Jim's tips for resilient travel

Since being in Oz, I have stayed in a hostel for 2 nights. Unlike Asia, accommodation is very expensive, and often dominated my gap year students. I am a little bored of the typical questions of:- Where are you from? Where are you going? Did you get sick? and the conversations about anywhere except where one is right now!

By comparision with other places,Austrailia is so easy to travel in, I have been camping out, and accepting the generous hospitality of old and new found friends, more of which to follow.

These are a few tips and items I have picked up on the way, and would like to share. When I return I plan to go through my kit, commenting on the utility and number of times used for each item.

The first night in a new city, or after a long flight, book two nights accommodation, as the temperature change, new sights and sounds tire one out more than one might expect. It is so much more relaxing to lie in.

Allow yourself days off from traveling, it is easy to burn out.

If you always carry a small gift, a jar of honey, or packet of coffee, you can offer something, if offered an unexpected meal or place to stay.

Hair clippers are a good way to avoid "interesting" haircuts, and can be used to obtain pocket money. The ability to smarten ones appearance in a new place is very important to maintain morale.

A dentists pick, helps keep plaque at bay in areas where every drink comes sugared.

Teabags, decent coffee, marmite and anchovy paste are some comforts from home I often carry to share.

Led head torches are invaluable, by a good one like a petzl you can depend upon and tape spare batteries to the strap so they are easy to replace in the dark, and practice doing so. Carrying two allows you to lend one out, or leave at your campsite to find the way back in the dark. A red filter helps preserve night vision. Though keeping one eye closed when the light is on also works.

A decent knife and sharpening stone is really useful, if staying at a hostel, the ones provided are often useless, even slicing a tomato can be dangerous with a blunt knife. Being able to sharpen the knives and tools of your host will win brownie
points. An easily sharpened knife, I like the Opinel number 7in high carbon steel is small enough to cary at all times, and the lock prevents the blade closing on you, especially if cutting hard vegetables. In the UK, a lock knife may be considered an offensive weapon, so look out.

Field dressings should be carried when carrying a larger knife or axe, possibly taped to the sheath. Do not lend your blade to a numpty, they may stick it in the ground, or stick themselves. Never lend one to a member of the territorial army.

Disposable lighters, four taped together means you are almost guaranteed one will work. Airlines sometimes only allow two to be carried, be prepared to separate or sacrifice them. Bicycle inner tube is a great fire starter in the rain, I cut a 3 inch section, and stuff other sections in it.

Zip lock bags are useful for organizing kit, and stopping shampoo spreading everywhere. Freezer bags are cheap, but the heavy duty ones also prevent crumpling.

Dry bags are useful for larger items, I like different coloured ones to easily find kit. The corners of books will quickly wear holes in them if carried outside of another bag for any length of time.

A dark coloured bivvy bag, I use the 58 pattern gortex bag allows discrete camping, if you arrive late. Attach to the side of a backpack to get at it without attracting attention, or getting wet.

Thermarests make impromptu camping or a long wait in an airport more comfortable. I find a 3/4 length perfectly adequate in most climates, check the ground for thorns.

If bedding down in bushes, take a good look around for syringes. Be aware that in some areas, you may be sleeping near someone's stash of heroin. Not easy to do while being discreet, this is where your red filtered headtorch is useful.

Photocopy and take photographs of important documents and email them to yourself. Qualifications, degree certificates etc may be useful to secure work. I keep a duplicate on a usb pendrive.

USB pendrives are useful to swap info, mp3s etc with others. They are cheap and light enough to carry two. Mine has a portable linux distro on it. Very useful if the computer does not speak English, or if I want to boot on a machine a machine with a flaky install.

Netbook computers allow you to type offline, and steal wireless access. They can be a royal pain in the arse when they do not work. Carry copies of the install disks, backup frequently and keep a dry bag just for them. My linux on pendrive trick allowed me in when the disk got corrupted. Make sure they are properly switched off. Mine came back to life in its neoprene case, the sceen went tartan, and has never been quite the same since.

Never make a big purchase on the first day in a new country, if you are going to get screwed over, it is most likely when you have just arrived. Take time to learn the scams and realistic prices.

New currencies can be confusing, the size of notes or coins may bear no relation to their face value, so learn what older and newer issue notes look like. You may be palmed off with out of circulation bills. Being confident in handling the currency makes you less of a mark.

Bank cards may be rejected or eaten unexpectedly, especially from Lloyds TSB! travel with several, and keep a spare wad for emergencies. US Dollars can often be exchanged more readily than other currencies.

A wallet with a few small bills and expired cash cards allows you to give one over to a mugger, leaving time to administer your own form of justice.

Black market currency exchange can often save a great deal on bank rate, but do not part with your cash until you have inspected the bills. Buying currency is like buying anything else. Don't let yourself be rushed, or tricked with a call of "Police!"

Corkscrews or can openers, possibly on a penknife make things easer, though you can push the cork in with the aid of a stick and a small coin, but be prepared to get splashed.

Hydrocortisone cream effectively reduces the itchiness of things that will inevitably bite you in the night.

Bottles may not always contain what the label reads. In parts of Asia, petrol is often sold in soda bottles, so sniff first. I carry activated charcoal tablets in my med kit in case.

Leeches are very common in the jungle, especially after rain. They suck before they bite, so if you are quick you may they may be gently pulled off before they get stuck in. If they do lock on VERY gently pull them off, or put salt on them, the cigarette or flame on the back method can cause them to vomit up in you! They inject an anesthetic and anticoagulant, so you may not notice them.

Paracord is useful for rigging up washing lines, replacing rucksack buckles, and a million other uses. The genuine stuff is hard to come by, so buy all you can when available.

A tap key allows you to get water from faucets in parks and in the most unlikely places - and maybe bought at from the plumbing section at most hardware stores. Useful if you want enough to wash in!