Have Itch, Will Travel

234 days. 22 countries.   3  continents.   47 buses, dolmus, mashrutkas, combis, furgons, mashrutkis... 17 trains.   14 boats.   12 nights sleeping on the road.   31 AirBnb hosts.   24 border crossings.   11 mountain ranges.   24 days hiking.   31 5km runs.   3 days with the runs.   1 lost torch.  $ 50 lost to a pickpocket.  $ 135 lost to ANZ in ATM withdrawal fees.  $ 12 cheapest room.  $ 55 most expensive room.   4 pairs of undies.   3 T-shirts.   7 kilos of luggage.   2 travellers not ready to return to work. by Rob.

The type of traveller you are and the type of activities you want to do will affect your packing list greatly! As for me, I like hiking and active travel, and do not go clubbing, dine in expensive restaurants, or stay in 4- or 5-star hotels. My packing list therefore, does not include smart clothes and shoes, heels, make up or dresses. Packing would still be a challenge. Near freezing temperatures some nights, over 40 degrees Celsius some days, eight months long a trip, some Muslim and Orthodox Christian countries, modern cities, rural towns, hiking, swimming, camping... could everything I need fit in my 24L backpack and remain under the 7kg carry-on luggage limit? Yes, it could and it did. The secret to light packing is this: Pack versatile, mix and match, and layering clothes Buy quality performance items that moisture wick, quick dry, and last Accept that you will be washing clothes frequently Remember that you can acquire and discard things during your trip My test-pack d...

"How old are you?" This was the question posed by Clare when she first heard of our plans to backpack for 8 months. At the time, it was funny, and I considered that it reflected her misunderstanding of what I had meant by "backpacking". We were not fooling ourselves, thinking we were nearly broke bright-eyed twenty-somethings carting around excessively heavy hiking packs, full of hairdryers and five pairs of shoes. No, we were "backpacking" in the sense that we were utilising minimalist principles to pack carry-on sized backpacks (as we have done for years) and travelling on a tight budget. We were very successful in our packing, having only needed to purchase a couple of undershirts and a hat to supplement our gear in all of the seven months so far. We were also very successful in our budgeting. Rob kept a close eye on our daily expenses using a travel budget app called TripCoin , and the stats indicated that we averaged $100/day in Turkey and East Eu...

People rave about their trips to Ethiopia . It's off-the-beaten-track but full of amazingness and culture... I suspect these people enjoyed Ethiopia in the comfort of their 3- or 4-star hotels, coaches, and internal flights, according to a planned and packaged tour. Now, I'm not saying Ethiopia isn't amazing or doesn't provide a different experience in culture etc. The towns (and especially the local markets ) are lively and exciting places, their cuisine is surprisingly varied and tasty, the coffee is the best in the world, and unique landscapes like the Simien Mountain range and the other-worldly Danakil Depression are found there. Hiking the Simien Mountains was a highlight. Finding a place to pee in the bushes around camp where 50 other people shit, not so much. Ethiopia is also a land of fine print, smarmy opportunists , entitled children demanding money, and money-grubbing tourism operators. If you are thinking about going to Ethiopia, I would say, "...

Johannesburg to Cape Town Road Trip - Part 4 Most people who visit rate Cape Town highly, so I was curious to discover what carried Cape Town over other big cities. Apart from the dominating Table Mountain backdrop (on a clear, fogless day), we found that it didn't offer much more than any other city. The colourful neighbourhood of Bokamp is photogenic but there's not a lot happening. There were cafes , bars , restaurants , and shopping malls as you would expect. The bulk of tourists seemed to congregate at the V&A Waterfront , a harbour area rejuvenated into a large, muddled tourist trap of full-priced boutique shops and restaurants. A nearby " market " proved a disappointment as gullible tourists gathered under the white marquee to dine atop fake grass and pallet furniture, paying top dollar for dressed up pancakes and smoothies marketed as organic, vegan, gluten-free, or subscribe to some sort of eco-friendly/health fad. The best of Cape Town was...

