Travelling?

[PancaKe]

Hello Forum, I'm calling on your words of wisdom in my personal crisis.
Here is the situation:

- I want to go to Perth. For fun, for an adventure, I'd get to hang out with Gavin Luper, and I just want to do it.
- I'm terrified to do it alone. Honestly. I've never left Sydney by myself, so I'm scared to go right across the country. And nobody will come with me. Not even my boyfriend :(
- It's $200AU each way. :\


So, I guess I'm venting frustrations, because I so badly want to go and try and experience and see it for myself (and visit Gavin Luper) , but then other people are either saying "you're crazy for wanting to go across the country alone / wanting to pay all that money etc" ... so I don't know. Maybe if I told them it was just a holiday people would be more understanding. But why should I censor my motives for other people?

So forum, give me your advice on the following:
- whether i should go or not and what i should do about other people saying stuff to me
- travelling tips, especially for traveling alone.
- any suggestions of places to travel to and things to see


Or just talk about places you've been and your own similar situations.

[Houndoom_Lover]

Perth? Where's that? ^_^ Traveling is fun, but weary- Don't worry about it, PancaKe. While traveling alone can be scary, it's a good kind of scary. Nothing is more enpowering that going off by yourself.

Pretend you're on a mighty quest, that's what I do. (I read to many adventure novels).

As for traveling alone, will you be driving? Or taking a Bus? Either way, you're alot safer than people make out. If you're worried about pickpockets or anything, I reconmend a fanny pack. Or traveler checks!

Those are dead useful.

You should so go :3 By yourself traveling is the greatest traveling in the world. Bring a good book if you have too.

[Blademaster]

Perth is like, literally, the very VERY farthest west point in Australia. It's the capital of Western Australia and is a city that exists for pretty much no reason. Seriously, it's the one civilized point in a million square miles of desert.

[PancaKe]

But apparently it's pretty.

I'd be flying of course. Think of travelling from New York to Los Angeles (that's the best analogy I can think of) . It's possible to drive, but ridiculous as well. It would take like three weeks of non stop straight driving. It takes 12 hours to drive from Sydney to the next capital city (Brisbane) or 10 hours to drive to Melbourne. :-) Flying is the cheap and quick way.

[Houndoom_Lover]

You're flying! Oh, then no sweat! You'll do fine. ^w^

Hehe, silly Perth.

[DarkestLight]

As a veteran Continental traveler-here are my tips

1) If flying-do not fear the unknown. You are going to a new place that YOU wish to go. Sure, having someone along would be awesome, but sometimes you have to carve that path for yourself. You'll undoubtedly surprise yourself at how much more resilient of a person you'll make yourself be once you are on your own.

ex. I traveled from NY to Montana by Bus (55 hours optimal!)-nearly cross the country when I was 16 to visit the college I was going to. I did it alone. Yeah I got back, and I had an insatiable travel bug.

2) Yes, like Houndy said. any secure way to hold your money would be useful if you are worried about personal belongings. Travelers checks, a fanny pack or something you can keep on your person that has your valuables like wallet and keys and what not. Also in that same regard, travel light. Don't be an American/European girl and have 4 humongous suitcases filled with shoes...

<< >>...*Makes sure Weezy or Asi didn't read that..* You'll feel less restricted and be able to have less stress about belongings on your mind.

#3. It's your adventure. Not whomever else you told before. They may be against it, but it could be envy :o. They may not be able to go or may not have that desire because they've fallen in some sort of life routine. As long as you have that urge, go follow it.

Ok I'm done.

[Drago]

It takes 12 hours to drive from Sydney to the next capital city (Brisbane) or 10 hours to drive to Melbourne.
Shoulda driven to Melbourne, mole. :P

Anyhow, I was feeling a bit unsure when I first read this, but now that I know you're flying, I assure you you have nothing to worry about. Look, travelling alone is dumb if you're taking a lot of strange transport (backpacking through Aus alone is just asking for trouble) - but if you're flying, you'll be fine. I flew from here to Canada and back on my own in 2004 at the age of 16 to visit my mom. Think of it less as you're travelling alone, moreso you're in transit alone. If you're meeting Gav on the other side, then your actual holiday isn't alone, it's with a friend.

I'd recommend having someone you know with you as much as you can while in Perth though, so that you don't get lost or in trouble. Are you staying with Gav? Or have you arranged other accommodation?

And as far as the money thing goes Tara, consider this... your money will return to you eventually. Squandered opportunities may not. You wanna fly to Perth? You damn well fly to Perth. You wanna buy something wild? You damn well buy something wild. You wanna send $1000 to Drago? You damn well send $1000 to Drago. You won't regret any of it. :D

[PancaKe]

Tony, you said the same thing that my mum said like, ten minutes ago. Minus the giving money to you part.

Being in transit alone is a beter way of looking at it. I'm not sure where I'll be staying yet, or anything. I really do want to visit melbourne too by the way :P Just throwing it out there. But yeah, I don't know much of where I will be staying or what I will be doing. But I suppose I can always meet people in backpackers and stuff if I end up staying there.

The opportunity part is so important though. When am I going to get or make the time to do this again? Screw it, I'm just going to go. Stuff what my boyfriend thinks.

Anyone want to come to perth? lol!

[Zak]

Don't mean to sound rude but to be honest, it sounds a little pathetic if your bf won't go or doesn't care about you visiting some other guy from the internet.


Anyone want to come to perth? lol!

Sure if you get me a ticket.

[Mikachu Yukitatsu]

I can tell only about my experience. Yes, I have been to Norway, Italy and Germany. All of them by car so we drove through many other European countries. Theye were in 1998, 1999 and 2000, so naturally I wasn't driving (heck I still haven't got a driver's lisence). We had 4-7 people as a crew in those trips.

That being said, I don't know a thing about traveling by an airplane but I wish you a safe journey.

[Crazy Elf Boy]

I would like to go to Perth but I don't have enough money for a plane ticket. I think that me driving that distance would probably kill me. But you should come to Brisbane or the Sunny Coast one day, its pretty nice up here.

[DarkestLight]

Yeah A Perth ticket is ..well...yipe out of my reach. But you have fun though!

[Gavin Luper]

Don't mean to sound rude but to be honest, it sounds a little pathetic if your bf won't go or doesn't care about you visiting some other guy from the internet.

The other guy isn't into women, so no threat to Tara's bf there. :)

Tara: Totally stoked that you will (probably) be coming over. Like Tony said, you could regret missed opportunities and stuff. That said, it would be safer if you could find someone to travel with really. When I backpacked Europe alone for four months I felt safe enough, but (grr, sorry if this sounds chauvinistic) I think it's probably different for sheilas.

Then again, I'm here at the other end if you run into trouble. And you should be fine on a plane.

Up to you what you do. If you don't make it, that's cool - and I shall try to arrange a trip to Sydney at some point instead. If you do come, I hope that me and Perth are worth the moneys! Oh the pressure ...

Have you already spent your RuddCheque?

[PancaKe]

Zak - my boyfriend actually does care. He's like, not entirely pleased with the idea, but it's not like he can stop me.

Gav, I do realise its different to be a girl and travel alone :( Hence why I'm so keen to find a travel partner. But even if I don't I still want to come. I will regret missed opportunities, and Ill probably resent those who I stayed for anyway. So I guess we'll see what happens. =)

I'm looking at booking flights next week