Backpacking around Australia : before

Hey everybody,

It's so nice to see people from all over the world reading my posts, please say hello if you do! 5 years ago I decided to give up my job in order to go backpacking around Australia for 3 months on a holiday visa. The only plan I had made was to start in Sydney and take it from there.

Before:

1. Apply for the correct type of visa- you won't get very far without it! Also check your passport is in date.

2. Research different options and chat to people who have been before. I actually got chatting to a few people on forums with whom I would end up spending my first week.

3. If you have the funds, start off with a travel company. I picked www.ozintro.com as I had heard lots of great things about them. The 1 week package they offer is great value for money as it includes activities like jet boating around the harbour, learning to surf and a trip to the Blue Mountains. They also get you a bank account, tax file card and mobile phone SIM. This means you can simply make the most of your first week. It is also a great way to meet new people.

4. If you want to go solo, make sure you have a plan of action:

Where are you going to start off?
 Are you planning to work or just travel?
What do you want to get from the experience? For example, I knew I wanted to try activities like skydiving which I would never dare do at home.

5. Compile a list of things to take with you and tick them off as you pack them. Travel forums and blogs are really good for getting advice for what to take. Also there are many travel lists on Google that you can print off.  Here are my recommendations:

- A suitable size backpack. Many girls I met had brought heavy suitcases with them and then struggled to carry them about. I took this Gelert one which was perfect for my size (I'm quite petite) and fitted everything I needed.

- Shampoo bars - I picked some from www.lush.co.uk which were great

- Small travel bottles of shower gel/ conditioner etc

- A torch

- A padlock that is big enough to attach your backpack to something sturdy

- A thin sleeping bag. The one I took was more like a thin sheet that you could roll up and attach to the straps of your backpack. Unfortunately I don't recall where I got it from.

- Clothing to last you a week. The worst bit about backpacking is the amount of washings you have to do. But at the same point, you do not want your bag to be too heavy. I was going in summer so I took a lot of light clothes like t-shirts and skirts. I only took 1 pair of trainers, 1 hoodie and 1 pair of jeans.

Remember you can throw away some of the clothes after you have been using them a while and purchase new ones. In fact, I think my whole travel wardrobe was completely different on the way home to what I took with me.

- Suitable walking shoes

- A fast drying towel. The best ones are the anti-bacterial ones.

- Small first aid kit with plasters, tablets and bandages.

- I took mini straighteners as they are easier to fit in. They were by Babyliss and pretty cheap. However once I was there, I borrowed GHD from friends I was travelling with. If going in a group of friends, co-ordinate who will take what.

 

5. Make sure you know the rules of the country you are visiting. I did a Google Search before I went just to know what could be taken into the country. Australia are very strict at Customs and will charge fines if you try to enter with something prohibited. Avoid the embarrassment at the Customs queue by knowing in advance what is needed.

6. Alert your bank that you are going to be abroad, get someone to pick up your mail regularly and cancel any subscriptions that you won't need like paying the milkman or catalogues.

7. Most importantly, make sure you have the funds to last you up until you get a job. Don't assume it will be easy to find a job over there. The last thing you want to do is have to phone home for a loan. Also, Customs usually check that you have enough funds to pay for a ticket home on entry.

You are now all sorted for the trip of a lifetime!Most of this is common sense but in the excitement of planning a trip it can be easy to forget something. In my opinion, research and planning make a journey a success. You don't need to have planned everything you will do but having a good idea of what you want to do or what is available will make your life easier.

Hope this post has been useful. As always let me know your thoughts in the comments section and check in next week to find out my recommendations for a fun-filled backpacking experience.



Nikki

Wanderlust and multilingualism

Amidst all the uncertainties in life, there are two things in life I know for certain about myself: I was born with a passion for travelling and a passion for learning languages. I become even happier when I get the chance to do both of these at once!

People assume that English will be spoken everywhere but this is truly not the case, particularly when venturing away from tourist hotspots. So here are some tips to help you make the most of your time abroad:

Before you go

1. Buy a miniature language guide and practice some of the key phrases you will need such as greetings. I normally buy the Berlitz guides at the airport and spend some time during the journey learning key phrases. Some of them even come with CD's to help you hear how the words sound.


