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Sarah from MelbourneMy overseas trip

Sarah Robertson went on a trip over Christmas and New Year 2005/2006 and lets us know about how to make the most of overseas holiday.

Everyone will tell you the most important things you need to take with you when you travel; ear plugs, a phrase book, a clean pair of underwear in your carry on luggage, a camera … the list can go on and on. But I can tell you right now the one item you literally cannot do without; an open mind. That will come in mighty handy when your luggage is lost somewhere between Washington D.C and New York and you have been wearing the same clothes for three days due to a delayed flight. Certainly the clean knickers will too, but it was this sense of rolling with the punches that kept the smile on my face when I experienced this while I was travelling.

AirplaneI had been wanting to travel overseas (well beyond Australia - which is as far as I had managed to get) for a number of years and finally after saving up my cash and booking my tickets, that's just what I did this December. It felt surreal to be the one heading off on my endeavors instead of listening to other people plan theirs. It felt good. Scary as anything, but good.

No one enjoys the long haul flights, especially when you get to spend the 17 plus hours in economy, but it almost is a rite of passage. The fact we live so far away from "the rest of the world" makes it seem a bit more of an achievement beyond simply planning a holiday. Or maybe I personally just had such a tremendous sense of joy when I was finally on solid ground again as I arrived in Heathrow.

I was lucky enough to have been on a flight that was not full so I had a indulgent three seats to myself (a HUGE luxury and one I said a silent prayer for receiving) but still … it's a glorified bus in the sky and I was mighty glad to be off. I had a good four more decent length flights over the course of my trip and though sometimes you did wish you could simply "beam yourself" to your next chosen location, it didn't take long to feel very much like an international jet setter. One lasting bonus of concentrated travel time (apart from the frequent flyer points) is that the trip between Australia and N.Z now really does seem so tiny.

London was getting into the Christmas spirit and being in the Northern hemisphere, this meant a winter Christmas for me. Certainly since I spent my childhood living in the deep south of Gore, I have had my fair share of cold Christmases, but nothing quite compares to the experience of the authentic white Christmas. Technically a grey Christmas day but Boxing day brought full on snow so I think that counts!

Tour Group in Paris

More … from Paris and New York

by Sarah Robertson March 2006