The Lost Girls

Crash and Learn: Part 2

hollycassandra — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 06:39:00 GMT

Jen: After spending two full days lapping up the luxury and relaxing atmosphere at The Golden Door Spa, I had almost forgotten about the fact that I’d kinda, sorta damaged our van just a teensy, weensy bit. That was until we were forced to drag our dirty backpacks out of our lovely world of tranquility back to a less friendly reality where the roof of our World Nomads loaner mobile was practically touching the steering wheel. Oh yeah, now I remember…my life pretty much sucked right now! Not only was my stomach doing flip flops at the thought of explaining my completely ridiculous display of driving to the car rental company in just a few hours, but the additional repercussions of my little mishap were beginning to pile up (oh you just wait, I’m full of witty car accident puns!). The biggest problem being that Holly’s sister was arriving tomorrow and we’d planned to pick her up at the airport and head straight up the coast to Byron Bay. Not only had had I destroyed our only form of transportation, but I’d put a serious dent (see, I told you!) in fabulous our road trip. But as I’d soon discover, the good-natured, ‘no worries’ attitude that most Aussies possessed was about to save The Lost Girls’ trip from further damage (yeah, I’m that good!).

After a tense, three hour ride back to the city, we pulled the van into the body repair shop and sheepishly slinked out, prepared to face the wrath of Auto Barn’s employees. But before I could spew out my long list of pre-conceived apologies and self-deprecating slurs, I was shocked into silence as the body shop manager, Phil, raised his eyebrow, laughed and said, “Hmm, yeah, you certainly did a bang up job here!” (Alright, he might not have actually used the word bang, but I couldn’t resist adding to my repertoire of clever puns!). But he did say, and I quote, “Well, you’re not the first World Nomads Ambassadors to get into an accident, but you certainly did the best at it!” Maybe I was still in a bit of shock over not getting reamed out, but it seemed as if the wonderful folks at Auto Barn were taking my accident in stride. As further proof, their main Marketing man, Chris Ford, who Amanda, Holly and I had met when we first picked up the van, grabbed me in a big bear hug and reassured me that accidents happen, everything would be OK and absolutely not to let it taint our trip at all, especially since we were in the final weeks of our year abroad. Well, if you put it that way!

Of course, there was still the slight dilemma of having to pick Holly’s sister up at the airport and getting up the east coast of Australia with no transportation to our names. Once again, our new best friends at Auto Barn came to our rescue. After a quick conversation with our reps at World Nomads (who were also seriously cool about the accident and wanted us to continue to represent their company as ambassadors), they got permission to give us a station wagon at no charge, so we could continue traveling. As if that wasn’t enough, Chris placed some calls to a few friends and managed to hook us up with lessons and accommodations at the coolest surf school on the east coast (see Amanda’s "Finding Our Mojo" blog, posted on 6/29, for all the juicy details) and a private dorm room at the YHA hostel in Byron Bay – all for a grand total of zero dollars and zero cents.

Now, I have absolutely no clue how, in spite of my best efforts to wreck our itinerary (sorry, couldn’t resist one more pun!), us crazy Lost Girls managed to get so supremely lucky - yet again! But here’s what I do know, which I pass on to you, dear blog readers:

1. Don’t ever leave the country without an insurance policy from World Nomads (www.worldnomads.com). I mean, I crashed their van and they still love us! I think! :)

2. If you need some wheels in OZ, don't even think about renting from any company other than Traveller’s Auto Barn (www.travellers-autobarn.com).

3. Low clearance signs are about as popular Down Under as Foster’s beer.

4. While the fiber glass roof on a standard camper vans can't be banged/pushed/shoved or coerced back into place like metal can (trust me, I tried), it does provide a nice, clean base for masking tape should you happen to rip a few holes in it.

5. If you accidentally drive under an awning that’s just a tad too short, Duck! Then blame the dent on a rogue kangaroo. Trust me! It makes for a much better story!

- - - Jen

For more fun, crash fodder, check out the video clip of our visit to Auto Barn!

Crash and Learn: Part 1

hollycassandra — Sun, 8 Jul 2007 08:28:00 GMT

Jen: All you loyal readers out there can attest to the fact that unbelievable luck seems to follow in Holly, Amanda and my footsteps throughout our round-the-world journey. For those of you just tuning in to our blog, allow me to recap. During our travels, The Lost Girls have managed to:

1. Convince the Brazilian embassy to put a special ‘rush order’ on our visa applications to get them back a few hours later (we didn’t realize they’d have to keep our passports which we desperately needed for a flight the next day!) 2. Foil the dastardly plans of two pickpockets / bag slashers (I kicked the guy who razored my purse in Thailand and Holly faced her Vietnamese assailant head on, scaring her away before she could steal anything) 3. Persuade (a.k.a. bribe with cash) the Cambodian border patrol that it was OK for them to place our visas on the last page of our passport (where stamps aren’t officially allowed) so we could get into the country. 4. Avoid any major illnesses despite eating street food and brushing our teeth with tap water in Kenya, India and throughout S.E. Asia. 5. Secure a countless number of hostels, trains, planes, tours, etc. when we were told it was impossible during the high tourist seasons in which we were visiting a particular country or region. And these are just to name a few!

We always joked that one day our good fortune was bound to run out, but with only a couple weeks left in our year-long trip, it looked like we were in the clear. Well, that’s what we thought anyway. As fate would have it, a road trip to Hunter Valley, Australia’s renowned wine region, would cause all our confidence to come crashing down on us – literally! Our tale of woe begins innocently enough…

It was a bright, beautiful morning in the vineyards as three cute, little Lost Girls cruised happily along in their psychedelic, pimped-out World Nomads’ camper van. The sun was shining, birds were singing, locals greeted one another with huge smiles and “G’Day Mate’s”, dingos realized the error of their ways and returned stolen babies! As if life wasn’t perfect enough already, the girls and I were headed to the area’s most luxurious and swanky spas, The Golden Door, where we’d scored a complimentary two-night stay complete with meals, exercise classes and massages. No sleeping head to toe in the van bunk beds tonight! Anyway, I digress. Back to the story:

I was driving through one of the vast vineyard/restaurant/resort properties that spotted Hunter Valley when I got a little turned around. “How the heck do I get out of here?” I asked Holly and Amanda. “Oh wait, never mind. I see,” I exclaimed as I realized all I had to do was simply follow the gravel road around the front of the nearby hotel and out the gate. “La la la la la. La la la la la. La la la la la la,” I whistled as I shifted into second, preparing to cruise gently under the charming, wooden awning of the lodge.

CRASH, BOOM, SHUDDER, SHAKE, SPLINTER, CRACK!!!!

(Repeat a few dozen times)

Oh, my God! The entire roof – and our picture perfect day – was caving in on us! As Holly and Amanda screamed and covered their eyes with their hands, I gripped tightly to the wheel, trying to keep the shaking van straight and praying we’d come out the other side in one piece. Huge chunks of wood rained down on the vehicle as shards of fiber glass floated down on our heads like snow. In that instant, the sun went behind the clouds, the birds stopped singing, locals’ grins morphed into horrified frowns and the dingos started stealing babies again, as I realized that I’d royally destroyed our only mode of transportation – and our perfect Lost Girls Luck record!

As the sawdust cleared, I managed to pull myself together long enough to turn the van off and slide out the door in a pool of shame as the hotel owner came running outside to confront the crazy American girl who’d defaced her property. Maybe it was my shocked expression or sputtering series of “Oh, my God, I’m so sorry. Oh my God,” but she immediately took pity on us, asking if we were OK and trying to make us feel better with a “It’s OK. It could happen to anyone. Don’t worry about it!” pep talk. Since I was bordering on catatonic, Amanda took charge and followed the owner inside to exchange contact information. Sensing that I was in no shape to get back behind the wheel, Holly hopped in the driver’s seat and steered us away from the scene of my crime and back onto the main road.

We’d only gone a few miles, when visions of hundreds of dollars in deductibles and the shame of telling World Nomads we’d completely f@%ked up their van started tormenting me and a panic attack set it. “Stop the car!” I shouted. “I’m freaking out!” Holly and Amanda did their best to calm me down by reminding me that worse case, we were only responsible were $400 dollars, that this story would add flavor to our reign as World Nomads Ambassadors and that one day I’d look back at it and laugh. With a roof so severely dented it practically brushed our heads and slits of sunlight shining through gaping holes of ripped fiber glass, I found it hard to find the humor of the situation at that moment, but I appreciated the support of my fellow Lost Girls.

While I knew it would take a little time for me to feel better about my unfortunate and completely foolish accident (I mean, I freakin’ drove under an awning that was about, oh, 6” too short!), I didn’t want my stupid mistake to completely ruin our road trip. After all, we had a fabulous 2-day spa vacation to look forward (thank God, cause we sure as heck couldn’t sleep in the van now!) As we pulled our freshly-crunched vehicle into the parking lot of The Golden Door (‘hiding’ it in the furthest spot), I realized that good luck hadn’t completely abandoned us. I mean, what are the chances that the one time we get into a car accident happened to be the same day we magically scored a free stay at a five-star facility? Maybe all hope isn’t lost – even if Holly, Amanda and I are!

Stay tuned for our continued crash saga as we return to Sydney to face the music and the folks at Auto Barn!

Hunter Valley: A Hedonist's Playground

hollycassandra — Thu, 5 Jul 2007 06:48:00 GMT

HCC: There’s a lot more to Oz than the sunburned outback and endless beaches. When my fellow Lost Girls and I heard about the rolling vineyards, gourmet restaurants and relaxing spas that were to be found in Hunter Valley, we refilled the oil in our camper van (we learned our lesson!) and hit the road. Located just about three hours from Sydney, Hunter Valley sounded like the perfect place to recharge without having to waste too much of our dwindling vacation time behind the wheel.

It turned out to be a pretty big region encompassing lots of towns, so we decided to stop in Singleton for the night because it had a campground with powered sites. It was here that I met Makalah, a permanent trailer park resident who introduced herself to me in the bathroom. When I mentioned that we were on our way to visit the Singleton Information Center to figure out which wineries to visit, she laughed out loud. “The Information Center is about as useful as tits on a bull!” I felt like a silly tourist, which, of course, I am. But we decided to hit up the bigger Hunter Valley Information Center anyway, which was only a twenty-minute drive.

I can’t speak for the Singleton Tourist Information Center, but most of the ones we’ve visited in Oz have been lifesavers. The large one in Hunter Valley was stocked with maps and the staff even guided us in drafting an itinerary for the next four days, including wine school, food tastings and hot air balloon rides. Information is more than power—having it on a road trip makes everything more manageable.

It’s no secret that The Lost Girls live to eat, and Hunter Valley turned out to be a foodie haven. We were overwhelmed with the possibilities: There was the Hunter Valley Smelly Cheese Factory, Hunter Valley Olive Centre and Hunter Valley Coffee School. Worried that our tummies wouldn’t be able to handle all these yummy delights, we opted to simply satisfy our sweet tooth and drove over to the Hunter Valley Chocolate Factory.

