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Feb 02
1

How to spend a weekend in Margaret River

By | Tourism | No Comments

 

Margaret River is, in my opinion, the perfect getaway place for a weekend away, I have been going there 2-3 per year since 2010. It’s about 3.5 hour drive from Perth, and is WA’s wine producing region. To really appreciate this place, I would say that hiring a car is a must and going in a group is better. As a backpacker there are 2 options to choose from for staying in “Margs”, the first is to book in at one of the backpackers Innetown Backpackers or Margaret River Backpackers.

The second, and my personal favourite, is to camp. You can chose from a few sites, but my preferred place to stay at is Contos Campground. For me there is nothing like being able to wake up surrounded by kangaroos, watch possum’s in the trees at night, listen to all of the different bird calls, and hear the sound of the ocean gently in the background. Also as it is further away from town, you can enjoy AMAZING views to the night sky, you can very easily see the line of our galaxy! The one benefit of camping, is that you have more money to spend doing things, rather than having to search for “free things to do in…”. Also by going with a group of friends, it means that you can all take turns driving so that one person doesn’t end up driving the entire time. So here is my itinerary for things to do in Margs:

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DAY 1

  • 8 am, Drive to Margs
  • 11am, how about starting off your day with a BYO picnic (or buy some of what they sell in this food section) and FREE seated wine tasting at Stormflower Winery (3503 Caves Rd, Wilyabrup WA 6280)!? This place is great, I wish last time I went there I didn’t have lunch before I went.
  • After a picnic lunch you can head off to your accommodation (you’ve of course chosen Contos campground), or you can go to Amaze’n Margaret River (9978 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River WA 6285)!!! Whichever order you decide to do this in, you NEED to go to Amaze’n to take a cheesy tourist photo with their giant sign, play mini golf, get lost in a hedge maze, play some of their games, and take a relaxing walk around the place, or sit and have a coffee and cake.
  • 4pm, After spending a few hours at Amaze’n you should go back into town and spend some time looking at the shops there, particularly Lloyds and Rugs in the Forrest.
  • 5pm, Time for happy hour at Swings!!!!!!!!! (85 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River WA 6285) They have wine and beer on tap, and if you choose to stick around for dinner their pizza is fantastic!
  • 6pm, If you didn’t stay at Swings for dinner, I would suggest having a BBQ for your first night in Margs, otherwise head over to Settlers Tavern (114 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River WA 6285).
  • 7pm, Head to Cape Mentelle (331 Wallcliffe Rd, Margaret River WA 6285) to see if you can get in to watch a movie in their outdoor cinema, if reading this before you go down to Margs, try and pre-book your ticket.

 

DAY 2

  • 5am, Head to the beach early and watch the sunrise. If you don’t want to get up that early, I don’t blame you, I’ve only done it twice in 7 years.
  • For those that don’t want to be awake early, lazily head back into town and go to the bakery (89 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River WA 6285), or the Sails Too Café (117 Bussell Hwy, Margaret River WA 6285) for breakfast.
  • 9am, Investigate a cave in the morning, I think this is the best time as the groups are usually smaller. My suggestion is also Mammoth Cave, you can spend as much time there as you want, it’s a self-guided tour, and it’s not as narrow as the other caves.
  • 11am, Eagles Heritage Wildlife Centre. At 11am they have a flying display of their birds of prey, where you can have one sit on your arm! This is a must do as all the money that they make goes into breeding endangered species and rehabilitation of injured animals.
  • 30pm, wineries! Some of the ones I’d suggest are:
    • Xanadu (Boodjidup Rd)
    • Voyager (41 Stevens Rd)
    • Leeuwin Estate (Stevens Rd)
    • Vasse Felix (Caves Rd & Tom Cullity Dr)
    • Redgate (659 Boodjidup Rd)
    • Cape Mentelle (331 Wallcliffe Rd)
  • The best places to visit on your way out of Margs is Barnyard 1978 (12 Canal Rocks Rd, Yallingup), then of course there is Aravina Estate (Wildwood Rd, Yallingup)
  • While in Yallingup stop off at the beach there and take a walk along until you get to a spot that you think is nice to have a picnic dinner while watching the sunset. Maybe bring a bottle of wine with you too.
  • Then it’s your choice if you stay for a third day too, or head back to Perth that night.

