And now that you're in the country, here's the best way to travel!

Hello again! It's been a while...

Since coming to Australia, I wasn't exactly sure how I wanted to travel this amazing country, or where I wanted to visit. I weighed out a lot of options in my typical engineering way: Excel Spreadsheet. I spoke with a lot of people in the first three weeks I was here to make my money gone farthest, and have the most memorable experience I could.

1) Greyhound

 - this is a very common backpacker way to travel. They offer a couple of packages that make it enticing. There are standard A-to-B tickets (Sydney to Cairns for about $1500). Also, a hop-on hop-off (Sydney to Cairns for about $2200), but you must travel north only, then buy another ticket for the southbound route; these tickets also expire after 3 months. Most backpackers start in the south or north, take the greyhound, then buy a plane ticket to travel back.

 - I didn't like this option because of the high cost that can't be recovered. Also, it didn't give me freedom. I would have had to spend all my money to book trips and whirlwind my savings in to the ground over 3 months.

2) Hitchhike

 - also a very common backpacker way to travel. It is illegal, but I met a bunch of people who said they got picked up by the cops and they simply drove them to the next town to catch the bus or train. Some of the stories I heard from hitchhikers were interesting and it does sound very exciting.

 - but again, I didn't get any freedom. I could be stuck in one town for days on end waiting for a ride. I might miss out on a trip if I booked it but didn't make it to the town on time.... My money would have gone the farthest with this option.

3) Buy a car

 - most of the cars for sale here in Australia are pretty beat up. Most everyone here has Bullbars on their cars because there is so much wildlife on the roads. Typically these cars have hit one, or two, or more kangaroos. They are loaded with mechanical issues because people drive them so far without the funds necessary to take care of them properly; backpackers just crossing their fingers that they can resell the car rather than scrap it. Most of these cars end up as scrap a month or two after purchase, as the stories go.

4) Rent a car or campervan

 - these come fully equipped with a mini kitchen (stove, fridge or icebox, sink, and water tank). These vehicles you can trust to be mechanically sound, and they come with free roadside assistance. But their fuel economy is really bad, and if you rent for more than 3 weeks, you might as well just buy a car, and run it in to the ground! Which is why more people go with option 3. Freedom and the cost of lots of money. Although, if you're traveling with someone else, then your break even stretches a bit. Most people use this option for short trips (a week or two) in to the jungle or outback.

5) Buy a motorbike

- for a mechanically sound motorbike, you pay less than a beat up used car. For a quality motorbike, you'll spend a little bit more to get a higher displacement engine (more power) that will be capable of highway speeds with all of the 60kg of gear I pack on the back, plus at highway speeds be able to get out of trouble in a hurry. At the end of your trip the bike can be resold rather than sent to the scrap yard which makes this a cost effective solution. Also, the fuel economy of a motorbike is about double that of a car! Especially if compared to a beater.

 - yeah, I had plans to do this before I came down, but after working out my spreadsheet, it was obvious that this gave me everything I wanted. Affordable, good on gas, mechanically sound, and badass!

Here is my motorbike. This is a Yamaha XVS650 (V-Star 650).

Photo taken at the Hostel in Bondi Beach

I bought this when I was in my third week here in Australia, down in Bondi Beach (suburb of Sydney). When I first bought it, I was a bit hesitant to get straight on the road because they drive on the left hand side here. When I took a few for test rides, I did turn the corner in to the right hand lane a number of times. Luckily it was only around suburb areas when nobody else was on the road. But I quickly learned to not kill myself by being aware of oncoming traffic.

Another problem I was faced with was "how do I pack all of gear?" The bike came with 2 saddle bags that could help me carry a bit, but not all of my stuff. At first I just went and bought 5 meters of rope. I put everything inside my duffel bag, then strung the rope over and around in a zig-zag fashion. This was brutal... It was really tough to get everything balanced correctly. Rope stretches when you first start using it, so I was constantly stopping and having to readjust it. It did work, from Sydney all the way to Cairns over a month.

Photo taken at the Hostel in Coffs Harbor

Then I had a new idea. When I was in Byron Bay, I bought myself a Ukulele and a hard case, but my duffel bag was already bursting at the seams. So I went and bought some more rope to weave a net with. I purpose wove it around the hard case so that it would fit perfectly. Then I just zig-zagged the strapping rope through my woven net, and the handle for my tent bag. But, they kept slipping down the back and started rubbing on my rear cowling on the bike.