I witnessed the girls’ eyes light up and then glaze over in anticipation as we examined the endless mounds of confectionary creations arranged in neat piles behind the glass display cases. I sampled chocolate-covered caramel frogs, rocky-road fudge and chocolate-dipped marshmallows. Then I tasted Jen’s toffee-filled treats and Amanda’s mango-mousse covered chocolate. Dieters beware: This is not a place to come if you’re counting calories, so it’s best to give yourself a break. I’m over dieting because it makes me bitchy. Chocolate, on the other hand, makes me very, very happy.

Rising before dawn, on the other hand, does not make us happy. But the next morning we did just that because we had the chance of a lifetime: To get a bird’s eye view of the sunrise over the valley. We signed up for a hot air balloon ride at Balloon Aloft that required us to meet our group at 5:30 a.m.

When we arrived, we were asked to fill out the mandatory safety forms and then sat around sipping steamy coffee and watching kangaroos have a boxing match in the grassy field that stretched out in front of us. By 7:30 a.m., the sun had risen, but our hot air balloon had not. Our guide ended up canceling the ride due to windy weather. We were bummed, but figured it was better to be safe than sorry (we made it this far around the world and would rather not have to report to our parents that we’d been involved in a hot air balloon crash).

We had the whole day ahead of us and made our next stop the Hunter Valley Wine School. Yes, they are opened for wine tasting at the ripe hour of 9:30 a.m. The Lost Girls became wine connoisseurs! Well, not really, but we graduated and each got our own certificate. Our teacher instructed us to wear these hardhats (even though we’re hardheaded enough) for a tour of the winery to watch just how vino is made. Then we sat down inside the wine bar and got to sample the goods.

Hunter Valley is known for four types of wine: Semillon (a light, dry white), Verdelho (a fruity white), Chardonnay (a full-bodied white that can be tart) and Shiraz (a spicy red). Though there are around 140 boutique wineries in Hunter Valley, we were disappointed to learn that we couldn’t buy many of the bottles in the States since the smaller ones don’t produce enough wine to export.

We walked out of there giggling like little schoolgirls. Seriously, how the heck did we get so lucky as to be able to spend our days tasting chocolate, sipping wine and watching kangaroos at sunrise?! However, our high soon became a low when our perfect road trip took a turn for the worse. Stay tuned for Jen’s story about how it all went sour…

- - - Holly

A Fine Day for the Opera (House)

hollycassandra — Mon, 2 Jul 2007 20:41:00 GMT

ADP: Last week, we learned that the Sydney Opera House just received official recognition as one of the most fabulous places on the planet, earning a coveted spot on the UNESCO World Heritage List (an honor it shares with such international treasures as the Taj Mahal, the Egyptian Pyramids and the Great Wall of China). Not bad for a building conceived just 50 years ago by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and finished in 1973…it's the youngest cultural site ever to be included on the World Heritage List.

As must-see, cultural important destinations go, this one certainly lives up to all the hype—few manmade structures thrill the soul quite the Sydney Opera House. I challenge anyone to stand along the waterfront at Circular Quay, spot the gravity-defying white “sails” billowing against a cloudless blue sky and not feel at least a little moved. It might have cost the city $102 million dollars to build (money they originally tried to re-coup selling kisses with singers on the Opera House steps!) but the end result was—and still is—spectacular.

I must admit, Jen, Holly and I felt pretty jazzed when we received an invitation to visit the Opera House and learn more about its soon-to-be launched "Essential Tour," an interactive program kicking off in August 2007. Trying not to sound too excited about having an excuse to dress up and act civilized, we responded “yes,” and started planning which martinis we’d order at the al fresco Opera Bar later that afternoon.

Splurging on a cab down to the harbor (mustn’t ruin our one and only pair of heels), we headed past the box office to meet up with Steven and Megan, our dedicated guides for the one-hour tour.

Once we’d all made introductions, our little quintet set off on a journey underneath the Opera House, passing through the quiet subterranean corridors that lead to each of the different dramatic venues. Each year, we learned, 1.5 million patrons catch 1,500 different shows on those five unique stages--making the Opera House one of the most active performing arts venue in the world.

Our first stop was the experimental theater known as The Studio, an abstract venue where you can check out that sort of edgy, avant-garde stuff that’s so weird and disconcerting, its entertaining. Tickets to most shows are only about $20, so it’s a great way for the young and the budget-conscious to “go to the Opera” without going broke.

Next, we took a peek at The Playhouse, a cozy 398-seat theater venue originally used for screening popular surfing movies (how very Aussie!) and now host to an eclectic menagerie of dance, comedy and classical theater performances.

From there our group moved onto the midsized Drama Theater, where Megan let us sit down so she could share a bit of the history behind the Opera House. She explained that in the 1950s, the city of Sydney held an open competition for the design of a new concert hall and opera theater. After much deliberation, Jørn Utzon’s revolutionary concept was plucked from the reject pile and it went on win the competition. The finished performance venue took 14 years to build (and went over its allotted budget by 95 million dollars!) but it was definitely worth the cash—and the wait!

When most people think of attending a fabulous performance at the Sydney Opera House, they’re probably imagining a night in the 1,500-seat Opera Theatre—it’s the venue that The Australian Ballet, The Sydney Dance Company and Opera Australia all call home. Compared to the ultra-ornate Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires or the Paris Opera House, the Opera Theater is streamlined and spartan. But don’t confuse that with boring: the understated simplicity places the focus where is should be—on the performers.

But the real jewel in the Opera House crown has to be the voluminous 2,679-seat Concert Hall, a gorgeous rose and cream-shaded space that somehow made me feel that I was sitting inside an enormous conch shell….and what a finely tuned shell it is. Since there’s no place to hide theatrical sets or for actors to run off to change, the venue is used almost exclusively for musical performances and concerts by the Sydney Symphony, Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, among others.

But before I could give the Concert Hall too much respect as a sacred musical space, Megan informed us that it was on this very stage that Arnold Schwarzenegger won his final Mr. Olympia body building title in 1980, and where the most recent Australian Idol was announced. Nice.

Our tour wrapped up with a quick tour around exterior of the building, where Steven shared that not only were the sparkling white roof tiles self cleaning, but one could, theoretically, park eight Boeing 747s, wing to wing on the Opera House site. He seemed to be such a wealth of knowledge that I asked him exactly how many of those self-cleaning tiles were on the roof of the building.

Ummm…..

(The answer, retrieved later from the Opera House press packet): 1,056,006

We decided to cut Steven a little slack because he was cute...and the tour was free.

To learn more about the Opera House or to book a space on one of its tours, visit www.sydneyoperahouse.com.

Finding our Mojo

hollycassandra — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:36:00 GMT

ADP: Even before Jen, Holly and I had set foot on Australian soil, we figured we had a pretty solid grasp on life "Down Under." Thanks to some quality American television shows, classic 80s movies and even a few cool advertising campaigns, we'd already gleaned several critical bits of information and pop culture knowledge sure to help us fit in with the locals once we reached the land of Oz. For example:

1. When Aussies really want to tie one on, they tap a keg of Fosters (hey, its Australian for beer, right?)

2. When Aussies get hungry, they throw a shrimp on the barbie and fry up a bloomin’ onion.

3. When Aussies want to play with their pets, they head out back and wrestle the family crocodile, Dundee-style.

4. When Aussies need to head to town, they saddle up their pet kangaroo and get hopping (it’s a long way from the Outback into Sydney).

5. When Aussies want to take advantage of the incredible waves crashing right on their doorstep, they slap on a pair of board shorts and go surfing.

Color us sunburned and call us tourists...as we quickly learned from our Sydney-based hostess Simone, these stereotypes are patently untrue! Well, all except for that last one. From Bondi to Byron Bay--and, indeed, along 34,000+ kilometers of Australian coastline--you'll find no shortage of local surfie chicks and dudes who absolutely live to catch waves. And, as luck would have it, no shortage of instructors willing to explain how to get up on a "stick" and "shoot a curl" all the way back to the beach.

Having watched watched Point Break so many times that we could literally embody the soul and spirit of Johnny Utah ("Can't I just walk with this board under my arm and look stoned?") and his guru pal Bodhi ("If you want the ultimate rush, you've gotta be willing to pay the ultimate price"), Jen and I were dying hit the surf.

Holly, who'd already learned how to "shred" in Costa Rica the previous year, was just as pumped to continue her education and told us about a school she'd heard of called Mojo Surf, which offered organized surf camps just a few hours north of Sydney. Since Hol's little sister Kate would be arriving from Syracuse the following week, we figured a little road-trip was in order and booked a three-day, two-night adventure at a secluded coastal area known only as "Secret Spot X."

Well, in the end, the "short little drive" actually took us about eight hours (stereotype alert: Like Texans, Aussie's are notoriously bad about estimating distances), and we had to find this top-secret beach in a cloak of darkness. Waking with the sun the next morning (not voluntarily, of course), we realized that our long drive had been well worth the trouble. Secret Spot X lived up to its name--we were perched along the far end of a wide crescent of sand that curved around the rugged coast for miles. Squinting into the distance, I couldn't spot a single resort, trendy cafe, sandwich shop or souvenir stand. Only sand, sun and perfectly breaking waves.

If there was better place to learn to surf, I couldn't imagine it.

The first part of our lesson took part on dry land, where we met with our quirky-but-kinda-hot instructor Dan and learned a little terminology (rails = the side of the surfboard), a little theory (waves are caused by squalls that form way out at sea) and a few random rules (if you pee in your wetsuit, you'll be forced to streak naked through the camp). Mental note: "wettie warmers" are only okay in scuba diving, not surfing!

Working together to lift the heavy, ultra-long beginner boards (made of a sturdy foam rather than hard fiberglass), the five students in our little class marched down to the beach and got a thorough lesson in getting up on the board....a procedure that I noted was a bit different from what Tyler had taught Johnny Utah in Point Break. Trying to keep an open mind, I listened to Dan's instructions as we repeated the drill over and over again. Finally, he deemed our little group ready to hit the waves.

I'd love to tell you how the other ladies looked when they succeeding in riding their first wave, but I must admit I was totally, completely consumed with catching my own. After paddling out past the break, I turned the board around towards the shore and looked behind me to spot a wave that would be big enough to provide some forward momentum (but not so big that I'd get clobbered!). After several failed attempts to stand up, I managed to get the hang of the momentum. Paddling hard just in front of a two-foot swell, I felt the board rise up beneath me...time to move! I slowly brought my right foot up into a lunge and carefully (don't fall!) brought brought the othe foot up to meet it, shifting into a bent-kneed, arms-out, crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon kind of position.

Hey, wait...I'm surfing!

I think I was so surprised by this realization that I actually jumped off the board, but something had clicked into place. Catching the next wave was a lot easier, and by the end of day two, I'd figured out how to ride those puppies for five and six seconds at a time. Who's the surf diva now, Cameron Diaz?!

Turning in our boards for the night (and hanging up our pristine, non-peed-in wetsuits to dry), we got changed and prepared for the other great joy of (surf) camping--beers and a bonfire!

The Lost Girls RTW Budget: Part 3

hollycassandra — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 09:17:00 GMT

Meals & Snacks, Intra-Country Travel, Entertainment & Extras and Miscellaneous. Plus Bonus Features!

Jen: OK, faithful budget followers, it’s trivia time on www.lostgirlsworld.com…

What do The Lord of the Rings, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones and The Lost Girls RTW Budget Series have in common?