2. If you are saving all your funds for your trip, use the power of Google to find sites with basic sentences and jot these down in a notepad. Here are a few you can use:

French - http://french.about.com/od/vocabulary/ss/greetings.htm

Spanish - http://spanish.about.com/od/spanishfortravelers/a/greetings.htm

German - http://german.about.com/od/vocabularytips/a/Learn-German-Greetings.htm

I'm sure there are many more options out there, the Google world is your oyster!

3. Practice saying some phrases out loud to increase your confidence in using them.

When you are abroad

4. Make sure you take your little guide/notepad everywhere with you. You never know when you might need it!


5. Take mini steps - don't try to rattle off big sentences right from the outset. Get confident in the basics first and then you can experiment more.


6. Don't worry about making errors or pronouncing the words wrong. It is in fact by making errors in a language that you learn the most. Also, the locals will be more than delighted that you are trying to make an effort.


7. Learn a few conversation savers such as " I don't understand" , "Can you repeat? " and "I don't speak Spanish/whatever language".


8. Absorb all the language around you - look at signs to see what you can understand, posters on the walls, menus in cafés and restaurants and most importantly listen to the locals communicate amongst themselves. Even if you don't understand everything they are saying, you will still be taking in words here and there.


If you are going for an extended amount of time it is probably more worthwhile to have a good handle on the language, just in case you get into any sticky situations or to get the most from your experience. In this case I recommend using www.duolingo.com which is great for working your way through different topics. You can select to do it for 5 minutes a day or longer if you prefer. It has a huge variety of languages and more are being added. You can even get it as an app for your phone.


Hope this post was useful,


Nikki

My 10 favourite destinations : Number 6

This week I've been reading a few well-known travel blogs to see what type of things they write about. Many of the bloggers suggest not doing exactly what I have been doing the past few weeks : providing a list about things you can do in a city or destination. However, this is what I like blogging about as it gives me the chance to reflect on all the wonderful times I have been lucky to experience.

On to the important part and we are back in sunny España for my number 6 : Gibraltar.

 

 

I have to admit that this destination was not a personal choice of mine. As I mentioned last week in my post about Granada, I got to spend a year in Spain as part of my university course. Being surrounded by Erasmus students (and many of them British), they raved a lot about Gibraltar. So, not wanting to miss anything my friends and I set off for "The Rock". Who knew that I would fall in love with this place?


During our trip to Gibraltar we stopped off at Tarifa as it's the southest point in Europe and you can see the Mediterranean meeting the Atlantic Ocean. Also we decided to stay overnight in Línea de la Concepción, a little town next to Gibraltar. I don't recall why we stayed here rather than in Gibraltar itself but I don't recommend it as it is an ugly little town. Plus, the hostel we stayed in was not trustworthy as a few of our souvenirs from Gibraltar went missing whilst we were out for dinner.

 The meeting point of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic

The first thing you need to know about Gibraltar is that it is a British territory located in the south of Spain, near Cádiz. As such, you need a passport to get in and out of it and passport control are very strict in this regard.  Secondly, we only spent one day in Gibraltar and were able to see most places. However I would recommend 2-3 days is long enough to spend here. Thirdly, having a car is a benefit as it can be quite costly to get to the top of the rock.

What you can do:

- Visit Apes Den. We took a bus up to here which cost about 8€, this may be considerably more expensive now. From here, you see some wonderful views across to Africa as well as of the Rock itself. Also, you get to see the famous apes happily roaming around.

View of Africa from the Upper Rock

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

- There are many historical sights relating to the Great Siege and World War II. We visited the Great Siege tunnels on the Upper Rock which were interesting enough. If you are interested in history and particularly wars I would recommend it. For me it was more a case of ticking something off the list of things to do. The best part was (from the caves) we got to see a plane taking off on the tiny little airport strip and wondering if it was going to make it or land in the ocean!

- Visit the sandy beaches situated around the Rock. We went in May and as you can see the sun had it's hat on so after walking around all morning, we chilled out on the beach. At that time of year, the beaches were relatively quiet and in some cases, you had the beach to yourself. Personally, I hate busy beaches so this was perfect for me.

