I left for Australia one month ago.
This is now the longest trip I’ve ever taken.
Here’s a quick update of how it’s going.
I’m not getting as much work done as I’d hoped
I’m getting work done, but not as quickly or as efficiently as I’d hoped. A lot of that was because of the people I met in Melbourne. A week of epic parting was good for the soul, less so the workload. This is in no way a complaint. After all, I’m writing about not working on a blog that doesn’t pay me from a rooftop patio overlooking Brisbane. No, life is good, I just need to hunker down a bit (for a bit).
I pack well, if I do say so…
I’ve used nearly everything in my bag at least once. So far I haven’t needed my med kit (a good thing), the sleeping bag liner (still a good thing to bring), and a few other little things. Everyone seems impressed I’m doing 2.5+ months out of a 40L bag. See! My obsessive fixation on bags and packing has finally paid off!
Packing Cubes
Buy some. Buy them now. There is NOTHING that makes packing (and more importantly, re-packing) easier. The mess I’d have without these is unimaginable. I’ll never travel without them.
Pilling
My backpack (both the LEM and the CM) seem to be abrading my shirts, so I’ve got a lot of pilling on the lower back of all of them. This is interesting. Might mention this to the backpack company. Not sure if it’s enough to wear though to a hole, but I suppose it could.
Accents (Mine, mostly)
Most Australians I’ve met range from neutral to dislike of the American accent. Brits might like it, might not, might not care. Interestingly, a lot of nationalities (that I’ve met) find the American accent “neutral” and easy to understand. Some really like it. I have to figure a lot of this is due to our blanketing the world with our TV and movies. Among native English speakers there’s a pretty solid consensus that Scottish and Irish accents are the best. No surprise there, really.
Hostels are brilliant
I can no longer imagine travelling any other way. The people I’ve met, the atmosphere, I’m kicking myself I didn’t try this years ago. I’m gonna do a full blog on these later. Forget everything you think you know about hostels (if you haven’t stayed in one recently, that is).
One month is nothing
Most of the people I meet are on year-long Working Holiday visa. Others are spending a “gap year” travelling. I knew heading out that my 2.5 months was nothing compared to what many can do and have done. In my defense, though, this is a little different. Most Americans get 2 weeks a year if they’re lucky. They only way they have 2.5 months is if they’re unemployed. As jealous as I am of the time that my new friends have to explore, they seem impressed that I can do this all while still working. The grass is always greener, I suppose. I wish I’d been able to do this in my 20s, but that’s not how it works out. So I’m doing it now.
And it’s awesome.
Up next: Singapore