Blog Readers: “They’re all trilogies that were created by pure and utter geniuses!”

The Lost Girls: “You are absolutely correct!”

Which also means that in addition to your impeccable taste and judge of talent, you’ve probably deduced what today’s blog entry is…all together now!

Blog Readers: “The third and final installment in The Lost Girls RTW Budget Series”

The Lost Girls: “Right again! We have the smartest audience of any blog ever!”

While Part 3 of our humble, little series may not sweep every Oscar category, require 1.21 gigawatts of electricity or solve the mystery of the Holy Grail, it will, however, brilliantly showcase the precise number of greenbacks The Lost Girls spent on: Meals & Snacks, Intra-country Transportation, Entertainment & Extras and Miscellaneous items. And before the end credits roll, we’ll also delight you with exciting bonus features (I know, anyone could have guessed this all from the blog's subtitle, but wasn't my Q&A so much more fun?!!)

So without further ado, we present:

The Lost Girls RTW Budget: Part 3

Actually, I must ‘ado’ for just a second for the sake of any budget beginners out there (you know who you are!). While I encourage you to scroll down the blog page and check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this series first, if 3 happens to be your lucky number, you don’t have time right now or your boss is starting to get suspicious of your online activities, here’s a quick flashback:

(Average, estimated costs per person (by category) for The Lost Girls RTW Trip)

Flights: $5000

Travel Gear: $500

Visas: $375

Vaccines: $450

Accommodations: $2786

Meals & Snacks: $3803

Intra-Country Transportation: $1490

Entertainment & Extras: $2872

Miscellaneous: $715

And the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

The Grand Total:

$17,991 per person

OK, I’m done ‘ado'ing! Here we go with Part 3…

Meals and Snacks

Average Dollars Drained ($3803): (Average $11.81/day for 322 days: $15/day-Peru, Bolivia, Brazil x 60 days = $900 + $8/day-Kenya x 50 days = $400 + $15/day-Dubai x 6 days = $90 + $8/day-India x 28 days = $224 + $12/day-Thailand-Laos-Vietnam-Cambodia x 77 days = $924 + $10/day – Bali x 14 days = $140 + $15/day – New Zealand x 27 days = $405 + $12/day – Australia x 60 days = $720)

LG Creative Cuts:

- - As was the case with most our of budget categories, the fact that we spent about 75% of our time in third world countries was the biggest factor in keeping food costs under control. In most of the places we visited, huge portions or delicious local dishes were available for a few bucks.

- - The girls and I became masters timing our days so we could get away with only two meals and snacks in between. The joy of not having jobs made it possible to sleep in, have a big brunch around 12pm, grab cheap snacks ‘til dinner, then have our second meal around 7pm or 8pm. Since food can be a surprising money sucker, sticking to this schedule helped make it possible for us to eat well within budget.

- - When times were tough, PB&J sandwiches and granola bars were our saviors!

Other Helpful Hints:

- - Follow your Mom’s advice: Share! While most portion sizes abroad do tend to be smaller than those in the States (surprise, surprise, right?) many of the local staples like chicken biryani in India or pan fried noodles in Thailand are automatically super sized (at no extra charge!). So grab a friend or a fellow solo traveler and split a dish for dinner. You’ll save money and still be full.

- - You might be ignoring your Mom’s advice on this one, but give streets eats a chance. It’s a great way to test drive exotic dishes with little financial risk (seriously, we got entire meals for 50 cents). If that thought scares your stomach, take heart in the fact that the girls and I never gotten sick from sampling vendor cuisine (knock on wood) even once during our time abroad. In fact, since the food is cooked fresh right in front you, it’s probably some of the safest on (or in) the market.

- - Make like the hardcore backpackers and prepare your own meals. Hostels worldwide come equipped with kitchens and refrigerator, so hitting the grocery store and cooking at ‘home’ will save you big bucks.

Intra-country transportation

Average Dollars Drained ($1460): (Peru/Bolivia: flights-$200, buses-$50, taxis-$10, boats-$10 = $270 + Brazil: flights-$150, taxis-$50 = $200 + Kenya: trains-$60, matatus (shared vans ) /boda bodas (bicycles)-$25 = $85 + India: trains-$100, taxis/rickshaws-$30 = $140 + U.A.E. (Dubai): taxis-$50 = $50, Thailand: flights-$75, trains-$40, buses/ferries-$25, taxis-$20, skytrain-$30 = $190 + Laos: buses-$25, tuk tuks-$10 = $35 + Cambodia: buses-$30, taxis/motorbikes/bicycles-$15 = $45 + Vietnam: flights-$80, trains-$30, boats-$20, taxis-$15 = $145 + Indonesia: taxis/shared vans/bicycles-$20 + New Zealand: rental car-$230 + Australia (est.): taxis/buses(est.)-$50)

LG Creative Cuts:

- - Clearly, our creative juices weren’t flowing at the beginning as we blew almost $350 on plane tickets during the first two months of the trip alone. The flight to the Amazon in Peru was worth it, but we could have opted for an alternative route for the others. Oh, well, live and learn.

- - After a little bit of practice, we realized the best way to save money was to not worry about how long it took to get somewhere or how uncomfortable it was (we still reserved the right to bitch about, though). So we started taking local buses and trains whenever possible, which saved us loads of money in the long run.

- - Another way we saved was simply by negotiating. In most of the countries we visited, everyone from tour operators to taxi drivers will come down significantly from their original asking price. It’s just the way the game is played, so learning the rules quickly will definitely help your bottom line.

Other Helpful Hints:

- - Other than, don’t visit as many countries as we did, our best advice is to not get too ambitious with your itinerary versus racing around and trying to squeeze in too much. It’s hard not to be excited and want to see everything, but you’ll avoid overspending and burnout if you prioritize your over land commitments and focus on getting to know one region well.

- - Sharing is key when it comes to intra-country transport. Taxi, mini-vans, tours, etc. are all more cost-effective when there’s a group of travelers to split the cost. We paired up with strangers several times to get a better rate into town from the airport or border crossing and by the end of the trip, we’d made new friends.

Entertainment and Extras

Average Dollars Drained ($2872): (Travel Insurance: 1-year policy from World Nomads (www.worldnomads.com) = $500; Peru/Bolivia: Inca Trail-$275, other tours/sites/entry fees-$40, sand boarding/dune buggy-$15, movies/shows-$20, cocktails/happy hours-$75, souvenirs/shopping-$65 = $490 + Brazil: capeoira/dance classes-$25, soccer game-$10, drinks/dancing-$45, souvenirs/shopping-$65 = $145 + Kenya: stargazing-$0, watching a baby calf being born-$0, bootleg DVDs-$10, scuba diving-$60, happy hours at the beach-$50 = $120 + U.A.E. (Dubai): cocktails-$50 = $50 + India: Golden Triangle tour-$100, yoga school-$70, backwater tour-$35, clubs/drinks-$55, souvenirs/shopping-$50 = $310 + Thailand: scuba diving-$115, muay thai boxing match-$15, muay thai classes-$10, beach buckets (liquor/mixer/straws)-$40, massages (3@$8/each)-$24, souvenirs/shopping-$60 = $264 + Laos: 2-day hike/kayak tour-$22, river tubing-$4, massages/reflexology (5@$3/each, 2@$5/each)-$25, souvenirs/shopping-$30 = $81 + Cambodia: Ankor Wat driving tour-$5, Tour of Killing Fields and school - $10, happy hours-$15 souvenirs/shopping-$20 = $50 + Vietnam: Museum entry fee-$3, 4-day tour to Sapa-$75, 2-day tour to Halong Bay-$35, souvenirs/shopping-$40, haircuts-$12, cocktails-$45 = $210 + Indonesia: DVD player/DVDs-$10, day tour of Bali-$15, drinks-$40, massage-$10, shopping/souvenirs-$20 = $95 + New Zealand: Abel Tasman 2-day hike/kayak-$70, bungee jumping-$150, bike tour of vineyards-$25, wine-$20, movies-$15 = $280 + Australia (est.): surf board rental-$12, scuba diving-$90, museums/sites-$30, wine tours-$20, mountain bike rental-$10, boat ride-$15, souvenirs-$25, cocktails-$75= $277)

Creative Cuts:

- - This is the one area where we attempted to be careful, but we just couldn’t help but overspend. When once-in-a-lifetime opportunities like hiking the Inca Trail, scuba diving in Southern Thailand or bungee jumping off the famous Nevis (a 400 foot drop) in New Zealand are thrust in your face on a daily basis, it’s difficult to stay cooped up in a dingy hostel reading a book.

- - Even considering our above admission of semi-reckless spending in this area, in general, we did manage to save a lot of money by simply opting out of activities or slashing all extra-curricular purchases when we noticed our monthly budget was in jeopardy. It sounds simple, but the old drug campaign “Just Say No” really works here.

- - Fortunately for us, there were dozens of free or cheap entertainment options in almost every country we visited. A few of our faves: DIY hikes, exploring local markets, horseback riding, running around town snapping photos, free movie screenings in local cafes (there practically on every corner in backpacker-friendly towns), hitting the beach with a good novel (purchased at a used book store or hostel trading shelf) or catching up on our journals over many cups of coffee – just to name a few!

Other Helpful Hints:

- - It sounds cheesy, but when you visit a country that truly inspires you, sitting on a bench and people watching or hiking to the top of a cliff and soaking in the scenery is often all the entertainment you need.

- - Prioritize! Decide which activities are absolute musts and set aside cash in your budget for them ahead of time. Also, allow a little extra for luxuries; they’ll help keep you sane!

- - Keep a detailed money journal to track how much you’re spending on anything that’s not a necessity. That way you can reel things in if they get out of control.

Miscellaneous

Average Dollars Drained ($715): (internet/communication-$30/month x 11 months=$330 + bank/ATM/credit card fees-$20/month x 11 months = $220, toiletries/personal supplies-$15/month x 11 months = $165)

LG Creative Cuts:

- - We signed up for Skype! It’s an internet based telephone service that allows you to call any number around the world for mere pennies a minute. You’d be surprised how many cafes around the globe cater to Skype users already, meaning they’ve downloaded the program on their computers (you just need to enter your log in and password) and provide headsets. It’s not a perfect system as calls can be patchy if the connection is slow, but in general it works great and definitely cuts communication costs. For more go to www.skype.com.

- - Before we hit the road, we called all of our credit card companies and banks to alert them of our departure and all the countries we planned to visit (we didn’t want them to shut our cards off due to suspected suspicious activity) and also to confirm exactly how much they each charged for international fees. By doing our research, we were able to save by opting to use the card with the cheapest fees, take more cash out at a time if there was a per/transaction ATM fee and using our own branches abroad where available. FYI-If you don’t have a Visa, get one. It’s often the only card taken in certain parts of the world.

- - The girls and I found that buying local brands of toiletries or cheaper imports (Nivea is huge in Peru!) resulted in significant savings in the personal supplies department.

Other Helpful Hints:

- - If you’re traveling with a laptop, type out all your email responses ahead of time before hitting the internet café. You’ll spend less money that way and have a more pleasant experience (connections can be frustratingly slow).

- - Pay cash when you can. Even with ATM fees and conversion rates, you’re probably better off using bills for purchases versus your credit cards. Visa and Mastercard can charge up to 4% on all international fees, with American Express generally coming in around 3%.

