Packing and food guide for backpacking around Australia

Now that you’ve booked your ticket, organized a visa (tourist, student or working) and bought travel insurance (medical, personal property or cancellation), the only thing left to do is pack for your Australian backpacking adventure!

Backpacker Packing Tips

• make sure you’re not over the 20kg baggage limit, or you will be charged
• a general rule of thumb is that one-third of your own body weight is the safest weight for a backpack
• take advantage of the hand luggage allowance – an overnight bag (less than 5kg) and a handbag.  Try to wear your bulky clothes, like coats or jackets, on the plane – they free up your suitcase space!
• contrary to popular belief, Australian winters can often be cold, so keep a few warm sweaters handy
• pack an adaptor if bringing electrical appliances from home
• use the trusty “roll packing” method to allow for more space in your backpack
• always keep valuables on you, not in your checked in luggage, in case bags get lost, damaged or stolen
• split up your stash of money, credit cards and traveller’s cheques – that way, if something gets stolen, you have the other two hiding places to fall back on
• label everything!!
• buy a good lock for your bags
• pack an “emergency” kit of medical supplies, spare batteries (if needed), bandaids, plastic bags, detergent for clothes, and anything else you might need.
• Systematize or put in order all your gear in color-coded or labeled waterproof sacks. Even heavy duty ziploc plastics will do. In this way, items will be easy to locate and will save you a lot of time as you go on with your backpack journey.
• Items of most importance to you, as much as possible, must be placed on top. In that way, you won’t have to scour and mess up your whole backpack should you need something that is going to be utilized often. Or you can totally categorize important things with a waterproof rucksack and put in on an easily accessible part of your backpack. Examples of these vital items are digital camera, bottled water, snacks, rain coat, sunscreen/sunglasses, binoculars, and others.
• Keep away make sharp and hard objects away from your back, rather toward the outer part of the backpack.
• Make every effort for to have a straight allotment of weight, so that all sides of the pack are with equal weight. This will prevent possible back pains.
• You may be in full gear, but a slimmer backpack is better. As much as possible, compress your backpacks with the help of straps. Should you need more space for your stuff, just loosen the compression straps. The consequences of having stout packs are sore backs.

Don’t overload on toiletries – you can buy them in Australia too!

Backpacker food tips

We all know that backpackers travel on a budget. Although eating out in local eateries will always be the convenient option, it’s also helpful to pack some inexpensive edibles in your backpack. Here are some food reminders that will get you through your backpacking days.

• Some backpackers travel even during chilly or rainy season. Cooler weather calls for more food. It will greatly help if you can have a little more supply of food stuff during chilly travel days.
• Food with higher fat content can aid in keeping you warm during cold weather.
• Bring foods that require little or no cooking (example: oatmeal, cereal, mac and cheese, spam, other canned goods)
• Depending on your backpacking itinerary, the more arduous or taxing your activities will be, the more you will need food. Be prepared to nourish yourself. More or less, Two pounds of food per day will be a reasonable quantity. Anyhow, it’s best to already know thyself when it comes to eating needs even before making that first step towards a backpacking journey.
• In the evening, a hot meal is recommended. A hot meal will help you keep warmer on cold nights, help you sleep more soundly and, in general, help maintain your psychological and physiological well-being. A hot food will rally round in keeping warmer on chilly nighttime. It can also aid in making you sleep soundly, thus resulting in psychological and physiological health.
• You brought in food, alright. But don’t forget about the supplements too. Some processed foods are likely having lesser nutrients than you expect them to have. Vitamins and mineral supplements aid in giving us the much-needed nutrients when the food we eat is simply not enough.