My First 10 days in Australia, the Hard Part of Traveling

My first 10 days in Australia was on My First-Time Around the World Journey in 2014. I decided it was time to go and have my own adventures. Not listening to other people’s adventures. It was time for making my personal stories to tell. It was time to fly solo and experience the beauty of the world. I celebrated New Year’s Eve in Oslo. And had a great night in the winter cold, before packing my last things in my new Osprey backpack. It was the beginning of something new and something that would change my life in a way I wouldn’t know yet.

Running around in the apartment, trying to find out if I remember all the papers and to decide if not to pack or to pack that dress number 7 in my Backpack. Today, I know it’s true that you should pack and then take out the other half. This was the beginning of an adventure where I would learn all sorts of new things. Arriving at Gardermoen Airport always gives me excitement. At this time, I knew it was going to be 3 months before touching my feet back again, kinda scary but at the same time very liberating and a trill of craziness. Let the adventure begin!

Transit in Dubai

My first panic attacked arrived already in Dubai, halfway to Australia, and only 12 hours with traveling. I was already in fear. I had transit in Dubai wanted to take cash out in the ATM for breakfast; my card was blocked?

I know that I have money on the credit card, and I’m hungry. Well, I used almost 35 minutes to figure out that my card was blocked because it was my security settings in the bank.

I’m going to travel the world, I haven’t change ATM settings for a Cash flow in different countries. Great start on the adventure and a smart way to go.

I had to wait another hour before waking up my dad to change the settings for me. When the settings were changed, it was time to go on the airplane to Australia, after 35 minutes they were serving breakfast. This is why I now always travel with nutrition bars, in case of emergency with desperate hunger and mood swings.

My First 10 Days in Australia, Was the Hard Part of Traveling

Arriving: Australia and Prayers Have Been Answered

Arriving in Australia, there was great man Johnathan picking me up at the airport that drives me to the closest beach. He gets me the best introduction to Australia’s beauty: the ocean – the Tasman Sea. After 15 minutes at Coogee Beach, I was already enjoying my adventure at it’sits fullest. Looking at my really white winter body compared to Jonathan that had been enjoying the Oz Sun. January is really not bikini season for white Norwegian girls arriving from winter cold Norway to sunny Australia.

YHA HOSTEL

Arriving at my first Backpacker experience at the Rock YHA hostel. I entered my 4.-bedroom dorm with only females. I get a very warm welcoming from this 60 something old woman. That was asking; where you from? I’mI’m from Norway, and I just arrived in Australia today. The woman: My prayers have been answered. I have prayed for a Norwegian girl this last week, and now you are finally here! This 60 something woman talk about her Norwegian routs and that she was a ballet dancer and nerve science professor and doctor.

She had a crazy study about it. Unfortunately, I had traveled for around 36 hours, was a bit dead, and jet-lagged, my brain capacity was reduced and not hanging along for this ride. Still trying to figure out what she was doing in my dorm? She had a leak in her house, she had to stay in a hostel, while everything was repaired. This amazing woman she gave me the tour of the hostel, and she taught me a lot about how everything works, she even helped me with getting my sim-card fixed and also showed me where to buy food with no canola oil, which is really bad for your nerve and health system.

At YHA Rock, I did get the feeling of the hostel, is really lovely and not a problem at all. I can easily survive these standers, everything is clean, no bad smell, and fast WiFi. Little did I know that YHA Rock is an illusion from the typical backpacking standers.

Entering Bondi Backpacker and Bondi Beach

Meeting up with smelly walls, and a terrible bed and no blanket, well reality was in my face. This is how backpacking actually works. Low price and some uncomfortable standers. Now I just have to adjust and embrace that this makes my adventure go around for the next three months.

When being in Bondi, there has to be an encounter with Bondi Beach. Then check out some of the Bondi Rescue people. Since you have seen them on TV, it’s funny to watch them in action, right in front of your own eyes. Or just go and hang out in some of there many great places for brekkie, like Le Paris-Go Café. Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon and Cappuccino saves the day.

THE DORM EXPERIENCE

In my dorm, I was sharing a room with an Italian guy and a guy from the UK. The Italian didn’t speak much English and was most of the time talking with his girlfriend on the phone. The UK guy traveled the world by sailing boats, he had some fantastic adventures. And another day I walked from Bondi to Coogee beach with this strange New Zealand guy that traveled the world by painting houses, I understood that you can’t like everybody that you meet on the road.