- - Learn to live without luxuries. It’s amazing how little you actually need when you’re traveling. All the fancy face washes, masks, scrubs, deep conditioners we swore by back home seemed a bit silly and extraneous on the road (and heavy to store in your backpack). It’s easy to save money in this category simply by pairing down to the basics.

************************************************************************

BONUS FEATURES:

Ok, so If your head isn’t completely spinning from all the random numbers, complex calculations and arbitrary advice above (and in the past two entries), stay tuned for the exciting special features that I promised. 5,4,3,2,1…and action!

Random LG Facts

- - We are not trust fund babies nor do we have sugar daddies.

- - The only people who cared enough to contribute to The Lost Girls travel fund were me, Holly and Amanda.

- - We saved specifically for this trip for a year and a half.

- - International travel has been a priority in all three of our lives since we were old enough to get our first jobs, so we always set aside a portion of our paychecks for that purpose.

- - We were willing to drain our bank accounts, dip into savings and even go into a teeny bit of debt in order to take our big RTW journey. Now, I’m not suggesting that others should necessarily adopt this mentality, but it was definitely a factor in our decision to go nomad for 365 days.

- - We will return to the States with none of the following: jobs, apartments, furniture (it’s all in storage but where the heck would we put it anyway?), health insurance, boyfriends (well, AP and I won’t) or a clue as to what our future brings. Oh well!

Savvy Saving Tips

Before We Left:

- - Had a set amount from our paychecks automatically deposited into savings.

- - Paid more attention to the little costs that add up. Example: bringing a mug of coffee from home rather than paying more to get it from a street vendor saved us about $50/month.

- - Immediately transferred tax returns and bonuses directly into our travel accounts.

- - Sold old clothes, books, furniture and basically all the useless crap we’d accumulated over the years on Ebay. Not only did we pocket a nice chunk of change, we also didn’t have as much stuff to store during our year away.

- - To completely eliminate storage costs, we begged our family and friends to adopt our possessions for the year in exchange for a few exotic souvenirs, a postcard from every country and, most importantly, our undying devotion! They’re so lucky!

- - For months before our departure, we limited our purchases to only essential items like food, rent, and bills and limited luxuries like clothes, taxis, dinners out and high priced cocktails (look hard enough and you can find cheap happy hours even in NYC!)

- - When possible, we picked up extra work writing freelance articles, babysitting and bartending. Good practice for us as these things will probably be our main source of income when we return.

On the Road:

Although we covered several specific ways to save in the above category breakdown, here are a couple other things you can do to stretch your travel dollars:

- - Pick up odd jobs: Hostels looking for help behind the bar, local vineyards in need of extra fruit pickers, a scuba shop searching for a new dive master. If you can fill any of these needs or the dozens more that are out there, you can make money abroad. A lot of people we met had a system going: they’d travel until they run out of funds, stop and work a bit until they earned more and then hit the road again. We’d definitely rank this method at the top of our savvy savings list.

- - Volunteer: While some organizations charge pretty high fees, there are several that provide amazing volunteer opportunities at a reasonable price. And since costs are generally fixed and include food and accommodations, signing up with a reputable program is a great way to see the world on a small budget, while helping to make a difference in the lives of others. We registered for a 1 month program in Kenya through Village Volunteers (www.villagevolunteers.org) and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of our trip. Plus, the money we paid all went directly to assist the organization and the local community where we worked (approximately $950 total, which included fees, meals, lodging, intra-country transport and 1 day safari in the Masai Mara-optional add on).

A Week at Disney World vs. A Week in New Delhi

This little exercise was really just for fun as it doesn’t proof anything particular and the figures are merely rough estimates I gleaned from various websites and/or from my own personal experiences. Still, it just goes to show that even trips to more remote or foreign countries can be just as affordable as many popular domestic destinations. Plus, you get the added advantage of discovering another culture, building a better understanding of how others around the world live and putting your own life in the States in perspective. That's just a Lost Girls opinion, though. Everyone has different tastes and travel personalities, which should be the main considerations when planning a vacation. Though you have to admit, these mock budgets create a pretty compelling case to think globally!

7 Days with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy

- - Airfare and Accommodations: (2) Roundtrip tickets from NYC to Orlando, FL and 7 nights at Disney’s Coronondo Springs Resort (double occupancy) = $1464

- - Meals: Sample menu – Breakfast (continental breakfast at the hotel-$10), Lunch at Casey’s Corner in Magic Kingdom (Hot dog, French fries and a soda-$20), Dinner at Bistro de Paris in Epcot (Asparagus salad, Filet Mignon, crème brulee and a bottle of wine-$40) – All meals estimated $70/day/person x 7 days = $980

- - Rental Car: $39/day x 7 days = $273

- - Park Admission: 4-day pass for 2 people = $450

- - Park Extras: cotton candy/popcorn/hot pretzels/icecream ($5/item x 3 per day x 2 people x 7 days = $210), water/sodas ($3/item x 4 per day x 2 people x 7 days = $168), Space Mountain photo-$35, Mickey ears-($15/pair x 2 people = $30) = $443

- - Additional Activities: 2 movie tickets-Downtown Orlando-$20, Cocktails at Universal Citywalk-$40, 2 tickets to Cirque du Soleil-$150, spa treatment-$80, miniature golf-$25 = $315

Estimated Total - $3925

COMPARED TO:

7 Days with Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu

- - Airfare: (2) Roundtrip tickets from NYC to New Delhi, India = $1900 ($950/person-estimate from Orbitz.com)

- - Accommodations: 4 nights at Sunstar Grand (double occupancy) = $224

(mid-range, 3 star hotel). Note: The remaining 3 nights spent on tour-see below

- - Meals: Sample menu – Breakfast (fresh fruit, toast w/jam, tea/coffee-$3), Lunch (masala dosa, lentils w/rice, papaya lassi-$7), Dinner (cheese stuffed naan, chicken tika masala, wine, dessert-$15) –All meals-estimated $25/day/person x 7 days = $350

- - Local Transportation: Taxi/rickshaws-estimated $5/day x 7 days = $35

- - Golden Triangle Tour: ($100 per person) Includes a personal driver from New Delhi to Agra, 1-night hotel stay w/breakfast-, entry fee and tour of Taj Mahal, personal driver from Agra to Jaipur, 2-nights hotel stay w/breakfast, entry fees to all temples and palaces, personal driver from Jaipur back to New Delhi = $200

(based on an actual tour the girls and I took)

- - Souvenirs/Shopping: Handmade saris-$30, Carved Ganesh statue-$15, marble table top-$45, incense burner-$10, bangles/earrings-$20, sandals-$8, silk skirts-2 for $12 = $140

- - Entertainment/Extras: Shows and site-seeing - $20/day x 7 days-$140 x 2 people = $280, elephant ride for two -$20 = $300

- - Vaccines/medication: Hepatitis A-$52, Typhoid-$55, 3 Larium tablets-$30=$137 x 2 people = $274 (source: recommended vaccines pulled from mdtravelhealth.com)

Estimated Total - $3423

Still not convinced to go international even after my beautiful side by side comparison? OK, fine. But at the very least, promise me that you'll stop and sample a few exotic dishes from the row of ‘foreign countries’ lining Epcot! :)

Happy travels - wherever they may lead you!

Jen

The Lost Girls RTW Budget: Part 2

hollycassandra — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 09:16:00 GMT

Flights, Travel Gear, Visas, Vaccines and Acccommodations

Jen: I hope all you readers out there enjoyed Part 1 of The Lost Girls RTW Budget series, which I posted a few days ago. If you’ve been waiting with bated breath for Part 2 (as I know you have!), wait no longer. Today’s entry will reveal the exact dollars drained from our first five budget categories: flights, travel gear, visas, vaccines and accommodations, as well as offer LG creative cuts and other helpful hints for each.

If you’re tuning in for the first time and have no clue what I’m talking about, I’ve included a quick recap below of what you missed. However, to get the full effect of my wit, charm and uncanny ability to manipulate a calculator, I highly recommend scrolling down to my May 4th entry and starting from the budget's humble beginning! :)

Highlights from Part 1: Showin’ You The Money!

After noticing that questions like “How the heck did The Lost Girls afford to hit the road for so long?” and “How much did they spend for the entire year?” were frequently popping up from readers, we attempted to provide answers by laying out our budget, by category, for the entire trip. Here are the average, estimated costs per person that I highlighted in my last entry:

Flights: $5000

Travel Gear: $500

Visas: $375

Vaccines: $450

Accommodations: $2786

Meals and Snacks: $3803

Intra-Country Transportation: $1490

Entertainment & Extras: $2872

Miscellaneous: $715

And the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

The Grand Total:

$17,991 per person

And now, ladies and gentlemen…

Part 2: A Categorical Breakdown

Flights, Travel Gear, Visas, Vaccines and Accommodations

Flights

Total Dollars Drained ($5000): $700 (round trip from N.Y.C to Lima, Peru) + $1000 (one way from NYC to Nairobi) + $2300 (RTW ticket: Nairobi – Dubai (free stop) – Bangalore – Bangkok – Bali (free stop) – Auckland – Sydney (via Christchurch) + $1000 (one way from Sydney to NYC).

LG Creative Cuts:

- - We could have saved a lot of money by cutting out South America, not visiting quite so many countries and/or sticking to one region of the world, but considering our complex itinerary, our trip was still economical thanks to the RTW ticket that we booked through Airtreks (www.airtreks.com)

- - For some reason, adding South America to RTW tickets often results in a large leap in price, as was the case with our itinerary. But we managed to save a few hundred bucks by booking our flight for that portion of the trip separately.

- - We also got ourselves to Africa as we found a great deal on a one-way ticket, which gave us more flexibility on dates (we were swinging through NYC and weren’t sure when we’d need to leave to begin our volunteer program in Kenya). Plus, starting our RTW ticket from Nairobi was a bit more affordable anyway.

Other Helpful Hints:

- - Generally, RTW tickets are the most cost effective way to visit multiple destinations without going over budget. Airtreks.com lets you plot out various routes, provides an instant quote and offers suggestions to save money/get more cities for your buck. So if you’re bored at work one day, hop on their site and see what your dream itinerary would cost. I guarantee you, it’s less than you think!

- - RTW tickets are often cheaper when you leave from Europe vs. the States, so booking a cheap one-way flight to London, for example, and starting your trip there, might save you a considerable amount.

- - Major alliances like One World offer multi-city tickets, so if you have frequent flier points linked to one of their airlines or just want to shop around, there are definitely options.

- - Research! Research! Research! Great deals are everywhere. You just have to look for them and of course book – immediately!

Travel Gear

Total Dollars Drained ($500): $175 Backpack + $75 Hiking shoes, $150 Clothes (windbreaker, hiking pants, thick socks, sports bras, etc.) + $100 Miscellaneous (water bottle, bug spray, first aid kit, medicine, flashlight, etc.)

LG Creative Cuts:

- - Like big girls are supposed to do, we learned to share! Fortunately we had each other to travel with and could split the cost of items we didn’t all need to bring (e.g. a universal converter, guidebooks, certain electrons/chargers, etc.)