Johannesburg to Cape Town Road Trip - Part 3 After a few heavenly days in the stunning Drakensberg Mountains and surrounding countryside, we headed towards the coast. The mountains slowly gave way to the hills, though the Renault Sandero still struggled up the long ascents. We passed through a few small villages and towns, the latter of which were chaotic messes of people roaming amongst a makeshift marketplace along the highway. Over the final pass, we saw the coast laid out in front of us, the salty mist blurred the horizon. Our street dog escort leads the Wild Coast hike. Port St John's impressed upon me a laid-back beach town inhabited by hippies and street dogs, far too grungy to be comfortable in. Fragments of smashed beer bottles glittered in the gutters, suggestions of recklessness and violence that have never appealed to me. Instead, Rob and I took to a hiking trail that linked the empty white beaches . The narrow path was beaten into the soft side of the coas...

Johannesburg to Cape Town Road Trip - Part 2 The further we drove from Johannesburg, the more relaxed we felt. It was not long before the urban landscape transformed into yellowed plains, and we settled in our seats for hours of scenic driving. After every pass, and around each corner, we gaped. South Africa was showing off her striking mountain ranges , hazy in the distance, the fields etched into her hillsides, village houses scattered amongst the farmland , and people, people everywhere. Near the villages, it was a regular sight to see school children walking along the road, regardless of the time. A poplar-lined dirt drive led to a gate that was the entryway to our country escape in the Drakensberg Mountains . It was a small lodge with a wraparound patio, and the most difficult decision to make was where to sit with a coffee and breakfast. Bushland bordered one side of the grassed property, and the rest were endless fields of who-knows-what, and no one to be seen. This was how ...

Johannesburg to Cape Town Road Trip - Part 1 Maboneng is a trendy district in Johannesburg ; the streets are lined with hipster cafes , moody restaurants , artisan stalls, and boutiques. There are sculptures in the lanes and murals on the industrial brick walls. Maboneng is also only as big as two blocks and security staff man each entry, making the district a European-style island haven surrounded by dodginess. In fact, it was recommended that we Uber it to anywhere outside of Maboneng, even to another "safe" neighbourhood just 1 km away. We felt stuck and needed to leave, despite the welcome cheap offerings of excellent food and coffee , and planned to navigate our way out of dodge in a surprisingly affordable rental car . After a few nervous wrong turns, thanks to closed on-ramps and an inaccurate map, we raised our arms on the freeway bound for Cape Town, wooting, "Road trip!" Rob had been to Cape Town several years ago and considered it one of his f...

The tourist town of Victoria Falls is named for the 3km wide waterfall that has a coveted place on the Seven Wonders of the Natural World list. Victoria Falls additionally offers a range of adventure tours including rafting, bungee jumping, microlight flights, helicopter rides, and game tours of the neighbouring Chobe National Park . It is no wonder then, that it is one of the most popular destinations in Africa. The tour websites, magazines, and pamphlets paint a pretty picture of the town, but on the ground, it is a different story. Crocodiles, hippos, buffalo and elephants are some of the wildlife in Botswana's stunning Chobe National Park. The town appears to see very little of the tourist dollars that pour in. There is no street lighting, and limited public space and amenity. Some people believe that a lack of local government is to blame, though an internationally famous attraction might still be expected to garner closer federal attention. Private tour companies...

It was another race, this time against the setting sun. We climbed Elim Dune steadily, slowly, though our hearts beat fast with the effort. "You realise we're doing exactly what Gabriel told us not to do?" puffed Rob when we stopped for a breath. Our guide, waiting at the foot of dune, warned us that we had started too late to reach the summit for sunset, and that to pursue the top would result in disappointment after disappointment. It was practically a dare, and we set out in earnest. Gabriel was right, though, because each time we reached the "summit", we discovered a point still higher. "There!" I could see a handful of people in the distance, sitting and taking selfies. Surely that was the summit! We made a quick assessment of the sun's position and ventured on, finally reaching the summit just before the sun disappeared. We watched it with a sense of accomplishment, and then turned around. We had come a long way. It was now a race against th...

