Chick going on OE

[chic 'n' charge]

Ok, now that's a headliner now isn't it.

I've decided that I'm gonna do my OE next year. What I need from you ladies is ideas or stories of trips you have done, like where - how long you went - did you do Contiki, Cosmos or Topdeck tour etc etc. What are the important things I should take with me - where should I do stopover....ideas ideas ideas....I've got so many brochures and mags that my mind just overflows with thoughts so some clarity would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Chic

[crashe]

If you are thinking of going over to the UK....... there are already a few KBers over there..... so maybe you could hook up with them...

Posh Tourer is over that way at the moment.


I am kiwi born and breed and have lived here all my life.
Only been to Aussie for a months holiday way back in 1986.
So I cant be of much help in answering any of your questions that you asked in your post.

Are you thinking of going by yourself or with another person?
But when you do go have fun and keep safe.

[MattRSK]

I have heard good reports about TopDeck. I will try and find out more for you!

[Scorpygirl]

Ok, now that's a headliner now isn't it.

I've decided that I'm gonna do my OE next year. What I need from you ladies is ideas or stories of trips you have done, like where - how long you went - did you do Contiki, Cosmos or Topdeck tour etc etc. What are the important things I should take with me - where should I do stopover....ideas ideas ideas....I've got so many brochures and mags that my mind just overflows with thoughts so some clarity would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Chic


Just one point always take at least one, maybe two, plug/socket adaptors for England/Singapore/Malaysia (and check out other countries too - US/Europe) so that you can charge your laptop, digital camera, hairdryer and cellphone. Unless you want to spend heaps getting new ones. People forget these!!!

[Scorpygirl]

Another point if you are likely to be going to places like Asia, South America. Africa and India please, please make sure that you have seen the Travel Doctor for immunisations (or at least information about how to keep safe if you are anti) and a very good medical kit is always a good options even for emergency plasters, bandages or panadol.

[MyGSXF]

Ok, now that's a headliner now isn't it.

I've decided that I'm gonna do my OE next year. What I need from you ladies is ideas or stories of trips you have done, like where - how long you went - did you do Contiki, Cosmos or Topdeck tour etc etc. What are the important things I should take with me - where should I do stopover....ideas ideas ideas....I've got so many brochures and mags that my mind just overflows with thoughts so some clarity would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Chic



SCHWAeeeettttt babe!!! awesome news!! Hey.. if ya want some of my rellies contact details in England.. let me know!!! :yes: Are ya gunna stay with a 'tour' type thingee.. or go off on ya own??? Ya could always buy a bike & travel... :blip:

Jen :rockon:

[JimO]

Travel Insurance

[sunhuntin]

i went to canada for 6 months when i was 19. i went alone... met some people from the net, chatted on msn for a year or two, went to meet them, and then found more friends through them. am glad i went, as one net friend died not long after i left. spent most of my time in central ontario, and 6 weeks in sasketchewan.
i recommend you travel light...say, take one sports bag part filled. that leaves you an allowance for another sports bag full [allowance is for 2, plus one carry on] take all valuables carry on, backpack would be easier. [cards, money, camera etc]
put something on top of your cargo bags that you will recognise..ive got maple leaves on mine. i saw so many bags grabbed off the carosels and then put back on as they were all identical. something with wheels would be useful!
take cash/travellers cheques and/or credit card [if youve got someone to make the monthly payments.]
remember, they will have clothes/personal needs and things there. you really only need to take your carry ons, which as mentioned above are valuables, and personal effects. a book or something would also be a good idea [ocean gets boring after a while!] i saw a lot of cd players in use too.
i stopped over in honolulu and vancouver. in honolulu, it was midnight, we were all shattered, and had to clear customs. i had no idea where i was going. spotted a couple wearing harley shirts, so followed them. im not sure which would be better, honolulu or los angeles.
with stop overs, find your departure gate FIRST. and make sure you remember how to get there. you can shop afterwards [i learned after being late landing at sydney and having to literally run through sydney airport, from the tarmac. if you take a watch, set it to local time, so you can make sure you get back to the gate on time. take a bit of currency for each country, cos you will be wanting to buy from each airport.

get a night flight....i was awake for about 3 days straight! even sleeping pills didnt knock me out! also, there tends to be empty seats, which means you can stretch out. i took a jacket to keep me warm, and used my jersey as a pillow. put the tray down so the attendant doesnt have to wake you up when meals arrive [i learned the hard way. id only just fallen asleep and im being woken up for breakfast.]
keep your passport on you at all times, more for proof of age when buying alcohol than anything.

and after all of that, the only thing i regret is coming back here.

and most important of all HAVE FUN AND TELL US ABOUT IT!!!!!