- - When it came to bigger purchases like backpacks and hiking boots, we used all our resources, buying previously owned items (e.g. Amanda got an awesome pack from a friend for only $75 that was only used once and still in great shape), scouring the stores for sales and getting creative with items we already had in our closets.

- - Although we went a little overboard at the beginning (leaving our country for a year was kind of a big deal for us!), we did our best to limit our pre-trip gear to the essentials knowing that we could stock up again when we were passing through NYC on the way to Kenya or pick stuff up on the road.

Other Helpful Hints:

- - Borrowing gear from family or friends can really help your bottom line. You’d be surprised how many fabulous travel accessories are just collecting dust in people’s attics.

- - Take about ½ as much stuff as you think you need and get the rest on the road. Particularly if you’re traveling for a while, not sure what you’ll need, visiting a country or countries with drastic weather changes or simply don’t feel like paying full price in the States for staple items you can get for much less in many countries (e.g. we picked up 100% alpaca sweaters from a market in Peru for $6)

- - Start off with travel sizes and refill with local brands. We made the mistake of lugging huge supplies of certain items, like contact solution and tampons, with us because we thought they might be impossible to find on the road. All lies! Travel urban legends! Even the most remote villages in the farthest corners of the world are stocked with the essentials. Seriously, we bought an extra converter in Trivandrum, India, toilet paper on the Inca Trail, deodorant in Vang Vieng, Laos and shaving cream in Kitale, Kenya. Some things are more expensive abroad, but more often than not, they’re much cheaper.

Visas

Average Dollars Drained ($375): $100 Brazil + $50 Kenya + $75 India + $20 Cambodia + $70 Vietnam + $35 Laos + $25 Indonesia

LG Creative Cuts:

- - While mapping our itinerary, we researched which countries didn’t require visas, provided them for free (e.g. Thailand) or at a fairly low rate (e.g. Cambodia). That way, when there was a toss up between two options, we could save cash by choosing the cheaper one.

- - We applied for visas along the way versus getting them ahead of time (that wasn’t practical for our type of trip anyway), so if we changed our minds and nixed or switched a country at the last minute, we wouldn’t waste money.

- - As a side note, for those doubters out there, yes, it is possible to get visas as you go (Ex: we got our Brazil visa in Lima, Peru and our Vietnam visa in Bangkok, Thailand)! None of our visas took more than 2-3 days to process and sometimes we even got them the same or next day. Batting your eyelashes, smiling and/or begging also work in a pinch too if you’re really stuck!

Other Helpful Hints:

- - If you do have to pay for a high priced visa, avoid excess processing fees, postage, etc. by visiting the embassy in person vs. mailing away for it and be sure to budget for the cost when planning your trip. A couple less cocktails at the pool and the visa money will barely make a dent!

- - Also, in countries like Laos and Cambodia, where you can get your visa on the way in at border patrol, it helps to have U.S. dollars on hand as you can wind up paying more if you use local currency (For example: At the Laos border, our $35 visa ended up costing close to $42 when we paid in kip.)

- - Be sure to confirm visa requirements ahead of time so there won’t be any unexpected surprises or costly setbacks.

- - This may seem obvious (although it took us LGs by surprise), but the embassies actually keep your passport for the duration of the visa processing. This created a slight problem for us when we applied for our Brazil visa on a Friday in Lima, Peru, had a in-country flight to the Amazon on Saturday (for which you need a passport) and were told our visa wouldn’t be ready until Monday. Thankfully we are fairly savvy girls and managed to get our passports and freshly stamped visas back that same afternoon (see the last sentence of the last bullet in the above LG Creative Cuts if you’re curious how accomplished this feat.)

Vaccines

Average Dollars Drained ($450): (since the type of shots and the price we each paid varied slightly, I’ve adjusted the total number to reflect the average cost per person. In case you’re interested, here are estimated prices (at cost) for the vaccines we got: Hepatitis A ($52), Hepatitis B ($45) (can get Twinrix A/B combo for $78), Meningitis ($96), Yellow fever ($80), Typhoid ($55), Tetanus/Diphtheria ($24). We also spent about $150 on malaria medication since we were in high risk regions for about 4-6 months.

LG Creative Cuts:

- - Other than the obvious – don’t visit countries where you need vaccines - our best money saving advice is to do your research! The price of the same vaccine can vary drastically depending on whether you get it at your doctor’s office, a travel clinic or your county health department. We each shopped around to find the best deal (Hint! That means, getting the vaccines at cost), which saved us almost $50.

- - Since we were going to be in high risk malarial zones for several months, we opted to take Larium as it was only $10/per pill (which covers a week) versus Malarone, which was about 4x the price (and you have to take a pill every day) NOTE: Since we’re definitely not qualified to give medical advice, our best suggestion is to research all options thoroughly and weight the pros and cons of each. Ex: We were warned that Larium had more serious side effects than Malarone, but since saving money was critical for us, we decided to take our chances (and luckily we didn’t have any trouble).

- - We made sure to make the rounds with our all doctors and get all prescriptions filled before our health insurance ran out. I know, this is really specific, but if you plan to quit your job to travel, like we did, it’s a quintessential tip!

Other Helpful Hints:

- - Check with your insurance company first as some vaccines, like tetanus boosters or Hepatitis A, may be included. Most plans will also cover a small supply of malaria medication at the co-pay cost. After that, you’ll need to factor in whether visiting a malarial region for an extended period of time is worth the cost as meds can be very expensive.

- - Since certain vaccines can take days or weeks to become effective, be sure to take that into consideration and allow ample time to get them before your trip departure.

- - Separate your sticks! Speaking from experience, it’s no fun to get five shots in one day. My right arm swelled up immediately, producing a bright red lump the size of a baseball that refused to go away for almost 2 weeks – making it a fun conversation piece at The Lost Girls’ going away party! On a more serious note, it’s also safer to spread out your vaccines in case you happen to have an adverse reaction. Meaning, if you get multiple vaccines at once, you wouldn’t know which one caused the problem versus if you got one at a time.

- - Shot records - Don't leave home without them! Some countries may require proof that you've had certain vaccines, so be sure to carry a copy of your card with you.

- - Read Amanda's article, Cheap Shots, on the Travel + Leisure website (www.travelandleisure.com/articles/cheap-shots). Years ago, AP penned this brilliant piece, which, of course, coincidentally served as a great resource to The Lost Girls during our trip planning phase. We're so lucky!

Accommodations

Average Dollars Drained* ($2786): (Average $8.65/day for 322 days: $8/night-Peru, Bolivia, Brazil x 60 days = $480 + $9/night-Kenya x 50 days = $450 + $45/night-Dubai x 6 days = $270 + $5/night-India x 28 days = $140 + $5/night-Thailand-Laos-Vietnam-Cambodia x 77 days = $385 + $4/night – Bali x 14 days = $56 + $15/night – New Zealand x 27 days = $405 + $10/night – Australia x 60 days = $600)

LG Creative Cuts:

- - When it comes to saving on sleep (location, not hours!), The Lost Girls rely heavily on the three Cs: Country, Comfort and Compromise.

- - Sticking primarily to cheaper countries can drastically slash your budget and can mean the difference between affording to travel for a few weeks or a few months. For us, committing to an entire year on the road meant nixing Europe all together, limiting our time in New Zealand and Australia and spending the majority of our months in more cost effective regions like South America, Southeast Asia, India and Africa.

- - If you’re willing to sacrifice a little bit of comfort (OK, sometimes a lot) and stay in hostels and super cheap guesthouses like we did, you’ll save big bucks. Hotels weren’t even an option for us as they were nearly triple or even up to 10x the price.

- - Lastly, be sure to have a clear understanding of what you and your travel partners consider deal breakers (e.g. will only stay in shared dorm rooms ½ the time). Other than those few things (yes, there should only be a few), you must be willing to compromise on everything else if it means saving $.

Other Helpful Hints:

Get creative! There are tons of ways you can save on accommodations, but here are a few of our faves:

- - Book overnight flights. It sounds silly, but for us that was almost a week’s worth of hostels we didn’t have to pay for.

- - Expand your options and consider things like camping or renting a van that doubles as your transportation and a bedroom.

- - Call in favors / ask to stay with friends of friends abroad (if they’re willing and you promise to return the favor).

- - Negotiate! Negotiate! Negotiate! It’s pretty standard in third world countries to bargain on the price of a room, so don’t be afraid to show off your haggling skills, particularly if there’s stiff competition in the area or you’re willing to guarantee an extended stay.

*This was a pretty tough category to estimate considering how much the cost varies from country to country and hostel to hostel. In Laos, Amanda and I spend $5 for an entire double room, while in New Zealand, it cost about $15 for a dorm bed. What saved us in this category was 1) we spent 9 out of 12 months in third world countries where lodging is very cheap 2) we didn’t have to pay for lodging for 365 days as we spent a couple weeks with friends and family (for free) back in the States and on the road and 3) we were able to secure an apartment for only $300/month/person in Sydney – a city where hostels usually cost $20-$25 per night. Yikes!

Coming Soon!

Part 3: A Categorical Breakdown

- Meals and Snacks

- Entertainment and Extras

- Intra-Country Transportation

- Miscellaneous

Plus! Bonus Features

- LG Random Facts

- Savvy Savings Tips

- A Week at Disney World vs. A Week in the Life of a Lost Girl

The Lost Girls RTW Budget: A Look Inside

hollycassandra — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 09:14:00 GMT

When it comes to The Lost Girls’ RTW trip, there are definitely certain questions that tend to pop up time and time again from family, friends, fellow travel enthusiasts and, well, pretty much everyone. Are the countries we’re visiting safe? (Statistically most of our destinations are much safer than my hometown city of Washington D.C. Sad, but true!). How did we pack everything for an entire year in one backpack? (Simple! We ditched most of our girlie gear, like high heels and cute clothes, and resigned ourselves to wearing the same 4-5 outfits for 365 days straight!). Do we ever fight? (Only when we’re very hungry!).

But what tends to stoke people’s curiosity, above anything else, is:

“How the heck did we afford to hit the road for so long and how much did we spend?”

As you may have gathered from our previous entries, there’s not much that The Lost Girls aren’t willing to share with our blog readers (Umm, remember that time we described getting ‘samples’ taken at a Kenyan hospital to make sure we didn’t have a parasite? Or admitted to sliding face first in the mud during a trek in Sapa, Vietnam?). So, in keeping with the spirit of honesty, we’re going to let you in on our biggest ‘secret’ of all...(drum roll, please)…“Our trip was probably not as expensive as you’d think!”

Blog Readers: “We’re not convinced”

The Lost Girls: “Seriously! We’re telling the truth”

Blog Readers: “Umm, still not sure we believe you”

The Lost Girls: “Really, we swear on our dirty backpacks that we’re being honest”

Blog Readers: “OK, proof it”

The Lost Girls: “Our pleasure…”

A while back, we actually did post a “How We Paid For Everything” blog (currently on our sidebar), which offered a glimpse into our personal finances and how we secured enough ‘Benjamins’ to take a spin around the entire globe for a year. However, as we near the end of our trip (sniff, sniff!), we feel like it’d be a greater service to you, the readers, if we took this seemingly popular topic a step further and gave you exactly what you probably wanted in the first place – a detailed breakdown of our RTW budget.