- Visit the Europa point, the last point in Europe. Again, this was another ticking off a list item for me and we only spent about 10 minutes here. There is a nice lighthouse (I have an obsession with them - don't ask me why!) and the Shrine of our Lady of Europe which apparently dates back to the fifteenth century.

 

 

- Take a stroll through the shopping area, where you can see the cute little post office and post box. My friends who are French were so excited to get their picture next to this. For me it obviously wasn't a big deal. There are many good shops for buying souvenirs. My piece of advice is check a few of them out and then decide which to buy from as you can sometimes find them cheaper.

 

- Eat a typical English breakfast ( again this is a bigger deal if you're not British!)

 

Having only spent a day in Gibraltar there are many things I would have liked to have done but did not get the chance to do:

 

- Go to the Mediterranean Steps

 

- Experience the nightlife. There are many typical British bars

 

- Take the cable car to the top part of the Rock

 

- See inside the Mosque at Europa Point

 

- Go diving, it is a hotspot for divers due to the many reefs and wrecks nearby

 

You may be wondering why Gibraltar is so high on my list of destinations when I spent so little time here. Here is why:

 

- It genuinely feels like you are in Britain but with nice, sunny weather.

 

- Something to do for everyone: water sports, nice walks, sunbathing, visit historical sites and get in tune with nature.

 

- People are friendly, the streets are clean and it has a nice calm atmosphere

 



 

To conclude, I recommend Gibraltar as a short stay destination and if you are someone who enjoys a mix of activities. I certainly had a whale of a time there and if you go I hope you do too. If you have been or are intending to go, please leave a comment.

 

Nikki

My 10 Favourite Destinations: Number 7

I find it really hard to decide which order my favourite places are in but always associate it with how happy I was in that destination, how much there is to do there and whether the hype matches reality. Honestly I normally like all places I go because my love of travelling makes me seek new adventures,  meet new people and do the things that interest me. Not everyone will agree with this being fairly low on my list but there are 6 other places that I loved more

Enough rambling, here is mi número siete ( a little hint!) :

Granada, tierra soñada por mí! ( literally Granada, a land I have dreamt of)

This wasn't so much a choice of destination, my languages university course involved spending a year here at the Faculty of Translation and Interpretation. Everyone around me would tell me I was so lucky to be going there for a year but to begin with I wasn't overly keen on this city. But now, as I look through my photos, I realized I have many happy memories from here.

Why I love Granada:

- You get free tapas when you buy a drink and they are scrumptious ( this doesn't happen in most parts of Spain).

- It's near the mountains and it's near the beach. It's a win-win situation

- It's a vibrant city with lots to do for young people. There are plenty of bars where you can have a quiet drink and many clubs open until 6am!

- It's steeped in history, lots of interesting places to visit and see. Even my Faculty was an old, beautiful building. This is it below:

What to do:

1. Obviously, first on my list is to spend a day at the famous Alhambra Palace. It is essential to buy a ticket in advance, you can't just show up as it is very unlikely you will be lucky enough to get in. The walk there is up a steep hill but if you aren't in a rush and the weather is nice, I would recommend it. If not, there are shuttle buses that take you up or I think the taxi is quite cheap too. There is so much to see and I would recommend buying a ticket that lets you in to see everything such as the Patio of the Lions (pictured below) . From certain points, you get wonderful views of the city.

2. Go to the Parque García Lorca- wonderful for taking walks around. This is where Garcia Lorca's family home is situated and is worthwhile seeing.

3. If you like religious places, visit the Cathedral located on Gran Vía. You can see it in the picture above and it is a very nice building. I have never been in as it was always booked up.

4. Go to Calle Elvira and experience the nightlife- many good times were had in this area. If you like clubs, then I recommend Granada 10. This is where we usually ended up as it has Erasmus nights every week. If you are a student, this is a must!
 