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*If you stay an extra day, stop by Busselton Jetty on your way back, it is well worth the stop.*

-Tash

May 19
0

Hospitality Jobs for Backpackers

By | Tricks & Advise | No Comments

As a backpacker it’s still relatively easy to get a job in Perth, even though the jobs market has definitely become quieter in the last year or so.

6 Tips for getting a hospitality job in Perth

These are probably the easiest jobs to get in Perth. A large proportion of those who work in hospitality in Perth are backpackers on working holiday visas. This means that, due to the fact that you can only work for a maximum of 6 months with one employer, there is always a large turnover in hospitality staff.

The jobs we’re talking about here are wait staff and bar staff mainly. It can be hard for backpackers to get into management positions but it is definitely possible and can be a way to get sponsorship, if that is your aim, although that is by no means guaranteed.

Hospitality hours can be long and unsociable, but as you will most likely be paid on a casual basis, this can mean good pay! Generally wait staff get $20-24 per hour.

So how do you get a job in hospitality?

  1. You need to do a Responsible Service of Alcohol course (mostly referred to as RSA). You can do these online for very low fees, just google it and pick one. Preferably do this before looking for a hospitality job to avoid any issues. You need this to be able to work at any place which serves alcohol.
  2. Perfect your CV. Make sure you emphasise any relevant experience, even if you don’t have experience specifically in hospitality. Some examples of relevant skills are customer service, sales and cash/card handling.
  3. Get someone to proof-read your CV, especially if English isn’t your native language. Our day staff can check your CV over for a small fee.
  4. Start applying! There are a few different ways to apply. To increase your chances make sure you try all of these:
    1. Online. Check websites such as Gumtree and Seek for hospitality jobs in the Perth area. Make sure you read the ad carefully before applying and check where the job is to see if it’s feasible to get to. We also often advertise positions on our Facebook page.
    2. Apply in person. This is possibly the best way to get a job in hospitality as they can see you and assess your suitability straight away. Print off a bundle of CVs and walk around handing them out to bars, cafes and restaurants. It’s really important to make sure you are dressed smartly and ask to see the manager. Introduce yourself, ask if they have any positions available and be confident. Make sure you pick the right time to apply, don’t expect a good reception if you interrupt a busy lunch shift!
    3. Apply through agencies. There are lots of agencies in Perth that can help you get temporary or permanent positions. One agency that has proved really effective when it comes to supplying hospitality jobs for backpackers is Pinnacles People.
  5. Also make sure to look at regional areas around Perth for work. These can be brilliant for saving money, as food and accommodation is generally included!
  6. Stay confident. You will get rejected a lot, but persevere and you will get there!

Come and see us at reception if you need any more help or advice. We also often post job ads on our jobs board or on our Facebook page, so check these regularly!

Feb 27
1

The Hidden Cost of Booking Sites

By | Tips, Tricks & Advise | No Comments

Did you know that every time you make a booking for a hostel or a hotel through a booking site, you are increasing the cost of your room?

That might sound a bit absurd to you, but let me explain…

Almost every single booking site charges commission to the hotel or hostel when you make a reservation.

Now you’re probably thinking, well that’s pretty obvious isn’t it? The booking sites have to make money, how else are they supposed to do it? Partially true. The commission model isn’t necessarily the only way that booking sites can make money, but obviously it works for them.

But does it work for you? Obviously there is massive convenience in using booking sites to search, being able to compare different accommodation, including different types of accommodation, quickly and easily.

The problem is that most booking sites charge anywhere between 12-25% commission on every single night booked.

This commission is kept by the booking site and the hotel or hostel never sees it. You might think that this is purely the hotel’s problem, it’s not an extra charge for you on top of the room price right?