As the designated Lost Girls’ math geek (Holly and Amanda make fun of all my Excel spreadsheets, but I know there really just jealous! :)), I actually got a bit of an adrenaline rush from crunching our travel data and compiling the below statistics (thanks LG fans for giving me an excuse to do all this!). So grab a comfy seat and a bowl of popcorn and get ready to be dazzled as we reveal our down and dirty figures for everything from visas, flights, vaccines and gear to food, entertainment, intra-country transport and accommodations. For your reading pleasure, I’ve also included a few behind-the-scenes secrets as well as bonus features (can you tell that I’m a film geek too?) like: Savvy Savings Tips and A Week at Disney World vs. A Week in the Life of a Lost Girl

Now, sit back, relax and enjoy the show!!

- - - Jen

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“The Lost Girls’ RTW Budget”

Presented by: www.lostgirlsworld.com

Made possible in part by: Jen, Holly and Amanda’s credit card receipts, bank statements and uncanny ability to blow through cash

Production Notes: Since the below budget is unique to our RTW adventure – one that covered four continents/a dozen + countries and spanned an entire year – we understand that certain sections aren’t relevant to all travelers. However, it is our sincere hope that spilling our (bank accounts’) guts and divulging all of our spending habits (the good, the bad and the ugly!) will inspire other travelers to crack open their piggy banks, pack their bags and finally take that one special trip they’d only ever dreamed about - - until now!

Act 1: Showin’ You The Money!

Although we try to keep track of every dollar that floats out of our money belts, the girls and I do occasionally misplace a bill or forget a few figures. I mean, if we claim to be lost ourselves, we certainly can’t be expected to find all of our receipts! So that said, the following figures are average, estimated costs per person for our entire RTW trip:

Flights: $5000

Travel Gear: $500

Visas: $375

Vaccines: $450

Accommodations: $2786

Meals and Snacks: $3803

Intra-Country Transportation: $1490

Entertainment & Extras: $2872

Miscellaneous: $715

And the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

The Grand Total:

$17,991 per person

Whether this amount seems shockingly low, pretty reasonable or absolutely exorbitant, really depends on who you ask. Hey, on any given day, even our answers could change a thousand times. But even though we occasionally freak out about how much we’ve spent or the fact that we’re now broke and unemployed, there’s one thing that Holly, Amanda and I know for sure…

We managed to take a year-long trip around the world with our best girlfriends for about the same price as our rent in NYC!

Blog Readers: “But still, you’re not suffering at all from buyer’s remorse??”

The Lost Girls: “Oh God, no. Nothing like that!” – Sorry, can’t help it. When a Clueless line calls, an LG answers.

Blog Readers: “Umm. OK. So I guess you wouldn’t take the trip back, huh?”

The Lost Girls: “Not for all the money in the world!”

THE END!

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Just Kidding! There’s still more exciting stuff to come. Much, much more! I’ve painstakingly analyzed our spending categories and broken each one down in great detail – covering everything from the price of pumping vaccines into our bodies and stuffing our backpacks full of supplies, to the cost of food, clothing and shelter by country and the unexpected extras that infiltrated our bank accounts and threatened to deplete them.

So, if you’re just dying to know exactly what we spent our money on, are planning a trip of your own or love facts and figures as much as I do (hell, even if you’re just bored at work), stay tuned for Act 2 of my budget blog which will be delivered over the next week in separate installments.

Coming Soon!

Act 2: A Categorical Breakdown

Scene 1: Flights, Travel Gear, Visas, Vaccines and Accommodations

Interviews with Each Other

hollycassandra — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 08:57:00 GMT

We have some fun news: Budget Travel magazine's annual special issue, Girlfriend Getaways (on newsstands this summer), thought we were quirky enough to include in their publication. They asked us some questions, and, as usual, we had no problem talking (and talking, and talking...). You can check it out at Budget Travel Online Since they asked for only a few hundred words and we gave them a book, we thought we'd share the unabridged version. Here are some highlights from our trip thus far.

Who is the leader?

All: There really isn't a traditional leader in our threesome. Part of the reason that we rarely fight is that our individual personalities—likes, dislikes, priorities and values—balance out the group dynamic. We all take turns getting our own way, and conversely, toeing the extra weight (literally, our backpacks are beasts!) to help each other out. Though we consider ourselves to be fairly well-rounded women at home, on the road, specific sides of our personalities do tend to take charge and we naturally fall into certain roles. In a nutshell, here's how to define us and our travel personalities:

Amanda (a.k.a. "The Regulator"): Instigator for the big ideas (such as taking a yearlong trip and launching the blog), Amanda is happy to turn over detail planning to Holly and Jen and simply enjoy the ride once everyone has agreed. She's take charge when it comes to matters of bargaining for a fair price, getting the best

possible hotel room and defending the group verbally against unwanted advances. When it's it time to get tough, the tough get Amanda.

Famous Quote: "Um, excuse me. Can I help you with something?" [Directed at

strangers who stare a little too long at the LGs]

Holly (a.k.a. "The Diplomat"): Eternally optimistic and rarely moody, Holly can find the positive in almost any situation (barring insects in her bunk and lack of sweets) and usually motivates the group's activities on a day-to-day basis. Her high energy level prompts her to rise well before her fellow Lost Girls to go running, plan a shopping excursion or find an internet cafe within walking distance. Each and every day, Holly has a mission to accomplish (must find new flip flops!) and very little will stand in her way.

Famous Quote: "Guys, can we swing by Antarctica and Turkey on our way to

Australia??!"

Jen (a.k.a. "The Chameleon" or "The Weekend Warrior"): Once the brainstorming results in a big idea, detail-oriented Jen steps in to manage the production. Typically the one to book the hostel, find a restaurant and double check that Holly and Amanda haven't lost anything, she often finds herself referred to as the 'responsible' one. However, when it comes time to take it easy, sip cappuccino at a neighborhood cafe or party 'til dawn, Jen throws herself in 110 percent. She works hard, plays harder and usually outlasts her fellow LGs during a night on the town.

Famous Quote: "Don't wake me before ten!"

Best moment:

JEN: Conquering the second day of hiking the Inca Trail, which is notorious for it’s sheer vertical climb to over 13,000 feet. With all the loose ends I had to tie up before taking this big trip, hitting the gym fell to the bottom of my priority list. But reaching the summit, a.k.a. Dead Woman’s Pass, where dozens of other hikers cheered the three of us on, showed me I was stronger than I gave myself credit for.

HOLLY: Scuba diving for the first time off the coast of Kenya. I had planned to get certified later on in Thailand, but had the opportunity to take a test dive with Amanda and Jen. It was a feeling somewhere between floating and flying that I didn’t expect to experience that day. Now I’m hooked and plan on fitting in as much diving as I can during the rest of the trip.

AMANDA: Having the opportunity to teach dance class to pre-teen girls in Africa, many of whom were orphaned by AIDS or were victims of abuse. I’d never seen kids get so excited to hear Jay-Z and Shakira blaring from my iPod speaker. By the end of the course, even the shy girls were busting a move and showing off the steps they now knew by heart.

Worst moment:

JEN: Thinking we all had an intestinal parasite. Holly had spotted a red, thread-like worm in the toilet that we all shared and, started crying for the first time the entire trip out of fear it had come from her. I hugged her as she collapsed into hysterics on the bathroom floor and consoled her by saying it could have come from any one of us. Of course, realizing that, we made a collective beeline for the urgent care clinic in Mombassa, Kenya, where we all gave, um, samples. Luckily, we each tested negative but were prescribed stomach-churning meds anyway as a precaution. All for one, one for all, right?

HOLLY: Sleeping with cockroaches. It’s hard enough to get a good night’s sleep on the road when we’re constantly switching locales without sharing my mattress with wriggling buds that could survive a nuclear fallout. Luckily, Jen was kind enough to let me sleep head-to-toe in her single bed. She even tucked me in with the mosquito netting. Notice the insect theme here?

AMANDA: Well, my moment involves a different kind of pest. I’d met Raul at a bar in Lima. I thought he’d make a good candidate for my first Latin lover, but he morphed into a slime ball with every drink he tossed back. Telling myself I’d never see this guy again, I grabbed the girls and blatantly blew him off. Leave it to Murphy’s Law: In a city of over TK-million people, who did I run into at my birthday dinner a week later but Raul? With his back to me, he ran his hands through his unmistakably greasy hair as I tried to hide behind my birthday cake.

Have you been given a key to a hotel room and walked into a honeymoon suite and thought, well this is awkward?

HOLLY: Well, we’ve never gotten the honeymoon suite, but we have been treated like newlyweds. While staying at Shaanti Holistic Health Resort in Diani Beach, Kenya, the owner encouraged us to try the indulgent “star baths.” We quickly agreed, but little did we know, it involved two outdoor sunken tubs overlooking the Indian Ocean, lots of scented oil and a bottle of bubbly. Three women, two tubs, you do the math.

JEN: Talk about beds, baths and beyond! No one wanting to be left out of the experience, we all happily leaped into the tubs like little kids. At this point in the trip, we had grown so comfortable with each other, this otherwise awkward situation didn’t even faze us.

AMANDA: Yeah, we were pretty unconcerned with what passersby thought of us. But that could have had more to do with the rum I snuck into the resort and ran back to the room to grab when I saw that the complimentary champagne was nonalcoholic. Even at a cleansing retreat, girls just wanna have fun.

One item we miss most from home:

HOLLY: My boyfriend! Okay, he’s not an item, just a sex object. Kidding! Seriously though, if it weren’t for being able to talk a lot on the internet-based phone service, Skype, I don’t know if our relationship could survive the year apart.

AMANDA: Celebrity magazines. The girls have to forcibly restrain me from spending $15 on a single issue at the airport newsstands abroad.

JEN: High heels. Flip flops are far more practical and take up less space on a trip like this, but nothing makes you feel more feminine instantly than slipping into a pair of stilettos. I wore them almost everyday in New York City and am going through withdrawal.

Reactions to us traveling together:

HOLLY: While running is a daily activity I take for granted back home, doing it abroad often turns into a spectator sport. During my jogs in Kenya, the locals looked at me like I had three heads and shouted out in confusion, “Sister, where are you trying to go?” The kids would get their daily dose of entertainment by pumping their arms and attempting to keep up with me as they erupted into giggles. Overtime I felt like I had a more devoted following than Lance Armstrong did during his last Tour de France.

JEN: While Brits have their Gap Year and Aussies have their Walkabout, it’s uncommon for Americans to travel for a whole year—and rarer still for three professional women in their late twenties. Being the anomaly that we are on the road can draw quite a bit of attention. In places like Rio de Janeiro, where gorgeous international travelers and finely chiseled locals pack the beaches, we were happy to oblige their curiosity by taking them up on their offers for caparinas and late night samba lessons.

AMANDA: At tourist attractions throughout India, I lost count of the number of times that giggling women and groups of young guys in aviator shades asked us to take a picture. At first we thought they wanted us to take their photos, but were shocked to realize they meant for us to be in the shots with them. For the first time in our lives we had a rough estimate of what it might be like to be D-list celebrities.

Favorite souvenirs:

AMANDA: Fertility dolls from the native Yagua tribe in Peru’s Amazon River Basin. They weren’t for me, but a gift to my dad for his third marriage. I figured he could use all the help he could get.

