Bet she doesn't dread Mondays! Travel writer, 30, who quit her job as a teacher to live in the Maldives reviewing luxury resorts and urges others to take the same chance

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A travel writer has revealed how she secured the job of a lifetime to spend every day reviewing luxury resorts while living in the Maldives.  

Former teacher Kristie Murray, 30, currently lives on an island called Thulusdhoo which is surrounded by crystal clear waters and has a population of just 1,900.

And although she's been been a travel blogger for five years, she also runs her own travel guide business that has turned over $75,000 in just 10 months.

When she first moved to the Maldives in 2015, local island tourism was relatively new and she hardly had a dollar to her name.

But in 2018 she and her boyfriend launched a lucrative travel website that offers budget tips and holiday planning for those heading to the Maldives, and in early 2019 she woke up to a very enticing offer from the Forbes Travel Guide. 

A travel writer has revealed how she managed to secure the job of a lifetime and spend every day reviewing luxury resorts while watching the sunrise in the Maldives 

Australian writer Kristie Murray , 30, currently lives on an island called Thulusdhoo in the Maldives which is surrounded by crystal clear waters and has a population of just 1,900.

'Earlier this year I couldn't believe when I woke up to an email from the Executive Editor of Forbes Travel Guide,' she told FEMAIL. 

'They had found my blog and were asking me to be the Maldives Luxury Travel Correspondent. They are flying me all around the Maldives later this month to five of the finest resorts to write resort reviews for the guide.'

Although most of her days are spent working and doing admin with her boyfriend for their company, Indulge Maldives, she is often able to play on the sun-drenched beaches that make up her backyard.  

She starts her morning with a surf after she's checked her emails and will then plan upcoming resort or local island trips and content for her websites. 

'So earlier this year I couldn't believe when I woke up to an email from the Executive Editor of Forbes Travel Guide,' she told FEMAIL

'I also like to meet our guests that visit Thulusdhoo Island. Sometimes I will join our guests at a sandbank island excursion or for turtle snorkelling,' she said. 

'My boyfriend Hupa and I will make sure that we watch the sunset together every day and we go out for dinner most nights as local island restaurants are inexpensive, just $5 to $10 per meal.'

Then before bed she will reply to her last emails and set a to-do list for the following day. 

This dream life came about thanks to her initiative to visit local island properties and write reviews on her blog when she first moved to the island.

'My boyfriend Hupa and I will make sure that we watch the sunset together every day,' she said (pictured together)

This eventually led her to be invited to a variety of luxurious events and conferences and she started to make a name for herself in the industry. 

Last year she made the decision to combine her talents with that of her Hupa, who is local man and a photographer.  

'Over the four years that we have been together we have travelled to many countries writing and photographing luxury properties. We work really well together, so we decided to combine our talents,' she said.

'I rebranded my blog from you.theworld.wandering to Luxury Island Traveller (LIT). Luxury Island Traveller now has a luxury travel focus and inspires people to fall in love with life and live out their wildest dreams.' 

The talented duo also made the decision to start a travel agency together in 2018 as they noticed a gap in the budget travel market for the Maldives.

Although most of her days are spent working and doing admin for her and her boyfriends company Indulge Maldives, she is often able to play on the sun-drenched beaches that make up her backyard

This dream life came about thanks to her initiative to visit local island properties and write reviews on her blog when she first moved to the island

They wanted to combine Kristie's love for writing and Hupa's interest in video and photography to teach people in Australia that the Maldives is a 'super affordable' destination to travel to.

'This year Hupa and I have been invited to many of Maldives' top luxury resorts together to see if they are a good fit for our Indulge Maldives guests,' she said.

'I write reviews for each resort on Luxury Island Traveller and we film short videos of each resort on our Instagram to show the unique holiday experience offered at each resort, we have visited nine just this month!' 

Kristie and her boyfriend Hupa also made the decision to start a travel agency together in 2018 as they noticed a gap in the budget travel market for the Maldives

They wanted to combine Kristie's love for writing and Hupa's interest in video and photography to teach people in Australia that the Maldives is a 'super affordable' destination to travel to

'This year Hupa and I have been invited to many of Maldives' top luxury resorts together to see if they are a good fit for our Indulge Maldives guests,' she said

Kristie's life is completely different to when she moved to the island to teach English after a 'quarter life crisis'.

The 30-year-old had spent her early 20s as a special education teacher but by the time she was 25 she was feeling burnt out.

She also realised at this point in life that she wanted more than what her hometown could provide so took on a teaching job in the Maldives.

This provided her with an apartment, a monthly salary and she could walk to school each day so she didn't need a car or motorbike. 

This was when she decided to start her blog, in hopes that she would inspire other people to get out of their comfort zone.  

Kristie's life is completely different to when she moved to the island to teach English after a quarter life crisis

The 30-year-old had spent her early 20s as a special education teacher but by the time she was 25 she was feeling burnt out

'I would spend my savings on discovering more of Maldives and surfing the most beautiful waves I had ever seen in my life!' She said.

'Every weekend I seemed to fall more and more in love with Maldives. I even met my Hupa while I was surfing.'

He was a surf guide at the Australian Surf Camp on the island and they would they would make sure they went surfing every weekend together.

Although Kristie spent this time working hard so she could maintain her dream life she has also managed to fall in love. 

'We feel in love really quickly and four years on, he's my biggest inspiration in life and love,' she said.

'I would spend my savings on discovering more of Maldives and surfing the most beautiful waves I had ever seen in my life!' She said

Although they have done long distance in the past they now spend almost every hour of every day together and still manage to run a successful business. 

Kristie said that the life she has created isn't too far out of reach for other people either. 

'Someone wise once told me: "If your dreams don't scare you, then you're not dreaming big enough" and "Live your life as though you will die tomorrow but live your life as though you will live forever",' she said.

'I think we should go through life doing the things that bring us the most happiness.

'If you have a dream no matter how big or small, go for it and persevere it with all you have until it turns into something beautiful!'