digitalis Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 (edited) For those planning to go, or those who have been what do you recommend for what to take? Obviously I'm figuring essentials but I have repeatedly read to underpack as opposed to over? Edited April 15, 2012 by digitalis added the word "read" lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebourvellec Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 If you will have a few things to charge, an extention cable that had multi plugs, so you will only need 1 adapter. Pack light you will likely pick things up as you go along. I was alway blaming my lonley planet for making my bag so heavy!! Not my hair dryer and straightners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalis Posted April 15, 2012 Author Share Posted April 15, 2012 Haha yeahh good call on the charger can you pick up those here? Also what size backpack do you recommend and where to buy, I'm assuming the standard camping/travelling shops are fine? Yeah I've heard a few people saying that, when they got there they realised how much they have needn't taken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebourvellec Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 (edited) You will get an adapter here or pick one up over there but the multi plug adaptor you will need to take with you -http://www.amazon.co.uk/DRW-NAH7260-Way-Multi-Socket-Adaptor/dp/B003HTLSMU/ref=pd_cp_ce_3 or one with cable? I had one of the rucksacks up put everything in the top at first - was a nightmare - ended up buying a new one (which cost a fortune in Australia) that opened along the side, and had bottom section - think mine was 85kg fully extended - but had one of the small rucksacks that zipped on the from what was a waste of time, you could hardly put anything in it if you wanted to zip it on back - but ok for having a small backpack for camera and stuff. http://www.caribee.com/product.php?prd=267&alt=2. Dont get one with wheels - hostels dont have lifts!!LOL I ended up sending stuff home - and wishing I had taking some warmer clothes, thats when I was working in the outback!! It got really cold in the evenings - so take a hoody for something. http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/vango-freedom-80-plus-20-rucksack-p203350 http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/vango-freedom-60-plus-20-rucksack-p191794 http://www.aktive8.com/outdoor/rucksacks/travel-rucksacks/karrimor-global-tropic-65+15-litre-travel-rucksack-black-cinder/0008896p.aspx Edited April 15, 2012 by lebourvellec links Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalis Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 Great stuff leborvellec, much appreciated. I take it the Aussie employers know you don't really have a shirt and shoes in your backpack if you rock up for an interview? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockDr Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Great stuff leborvellec, much appreciated. I take it the Aussie employers know you don't really have a shirt and shoes in your backpack if you rock up for an interview? That would depend what type of jobs you're applying for. Being on a WHV does not exempt you from the usual dress codes, so if you're applying for a job in an office, you would need the shirt and shoes. bar work you might want a polo shirt. Obviously that's for the cities, the more remote you go, the more relaxed it gets. Really depends where you're headed and what you want to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalis Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 Of course, makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 My rule of thumb was put everything you want to take in a pile (clothes wise) then halve it :laugh: Seriously, pack light with a good set of basics. ie, a few pairs of jeans/shorts that can all match with some tees/polos and a couple of decent sweaters that can pack small (those ziplock bags are brill for getting clothes to fit into teeny tiny space and bulky clothing is great packed this way). I'd pack a shirt and perhaps buy a pair of trousers once in Aus for interviews. Depends what kind of jobs you plan to apply for also. A week plus worth of underwear and socks but again, you can buy once in Aus if you need more. Wash them as you need to by hand usually. Don't bother with toiletries much as you can buy once you arrive and as you need them. Pick up a pair of Blundstones once you get there if you plan to do manual labour or farm work and so on. Don't bother buying a pair of heavy duty work shoes here to take. Blunnies are fab and an Aus staple. I've owned pairs of them since 1992 and have never been without a pair to this day, even being back in the UK or elsewhere in the world, my Blunnies go with me. Flip flops, wait till you arrive. Take a decent pair of shoes (that could be for casual or interview/work) and perhaps a pair of trainers or open toed ones and buy as you need to there. Defo chargers etc. And a print out of all your emergency and important numbers etc to carry in your backpack as you may not always have internet access and need to get in touch with the consulate or a job agency etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalis Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 Awesome thanks! I have 90% already though may need to get the "nice" shoes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candygirl Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 If you are going to be travelling for a while before you settle down and look for work, take your casual bits and ask someone in the UK to send over a parcel of your work clothes. There are various options of sending by air or sea. Go to your local post office, they will have a list of the prices etc and it is not as expensive as you may think. Any documents that you need to take with you. Download copies onto Google Docs or keep them on hotmail or similar. In that case if you lost them or they were stolen, you know you can always access them. It is always easier to get a replacement from a copy of something rather than a copy of nothing. No matter how many times you "halve" the clothes, you will take too much!! Good Luck and hope you a good time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest66832 Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 All good advice so far, I would add don't go crazy and buy loads of clothes for the trip. There is a great temptation to get a new holiday wardrobe but when you get there you will see loads