After 5 months of enjoying the cultural sensations of SE Asia and now the changing environments of Australia, what are the top 5 travel essentials that I really needed in my backpack and why?
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1) Travel Money
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Number one of travelling in Australia! You need your travel money! Compared to England, the prices of stuff in Australia is far more expensive! Imagine my face dropping when I realised that the price of beer is equivalent to £6!
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So I urge you to think about your travel money, save up with a great provider and budget like you’ve never budgeted before!
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Currency cards, travellers cheques and many more would come in useful.
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2) Aviator Sunglasses
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Other than my lighter, my aviator sunglasses are my significant other. Caressing my ears with its thin holders that lie nicely next to my hearing aids and wrapping around my doe like eyes, it gives me safety from the harsh glare of the sun. When it is not on, it can be found tucked on my top, its ear holder tickling my chest.
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Maybe I shouldn’t whisper sweet things to my sunglasses now, after all, I lost 3 in 2 months…but the sunglasses I have now…it has been a month that we have been together.
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I love aviators without a doubt especially that no one can see my eyes looking at them. Also it’s pretty useful when there are chuggers (charity muggers) on the street trying to catch your eye. And you walk on by.
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3) Great Sense of Humour
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When your campervan breaks down in the middle of the outback. You have no phone signal. It’s getting dark and you remember seeing a slathering dingo go by not that long ago. So what did I do? I laughed. Well, it was either that or cry. And crying doesn’t get you anywhere. Laughing like the maniac I am, it came clear to me that hang a great sense of humour, a British one that is, is very important to survive in Australia. Particularly in North Queensland when no such humour existed.
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Of course, you will get into trouble and gain setbacks to your plans (thank you rain for destroying my Whitsunday dreams) but at the end of the day, chin up, give a laugh and remember that you are in Australia!
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4) Lighter
Travelling in the campervan all the way down the East Coast, I would always want my cup of tea. I’m British you see. In the campervan, you are given a stove but NOT a lighter. Overcoming my fear of lighters (I always got burned trying to light one before), I bought a lighter and since then, it’s been my companion through thick and skin. It came in useful for not only lighting the stove but also for burning my friend’s belt…I’ll explain later in a further post.
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5) Australia East Coast Guidebook
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Ah boo, you might say. Why am I blindly following a guidebook when I could go out there and follow my eyes. First off, Australia is big and secondly, the Lonely Planet Guidebook has become sooooo useful to me. Maps inside proved to be better than tourist information maps, it had lots of sightseeing activities recommended that are off the beaten track like Wallaman Falls, and full of reviews for travel companies and tours you may wish to take.
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It’s pretty much battered now from being in my small backpack as I carried it literally everywhere. Not even half a day go by when I don’t take it it. I love you Guy (nickname for the guide…)
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So there you have it. My 5 top essentials for travelling. There are lots more but these 5 have warmed my heart.
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Now back to what I’ve been up to!
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