New Travel Toys

    I promised myself after my last trip that I would invest in a good camera. During my last adventures I took a cheap point-and-shoot digital camera that took okay pictures but did not truly capture the vibrant colours or dreamy sunsets of the enchanted lands I visited. After heaps of research and visits to camera stores I opted for the Canon G12. It is a lightweight machine with image quality comparable to a DSLR. It is compact and does not attract attention, plus the price tag does not break the bank. My advice is to have a well preforming camera to document the truly once in a life time places you will visit.

New G12 Camera 

I believe another "must have" for a long trip is a netbook. On my last trip I travelled without a computer, which meant I had to spend a lot of time in crowded internet cafes. Not only did this bite into my daily travel budget but it also meant I had to prearrange skype calls with friends and family, which proved to be difficult. On the other hand, the ease of travelling with a computer means you can easily communicate with the world without spending money, for hostels and guesthouses always offer free wifi. If you have your own computer and operate a blog you can also type posts during long train journeys or when you're hanging in a hammock. I opted for the Asus X101CH because it is lightweight and only 10inches long! In the long run you will save money investing in a compact computer as internet cafes are expensive. 

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Make a Travel Flag

     This week I bought myself a new rucksack for my forthcoming trip this August. The bag ticks all the boxes in terms of practicality and durability; however, it lacks in style. I tried to opt for the nicest colour, and ignored sneers from BHW oh how "colour is not important, it's how the bag performs." As an aesthetically-minded person, I find it very hard to not think about how things looks.  As soon as I returned home with my pack I began thinking about how I could make it prettier.  Promptly I started making my very own "HMS Voyager" flag to hang at the front of the bag. Now my bag looks interesting because I found a way to inject my personal style into an ordinary item.

     Below are some images on how I created my travel flag. Go on give it a go, style-up your own backpack.

I opted for EMS Women's Long Trail 60 . It has excellent back support which for me is super important due to my back problems. The bag also has lots of handy compartments, including storage at the bottom, which is ideal for a sleeping bag, and water bottle holders, as well as clips for hanging items (great for wet bathing suits that you don't want to put in with your dry clothes as you travel). 

I cut out a triangle shape for my flag from some scrap fabric.

I cut a ship from this super cool map fabric which captures the theme for my "HMS Voyager" flag. 

I sewed the ship onto my flag,  hand embroidered "HMS voyager," and fixed ribbons across the top for easy fastening to the bag.

Now I am excited to use my rucksack!!!!

Here is a flag I made for BHW on his trip to South America last year.

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Travel Charms

     As much as I adore travelling,  one draw back is that I miss loved ones at home.  While I am on the road I long for the people that truly make me smile, especially on days when everything is going wrong or I am lying ill in a hostel.

     I am very lucky to have some extraordinary good friends who often give me charms, letters, photos or object to take on the road to remind me of them as I travel. For me this means they are always with me.  Days I feel lonely and blue and I can hold my charms in my hand and think of them. 

Charms from Kelly Marie, Nat + Lou and Pinky

Trinkets from Madeleine

                     

Letters from Loved ones, and a charming rabbit from Hannah OZ.

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Saving for an adventure

Big Adventure = Big costs

     Dreaming about a trip is the fun part, funding a trip is the difficult part. I am lucky I take after my Grandmother and not my mother when it comes to money (sorry mum). My Grandmother always voices her words of wisdom 'save some, spend some.' My Grandmother must know what she is talking about because she has had many great adventures.

     For some of us, counting pennies does not come easy. At first I, too,found it hard to adjust my life style to my new budget, but stick at it like I did and you will succeed. Just picture your dream or the trip ahead, put down the Vogue magazine and that coffee you buy every lunch, and start saving your pennies!  It is time to make this trip a reality, it is time to save. So, here are my top 5 tips for saving money for a long trip.

Start saving immediately 

1. Start saving immediately, even if it is a small amount (that means right now!). Let the dream become a reality. Find a jam jar, milk pot, any thing that you can start throwing loose change into to start your travel fund. Write your goal on the front of the money pot to inspire you, it also might inspire others to donate a few pennies themselves (wink,wink). You will be surprised at how quickly the coins will build up. 

Make a Budget

2.   Create a budget, taking into account everything-- and I mean everything-- you will need to pay for that revolves around  your trip: flights, daily spending, vaccinations, insurance, equipment, medicine, bug spray, rucksack, the new camera you need; even leaving drinks with friends the week before you go. Take your trip's estimated cost and work out how long it will take you to save that amount.  

     For my present trip, I realised my savings were rather dismal. I needed to raise money fast. I decided to sell my belongings and treasures at the vintage markets found across London. With great success I not only lightened my load but raised a fair few pennies--the extra copper I needed for my trip.       

    Perhaps, like me, you could sell your things, or even take on a second job in the evening. Along with the markets, I also opted to spin decks with my DJ partner Madeleine as often as possible to get closer to my cash goal. 

Sticking to your target

3. Once you have your monthly target for saving, stick to it! Allocate a realistic weekly budget for yourself and try not to exceed that amount. Whenever I got tempted to over spend, I imagined what that money could buy me on a trip...say one Gin and Tonic (London price) could buy you a night's stay in India, or dinner for two at a street vendor in Cambodia.

Daily Spending

4. Calculating your average daily spending is essential when budgeting for a long adventure, plus it keeps you on track when you are on the road.  No one wants to come home early due to exhausted funds. I always slightly over exaggerate costs as some days you may pay out for long train rides, or treat yourself to some souvenirs and other days you may just spend your time with your head in a book. Once you have this daily average spend times it by how many days you plan to stay away, hey presto you have your overall total spending money sorted for your trip. 

Being Money Savvy 

5. I thought it would be hard keeping myself occupied without spending money, I mean before I had ever planned trips I was always out somewhere: shopping, seeing friends, venturing to exhibitions, and going to endless music gigs. What would I do to keep myself busy? It was easy I set myself projects, crafts, reading, researching, I hunted out free things to do in my area. Opted to visit friends at home or invited them to my place instead of the usual dining out, cocktails, or shopping trips. The more I saved the more I got better at tightening my belt, I became money savvy! I bought items in bulk to save money in the future, scoped out special offers on products that I new I would need, even travelled on the uncomfortable coach instead of the fast and luxurious train home to Devon from London.

                 

                               B.H.Wolf     India Money Jar

I am not sure many could take the king of saving crown from BHW, it is a true blessing to have a travel companion that is as dedicated to saving when an adventure is the goal. 

That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest. - Henry David Thoreau

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