OVERPACKED

Then it was the day I had to go to the post office and send home to Norway shitloads of clothes and unnecessary packing things. I overpacked and had packed the wrong clothes for backpacking. The stunning cocktail dress would not be used outside a nightclub, so why even pack it? I was not Jetsetting around the world, I was backpacking. Reality check! And 120 dollars poorer. What a waste of money and time. It was the right decision, it was so much easier to carry and pack after this decision of sending home things.

Traveling Crash – A Minor Burn Out!

Traveling solo on the other side of the world, realizing that I’m doing it, and it’s okay. Until my world crashed, and I realized that I had no plan on what to do next. I had seen the Opera House, I had seen Sydney Bridge, I had seen Bondi. What was my next move? I had no idea. I panicked, I started to cry, I was utterly lost, and a bit exhausted of my 1 week in Sydney, that was super exciting with all these new things and no breaks. Just seeing everything.

Read More: One month in Australia Itinerary

TRAVEL AGENCY – RESCUE

I went to a travel agency, got my shit, and a plan together. Suddenly it was there my next 21 days in Australia. Thank God! There was a direction and an introduction to how little time I had to see Australia. Now It was time to catch the boat to Manley. Make the most of it.

Manly Backpackers, We Will Never Be Friends

Arriving at 21.00 in the evening with the late ferry from Sydney, entering back to Manly after my day trip the day before. Manly is a beautiful suburb that is so charming and lovely, only 40 minutes away from Sydney. Entering Manly Backpackers, giving out my passport for the guy behind the desk. He needs to keep it since I’m arriving late.

Entering my shared dorm and go in to complete shock! The smell almost killed me when opening the door, I get encountered with 3 surf birds and 2 smelly wet-suits, do I need to talk about the rest? Yes, the funny part: I was the only girl in this dorm with 4 random guys that were out partying the night away, before entering the dorm at 04.00 in the morning. Hell no! I’m not sleeping her, and I’m not going to be ganged banged at Manly Backpackers shit hole. They also had a massive party going on in the entire Backpacker. Excellent when being an exhausted traveler. I was crying and needed to go to the toilet on the other side of the party, the toilet was never reached.

NEW FRIENDS IN MANLY

Sending a text to my new friend from Manly that I had met the other day in the local brewery about hotels in the area. He offered his place to crash, with his lovely mum as well living there. That was more than great for me, I jumped into a Taxi. Next, I entered a lovely Australian home with my new friend and his mum. They even cooked a homemade meal for me. They saved my day and my next two days in Manly.

The next day, I entered back to Manly horror backpackers and picked up my passport. Explaining them, I don’t want a fucking refund, I just want my passport and leave from this shit hole of a backpackers place. Thank you, and I will never see you again.

My new friend and his mum in Manly, opened their house and heart for a stranger, a Norwegian girl having a breakdown so far from home. I’m ever grateful for their gesture. I was so far from home and so exhausted, they gave me just what I needed, a hug from a mum, homemade food, and great laughs. My friend from Manly showed me a neat part of the area. I do like Manly, just not the backpacker Manly. When I left, the mum gave me a BB-cream, my first encountering with this fabulous product, saved my beauty routine for the next 3 months on the road. She was the best mum having abroad!

My First 10 Days in Australia was Exhausting

the 20 Days Left in Australia was with Great Potential

I was done with Manley, and it was time to start my travel adventure in the rest of Australia. My next 20 days was pretty much awesome. How it should be: meeting great people, seeing new cool things, and experience another country and its culture.

I got the ugly part of my travel in the beginning. After 10 days of traveling everything could ONLY get better.

My learning curve was tremendous about backpacking, indeed maybe the toughest crash course ever on – How NOT to do BACKPACKING.

What I learned from my first 10 days in Australia was: To travel smart, to actually accept that you need to plan something, so you can actually enjoy your time in the country with seeing things, and not using time on how to see them. Always research Backpackers properly!! Before deciding to book there.

Read More: 3 Ways to Reduce Stress in Your Travel

LESSON LEARNED

My first 10 days in Australia was hard, but in the, end it was the beginning of something way more better than 10 days with a rocky start. It was 10 days that gave a lot of confidence for the rest of my travel. After my first 10 days in Australia, I knew that the best way was to have a plan for my next destination – New Zealand. That planing will resolve in more time to enjoy each destination better. After my first 10 days in Australia, I had the confidence that problems or roadblocks can be solved, you just need to come up with a plan to address the obstacle.

When you have a plan with: When, where, and what, there is less stress and more time to enjoy! When you have limited time, planning is even more critical.

Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Poor Performance