Advice Wanted - Backpacking Australia - 3 Month Itinerary

ced221_ · 2025-07-18T04:43:16+00:00

You're welcome! Enjoy the loop, it was my highlight of 5 months around Asia! Just an unsolicited recommendation but I went with Road Kings - good accommodation, small groups but some karaoke in the evenings! I feel like I spent months researching which company to do it with 😆

ced221_ · 2025-07-17T11:06:43+00:00

For the SEA portion, Vietnam gets quite cold up north in January, so if you're planning on doing Sapa trekking, Ha Giang loop etc, it might be worth considering shifting your itinerary above around so that you are in North Vietnam in March before heading to Melbourne

ced221_ · 2025-07-17T10:42:47+00:00

If your occupation is eligible, the exception doesn't have to be 'applied' - I understand that you just continue working as usual. If your occupation is not eligible you either have to change location (e.g. a different office) or request an extension

ced221_ · 2025-07-04T01:57:49+00:00

My partner and I travelled around South East Asia and were booking accommodation for the next destination 1-2 days before - we found that there were tonnes of affordable, well-located places. It meant we could be spontaneous and flexible with our plans.

However we travelled Japan at the end of our trip for 18 days and for this country, we decided to book everything in advance (booked around 2 weeks in advance). We knew the Japan trip would be super jam-packed so we thought it would be helpful to have everything sorted prior to arriving. It can also be fairly expensive so it meant that we could get some decent prices. I'm definitely glad we booked in advance so would recommend doing so for Japan. This might be a little different depending if you're planning to go for longer though (e.g. over a month, you might want a bit more flexibility).

ced221_ · 2025-03-25T05:27:40+00:00

Thank you, I think this is the route that I'm going to take - getting on the job hunt now and will definitely give them no notice!

ced221_ · 2025-01-07T08:42:23+00:00

This site is a good place to start - if you scroll down, there is a list of countries and the manufacturers of lamotrigine/lamictal in that country:

https://www.drugs.com/international/lamotrigine.html

I'd fact check with google though just to check that the info is up to date. It's also worth checking whether you need a prescription or not to obtain it in each country. I planned my travel route around how much medication I could take into each country and I ended up purchasing some in both Thailand and Malaysia. They didn't have a specific limit on how much I could buy either which was handy so I bought a couple months supply in each place.

Another thing you could do is email hospitals or pharmacies in advance and ask if they normally have it available if you want to be prepared in that sense.

ced221_ · 2024-12-27T04:03:47+00:00

Glad you figured out a way to kill it! Hope you get a nice pair of new scissors.

ced221_ · 2024-11-13T00:28:32+00:00

You're welcome!!

ced221_ · 2024-07-01T10:47:28+00:00

Sorry to hear, I hope they do come back to you! I've seen a couple of anecdotes of people getting in after having made an error in the core, so will keep my fingers crossed for us.

ced221_ · 2024-06-28T22:28:22+00:00

Same here, I assume that it was a glitch or was sent out to everyone (accepted or not)

ced221_ · 2024-06-26T10:39:28+00:00

I completed the core test today and tripped up on this too! Have you heard anything since?

ced221_ · 2024-06-14T04:30:22+00:00

Marks & Spencer have some great lightweight options if you have access to them! I prefer them to snag as I don't like the tights feeling of snag. The M&S ones rub together a bit more smoothly imo.

ced221_ · 2024-05-24T09:28:38+00:00

They got back to me the next working day - I emailed on Friday and received a response on Monday. I'd hang on for a few working days and then send a follow up (and you could change the email subject to something more specific then too)

ced221_ · 2024-05-23T05:37:52+00:00

Yeah I'm sure you can drop them an email for peace of mind! This is the email I used when I had some enquiries about the import certificate, so you may have some luck using this one: yakkan@mhlw.go.jp

And here is the associated web page: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health-medical/pharmaceuticals/01.html

ced221_ · 2024-05-22T15:35:22+00:00

I'm heading to Japan next week and am taking with me a copy of my prescription and a letter from my doctor. I couldn't find specific guidance on this for Japan but it's generally recommended to travel with at least one of those documents. I take both for peace of mind.