:done:

[Macktheknife]

Just a tip from me, take a photocopy of your passport and seal it in a plastic bag in your hand-luggage, or on your person seperate from your real one. Also these days it is easy to keep an electronic one at home that someone can send you if needed. If the horrible happens then you can still prove your identity, and show your nationality in an emergency.
Other than that, Thailand is great, very friendly people. England is cool with loads of history, can be cold.
Europe rocks, can be dirty in some places though.
Things to take include, sunblock, hand sanitiser, spare undies and socks in handluggage, (might be a bit embarrassing if searched but if the airline lose your luggage you will be grateful) mp3 player, anti jetlag pills worked a treat for me when I was flying to UK and back regularly. handy tissue pack, multiple uses!
most of all, have fun and enjoy yourself, keep in touch with folks at home (and us) with a web based email like yahoo or gmail or similar, usually more easily accessable than kiwi based emails.
regards
Mack

[WRT]

I did busabout through Europe about 4 years ago, had a blast. You have the freedom to plan your own routes and you get to meet heaps of people.

As Mack said, take a copy of your passport, or leave an electronic copy somewhere - scan it and send it to your hotmail/gmail account. Check your passport now as well to make sure it will be current when you want to travel - if you need to get a new one reissued make sure you start the process MONTHS in advance as can take a very long time to get these sorted. This applies to Visa's as well, so check the requirements of the countries that you will be visiting - note that some places will refuse you entry if your passport is close to expiring as it makes you a potential overstayer.

Definitely get travel insurance, a mate of mine has just been to Dubai and had an accident snowboarding there. The bill came to a touch over $50,000 - he's damned glad he had insurance!

There's a good chance that you wont blend in completely with the locals at your destination, but do your best not to appear like a dumb tourist (ie: easy pickings). Dont sling big cameras around your neck, or walk about in Hawaiian shirts with zinc on your nose - you are asking to get robbed. Also make sure that you keep your eyes on your bags AT ALL TIMES. When I was in Madrid a girl at the same hostel had everything she had with her stolen at an Internet cafe - she'd merely stopped in there on the way from the air port to find a hostel to stay at, she left her bags by her feet and the next time she checked they were gone.

Also never leave your cellphone or wallet on the table at the pub/restaurant, and when talking on your phone cover the whole thing with your hand - the buggers will try to take it while you are talking on it, I know two people who had this happen, one lost his phone the other one held onto it as he had a finger running up over the top of it as he held it to his ear.

If you are taking a digital camera, make sure you have plenty of memory cards with you, as you might not get the chance to empty the camera very often. Also make sure you have a travel adaptor to let you plug it in as well, these are fairly cheap and you can pick them up at most electronics stores like Dick Smith, possibly from the Warehouse as well.

With the flights there and back, no matter what time you land (even if it is first thing in the morning), stay awake until your normal bedtime. Dont fall into the trap of going for a siesta in the afternoon cause you are feeling tired, instead stay awake till at least about 9pm local time, and it will really make a huge difference to how much the jetlag affects you.

Apart from that, keep your wits about you, take lots of photos, and have fun!

[klingon]

Everything they said, plus: Copy your photos from your digicam onto CDs regularly and mail them home. Quicker and higher res than posting them on photobucket or similar, and if you lose your camera you haven't lost all your pics. For the same reason keep your spare memory cards in a different place from your camera.

Get all your docments sorted way in advance (passport, visa etc) and if you're going to drive or ride, consider getting an international license and an AA membership, and know what the rules are in the countries you're visiting. Even if you can legally drive on your Kiwi license, it can be confusing to foreign law enforcement in the way it's laid out with the details on the front and the explanation on the back!

My best tip: take a look at www.couchsurfing.com and www.globalfreeloaders.com. If you respect the rules and are polite and friendly, you NEVER have to find yourself alone in a foreign country.

[chic 'n' charge]

Thanks everyone for their tips and ideas....lots to organise and keep an eye on eh - I'll be travelling on my own so will probably go on tours first until I get use to travelling.

I will definitely keep in touch when I do go & will definitely be taking heaps of photos to download.

Keep the tips rolling.....it's all good.:yes:

Cheers
Chic

[The_Dover]

i've got a tip.

don't eat too much and lay off the beer.

kiwi chicks always come back from overseas with big arses and love handles.

