(03) 9020 2905Will anyone be in Australia to fill out the Census this week?
You should be reading this by smart phone or an internet cafe … somewhere the sun’s shining and it’s permanently cocktail hour. With Australia’s dollar in the stratosphere, there’s never been a better time.
Between 1996 and 2006, I spent a year backpacking. I couldn’t get enough. I went wherever for new experiences. And I think my efforts would have made roving Australian cultural attaché Sir Les Patterson proud.
I managed to: get tear-gassed in La Paz; accidentally break a part of Machu Picchu; get bombed on cava in Vanuatu; have no memory of Oktoberfest’s opening ceremony in Munich; and be harassed by the French gendarmes after laughing at their police poodles (the least scary canine cops on the planet).
Like many Xers, my current holidays are pretty tame, as very young kids make backpacking difficult. (And I grieve!)
Tip one: Go. Now. Before Australia digs up the whole country and sells it to China and there’s no home to come back to.
Two: Perhaps an optional extra in Australia, travel insurance is imperative for overseas trips. We’ve only needed it once – after getting fleeced like dumb gringos in Guatemala – but it was a great relief.
Three: If maths isn’t a strong suit, take a little calculator. Foreign currencies can be confusing. It may stop you getting ripped off.
Four: Take notes on how much you’ve spent where, so you know whether your budget is being blown, or whether you’ve got a bit up your sleeve for the last few days of your holiday.
Bruce Brammall is the author of Debt Man Walking (www.debtman.com.au) and principal adviser with Castellan Financial Consulting.