Beth's Babbles: The struggles of travelling

There are 5 million and 1 reasons why travelling is one of the best things you can do in your life, but it's also important to acknowledge that problems can arise. The best way to enjoy your experience to the fullest is to be prepared, know that sometimes things don't go as planned, and overcome them. This blog post acts as a massive booster so that you can know what the problems are BEFORE you encounter them... so that at least you'll know that they are normal, and how to get over them.

Money

Payday!

Money is one of my biggest worries, and Joe will know that when I spend lots of it in one go, I get very grumpy. One thing backpackers usually lack is money. No matter how much you save up in advance, you'll still end up getting declined at the till for a burrito and wondering where your dolla went. At some point you will need to find a job. Check out these two essential blog posts that will hopefully help you stay in credit:

How to be a money-wise traveller

Best jobs for backpackers

"Slushies, get yer ice cold slushies!"

Travel buddies
Maybe you're travelling solo, which comes with it's own book of guidelines. But the chances are that at some point in your life, you may be travelling with someone else. And I hope you do, because it's A LOT of fun. My travel buddy is my fiancé, and though I love him with everything I've got, we're both still human and sometimes we get grumpy and want to throttle each other. We've been away from home 9 months now and he still wants to marry me so that's gotta mean something! But whoever your travel buddy is, whether a friend, a partner or even a hostel roommate - make sure it's someone you don't mind spending long periods of time with, and acknowledge that at some point you'll probably snap at them, or them at you. Whether or not you think you're right doesn't matter. Say sorry and make up, there's no point ruining the trip of a lifetime over something stupid. Get some alone time every so often - whether you just go for a walk, or get jobs at different places.

Me and my travel buddy!

The unexpected
Those unfortunate things you can't predict. In the past 9 months I've experienced many of them: a parking ticket, a chipped windscreen, hitting some old woman's bloody expensive plant pot with the van. I've broken down into tears in public on more than one occassion! And though most of mine have been vehicle related, not all of the unexpected are. What happens if you lose your job? You get injured in an accident? You get in trouble with the police? It can be very different dealing with things while you are travelling, as when you're at home you have the comforts of a regular place to live and people around you for support. There are many things you can't plan for, but a few simple steps can make sure you deal with it efficiently.

1. Travel insurance - this will save you immense costs in a number of incidents whether its medical or legal. Hopefully you won't need to use it, but it's essential that you have it there incase you do.

2. A "do-not-touch" pile of money. - Set aside an account with an amount of money that you DO NOT touch unless it's an emergency. By emergency, I don't mean that you need a beer tonight or a new outfit (that's what my fiancé's bank account is for).

3. Chill out - Know that at some point something will happen. Life doesn't always go as planned. If you get hung up on one bad event, you'll find yourself not enjoying the rest of your trip. Do what it takes to deal with the event, whether its money, a doctor, or even a lawyer and move on quickly.

Change of plans
Sometimes you make a plan. And it changes. When travelling you should always know that your plans won't be solid, and that's not a bad thing. Before coming to Australia I had a vague route figured out in my head which summed up the best way to see the whole country and chase the sun (to not get caught in Melbourne in winter. I did not come to Oz for the British weather!). Up the east coast, down the centre to see Uluru, and over to the west, probably in my second year. That was the plan. Well that plan went down the drain at 2 key decision points.

- Point 1 - A job in Toowoomba - taking us on a 3 day drive north of Melbourne meaning that we wouldn't be passing through Sydney, Canberra, Gold Coast or anywhere south of Brisbane! We ended up doing one hell of a weird loop through the country but we still always seemed to be at the right place at the right time and I wouldn't have changed it for the world.

- Point 2 - An entire day picking oranges - we decided that we'd rather not stress out about getting a second year visa by picking fruit, but rather just enjoy the time that we do have here.

The point is, plans can change and sometimes it can get you down if you were mentally and physically prepared for something else. But change can be good and the spontaneity is exciting and refreshing. You'll no doubt find yourself ending up somewhere you never would have expected, and loving it!

This blog post, Being and Up-er and Go-er, is one of the most important you can read.

Hodor helped us change our plans SO many times and I love him for it. (The van, not the GoT character!)

Down days
Travelling somewhere new is one of the most life changing experiences that a person can have, and it is SO much fun! However, not every minute of the day is going to be exciting. Not even every day. It's not a waste to have a rest day, but too many and you'll start getting down and thinking that the backpacker life isn't living up to your expectations. Maybe you've just reached a new destination and don't know what to do yet. Or you're waiting until you've got more money to take a tour or adventure trip. Whatever the reason is, there are a few things you can do to stop yourself feeling down.

1. Realise that you don't have to be busy every day - I don't think my body could even handle being full-on every day, I'd miss my 3pm nap! The one thing you should know is that even if today isn't that fun, tomorrow might be the best day of your life.

2. Explore with your feet! - There's no cost for walking, and its the best and cheapest way of finding

Skateboarding is definitely not the hobby for me!

out what there is to do and see in a new place. Walking is good for the body and mind. There will always be somewhere new to walk. I even do it back home and don't get bored after living in the same place my whole life!

3. Find a hobby - It can be absolutely anything. Something that you enjoy doing and will go back to and do it again. I (old granny) like to knit. My partner does martial arts. We both took to reading when living in the van as we had no electricity. Jogging, cycling, surfing, yoga, craft, cooking, drawing, anything. If you don't have a hobby already, try something new.

Uncertainty
The scariest part of giving up my job and cushty life in the UK and going abroad with a one way ticket was the uncertainty of what was to happen next. Maybe I would run out of money. Have nowhere to live. Not be able to find a job. I only had 1 week of accommodation booked before setting off, and needless to say I was pretty scared! I soon got over that, especially when we bought our van. At least this meant that if we didn't have much money we could camp and live cheaply pretty much anywhere. And Hodor has helped us get to so many new places and even helped us get jobs. Sometimes it can be a bit daunting when you go from having a sturdy job to having nothing to keep you going, but in the end finding jobs never became an issue. Having someone else there to push me along and share the ride with me makes me feel so much more comfortable too. Now instead of worrying I just look forward to our next adventure!