88 Days

88 Days
An Australian memoir of blistered hands, calloused hearts and everlasting hope

Eighty-eight days. One Australian outback town. An experience that changes everything.

When Stefano leaves Italy for Australia, he is looking for something different. Like many young travellers on a working holiday, he knows that completing 88 days of eligible regional work could bring him one step closer to a second-year visa. What he doesn't know is how much those days will change him.

Arriving in Mildura, Victoria, Stefano steps into a world of seasonal farm work, shared hostel rooms, unfamiliar routines and long days under the Australian sun. From the fields to the packing sheds, every job brings new challenges, unexpected encounters and another story to tell.

But the real journey happens beyond the work itself.

Between exhausting shifts, nights at the hostel and the friendships that grow along the way, Stefano discovers the excitement of new connections, the uncertainty of attraction, the difficulty of being far from home and the strange feeling of finding a sense of belonging in a place that was never meant to be permanent.

Some days test his patience. Others bring laughter, adventure and moments he wishes could last forever. As the countdown continues, the experience becomes about more than meeting a visa requirement. It becomes a chapter of life shaped by the people he meets, the choices he makes and the person he is becoming.

88 Days is an honest, personal memoir about the reality of an Australian working holiday: the work, the people, the relationships and the moments in between that leave a lasting mark.

88 Days is for anyone who has dreamed of travelling to Australia, packing a bag and starting a new chapter somewhere far from home. It will appeal to backpackers, working holiday travellers and anyone curious about the realities of seasonal farm work and life in a working hostel.

It is also for readers who enjoy true stories about friendship, romance, cultural differences, personal growth and the unexpected connections that can turn a temporary stop into a meaningful experience.

Whether you've lived the backpacker life yourself, are planning your own Australian adventure, or simply enjoy honest stories about people finding their way in the world, this book invites you to experience the highs, lows and unforgettable moments of 88 days in Australia.

Because sometimes, the days we count down to escape become the very days we wish we could have back.