5. Spend a day at Sierra Nevada. You can get a bus from the main Bus Station. Even if you don't like skiing, it is well worth a visit. The resort is wonderful and there are areas where you can do sledging if you don't like skiing and there are many fabulous restaurants. Here is one of my photos but it does not do it justice:

6. Spend a day at Salobreña, a village made up of white houses. Take a walk up to the Castle, which is situated at the very top and offers fantastic views. Then walk back down to Playa de la Charcha or Playa de la Guardia. I always preferred the first one as it was quiet and peaceful. There is a great wee bar there called The Rocks.

El peñón ( the rock) - Playa de la Charcha

 

Salobreña Castle

 

 

We also spent a day at Almuñecar beach but I wouldn't recommend it really. The beach is made of stones which makes it uncomfortable to lie and when we were there it was really windy. Plus, there wasn't much else to do there.

 



7. Visit the Alpujarra villages. This is an absolute must even though the drive there is horrific and full of windy roads. Just don't look out the windows and you will be fine. My friend Lily and I spent 2 days up in these villages. We got off the bus at Lanjaron, a cute little village on the way there. Mainly we got off because this is where Lanjaron water is made but it turns out it's just an ugly factory.

Next we went to Capileira, the highest village in the Alpujarras. We stayed at Hostal Atalaya which I really recommend. We took a look around the village and visited the Pedro Alarcon museum, who was a famous Spanish writer.

There wasn't much to do at night so we took a walk down to Bubion, another village that we had passed on the way up and we knew it had a bar. We went into bar Fuenfría ( I only know this because my friend takes photos of everything). We met some people there who told us there was a party at the Casa de Cultura. So we spent the evening there dancing and drinking with total strangers but they were very welcoming. The only problem was we had to walk back up to Capileira which is a half hour walk when you are sober and longer when you are drunk and it's dark. I don't recommend this part.

The next day we went back down to Bubion to see it properly in the daylight, it's really pretty. Both villages are all whitewashed and there is a pretty little town square and church. From here we were to walk down to Pampaneira which we could see was a fair trek from Bubion on a really warm day. So we made a shortcut down the hillside. Pampaneira is nice for having a meal in, it has some great restaurants and great for buying souvenirs. I wouldn't spend a lot of time in the Alpujarras unless you have a car. Two days was more than plenty for us, even including all our adventures!

8. Take a tour bus around Granada. I did this in my final week there and was astounded by how many different places I hadn't seen such as the Plaza de Toros and the old University. Even if you don't get off the bus, it's great to experience Granada fully.

9. If you are a student, go to a botellón. In certain areas, you are allowed to drink outside and groups of people congregate here before going on to clubs.

10. Visit Nerja, another coastal town which has very nice beaches and is like a typical tourist town. I spent a week here with my family and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

There are probably lots of other things to do in Granada but here are my main ones. I was lucky enough to have lots of time to explore Granada and the surrounding areas. It is somewhere I will definitely return in the future and which is suitable for all. Hope you have enjoyed reading my post and if you have any suggestions for Granada please leave a comment for others,

Nikki

P.S. all photos are my own in all of my blog posts. I would never post information about somewhere I haven't been.

My 10 Favourite Destinations: Number 8

I really should have pointed this out in my first blog post, in terms of travelling there are so many exciting places I have never been. I've never had the opportunity to go to Asia, Africa or America and I'm certain that if I had, I would be listing a few of them in my favourite destinations. So most of my favourite destinations are locations in Europe.

So my number 8 is.............

Ireland!

There are far too many wonderful places to single out just one of them, think of it as a bumper pack. So here are my recommendations for Cork, Lake Connemara, Dublin and Belfast. Then I will list at the bottom places I still want to go to.

Cork

Cork is a quaint little town in southern Ireland which makes it pretty cold most of the time. My friends and I started our Irish journey here in January 2007 and it was baltic! Cork has fantastic shopping areas, including the wonderful Irish souvenir shops where you can spend hours and a fortune! Another main feature of Cork are the pubs and bars full of friendly Irish people, pints of Guiness and Irish folk songs. It's a great place to just soak up the atmosphere. Cork city itself does not have many attractions, essentially you need a car to get to the best bits of Cork County.