Photo taken on the side of the road near Brisbane

When I got to Cairns, I again went and bought even more rope! This time, a lot of it. I used the same technique, but wove a 3ft x 3ft net that I could just drape over everything. The rope I bought is also reflective, so it's super bright on the road in case I ever get caught after sunset. I can slip groceries underneath it really easily, and my fishing rod locks up in the net really well too! Have a look at the pictures, I think it's actually pretty funny :P most everyone turns their heads when I roll up to a campsite or hostel... I love it!

Photo taken behind a random sugarcane farmers barn near Airlie Beach

Stay tuned, motorbike trip is an ongoing experience!

So you moved to a new country? Here's what you need to know...

Sydney was supposed to be sunny... Someone lied to me!

But I did finally buy an umbrella today. Although not much else is new or terribly exciting. 

It's been a crazy couple of days here. First I realized that everything I cancelled (phone, credit, bank account...) wasn't really a one way trip after all.

When I landed, I had $100 CAD in my pocket. Transferred it to AUD and got $82.03... Yeah, those money exchange kiosks in the airport are a total ripoff. Got on a train and took it to "Town Hall" station and figured that would be the best place to start my new adventure. Turns out, I got off right in the middle of a mall! Free Wifi! For anyone who hasn't travelled before, this will be your number 1 point of interest upon first arrival. A quick search for "Wireless carriers pros cons" on Google returned as much info as I could find back in Canada, not a whole lot. Then "Best bank in Australia" returned about as much info as a homeless person's views on world politics... Or local politics... Or anything else that comes out of their mouths. I thought to myself "alright, open maps and find the nearest places."

Here's my guide to settling in to a new country:

1. You need a mailing address. When they ask you for your "place of residence", the Post Office. Yes. If questioned by any official, I live at the post office; let's keep our stories straight.

2. You need money that is easily accessible, and free of extra fees. Open a bank account. Down here in Oz, my debit is also a Visa, so this works online.

3. You actually need a place of residence, central to your mailing address. Turns out, the hostel I located (also from the mall Wifi) is decent. Lots of Brits, a few Germans, and 1 guy who we all suspect will stab us in our sleep.

3.b. Make sure you don't sleep in a room with a crazy psychopath, or leave the hostel.

4. Get a license to work. Your Visa gets you in to the country, but won't directly let you work. Here's what I needed:

4.a. Tax File Number (TFN), the same as your Social Insurance. Simple online form, no charge, but hurry up and wait 5-10 business days. (See point 3, stay close)

4.b. White Card, this lets me work on any construction site across Australia.

4.c. RSA, so I can also work in a bar.

4.d. USI (Student ID) so I could sign up for b and c.

5. Turns out my Canadian drivers license works fine here. Sweet!

6. Relax, it's the same as Canada, but a construction labourer makes anywhere from $25-35 per hour. I think I was in the wrong industry..!

Alright, I'm gonna go enjoy the rain!

Give it a minute; it'll sink in.

People have been asking me "Does it feel real yet?"

And now I know. When I got asked for my birthdate, for the 7th time; that yes, this is real. The proverbial pinch on the arm after your cell phone plan is cancelled, credit cards cut in half, car loan paid in full, hugs-shrugs-and-loves to remember Canada with, and (most importantly) Netflix subscription ended. Yes, there is hope, you can kick the addiction too!

Which has all brought me to sitting in a YVR waiting lobby, entertained by watching people doing their own preflight awkward pacing, frantically makIng a new playlist, or... I honestly don't know what that guy is doing.... It's like a combination of the chicken dance, the breaststroke, and maybe a real stroke..?

Sydney Australia! Here I come!

After a quick check from Canada Customs at the plane, and finding my row of chairs to be vacant except me, it's time to "Hurry up and wait!"

I would write all about the fun that is known as watching movies in a chair getting kicked by a toddler, but we've all been on a plane before; if you haven't... It's like a combination of riding the bus and drinking at a dive bar. Sit quietly, look around at anything random, and you can eat really cheap peanuts that you question just how edible they really are.

Stay tuned!