But, think about it. Say a hostel or hotel receives 50% of their bookings through online booking sites, at a rate of 12% commission. That means that 6% of their total room revenue is lost. This tends to translate directly into higher costs for the customer, since the accommodation has to raise their prices to account for this loss in revenue. Say that, instead, the hostel received all of its bookings directly. The hostel would then be able to either lower their prices by 6% and still receive the same revenue for the same number of bookings. Better for you, the customer, at no harm to the hostel. Alternatively, the hostel could keep the prices the same, but use that extra 6% to improve the property, either improving facilities, or providing more value to guests (such as free wifi or free breakfast).

You can argue that deals on booking sites save you money. Maybe in the short term, but this is still lost revenue for the property and has to be accounted for in the long run by raising prices at other periods. Nothing comes for free.

The worst part is, a lot of booking sites have rate parity clauses in their contracts. Rate parity means that the booking site has to be given the same rate as other booking sites and even the accommodation’s own site. This means that we can’t even encourage you to book directly on our website by offering you a better rate.

Some booking sites even use the commission we pay them to directly compete with us, by paying for adwords related to our property, making them pop up higher in searches than us. They have a lot more clout than we do when it comes to paying for things like this, making it difficult for small accommodation providers to compete.

So why do we list on booking sites?

Unfortunately at the present time it is a necessary evil. I’m pretty sure that if you asked any hotel or hostel manager in the world, they would say that if they could take their properties off booking sites and not suffer because of it, they would do it in a heartbeat. Booking site commissions are a huge, huge cost to any accommodation provider. Commissions on reservations seem to be steadily increasing as well. Previously most places charged 10% commission, which then climbed to 12% and the feeling is that soon this will go up to 15% (some places already pay this). Other booking sites are already over this amount.

The problem is because there are so many places listed on booking sites, it’s hard to survive if you’re not listed on there.

But it’s so easy to book on booking sites, why should we do it differently just to help out hostels and hotels?

What we would suggest is this; use a booking site to compare prices and reviews, then head to the booking site of the individual property, all you need to do is give it a quick google, and book on their website, where they pay no commission. All it adds is one small step for you, but makes a big difference to the hotel or hostel.

An even better idea is this:

Call the hostel.

Most sensible hostels, if you call them up and say you’re thinking about booking online, but would book directly over the phone if offered a discount, would give you a discount. Say a hostel normally would pay 12% commission, most would happily give a discount in the region of 5-10% as this is still saving them money and you get a discount too. Both customer and accommodation win, so why wouldn’t you do this?

This post makes us sound like we have an axe to grind, that’s not the case. We generally have a very good relationship with the booking sites, however we find that a lot of our guests truly aren’t aware of the facts regarding online booking sites. If you have any comments, or disagree with us, feel free to comment below!

The key lesson? Book directly and save! Either directly, or indirectly, the more you book directly, the more money you will save.

To book directly with us either head to our booking page, email us at [email protected] or call us on +61 89 227 1400.

Feb 27
0

Rottnest Island Travel Guide – 5 Things to Know

By | Tips, Tourism, Tricks & Advise | No Comments

Islands off the coast of large cities often have a dubious history. Historically, they are where we send societies undesirables (think Robben Island, Alcatraz, Rikers!). Rottnest is no exception.  Shortly after European colonisation of the island in 1829, Rottnest became a prison island for the indigenous Aboriginal people. Now, it is where Australians send the new undesirables; the tourists!

Recently, I made my first visit to the island via Rottnest Express, the islands foremost ferry operator. It exceeded all my expectations, and probably one of the most enjoyable things I’ve done since living in Perth. Everything is touted as a ‘MUST DO’ these days, but for me Rottnest cannot be missed.

Here are 5 things I learned on my maiden voyage that will make your visit to Rottnest that bit more enjoyable and I think should be added to any Rottnest Island travel guide!

  1. RENT A BIKE: Upon booking you might be suspicious of add ons. Fair enough, if you really don’t want the snorkel or the Subway lunch you can do without. But get a bike. Rottnest Express will have it waiting for you as you disembark the ferry and off you go, free to explore the island at your own pace and as per your own schedule.