Cold, dry sand poured into my shoe, cramping my toes as they filled the spaces between with every step. My quick breaths were coming out in little puffs, keeping time with the uphill march. In the shadow of my face, the dense mist formed dew drops on my eyebrow and eyelashes. I was half frozen, and half glowing with warmth. My peripheries were numb, as was my shaded right half. But internally, I was on fire, my lungs and legs burning as they pushed against the soft sand only to gain an inch. I turned my focus from my disappearing feet and looked ahead at the line of hikers ascending Dune 45 in single file, as if balancing on the edge of the dune. We were all steady in pace, occasionally glancing at the lightening sky. Soon, the sun would break from behind the mountain and chase away the fog we were rapidly rising from. We were racing the sun to the summit. This was the way of Namibia . You were either racing or chasing, or endlessly waiting. "We must be fast with breakfast,...

This was my first visit to Europe. I was keen to witness the great cities with architecture of the old civilisations and the intricate façades of the monarchist periods. Bosnia and Herzegovina provided that first real taste, then Hungary and Romania. By the time we arrived in Poland, the excitement had turned to numbness and the remainder of our Europe leg seemed more of "in-passing" stopovers. Big cities were still just big cities, despite their beauty. We had enjoyed some of the best, in our opinion, and were no longer interested in the mediocre or sameness. Instead, we looked for unique experiences, finding Poland's WW2 history far more moving than Krakow's ancient skyline, Prague's Technology Museum thrilled us more than its over-touristed Old Town and Castle, and Berlin's enormous Tiergarten park was the highlight of our visit there. We needed to leave the cities of the First World and get back to nature. Our next stop was to be Namibia.

I always wanted to visit Budapest . I had envisioned an exotic and grand city, but strangely, this "vision" had no formed image. I had no idea what its buildings looked like, whether there were mountains or snow, I didn't even know that the Danube River ran through it (wasn't that in Austria?). The extent of my knowledge was this: vizslas, salami, and langos. One can enjoy a delectable, fully loaded, fried bread in Budapest (or Eat Street Markets, Brisbane) We stayed in one of the hundreds of apartment blocks on the Pest side of the city. An enduring memory of mine involves the gridded streets of residential buildings, great concrete things several stories high, seemingly identical but somehow each unique. The clatter of trams and trilling of the overhead wires echoed off the walls, providing regular reminders of our location whenever our minds meandered. We always liked a city with affordable light rail, but discovered a more fun alternative: MolBubi , Budap...

Jeremy Clarkson said it was the greatest road ever made, so naturally, Rob wanted to test the hairpins of Romania 's TransFagarasan Highway. We started our Transylvania loop in the 13th century town of Braşov , and enjoyed the activity in the ridiculously photogenic Piata Sfatului . People slurped on frappes and sucked down gelati under cafe umbrellas as rows of delightfully pastel buildings embraced the cobblestone square. The spires of the ominously gothic Black Church  meanwhile, peered over the goings-on from nearby. Piata Sfatului was originally a marketplace. Before embarking on the TransFagarasan, Rob warmed up our trusty steed for the week, a pure white Renault Clio. The TransBucegi Highway  (Route DJ 713) gave us a taste of the Transylvanian alps as we wound through Bucegi Natural Park , and reached an altitude of just under 2000m. But the 39km stretch was only a primer for the TransFagarasan Highway. The TransFagarasan connects the centre to the south, and wa...

We hadn't planned it this way. The bus station was in a dingy industrial estate some kilometres from the city centre and, budget being at the forefront of our minds, calling on the services of a taxi was out of the question. A stop along Croatia's marvellous coastline had been erased from our itinerary due to its exclusive accommodation costs, so the capital Zagreb had to do; only, we had arrived the very day of the World Cup Grand Final , and Croatia was headlining the event with France. The closer we drew to the centre, the more red and white checks were seen, until we finally joined a parade of chanters and singers, all clad in the happy colours. Rob looked over at me with a grimace, and I knew what he was thinking: there was to be no way through to our accommodation. Ahead, the main square was one undulating mass of red and white, with towers of scaffolding holding up TV cameras and equipment, spaced evenly around the perimeter. The streets feeding the square were rap...