JEN: The red exercise top I bought from one of the original capoiera schools in Bahia, Brazil where the three of us trained. Although, after a week spent working up a sweat with private lessons, what I really wanted was a sexy capoeira instructor. But all I got was this lousy T-shirt!

HOLLY: I bought an enormous, sparkling citrine ring from the Hippie Ferria Market in Rio de Janeiro. I’m not normally one to treat myself to such a big piece of jewelry, but I took the opportunity to buy a beautiful item I never could have afforded back home. And, after admitting to the girls that I didn’t care about getting a flashy engagement ring, they insisted I have at least one big sparkler, even if I had to buy it myself.

Have you found yourself buying so much stuff that you have to ship it home along the way?

HOLLY: I’ve wanted to buy so much stuff that I’d have to ship it home, but I’ve managed to curb my shopaholic tendencies. Having to carry everything I need for an entire year on my back has forced me to recognize the difference between a want and a need. Plus, it’s often too expensive to send things back to the States.

JEN: When we do buy things, they tend to be small items that we can carry with us and that won’t break our bank accounts, such as interesting jewelry from street vendors and local handicrafts.

AMANDA: Sometimes for fun we treat each other to small indulgences. Like I bought the girls sugar-free lattes at Starbucks in Lima, Holly got us all matching scarves in India and Jen purchased Toblerone chocolate bars for us in Kenya.

How the trip has changed our lives:

HOLLY: It’s made me realize that the world is both a classroom and a playground. I can learn more about the political landscape of a foreign country by traveling through it rather than by reading about it in the Economist. As a woman, I’ve seen firsthand how lucky I am to have been born into this country of wealth and privilege where I have almost unlimited freedom of choice about what to do with my life. And witnessing how other people across the globe live their lives has inspired me to blaze my own path rather than make decisions out of complacency or fear.

AMANDA: I thought a year on the road would satiate my desire to travel so I would feel more comfortable with finally settling down in my 30s. But with each place we visit, the list of destinations I want to explore only grows. I’ve learned that no matter where I’m at in my life in regards to marriage, kids and career, travel will always be among my most important priorities.

JEN: Travel has always been a way for me to reevaluate my life and explore the world beyond my own borders, but after this trip I now view travel as a way to make a real difference in the lives of others as well.

Have we reached our goals?

HOLLY: My goal for the trip was to take advantage of this opportunity to see the world with two other like-minded women and figure out where I was going with my life. And while experiences such as attending yoga school in India and hiking the Inca Trail in Peru have helped me grow as a person, it’s often the small moments that invoke the greatest epiphanies. Case in point: When taking a 17-hour train ride in India, I didn’t realize you had to pack your own food. A mother of two toddlers wearing torn clothing saw that I didn’t have any lunch and offered to share hers-part of a banana. Feeling guilty, I tried to refuse but she adamantly insisted and nodded in approval as I chowed down. An otherwise mundane ride helped to remind me that, no matter what direction I’m headed, practicing small acts of kindness and generosity will keep me on the right track.

AMANDA: With Spanish classes costing hundreds of dollars a semester back home, I figured the best way to learn the language would be to head to a Latin American country. While the girls and I all learned dozens of useful phrases during our travels through Peru, I felt frustrated that I still hadn’t mastered the art of conversation. It wasn’t until I arrived in Brazil where I didn’t speak a word of Portuguese that I realized how much I’d come to depend on my basic Spanish skills to communicate. Now I’m looking forward to improving even more by heading to Colombia next year to attend a language school and a month-long homestay.

JEN: After watching the PBS-special “Flame Trees of Thika” as a young child, I vowed that some day I would volunteer in Kenya. Through the Village Volunteers, a U.S. based non-profit organization, I was not only able to realize a life long dream, but also witness firsthand how even small gestures can have a big impact on a community in need. The three of us had such a powerful experience that we plan to create our own nonprofit foundation to benefit women and girls from around the globe.

You Asked, We Answered

hollycassandra — Thu, 7 Jun 2007 09:01:00 GMT

Over the past few months, our fellow backpackers have sent us a ton of questions concerning all aspects of backpacking, vagabonding and round-the-world travel (as if we know more than the next Lost Girl!). Well, we're hardly experts but we figured that it might help to start responding to these great reader queries right here on the blog. This new section is meant to encourage group discussion, not provide hard and fast answers...feel free to tell us we're right, on the right track or on the wrong planet entirely (but don't forget to make a few suggestions of your own!)--TLG

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Q. My girlfriend and I are in the planning throes of a year-long trip to South America and I've just started to worry about the technical aspects...mostly to do with the laptop we'll need and how durable it has to be. Do you suggest we get aToughbook, or would a regular laptop with a good case have cut it? --Degan Beley

A: We actually brought two laptops on the road--a five-year old Mac iBook and the Panasonic Toughbook PC. Both computers held up really well, but towards the end, became SO stuffed with media files that they slowed down significantly. If you're shopping around for a new computer, don't settle for one with less than a 100 gigs of memory and an ultra fast processor speed. Nothing's more frustrating than getting the hourglass (PC) or the "pinwheel of death" (Mac) when you're trying to upload photos and type a blog entry at the same time!

The greatest benefit of the Toughbook is its extremely light and slim--at 2.2 pounds, people pick it up and are amazed that it barely weighs everything! Since every single ounce counts when you're on the road, you may want to go with a newer, lighter PC rather than taking your old standby.

As far as durability, we think you'd be fine taking along any light laptop loaded up with ton of memory (80 gigs minimum!) and keeping yourelectonics safe from scatches and bumps with a neoprene laptop sleeve. Companies such as Body Glove and Case Logic make them in basic colors, but you can find ones in funky designs...we love this striped one from Built NY.

No matter what, be sure to lock up you computer and the rest of your electronics with a PacSafe whenever they're out of your sight. The smaller and lighter the compuer, the more motivated you'll be to take it with you!--The Lost Girls

Have a burning backpacker question? Need an opinion on wardrobe choice? Want to share your own travel tips? Send queries and comments to lostgirlsworld@gmail.com

The Climb Of Our Lives!

hollycassandra — Fri, 25 May 2007 16:53:00 GMT

Jen: It was a beautiful, sunny morning in Sydney and Amanda, Holly and I were spending it in typical fashion - - a teensy bit hung over from the night before and running late, OK really late, for our scheduled activity du jour. Normally, we were happy to adopt the customary Australian “no-worries” philosophy and arrive at our destination whenever we could get there, but today was a different matter all together. As we raced frantically through the Sydney streets, flying off buses, dashing underground and dramatically flinging ourselves through closing train doors, we realized our tardiness could cost us dearly. In T-minus 20 minutes and counting, we were scheduled to experience one of the most notable and amazing adventures that Sydney had to offer – The Harbor Bridge Climb – yet we were at least a half hour away and not exactly sure where we were going (we take our title of Lost Girls very seriously!).

Fortunately for us, we also tend to excel in another “L” category – luck! While sprinting up the stairs of the Wynard station, simultaneously punching numbers on our mobile phone, we were fortunate enough to connect with a bridge climb coordinator and bump our departure time forward an hour. Whew! That was a close one! We grabbed a Starbucks latte to celebrate our small success – and to ease our pounding heads – then made a collective beeline for the harbor to get our climbing party started.

For once, we arrived at our destination ahead of schedule (based on our revised climb time anyway), which gave us a chance to explore the office lobby and chat with the employees about what to expect. After browsing the extensive Wall of Fame – one that housed snapshots of such famous faces as Nicole Kidman, Will Smith, Jodi Foster, Hugh Jackson, the Olson Twins and Brendan Fraser – Holly, Amanda and I were directed to a back room to get suited up for our big ascent. But a funny thing happened on the way to the equipment station. We were “pulled over” by an employee and asked to submit to a breathalyzer test to make sure we weren’t planning to climb under the influence. Uh Oh! Would last night’s cocktails come back to haunt us or had we burned them all off on our race to get here? Luckily, we registered 0.0% (anything under 0.05% is passing) and were approved to proceed. Whew! Another close one! OK, on to our fittings.

It didn’t take us long to deduce that when it comes to gear, the bridge climb folks aren’t messin’ around! After slipping into a sexy one-piece jumpsuit that any self respecting Trekkie would travel light years to get their split-fingered hands on, we were issued a fuzzy fleece for cold and windy conditions, a baseball cap to keep the harbor sun out of our eyes, a cord to keep our sunglasses from blowing off the bridge and even a handkerchief to tuck into our sleeves for, well, you know! We politely refused the thick gray scrunchies provided to keep our hair back, cause, hey, even donned in space suits, a Lost Girl’s gotta draw the line somewhere! After a quick equipment check and safety review with our guide, Mike, we made our way outside, down the sidewalk, past snickering tourists to the base of the bridge and took our first of many steps leading us closer to Sydney’s powder blue sky.

Rather than take the traditional route, the girls and I decided to give the newer and apparently more adventurous Discovery Climb a shot. Instead of journeying over the top of the bridge to the summit, we were going to cut straight through the heart of the structure, winding through mazes of metal, across suspended catwalks and snaking over massive steel beams punctured with rivets before emerging at the top. Now when the girls and I first heard about the bridge climb, we envisioned ourselves dangling precariously over the water, lashed to the bridge with carabineers and forced to scale the walls like Spiderman. Needless to say, we were dramatizing the situation just a teeny bit, as so far, the seemingly death-defying act of climbing the bridge was more like a gentle stroll.

Secured to the side with a special harness linked to a static line, we walked gracefully up a series of iron planks and staircases as our guide enlightened us with a detailed history of the bridge and prominent Sydney sites. We took in the passing cars and crowds of tourist below, while getting a sneak peak at some of the surrounding landmarks like the Opera House, Darling Harbor, Manley Ferry, Luna Park and John Howard’s house (our guide insisted he knew which one it was). And while the climb was an exciting experience in and of itself, the real reward came at the top. As our heads popped up from beneath the center of the bridge, we couldn’t help but marvel at the spectacular bird’s eye view we had of the glistening harbor and vast cityscape that stretched endlessly below. We took our time navigating the steal summit, posing for the guide’s camera as he snapped dozens of photos of us at every turn and prominent look out point. As we noticed more groups rising above the beams behind us, we realized our time was up, so we slowly began to make our way back down to the base.

A mere 3 ½ hours, dozens of staircases and thousands of steps later, our feet finally hit solid ground. Happy, exhilarated and only a tad wind blown, we headed to the office to take a look at our photos and get the skinny from the staff on where to go for a celebratory beer in the neighborhood (They suggested we hit The Australian for a frosty Victoria Bitters and deep dish pizza topped with kangaroo, crocodile or emu). So, was the Harbor Bridge Climb all we expected and more, you ask? I mean, should scrunchies have remained in the 80s? Of course! Not only did we get to experience one of Sydney’s most signature events, we had dozens of pictures showcasing The Lost Girls’ silliest grins to show for it. Bridge Climb Wall of Fame here we come! And in a nod to the company’s tagline, which I borrowed for this blog title, like Baby and Johnny, we did in fact, have the time (and climb) of our lives!