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A bike is an essential!

  1. CHOOSE YOUR PATH WISELY: Rottnest is bigger than I thought. A full loop of the island is 22 km (3-5 hours). The roads are well paved and it’s not mountainous, but there are some hills. A 5 hour bike ride in Perth’s glaring sun can quickly turn into a feat of endurance rather than a leisure ride. We went for the 10km route, which loops inland after Salmon Bay and found it perfect for a day trip.

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Pick your route to suit your pace!

  1. WATER, ALL THE WATER: Water fountains are few and far between on Rottnest. Drinking water is mostly centred around the main settlement (Thomson bay, Kingstown Barracks). Don’t get caught out 15 km from a drinking fountain without a bottle. Bring as much as you can. It will make life a lot easier.

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Cycling is thirsty work

  1. FIND YOUR OWN BEACH: There’s some beautiful reef around the island, perfect for snorkelers of any skill level. If you just fancy a swim, the beaches at Parakeet Bay, The Basin and Little Armstrong Bay come highly recommended. However I’d encourage you to be adventurous and find that tiny stretch of white sand behind a rock or in a cove that you can have to yourself. Grab a couple of beers from the general store… paradise.

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Find a quiet spot to relax.

  1. CATCH THE FERRY FROM B-SHED: There is an option to leave from Barrack St. jetty in Perth city, and although the cruise down the Swan River to Fremantle might be enjoyable there are some disadvantages. For one, it costs more. It obviously takes longer too, with a number of stops along the way. And the timetable is limited. I’d recommend grabbing the train (20 minutes) from Perth Stn to Fremantle Stn. From Freo Stn. It’s a 5 minute walk to B-Shed (go right out of the station, follow the tracks, and cross towards the warehouse shed with the large B painted in red on it). Your ferry will now be a direct 25 minute transfer to Rottnest. On your return you will have more timetabled departures to choose from, scheduled right into the late afternoon.

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B Shed is where we recommend to catch ferry from.

If you want more information about Rottnest, or want to book a trip there before you arrive, fill out our contact form or just send us an email to [email protected]

– Written by Adam Burke, our weekend manager.

Feb 27
0

Small Bars – Old Faithful

By | Small Bars | No Comments

Old Faithful – 86 King St, Perth
http://www.oldfaithfulbar.com.au/

This place is another of my favourite small bars in Perth and I think it might just be my favourite food place in Perth as well. Old Faithful, in my opinion, is the absolute best Beer & BBQ place I’ve ever been to. If you love slow smoked meats then this is the place for you, and you should be able to afford it, even on a backpacker budget. I don’t think I’m the only one that loves this place either as they won Small Bar of the Year 2014.

About 10-15 minutes walk from our hostel is Old Faithful. Located on King St (down Murray St, towards West Perth), it’s pretty easy to miss unless you know what you’re looking for. If you’re heading down Murray St towards West Perth, King St is a small street running perpendicular to Murray St. Turn right into King St and it’s down the street on the right hand side, almost all the way to Wellington St.

The best thing about this place is the smell. Old Faithful is famous for their smoked meats  and the smell drifts out into the street; you’ll start drooling before you even walk through the door. When you do enter, the smell is unreal and your mouth will literally flood with saliva (or maybe that’s just me).

Seating at Old Faithful is mostly communal, with big wooden tables. They don’t take reservations, so you might have to hang around for a little bit, but generally waiting times are short. The decor is great, modern, but not pretentious. This is a place where you can relax and really dig in and enjoy your food, without it being fussy.

Pick what you want from the menu and head up to the counter at the back to place your order. You’re generally served straight away as all the meat, salads and other bits and bobs are ready to go straight away. Food is served on a big tray, with the food being loaded onto greaseproof paper or into little cups.

