>No sooner is one over I am already looking forward to the next! Happy 2007, by the way!

Six days remain between me and my flight to Sydney. That is six more days of packing, unpacking, shopping, yet more shopping, packing, finalising, a lot more unpacking and a great deal of anticipation. Daunted? Me? No – at least not yet. If you have my number phone me when I get to check in! :p

It’s no mean feat packing for a year away. What do you take? What is essential and what can be acquired along the way? Two days ago I came across Travel Independent. If only I had come across this website before I spent the last three months shopping for my year away! It has a wealth of information compiled by vetrans of the backpacking world with suggestions on how to travel light. Of course, it doesn’t take in to consideration working holidays. This has been my stumbling block. Should I take a smart shirt, tie and trouers for interviews or worry about that when I get there? (My conclusion is to worry about it when I arrive – afterall, I may decide not to seek office work but casual labour that whilst low paid permits for greater freedom).

Communication whilst aborad is also something I am only now giving proper thought to. With the explosion of the Internet and use of the World Wide Web, it is not difficult to find an internet cafe with reasonable rates to send emails, update blogs and generally keep in touch with the outside world. But so many of us have come to rely on our own mobile communications, specifically our mobiles. I had intended to buy a new phone when I arrive in Australia but thinking about practicalities such as carrying multiple phones and chargers when on the move it makes much more sense to unlock my current mobile and just buy a SIM when I arrive. Alternatively, I came across a service via rough guides which permits the same thing but it is aimed more towards travellers visiting many countries. You buy a SIM card from them and keep the same number whilst benefiting from reasonable call charges regardless of the country. There are limitiations to services in different countires depending on the network technology implementation (70%+ of countries use GSM, as we in the UK do, but others like the USA use CDMA), but buying a tri- or quad band phone would ensure you have coverage of both!.