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| Sunset in Dubai |
1.
For discounted hostel stays, plus many discounts
at many attractions around the world, become a Youth Hostels
Australia/Hostelling International member. For Aussies it’s less than $40 a
year last time I checked. Your membership card entitles you to cheaper beds than
everyone else, and discounted entry fees at many tourist sites. Worth getting.
2.
Don’t be afraid to take public transport. It is
often the cheapest and quickest way of getting places. People often seem scared
of taking public transport but truthfully these systems in major cities are
often the safest mode of travel (hola NYC subway system!) and among the most
extensive, fast and easy to figure out (god bless you London Underground). My
first recommendation on how to get somewhere is definitely walking, but if it’s
too far (or you’re just too tired), public transport is the next best way to
go.
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| The London Underground |
3.
Be prepared in case the ultimate nightmare
happens and your luggage is lost/delayed. Pack some clean clothes (at least a
tshirt…it doesn’t have to be a whole outfit), underwear, any important
medication and some toiletries in your carry on bag. Plus anything important to
you, like valuables and expensive gifts you have bought for your family on the
course of your adventure. My motto is that I don’t pack anything in my checked
luggage that I would cry over losing. The important stuff sticks right by my
side. And it might sound silly, but let me tell you, as a flight attendant I
cannot tell you how many times passengers have fallen ill during the flight and
their medication is in their checked luggage buried in the hold below the
aircraft. “I didn’t think I’d need it!” they say. Well if you’d had it in the
cabin with you, you wouldn’t have! Duh. Same goes with packing emergency
clothing rations. If you have them, chances are your luggage will never get
lost and you will never have to resort to being down to your last pair of
undies.
4.
Don’t get caught up in converting the price of
everything you want to buy, from soft drinks to souvenirs, into your home
currency. It’ll just put you off buying cool things that will be great mementos
of your trip of a lifetime. It’ll also do your head in from all the maths that
you shouldn’t be doing on something like a holiday. Just buy it. Some things
will be a total rip off when you convert the euro or the pound price into
Aussie dollars or vice versa, and some things will be so cheap you’ll want to
buy two. But just buy it. Adapt to the prices of the country you are in and buy
as if you are a local (plus that beautiful hand blown Venetian glass ornament
or the fine Italian lace table cloth you bought your Mum as her Christmas
present).
5.
Keep a travel journal. You won’t have time, or
energy, to write in it every day but who cares? Just write whenever you feel
like it. Travel journals are the most glorious things to read back on, whether
it’s on the plane ride home after months away, or years later when you are
moving house and rediscover your journals when packing things up. I stick
tickets, leaflets, postcards, maps and other assorted reminders of my trip in
there as well.
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6.
Take advantage of anything free your hostel
offers. I have stayed at many hostels that offer free breakfast. Sure,
sometimes it’s just cereal or pancakes or a single French stick, some mini
packets of honey and some paper plates (like a hostel I stayed at in Athens,
Greece!), but it’s still free. Free is good. Fill yourself up and you won’t
need to shell out til lunchtime! Some hostels also offer free pasta night, or
things like $5 BBQ’s where you can get a sausage in a bun and a drink. It’s a
great way to meet people and save some coin!
7.
A travel towel from somewhere like (for the
Aussie’s) Kathmandu, Anaconda or Mountain Designs is a great idea and I would
say a travel essential. You cannot only use it for the bathrooms in the
hostels, as not all hostels provide you with towels, but also for the beach or
for extra padding around a delicate item in your suitcase for the journey home.
These towels are light weight, not too big dimension wise (although you can get
many different sizes), dry quickly and some even come in a plastic sleeve type
zip up bag, so you can put it in there wet and not have to worry about all the
other stuff in your suitcase getting wet.
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| Disneyland, California, USA |
8.
First time travellers are often weary of pick
pockets and unpleasant things like that and my advice is just to be switched
on. Don’t be careless. Don’t stand on a street corner in the middle of Times
Square with your map open. Don’t walk around with your bag unzipped. If you’re
just smart you will be fine. Try your best to blend in and look like a local.
If you look like every other commuter on the tube in London, just going about
your day, getting to work or whatever, why should a pick pocket target you over
anyone else? They shouldn’t. Just don’t take risks, that’s all. The kind of
money wallets that you hide under your clothes are a good idea for first timers
– I had one for my first trip overseas and kept my passport and emergency
credit card in there at all times, and always felt safe because I knew those
two very important things were always on me and always safe. There are many
ways you can be targeted – I knew a girl who had her phone stolen by gypsies at
the Eiffel Tower (and she didn’t even notice they were doing it!) and a guy who
handed over his credit card to a quad bike rental company in Corfu, Greece and
they charged him two thousand euro instead of two hundred and he did not
realise until a few days later! – but if you are cautious and sensible and take
no more risks than what you would take at home when it comes to your safety and
your money, then you shouldn’t run into much trouble.
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| Katoomba Falls in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia |
9.
Don’t buy one of those travel sims for your
phone. In this day and age where there is free wifi everywhere, you don’t need
to call everyone at home to stay in contact, especially if you’re going away
for less than a month. Send postcards and emails and keep up through Facebook
if you must. Call once or twice but keep it short so you’re not slugged a huge
fee for international roaming. I got this silly travel sim device thing on my
first trip and I had to load it up in $25 increments to make calls, and also to
receive them. I was away on my birthday and received about 3 phone calls that
day and had to load up $25 about 4 times! What a rip off. And so unnecessary. I
also had to call a number first and then they in turn would connect me to
whoever I was trying to reach! It was ridiculous. You do need a phone for
emergencies, but no one is saying you need to use it like you do at home.
You’re out travelling. It’s not like real life, like at home. Go off and see
stuff and tell everyone about it later.
10.
I recommend taking two credit cards – an
everyday use one (a debit one for example) that doesn’t flog you too much in international
fees every time you use it (or if it does, just withdraw a couple of hundred
dollars/euros/pounds/whatever each time so you can last a few days between
trips to the ATM. Store the money in your hidden money wallet until you need
it) and then a credit card for emergencies. I take a VISA credit card on all my
trips and almost never use it. It is just there in case something big comes up,
or I buy or have to pay for something that will only take that type of card.
Two cards is a good idea because if you lose one, or one is rejected, blocked
by your bank, not accepted or hacked, you still have something else you can use
in the meantime until you get it sorted out. I don’t need to tell you what a
mother trucking hassle it is to get a new card sent to you overseas –
especially if you are moving between countries, say on a tour, every couple of
days! Hello nightmare! And you don’t want to have to borrow money off other
people.
I also have never thought much of those pre-loaded
travel money cards. They seem like such a hassle. I guess if you’re super
against any kind of extra fee using your regular card overseas might incur,
then sure, look into it, but I think it’s much easier to just inform your bank
you’re leaving the country than having to get one of these travel cards, decide
how much to put on it and load it up and blah blah blah…argh. No thanks.
Completely personal preference of course but what if you don’t put enough on
it? (we always spend more than we think!)
Your savvy backpacker,
Jorgs
Seville is the best city for biking in Spain!!!
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