[boomer]

kiwi chicks always come back ....big arses and love handles.

Do what? is that prior to insemination?

travel light (sarong, underwear, money belt ..done! ). Carry contact numbers and be as fukin free as you like and do what you want when you want. Buy clothes cheap at destinations ( ie uk etc where needed and then mail them home when finished.. dont lug em round with you)

i've done it a couple of times and the shit that hurts most.. a rigid timetable :yes:


ps.. take shit loads of money and credit cards

[Lteejay]

Sooo envious - man your gonna have fun. Just got back from Europe/UK - spent two months traveling round with my partner. North west coast of Italy is fabulous as is Paris. Imagined traveling the Italian roads on a bike whilst I was there - would have been wonderful. Well, in the countryside anyway, as their f@%*en mad in the cities. Make sure you always try the local food, beer, wine in any country. So many people visit new places and only ever visit McDonald - sinful really.
Pack light especially if you are traveling round a bit. Too many bags are a pain in the arse.
There are so many fantastic choices. We loved Turkey even though their top shelf cost a small fortune. Beers not to bad, but man do you pay for anything stronger. Have heard that Greece rocks, but didn't have the time to go. We did head south out of London to the countryside in the west of Sussex - beautiful. But the best countryside I saw was in Germany. Man they have some gorgeous land to travel through - if you like green country.
Paris was probably my pick for the best place. Absolutely loved it. Apartment in St Germain, right in the heart of everything. Restaurants, bars, shops. It has a fantastic buzz to it.

Have fun - make sure you take enough money too. Can't wait to head back myself for longer this time - in a few years :yes:

[Lteejay]

Sooo envious - man your gonna have fun. Just got back from Europe/UK - spent two months traveling round with my partner. North west coast of Italy is fabulous as is Paris. Imagined traveling the Italian roads on a bike whilst I was there - would have been wonderful. Well, in the countryside anyway, as their f@%*en mad in the cities. Make sure you always try the local food, beer, wine in any country. So many people visit new places and only ever visit McDonald - sinful really.

TRAVEL INSURANCE - GET IT. Thats all there is to say really. Its not an option.

Pack light especially if you are traveling round a bit. Too many bags are a pain in the arse.
There are so many fantastic choices. We loved Turkey even though their top shelf cost a small fortune. Beers not to bad, but man do you pay for anything stronger. Have heard that Greece rocks, but didn't have the time to go. We did head south out of London to the countryside in the west of Sussex - beautiful. But the best countryside I saw was in Germany. Man they have some gorgeous land to travel through - if you like green country.
Paris was probably my pick for the best place. Absolutely loved it. Apartment in St Germain, right in the heart of everything. Restaurants, bars, shops. It has a fantastic buzz to it.

Have fun - make sure you take enough money too. Can't wait to head back myself for longer this time - in a few years :yes:

[bert_is_evil]

Here are a few:
- take a head torch
- pack all your stuff in drawstring bags inside your pack, i've seen afew packs with broken zips exploded on the luggage carosel, the last thing you want is your dirty washing circling around for all to see.
- learn how to say sorry, thankyou and toilet in the locals language before you arrive
- don't drink the water
- phone your mum regularly and keep her up to date with your plans, she will be worried and may panic and call interpol/amnestey international if you leave it too long
if you're travelling in asia:
- don't take a money belt, have pockets sewn in the inside of all of your shorts/pants/skirts(?) and carry your passport in it everywhere you go (don't leave it in your bag).
- take powder antiseptic as any cuts you get wont heal well in the humidity
- quick dry clothing, nothing cotton as it gets wet and never dries out which can give you a heat rash ("prickly heat")
- don't take anything with sentimental value and have travel insurance, it's a weight of your shoulders not constantly worrying about your stuff getting nicked

[Swoop]

If you are doing any of the coach tours first... When you get to (presumably) London, go out and buy a bottle of top strength cough medicine. Bugs will circulate in the coach and everyone will catch it!
As mentioned before, don't drink the water or have drinks with ice in them. (OR) drink heaps of water as soon as you arrive and shit yourself stupid for 3 days to get acclimatised!
OR... take puritabs to sterilise the water before drinking.

Finally.
When in a difficult/embarrasing situation, always state loudly "EEEts NOT like thees back in Orrrrstrrrraaaallliiiaaaa!!!!" (at least the ockers cop the blame...)!