We were only in Cork for 2/3 days so the second day we went to Cobh, a seaside village about an hour from Cork by train. I would say Cobh was the best part of my visit to Southern Ireland. There are a few attractions to visit such as the St Colman's Cathedral as well as the Lusitania Memorial. However the reason I loved Cobh was because of the magnificent views, see here for yourself:

This image was taken a 5 minute walk up a hill from the train station, isn't it beautiful? You would think it was a summers day but this was in January. And it's a lovely walk back down past the Cathedral too. You do need to regain your breath at the bottom though as it is steeper than you think!
The day after we travelled by bus from Cork to Galway which was only a couple of hours by bus. We only did an overnight stay in Galway so don't have anything to report on that.

Lake Connemara

Every time I have mentioned this place to Irish people, they never to seem to know about it which I am astounded by. We took a bus tour from Galway around this wonderful area. I'm pretty sure it was just a day thing but totally worthwhile. Along the way we stopped off at different points to take photos of the scenery and we stopped off in Leenane at a pub called Gaynors for some lunch which I would definitely recommend. Next we went on to Kylemore Abbey, a stunning Castle built in wonderful grounds. You can't help but feel awe when you approach this Castle and it is even more stunning close up. This is it here:

 

 

 

 

It is the home to Benedictine nuns and is used as an international school as well. We paid to do the tour as it includes a look around the grounds and the Gothic Church which the owner built for his wife after she had died.

 

 

 

Dublin

 

Dublin is the place to come to if you want to experience a proper city with lots of great attractions, shops and culture. There is so much to do here I can't even begin to list it all but here is what I did:

 

1. Stroll along the River Liffey.

2. Visit the Guiness beer factory, fantastic views from the top. A good experience even if you hate the taste of Guiness, like me!

3. Visit Trinity College and see the Book of Kells.

4. Walk along Dame Street to see Dublin Castle.

5. Have a few drinks in Temple Bar ( or any other bar of your fancy in the area)

6. Visit the Molly Malone statue and get a cheeky photo next to it whilst singing "In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone..."

 

 

 

 

 

Belfast

 

This is possibly my most favourite part of Ireland so far. I went here in 2013 for a hen do and the inside of bars was not all we saw. The hen had decided we were to dress as sailors (what with Belfast being a big port) but we made some classy sailors! Whilst here we:

 

- Did a tour of the city by bus, we got to see the Falls Road (this was our least favourite part but interesting all the same). Our favourite part was seeing where the Titanic was built. Apart from these 2 places nothing else springs to mind but a tour bus doesn't always let you discover the best sights.

 

- Hired a party boat for 2 hours to take us up and down the river.

 

- Went to 21 social for a meal and then went to it's exclusive nightclub in the evening. the food was really good but the drinks were so pricey. One of my friends even got charged for a glass of water in here!

 

I definitely want to return here and explore the city more. My only issue with Belfast was the maps for the buses weren't very clear and people couldn't give us directions to the Main Bus Station so we missed our bus to the airport, hence having to pay 30 euros in a taxi so we wouldn't miss our plane!

 

 

Places in Ireland I still need to visit

 

• Giants Causeway
• Derry Londonderry: supposed to be very popular with tourists now
• Have heard good things about Malahide
• Go back to Cork and explore more of the county.

 

Sorry for the very long blog post, it was great reminding myself of all the great things I did on my visits here. I always think a trip is made by who you go with and since I went with friends on both occasions I had a blast :)

 

Nikki

 

 



 



A flawed perspective perhaps?

Giving to others who are less fortunate is fundamental to me. I'm that person who cannot walk past someone raising money for charity or signing you up for donations. They can always see me coming and must be delighted when they see me sign my name on the dotted line. Before I get to the point of my post, I have to say that I am not trying to encourage people to not donate to charity. I think it's great that there are so many different ways to give to charity. But I have realised that for me, the way I have went about giving money to charity is flawed. Lately I've felt like I've been in my own little bubble worrying about things that are trivial and felt like I need to do more to try and make the world a better place.

This past year I've donated money for many causes such as Band Aid 30, Ice bucket challenge, people doing races and challenges to raise money. And up until now I've never really thought that much about it.

