Three month gap yar

By Nicole Dann, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

Arguably one of the best elements of a year abroad is the back-to-back summers and it is essential that you make the most of it. After finishing my first semester in land-locked Canberra, I was desperate to take advantage of the 3-month summer break. In November, I was lucky enough to have my parents visit me and after that, I did a 3-week east coast trip – a rite of passage for Brits in Australia. It was then the question of where the hell was I going to spend my first Christmas without my family?

Usually surrounded by family during the festive period, I remember dreading the prospect of Christmas day alone. Thankfully, I was joined with a friend from Manchester and we were invited along to a Sydney friend’s family Christmas. Felt just like home, apart from the fact it was a boiling hot day, we had pavlova for desert and had salads for our Christmas dinner but hey, at least there were crackers! Jokes aside, don’t let the idea of Christmas deter you from doing a year abroad far away from home. Christmas at home is never going anywhere and in a way, it makes it all the more special when you’re home. Plus, I never once felt an ounce of the Christmas spirit while in Australia – something about wearing shorts to the beach really just sucks the magic away.

In the end, we spent a total of 3 weeks in Sydney where we saw more of the sights, explored the Northern beaches (Freshwater beach being a favourite) and watched the New Years Eve fireworks from the harbour. I am so glad I had this time to fully immerse myself in the city and live out my Sydney dreams. Despite my love for Canberra, I’ll never not be bitter that while I’ve been searching for river creeks, others have spent the last year sunbathing at Bondi beach…

I then spent the entire month of January travelling Vietnam which was my first time in SE Asia and definitely won’t be my last. While there was initially a bit of a culture shock, Vietnam was the perfect introduction to backpacking. I split my time there in half, spending 2 weeks with my sister and then another 2 weeks with friends. I moved from South to North, working my way up from Ho Chi Minh City and ending my trip with the famous Ha Giang Loop. Here are some tips and tricks I learnt on the way:

1. Night buses are great… until the next day.

Like most other travellers, the main mode of transport I took around the country were night buses. Vietnam is deceptively long with most trips between places taking over 6 hours. Don’t be alarmed though, the night buses are decked out with bed-like seats, blankets and, if you’re lucky, curtains. You’re definitely not scoring yourself a good night sleep, but for the price and ease of saving on a night’s accommodation, the night buses are a great mode of transport. HOWEVER, think twice before you book a bus that arrives in at 6am because best believe, you will be sat at a random café fighting for your life, counting down the hours until you can finally check into your hostel. Suddenly that £10 saved doesn’t seem so savvy.

2. Always ask before you eat.

Think this one speaks for itself. What I thought was a slice of pork turned out to be a pig ear… never again.

3. Check the weather forecast.

Just because it’s in SE Asia does not mean it will always be tropical. Maybe this is common knowledge, but I was most definitely not expecting to replace half my travel wardrobe with thermal layers. This is mostly relevant in the North where cold spells can lower temperatures to single figures. In hindsight, travelling on the back of a motorbike for 4 days through the Vietnamese highlands during the coldest time of the year was not the smartest move. But hey, at least I was dripped out in fake North face.

4. Always have cash on you

I found that the best places and restaurants in Vietnam were usually cash only. Here you’ll really get the authentic Vietnamese experience and the absolute best food so make sure to be prepared. Rule of thumb – if the seating comprises of child size plastic chairs, then you can guarantee that you’ll get a phenomenal feed.

5. Have a plan for tailoring

One of the most visited and Instagrammable cities in Vietnam that you will most definitely hit is Hoi An. Located on the central coast, this picturesque city is known for its quaint streets, beautiful lanterns and of course, the tailoring shops. There is a massive range of tailors to choose from, each offering hand-made customed clothes designed and detailed by yours truly.

The experience itself was one of the highlights of my time in Hoi An and I was blown away by the freedom of choice I had. Surrounded by hundreds of types and colours of fabrics and a choice of all these different designs, I was swamped. Without a plan or a photo of inspiration, I concocted my own 2-piece linen set. Best believe, 36 hours later the women had transformed my drawings into reality and I was wearing my very own design. However, unfortunately for me, my design was ugly. Now I want to make it clear that this was not the fault of the designers, they had got every detail spot on. The issue was the designer – that being myself. So don’t do what I do and go in blind because let’s be honest, none of us here are fashion designers. Instead, have your reference photos, draw from Pinterest if you have to, and don’t request a brown linen 2-piece.

Overall, the 3 months off over Christmas was a massive highlight and is definitely one of the many perks of going on a year abroad in this part of the world. It well and truly scratched the travel itch and taught me a lot of invaluable lessons about the world of backpacking. I’m already planning my next trip out there…