish)
  • Baking is my stress release
  • Therefore I love cake!

You can find my privacy policy and disclaimer here.