Today, I was listening to the Radio 1 DJs promoting Comic Relief by talking to local Ugandans about how bad their hospitals are, how much they would benefit from better services etc.  What really bugged me today was thinking of why (and I fully include myself in this) wait until a charity drive like this comes along to raise money for basic services like education and health care? Are we unaware of the millions dying of illnesses that could be easily cured? Are we unaware that they lack basic human rights? Do we need to see footage of celebrities in hospitals and schools crying their eyes out before we click donate? The BBC provide a night of entertainment and comedy in exchange for as many donations as possible, can we not donate simply because it's the right thing to do? What they fail to point out is, all the viewers they amass during their 7 hour telethon!

Whenever I've discussed charity with people before, I often get the same answer: charity starts at home. Does this mean home as in the UK or home as in your own house? I am never sure but both answers disgust me. If we can afford to donate after doing an ice bucket challenge, we can afford to donate without doing a stupid challenge. And I did said stupid challenge and donated too! At the time, some of my colleagues at work refused to do it and I couldn't comprehend why. From their point of view, they already donate money to causes close to their heart and happily did so without "entertainment". At the time I honestly didn't get it but now I completely do.

I maybe sound over critical or judgemental, maybe this is only my experience. I am definitely pro-charity but in 2015 I'm going to stop donating money because I am asked to and donate instead because I want to and to what causes I feel are most important to me. Today I've been pondering whether I should become a volunteer for a charity in my free time, this is the year where I aim to help others more in whatever ways I can.

Whether you agree with me or disagree, I feel it's always good to discuss issues close to your heart so let me know!

Nikki

My 10 Favourite Destinations: Number 9

I've been really busy the past few weeks so haven't had time to update my favourite destinations. I love thinking about all the wonderful places I've been to and there are so many I still want to go to so would love suggestions from other people!

Without further ado, my number 9 is............

 

 



 

I actually only spent 1 day in Monaco but in that short time it made a lasting impression on me and I would love to go back. It's not a place I thought I would be overly keen on and definitely had not been on my must see list.

 

I went to Monaco in 2005 with 2 of my best friends during my year abroad in Aix-en-Provence. Once a month we would go to different cities and one weekend they chose to go to Sanremo and then Monaco.  We might have been there a short while but we made the most of our time and crammed a lot in.

 

 

We started off at the Casino de Monte Carlo, taking a few customary snaps. My friends are snap happy so we have about 10 photos outside the casino alone. We then walked down to the harbour, passing the Princess Grace Hospital. The harbour was nice enough (nicer views of it from the Palace) but I actually preferred the Sanremo harbour pictured here:

 

 

 

 

Then, we ventured up quite a steep incline to the Prince's Palace. We had fun posing at the cannons but I won't post any of those photos here! I suppose it was quite pretty but in comparison with other palaces not really anything to write home about. We decided it was time for lunch, I don't remember where we ate but I think it might have been Castleroc. The food was yummy and not too expensive.

In typical me fashion, what impresses most people about a place was not what impressed me. My favourite part is the part near the Oceanographic Museum which looks onto the little harbour and Monaco-Ville. To me, it was far more beautiful and quaint. I particularly liked all the pretty coloured houses and the fact it looks like a different town. Here it is below:

 

 

 

 

 

A visit to Monaco would not be complete without going to St Nicolas Cathedral and the famous F1 tunnel so we did just that. I read recently a reviewer saying they though Princess Grace's grave was understated but I didn't think it was. The F1 tunnel didn't have a huge impact on me, it's cool to see it once I suppose and would be completely different if you saw it when the race was on.

 

 

So why is it my number 9? I've never spent so little time in a place that has made me like it so much. There weren't many tourists when I was there, it had a peaceful atmosphere and I think it makes you feel quite liberated. Spending time up at the Palace and surrounding areas blows all your cobwebs away! I suppose I'll need to add a picture of the real Monaco harbour so here it is:

 

 

 

I wish I had spent longer there and had specific tips on what to do/where to go. But I've mentioned what you can't miss : casino, harbours, palace, cathedral and (possibly) tunnel. If you have been to Monaco and think I have missed anything important out, please leave a comment. Until the next time,

 

Nikki