I can’t rave enough about the food. Obviously, if you aren’t a big meat fan, or aren’t a fan of smoked food then this place isn’t for you. If you are, then I really don’t think that the menu will disappoint you. Food is very reasonably priced for the quality and portion sizes and the flavours of the smoked meat are out of this world. My personal favourites are the Beef Fingers, Pig Ribs, Smoked Links and the Cornbread with Maple Butter. When I say favourites, what I really mean is that these are the items I usually order. Honestly, everything on the menu is damn good and I’ve never been disappointed by any of it.

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A small selection of the meats available from Old Faithful

The home-made BBQ sauces on each table are the perfect accompaniment to the meat and are incredibly tasty.

So far, I’ve focused on the food, which you might think is strange since this place is a bar. The only reason I have done so is that to walk in here and leave without at least trying the food is almost criminal. It is that good.

That’s not to say that the drinks aren’t good! Old Faithful serves some amazing beer and cocktails. They have a great selection of Feral Beers (one of the best local craft beers around) on tap, including the usual suspects, Hop Hog and Sly Fox (my two favourites) as well as other beers and usually at least one cider. The beer really complements the BBQ, which was highlighted for me when I attended a special evening jointly hosted by both Old Faithful and Feral. You really need to try the combination of these beers and this BBQ.

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Doesn’t the beer look good?

The cocktails are well crafted and also complement the BBQ well, although for me, personally, I think that the beer just sits better with the BBQ.

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Watermelon Warhead – Feral Brewery

I really, really recommend this place and I hope this little write-up gives you some incentive to go and try it because I can’t recommend it enough. Don’t be afraid to dig in with your hands, in my opinion you should dive in and enjoy the food with as many senses as you can. If you want to take me with you as well to show you the way and recommend some things to try, I’ll be happy to do it for the price of my meal!

Feb 17
0

Small Bars – Mechanics Institute

By | Small Bars | No Comments

In Perth we’re lucky enough to have some excellent small bars, all just around the corner from The Emperor’s Crown. Slowly, one by one, we are going to list our favourites to give you something new to try while in Perth.

Mechanics Institute – Rear 222 William St, Northbridge
mechanicsinstitutebar.com.au

This is one of my favourite spots for a quiet drink. The entrance is down a little laneway just off James St, between the State Library and William St. Head up some steps and onto the deck and you’re there.

They serve some great drinks (and also food, mainly burgers, from Flipside down below). They have a good selection of craft beers, both local and international and mix up some great cocktails. They also serve booze and apple, basically your choice of alcohol with a freshly blitzed apple thrown in on top – refreshing, possibly healthy and maybe a little dangerous!

The staff are absolutely awesome, great at cocktails, friendly people with just the right amount of sarcasm added in.

If you’re a smoker, there’s a whole portion of the deck for smokers, allowing you to have a smoke while you drink, which is something of a rarity in Perth. It’s still perfect for non-smokers though as there is plenty of non-smoking seating available!

Still on my list to try is the Mechanics Institute Bloody Mary (pictured below). Looks like a perfect hangover drink to me…

 

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This place is definitely worth trying, just trust us on this one.

Feb 11
0

Our Top 10 Surprisingly Important Items When Travelling

By | Tips, Tricks & Advise | No Comments

What are the items that you wouldn’t go travelling without? I’m not talking about the standard things, but the stuff that you find important. Or the items that have found to be surprisingly useful and versatile?

This is our list. Some items may only be useful in certain situations, others might only be useful for certain people… There are items missing from this list that I would always take (like at least one good book, book exchanges are available in most hostels, including ours).

Disagree with any items here or have some more suggestions? Just let us know in the comments!

Lighter

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“But I don’t smoke!” I hear you say. It doesn’t matter. A lighter is an incredibly versatile tool. Personally I don’t go anywhere without one. Here’s why.

Ever been craving a beer and found yourself with no bottle opener? Use a lighter! (If you don’t know how to do this yet, you need to learn).

About to go out and have a loose thread dangling from your clothes? Don’t pull it, burn it! Doing this can stop it happening again, whereas pulling it can ruin your clothes.

A hot guy/girl comes up to you looking for a lighter and you actually have one… instant ice breaker!