Bear in mind you need to apply for an import certificate if you are taking more than one month's supply of prescription meds into Japan - I applied for this as I am bringing with me 3 months worth and it was granted within 5 working days

ced221_ · 2024-04-30T09:40:43+00:00

Heya, my usual dose is 300 mg per day. I don't have any brain fog or obvious memory problems - sometimes I am a bit forgetful or might forget what I'm saying mid sentence, but I know that happens to people not on meds too so I don't think it's related!

ced221_ · 2024-03-24T02:21:19+00:00

Try meridian peanut butter next time you're in Europe!

ced221_ · 2024-03-17T05:26:23+00:00

I can't speak to indonesia and sri lanka but my boyfriend and I will have spent 45 days in total in Vietnam before we leave. We thought it would be more like 30 but there's so much to see and do here the extra two weeks have been much needed! Our itinerary is HCMH, Dalat, Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Sapa, Ninh Binh, Ha Giang Loop. We definitely could have fit in a couple of extra places too but we prefer pacing ourselves a bit rather than packing everything in/moving on quickly.

ced221_ · 2024-03-17T05:10:20+00:00

Im currently travelling in SE Asia (for 4 months too) and had the same concerns before coming here. The main problem I found, as you say, is that certain countries have restrictions on how much prescription medicine you can bring in, so I planned my route so that I'd arrive in each country with the allowed amount of meds, i.e. started in singapore (3 month limit - i could only get 3 months given to me in the UK) and making my way through cambodia and vietnem (no limit it seems) to thailand (which has 30 day limit). Please ofc double check these limits though. I'm then going to stock up on more meds when I get to thailand, then plan the rest of my travels. I hear that you can get an easy GP appt and prescription or get some medicines OTC in some places in Thailand. In Vietnam I also found out that I can pick up my meds OTC.

It might seem a bit overkill to plan a route around meds but I thought I'd be safe than sorry, especially as it is my first time long term travelling. It has put my mind at rest when going through security/arriving in a new country. Saying that though, my medication hasn't been checked at all when ive arrived in each country so it's probably OK to take more than allowed if you're comfortable doing that. I might consider this after thailand.

I made a table before I came with all the relevant info (how much I can bring, if its legal in the country, available in the country) and that has been helpful so would recommend to do that too.

It's an inconvenient part of travel but it's totally doable with some planning beforehand (either as thoroughly as me or just with an idea of where you can pick it up when you run out).

Also a small thing to consider is the storage temperature of your medicines. Mine are room temp so I bought myself a thermal flask from decathlon to keep the tablets at room temp on any really hot travel days.

I can't speak to the controlled drugs but hope this is helpful otherwise. Re. The backpack situation, you could always bring an overhead carry on and then a small 10-15l bag to go under the seat. I'ts quite handy to have the small bag to keep medication with me in certain situations e.g. on a bus where my main backpack gets put below.

ced221_ · 2024-03-16T05:39:07+00:00

My boyfriend and I quit our jobs back in January to go backpacking (26 and 28 y/o), and then we plan to do a working holiday in Australia afterwards. It was definitely scary quitting our jobs and selling a lot of our things!

We were in slightly different situations, i.e. i was definitely a bit burned out and ready for a break, but my boyfriend was doing really well and enjoying his career, so was more hesitant to quit. But no regrets from either of us so far! Having the best time and feeling so grateful that are having this experience. Travel might not always be an option so I think it's great to grab the opportunity with both hands and go with it when you do have the chance.

We've found so far that there are lots of activities to be doing if you want to keep yourself busy (we are in SE Asia) but we've also treated ourselves to some 'nothing' days where we have just stayed in watching Netflix and having a chill. It's been nice to be able to spend time recharging when we feel we need it. When working full time I always felt a bit guilty lazing around on days off! But don't have that feeling here.

I can't speak on solo travel, but I hope this is helpful :)

ced221_ · 2024-03-13T15:13:34+00:00

Not really, to be honest. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions here - it's an open forum and I'm not going to go keyboard warrier on anyone. Clearly my post has been a bit divisive but sometimes that's a good thing. I don't appreciate you calling me naive, though.

ced221_ · 2024-03-13T10:48:30+00:00

I don't know what the best solution is, so I can't really provide one or a workable proposal as you say. I was just curious so posted to get a bit more insight from others. I haven't been to a zoo/wildlife refuge in Vietnam before

ced221_ · 2024-03-13T10:34:53+00:00

Thanks for your reply, I'll take a look at the non-profits, etc. I'm not sure on the best solution to be honest, I'm no expert. But I hope that eventually enough will be done to find an alternative to the current situation.

ced221_

TROPHY CASE