Backpacking Tips & Tricks

The more people you eat with, the cheaper it'll be.

1 - I’ve mentioned it before, but don’t assume that because you’re backpacking, you must have a backpack. I came out with a 120L capacity backpack and within just a few room changes I was ready to dump it and leave all my worldly possessions behind. A suitcase will become your best friend - easy to move, easy to pack, and most of all - easy to see where the hell all your stuff is! There is nothing more frustrating than trying to find a specific item of clothing and looking like a vet with his arm inside a cow - trust me, wheels are best.

2 - Never be afraid to ask for the odd cheeky discount. When buying my suitcase it was $199, a little over my budget. But after a simple question of ‘do you do backpackers discount…?’ I had managed to work $80 off - bargains! 

3 - Suncream suncream suncream. I can’t stress this enough - anything under SPF 50 and you will burn. To be honest, even with SPF 50 you’ll still have the odd lobster day. The ozone layer is a lot thinner in Australia, making it deceivingly difficult to guess when you need to apply. Simple solution - buy the aerosol kind and top up regularly, no stickiness, no greasy hands and you’ll be covered within 20 seconds. 

We've Booked!

'Come fly with me...'

So happy to finally say that after what feels like months and months of planning and talking about what we were going to do, Jack and myself FINALLY got around to putting our deposits down with OzIntro, applied for our work visas and booked our flights. It’s been a tricky process, with a ton of e-mails, phone calls and ‘reconvening’ Facetime sessions in-between, but thanks to the ridiculously helpful people at Gap Year Travel, we managed to find a changeable return flight with Emirates for just £900 and a discounted ten-night voucher for Base Backpackers Hostels, which are situated all over Australia. Admittedly, the pain for my bank account is far from over, as we still need to buy our travel insurance and pay off the rest of the package costs with OzIntro, but in all honesty I’m just excited to start thinking about the real issues - like what do I wear on the plane?!

No Longer an Ink Virgin

'Wanderlust - A Great desire or impulse to travel the world and rove about.' 

Bit by the Travelling Bug

Well, okay, not literally. For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to travel. Even going back ten years as to when I started Secondary School, I can still remember that first ‘introduce yourself to the class’ session that every eleven-year-old child dreads. 

“Hi...I’m Chloe. I like to write and I want to travel the world someday.”

To be fair, eleven-year-old me knew what she was on about. Seven years on I chose my degree of Multimedia Journalism at Canterbury Christ Church University and so began my future of writing in a new place. Of course, Canterbury was hardly Timbuktu, and although my halls of residence were certainly questionable at times, I was hardly slumming it backpackers-style in a hostel somewhere. Nevertheless, those three years I spent away from home provided me with both the life and professional experience needed in order to one day make that big move abroad.