Stuck in a hostel where the stovetops don’t light themselves? Use your lighter! Not necessary at our place by the way…

Found yourself with a hot guy/girl and are in need of some emergency romance? How are you going to light those 100 candles on that beach without a lighter?

Ok so the last one is a bit lame but you see what I mean?

Neck Pillow

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Ok so this might not be something everyone would take. I used to laugh at this myself. Until I took one with me (thanks to my beautiful girlfriend for opening my eyes). Revelation!

I’m not talking about the new squishy ones that take up loads of space even when not being used. I’m talking about the old-school blow-up ones.

These things kick ass. You know those long flights where you can’t get comfortable and the guy behind you has his knees all up in your back, stopping you putting your chair back? Blow up your neck pillow and slip it around your neck and you’ll be nodding off before you know it. Neck pillows can be a true sanity saviour on long flights. Ok they’re not perfect, but they can really improve comfort in uncomfortable spots and are easily portable (after your flight/bus/boat/camel ride/space shuttle, just deflate and off you go!).

Headlamp

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Personally I’ve never taken one of these travelling with me but I know many people who do and swear by them. They can make life much easier in many situations, fumbling around in your bag in your dorm at night, reading without disturbing your room-mates, going to the toilet in the middle of the night in the jungle, barbecuing on a beach in the dark, you name it!

Insect Repellent

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More important in hot countries than cold ones, but can save you a ton of pain and misery. Once you have spent an evening sitting outside being sucked dry by mosquitos, you’ll turn to the insect repellent and never turn back. OK, it doesn’t smell great, but who cares when it saves you from days of itching?

Vacuum Bags & Watertight Bags

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Vacuum bags make packing much easier and allow you to cram more stuff into a smaller bag. They also help to keep your clothes clean and dry in case of shampoo explosions or bag soakings. Same goes for the waterproof bags, carry your electronics, passport and travel documents in here in case of downpour, massive waves or a capsizing boat (you never know).

Deck of Cards

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Best. Boredom. Killer. Ever. A deck of cards is a brilliant thing to take with you. A game of cards can help break the ice with a new group of people, can help save your sanity when you’re stuck in an airport waiting for your delayed flight, or help you while away the day on a beautiful beach. Just don’t try and learn card tricks to show people how cool you are, it doesn’t usually go down well (unless you’re spectacularly good).

Needle & Thread (alternatively, Duct Tape)

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Bag ripped? Sew it up! Split jeans? Sew it up! Even very basic sewing skills can save your bacon in a tricky situation. Plus, if you need to put a new sim card in your iPhone, the needle comes in very handy. The lazy alternative is duct tape, which is possibly even more useful (you can even make cups out of it in an emergency). I doubt you can use duct tape to replace your sim card though (send me a video if you managed it somhow).

Hypodermic Needles

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This might seem like a bizarre suggestion and it’s not necessary in most countries, but if you’re ever going somewhere where you’re a bit unsure about the local medical situation, maybe take your own clean needles with you in your first aid kit, in case of medical emergency. Better to be safe than sorry! By the way, this really isn’t necessary if you’re coming anywhere in Australia, medical care here is pretty awesome.

Emergency Cash Stash

emergency-stash

You know the waterproof bags we mentioned earlier? Keep some emergency cash in a waterproof bag wrapped tight and safe and stored somewhere unexpected and away from the rest of your important stuff. Stashing it somewhere like under the inner sole of your shoe may sound stupid, but could save you in the event that all your stuff gets stolen or you lose your wallet… We would suggest keeping some USD as your emergency stash (unless you are just staying in one country, in which case just use local currency).

Journal

travel-journal

I know it sounds sappy. But at the end of your travels wouldn’t you like to have something to remember everyone by and you can look through it and remember all the good times? I’m not talking about writing a diary, but maybe get everybody you meet to leave you a little message in your journal before they disappear from your life. You will meet some amazing people and maybe won’t be in touch with them ever again, so make sure you get something to remember them by while you can!