By Rowan Forster
A Nar Nar Goon videographer is set to embark on the trip of a lifetime with a complete stranger in a ground-breaking social experiment.
On Friday, Tom Cunningham jetted off to soak up the country’s most iconic landmarks after taking out the top prize in Travello’s Aussie Adventure competition.
He will traverse 5500 kilometres of Australian soil in a seven-week adventure spanning from Sydney to Uluru.
There’s only one catch; the 25-year-old has never met his travel companion.
Mr Cunningham will partner up with Natalie Otto, a Melbourne newcomer and former American TV news reporter in a $25,000 trek to the country’s most iconic landmarks.
“I think it’s a great way to see and experience what I have here in my own backyard of Australia, and I love the risk of doing it with someone I have never met before,” he said.
“Doing it with your best mates is one thing, and even that can get testing at times.
With a complete stranger – anything could happen, and that unknown is what makes it all the more exciting for me.”
Quizzed about his new companion, Mr Cunningham held high hopes.
“She seems like an absolute legend,” he said.
“I can’t wait to meet her and I can’t wait to see what we get up to.”
The duo will camp under the stars near Uluru, skydive in Byron, visit a crocodile farm in Emu Park, take a scenic flight over the Whitsundays, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef and much more.
Ms Otto was equally as excited for the once-in-a-lifetime journey.
“To be honest, this really is the way that the world of travel is going,” she said.
‘People want to meet like-minded people, make new friends, and travel the world together.”
Ms Otto has only been in Australia since January, moving from Kansas City, Missouri.
Travello partnered with several leading tourism boards and travel organisations to organise the trip.
Destination Gold Coast, Tourism Noosa, Tourism Whitsundays, World Nomads Travel Insurance, JUCY Car and Campervan Hire and No Expiry all got on-board to facilitate the initiative.
The duo will document the journey on their social media channels.