of clothes that you will want to buy. My advice would be don’t buy here, buy there. Don’t take any liquid in a container over 100ml and expect to get in on the plane in your hand luggage. If there is anything that you forget to take with you, then when you get to Oz find your nearest Poste Restante and have someone in the UK send it there. Poste Restante is a system set up within Australia Post which allows you to have your post sent to a city-centre holding place. There your post will be held for up to 1 month and you can go in and collect it by providing a proof of identity such as your passport. Do not take a sleeping bag! Bed bugs are a big problem in some backpackers hostels and sleeping bags are the worst culprit for carrying them from place to place. When I was on my WHV I can't really say that there was anything that I needed that I couldn't get in Oz. Except maybe my favourite shampoo and a few other toiletries but I had my parents send them over to the Poste Restante in Sydney. I bought a couple of work shirts for office work and had all my documents saved as word doc attachments to emails addressed to myself. I do remember taking a pack of cards that came home with my after much use during my tavels! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalis Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 Cheers all, good to hear that less is more thank god for that as I hate packing. Bedbugs you say! I wasn't expecting to hear that lol. Makes sense with that amount of transient people though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lizface Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I've heard very good things about Trek Towels - they're very compact, light, decent-sized and dry 8 times faster than normal towels! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritChickx Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Pack less clothes lol I hardly wore a lot of my clothes just pack enough for a week and just wash them regularly you'd save so much room! I packed the essentials like toiletries and adapters and I also had a very detailed map of aus. Oh I also had a copy of all the important documents like whv grant and flight receipts in my suitcase just incase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritChickx Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I also emailed the whv grant email to myself and my cv to myself so that i could go to an internet cafe and print anything off if needed Edited... Actually just remembered that I wrote in a small booklet all my important contact numbers, whv grant number, flight numbers etc and kept that seperate in my bag just incase I lost my suitcase or my phone or printed papers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauradarlin Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 a beanie neck pillow is a godsend on a 12 hr bus journey. I picked one up in cairns for $10 and will never travel again without it. I had a blow up one initially but it kept going down while I was asleep and I'd wake up practically paralysed! sarongs are fab too, as sheets if hostels are grubby, as towels (they dry quicker and take up less space), on the beach, for packing more fragile items (like your jar of marmite!) and for wearing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalis Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 I'm loving all these pack light tidbits, this is my Oz rig below I have decided! :wink: . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebourvellec Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 or maybe just get a bag for life from Tesco!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalis Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 lebor I save placcy bags for extra special occasions like when meeting women for dates etc. :jiggy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Armstrong Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Here's a pretty solid article written by a long time backpacker. However it certainly looks like he hasn't halved his list yet. http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/how-to-pack-ultra-light/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalis Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 (edited) My bad didn't read properly is actually a good article! Edited April 17, 2012 by digitalis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Armstrong Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Is that a spam link lol. Nope, just one of the many links I've collected while researching a move across the country. Did you even read the article? It's a packing list.:wacko: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Armstrong Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 To add to this, not sure if you guys have heard of Tim Ferris. Author of 4hr Work Week and 4hr Body. Both about how to maximize life (great reads). Here's a blog post from him about how to pack ultralight. http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/07/11/how-to-travel-the-world-with-10-pounds-or-less-plus-how-to-negotiate-convertibles-and-luxury-treehouses/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalis Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 (edited) Nope, just one of the many links I've collected while researching a move across the country. Did you even read the article? It's a packing list.:wacko: My bad, it is pretty good actually, apologies! Edited April 17, 2012 by digitalis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scottiedog Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Cheers all, good to hear that less is more thank god for that as I hate packing. Bedbugs you say! I wasn't expecting to hear that lol. Makes sense with that amount of transient people though. Mate defo take sleeping bag if you are planning on going out and about in oz i got stuck in a airport overnight in thailand sooooo glad of sleeping bag. Went on a sailing camping trip too whitsundays sooo happy of sleeping bag. Went too Frazer island camping soo happy of sleeping bag. Drove through the out back up to darwin slept back of car camped soo happy of sleeping bag> Stayed in some grubby hostels with bed bugs soo happy of sleeping bag!No bugs in it washed it when i left hostel Get urself a good one and a good pair of walking boots. Dont spend loads on a ruck sack middle of the road one will do the job. Enjoy wish i was doing it all again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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