One-bag travel means packing can be a challenge, especially with essential but relatively bulky items like a jacket . This video shows how you can fold your jacket into an even, tidy roll to strap to the outside of your backpack in the pack cover. Packing it this way means you can save valuable internal space, have the jacket easily accessible, and keep it clean.

Kebabs Everywhere Sarajevo was founded by the Ottoman Turks  as a precious metals mining town, set in a river valley surrounded by hills. This piece of ancient history was a surprise to us, as we hadn't known the extent of the Ottoman Empire's reach. In fact, Sarajevo's lively hub was like revisiting Turkey, with blocks of tidy Ottoman-style shopfronts lining cobblestone streets. The lane of hammered copperware still exists in the same place, while most of the other stores have been replaced with bars , cafes , and restaurants . The Ottomans' influence extended beyond architecture and goods, also introducing Islam, some vocabulary, and food to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our favourite dishes, çevapi and bürek , skinless sausages and meat pastries respectively, were pretty much born straight from kebabs and Turkish börek. Bosnia's version of the Turkish kebab, served with pita, raw onions, and cream.   Where East Meets West The collapse of the Ottoman Empi...

Unsatisfied with Ulcinj , we sought a Montenegro coastal town worthy of the praise we had heard. Kotor was it. A small tourist town set at the end of an elongated fjord-like bay, Kotor was dwarfed by cliffs and mountain ranges. The cold green water saw cruise ships daily, and international tourists flooded its immaculately reconstructed Old Town to get lost in its labyrinthine cobble stone lanes. A photographer's dream, the Old Town was also the site of fine food , coffee , and souvenirs. Just beyond the city walls, one could take a boat trip, swim , ride a bike , or simply sit at the water's edge to take in the landscape. We decided to hike . We climbed up to the mountain ridge across the bay, each switchback providing a more inspiring view of Kotor and its surroundings. At the top, we found abandoned buildings from the old Yugoslavia days, including the eerie Fort Vrmac . Its dark concrete chambers were strewn with rubble, and rusting iron fittings jutted from the wal...

Oh! The Adriatic Sea ! We had heard of its beauty. Though scared away by the exorbitant accommodation prices in Croatia, four times greater than elsewhere, we were determined to find a way to see the coastline. Montenegro offered some popular holiday spots at more affordable prices, and we chose the smaller town of Ulcinj . What we found was a coastline of rocky cliffs and beaches, met by a calm, deep green sea. Holidaymakers lay on the grey sand on Small Beach , shunning the shady umbrellas to obtain a deeper shade of pink. Meanwhile, a hundred sun lounges were unoccupied along the bottom of the cliffs. We learned that the sun lounges and much of the cliff coast were privately owned by hotels and restaurants, surrounded by fences to keep the public out. Further fuelling our displeasure at the rampant privatisation of what should be enjoyed by all, was learning about the alleged corruption and embezzlement committed by the Ulcinj mayor. It started to make sense. In Ulcinj, cars a...

We expected to simply pass through Albania during the Balkan leg of our trip. The neighbourhood known as Blloku in the capital, Tirana , surprised us with its modernity, bar and cafe culture, an d buzzing lifestyle. Nearby, public green space was available for the more active citizens. A mix of shaded forest with trails, farmland, and an immense artificial lake, Grand Park offered a place for thousands of locals to run, walk, cycle, exercise, and picnic. It was surprising then, to learn that the country had only begun to emerge from an isolated Communist state in 1985. Communism finally collapsed in 1992, but the newly optimistic population was swept up by a pyramid scheme, and its inevitable failure led to riots and a civil war in 1997. Since then, the country has been finding its feet, obtaining NATO membership and more recently vying to be part of the EU. Our admiration and fondness for the country and its progress grew from out of nowhere. Bunker by Lake Shkodra that we f...