Oh, yeah, we went there! And there’s much more cheesiness, fun times and sheer craziness where that came from. Stay tuned for tales from our upcoming adventures in Hunter Valley!

Head for the Hills! Part II

hollycassandra — Wed, 23 May 2007 20:17:00 GMT

HCC: Marshmallows + cheap wine + your best girlfriends= recipe for the perfect camping trip. After constructing a kick ass campfire (if we do say so ourselves), we settled into our foldout chairs with the mission of toasting the perfect marshmallow and catching up—since we don’t see each other enough already!

Our girl talk was quickly interrupted by a “bogan,” which is the Aussie equivalent to a “redneck.” (Hey, we’re just sharing the slang we’ve learned from the Aussies themselves). Some dude named Troy materialized out of the darkness. He sported shaggy blond hair, a beer belly and held a “stubby” (bottle of brewskie). Troy announced that he lived in a nearby trailer without electricity and cut wood for a living. Then he kindly invited us to crash with him at his place rather than sleep in our camper van. Negative, Ghost rider!

The Lost Girls tried to bring the topic of conversation into safer territory by talking about the 18 km hike we planned on doing in the national park the following morning. Troy wasn’t as slow as we thought, and quickly found another “in” by offering to come pick us up in the a.m. and drive us to the trailhead. He’d even come get us when we were done with the big trek. Um, as if we’d willingly hop into a truck with a strange man and allow him to bring us to some secluded spot where no one else knows where we are. Though it was a tempting proposition, we had no choice but to turn it down before feigning exhaustion.

The following morning our exhaustion was not an act--we were legitimately wiped out after Jen and I were awoken in terror by Amanda’s blood-curdling screams during the dead of the night. She was having nightmares that an axe-murderer was trying to break into the van in an effort to dismember defenseless foreigners. Good thing we never saw the Australian slasher cult classic “Wolfe Creek,” or else we’d all be letting out imaginations run as wild as the Outback.

Here’s a quick clip of us hanging around the campfire pre-Troy invasion. Warning: The girl talk is not all that exciting, but we wanted to show off our pyrotechnic handiwork.

--Holly

Gallery: Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb

hollycassandra — Fri, 18 May 2007 14:03:00 GMT

The Discovery Climb

Head for the Hills! Part I

hollycassandra — Fri, 18 May 2007 00:11:00 GMT

HCC: Since the Lost Girls scored an awesome camper van, we decided to take it—where else?—camping. Our premiere girlfriends getaway in the Blue Monster, as we affectionately named it, takes place in Barrington Tops National Park. I chose our destination in my usual last-minute fashion by flipping through the Lonely Planet for a quiet wilderness spot that didn’t require days of traveling. This World Heritage site is not actually a hill, but a 1600-meter plateau covered in mossy Antarctic beech forest and vivid green rainforest. The book said it was only about a three-and-a-half hour drive from Sydney. Our mission? To stay at a secluded campsite, test drive the van’s cool features and not crash the vehicle while doing it.

So far, mission accomplished. After going over the river and through the woods (we literally had to drive across ‘fords,’ which are shallow streams of running water) on a windy dirt road, we came across the perfect place to set up camp for the night: The Scooby Doo caravan park. Okay, it’s not really called that, but the random Scooby Doo billboard pointed towards the promised land: A park equipped with hot showers, laundry and (the best part!) a kiosk open until the late-night hour of 8 p.m. Hey, sleeping in the woods still counts as roughing it even if you’ve got access to goodies such as marshmallows and $10 bottles of Riesling. Score!

We love our little home on wheels. It saves us serious cash because we can store food in the fridge and heat up beans and coffee on the stove. And staying at powered sites where we can hook up to electricity costs just nine bucks a person (as opposed to a $28 hostel dorm room), shedding some light so we can read all those novels that have been weighing down our backpacks all year. The seats fold out into a bed big enough to fit all three of us, but there’s also a single bed up top. It may not be the Ritz, but we’re definitely sleeping in style. Check out this quick video for a tour of the Blue Monster. --Holly

Gallery: Oil Changes and the Van

hollycassandra — Thu, 10 May 2007 12:26:00 GMT

The World Nomads Ambassador Van

Oil Changes

hollycassandra — Thu, 10 May 2007 12:17:00 GMT

ADP: I should probably be more embarrassed to admit this, but during the six years I held both a valid driver’s licences and a working vehicle (affectionately named White Fire, in case you care), I never actually checked, changed or gave more than a passing thought to the oil. I had some vague awareness that a dipstick was involved and my engine could potentially explode if I ran low on the stuff, but I always counted on the fact that if anything truly devastating was about to occur, a light on my instrument panel would flash and I could hasten to the nearest service station to rectify the problem.

Fast forward from my teens to circa right now, trade my trusty Chrysler La Baron for the World Nomad’s Ambassador Van and switch the location from sprawling suburban America to the pleasant but rather unpopulated stretch of rolling woodland known as Barrington Tops National Park (about four hours Northwest of Sydney).

That’s where Holly, Jen and I were the first time a little red oil lamp on our dash started lighting up, flickering at first, then glowing steadily and rather ominously.

“Um, maybe we really should have been checking the oil and water every day like the book said,” Holly reflected, referring to the small bound pamphlet of instructions we’d been given when we picked up the van at Autobarn a few weeks prior. The guys who’d explained the features of the vehicle had take the time to show us how to lift the seat and check the oil and coolant, and we’d taken it all in as if we were watching a cooking demonstration rather than serious instructions for the care and feeding of our only method of transport.

“Of course not,” I said with conviction, certain that something must be wrong with the light rather than with our oil levels. “In my whole life, I’ve never added oil to the car so we’ll just take care of this after we get back from camping.”

We all fell into a rare silence, contemplating the wisdom of my statement, and proceed deeper into the woods. A few minutes passed as we bumped along and splashed through ford after ford which separated us from primary civilization.

In the end, we decided to risk the consequences (can an engine really blow up if there’s not enough lubricant? what incredibly an incredibly poor design feature) and continue with our planned weekend camping trip.

The gripping narrative detailing our outdoor adventures is still to come, but I’ll fast forward to Monday morning when we coaxed our van out of Barrington Tops and back down the hill toward the Pacific Highway.

Finally rolling into a 7-11 with a few gas pumps out front, we figured out how pop up the passenger’s seat and open the hatch that exposed the inner workings of our engine.

We all stared at the twisted metal guts and waited expectantly for one of us to the lead. When it became apparent that neither Holly nor I were exactly leaping to the task, Jen volunteered to check the oil. As I watched her burning her fingers trying to open up the wrong valve, I gingerly pointed out the dipstick and suggested that she give it a tug instead.

Merging what all three of knew about engine maintenance—which you may have gathered at this point is about nil—we managed to clean the dipstick, lower it again and determine….that we had no idea what we were looking at.

In the end, we ended up enlisting the help of a very kindly Indian man who managed the 7-11 and thankfully, he wasn’t too harsh when he informed us that we’d basically run out of the slick stuff that prevented our car from grinding to halt.

Together, we grabbed a nice bottle of Castrol from the back of the store and took turns pouring it into our very thirsty engine. Not a drop was left when we were finished.

All topped off and ready to go, we thanked yet another great Australian who helped save us from almost certain catastrophe and got on the road again.

Kangaroo Invasion

hollycassandra — Thu, 3 May 2007 23:23:00 GMT

HCC: After living in the concrete jungle of New York City, the girls and I have encoutered wild life ranging from rats to cockroaches to drunken men. So when we heard that the hazy Blue Mountains were home to critters of a different kind—kangaroos—we hopped in the van and hit highway N4 in search of the furry marsupials. Not knowing where to find 'roos on our own, we were lucky enough to have a local firefighter named Adam, whom I'd met on the plane to Sydney, offer to be our tour guide.

Here's a clip of our adventure. It's not exactly "Animal Planet," but we were stoked to get close enough to reach out and touch creatures we'd only ever before seen in National Geographic. Who knows? Maybe we'll even spot a koala on our roadtrip through Oz.

Lonely Planet Pick of the Week: Beach Coastal Walk

hollycassandra — Tue, 1 May 2007 14:06:00 GMT

HCC: A Lost Girl’s favorite way to see a new place is on foot, so the famous Coastal Walk from Bondi to Bronte Beach was just our speed. After reading about the five-kilometer, two-hour trail in our trusty Lonely Planet, we laced up our sneakers and set out to take a hike.

The rocky bluffs, gemstone-blue waves and Aboriginal rock engravings created a colorful backdrop to the well-marked path winding around the ocean. Other spectacular scenery encompassed bathing beauties and bronzed surfers dotting the landscape. Sprinkle in plenty of cafes to refuel in along the way, and you’ve got a recipe for the perfect walking tour.

The ladies and I started in the north by the Bondi Golf Course. Since our putting technique is not up to par, we preferred to admire the Aboriginal rock engravings. Turning left onto Ramsgate Ave, we found ourselves on Bondi Beach. Families were relaxing on grassy patches with picnic lunches and runners were doing laps on the sand. I was sweating just watching them.

To the right, there was a crowd of surfers bobbing up and down as they waited for the next big wave. I went to surf school in Costa Rica about a year ago, and got hooked on the adrenaline rush that catching the perfect swell and riding it all the way into shore triggers. Watching the surfers in the zone made me miss this feeling that’s somewhere between floating and flying so much that I vowed to sign up for a few more surf lessons. After all, when I am going to live just minutes away from the beach again?

At the edge of Bondi Beach were the baths, where a pool was carved right into the rocks. Filled with saltwater, it allows swimmers to do laps without the danger of getting caught in a riptide. We climbed the steep stairs past Bondi Icebergs, a trendy restaurant and bar with hanging chairs, cozy couches and, of course, a breathtaking view. Note to self: Head here for happy hour.

I was seriously craving a cocktail until I forgot all about it after seeing the view around the bend at Tamarama Beach. Plunging rocks and crashing waves faced us while the wind whipped our hair as we climbed down the stairs and past a Technicolor mural entitled “Wonderland.” Apparently, this beach used to be some kind of amusement park back in 1877—complete with roller coasters, tight-rope walkers and even a lone penguin. I told Amanda and Jen that they’d be fit for the circus if it was still happening, but they didn’t find the joke as funny as me for some reason.

Around the corner we found (you guessed it!) another beautiful beach known as Bronte. The area’s even got it’s own freshwater creek and another set of baths for swimmers who prefer to be protected from strong ocean currents. It was time for a cup of joe, so we grabbed a latte from a little café to tide us over for the rest of the hike.

The next turn in the road led not to another beach, but to a cemetery. Set on a high cliff, an enormous graveyard overlooked the ocean. It felt creepy to me to walk by Waverly Cemetery and examine the sun-bleached, weathered gravestones. Some dated as far back as the 1800s and were impossible to read, while we spied others freshly carved from the 1990s. Jen, on the other hand, finds cemeteries interesting because she likes to read the stories on the grave markers and be in a place where people are remembering loved ones. I guess reading about others’ deaths is a fast way to bring you down to earth.

We made our descent to our final destination, Coogee Beach. It was less crowded than Bondi and had lots of little restaurants and grassy patches lining the sand to give it a laid-back air. At the southern tip were Wylie’s Baths, where the bargain price of about $3 scores you the chance to cool off with a dip after your scenic walk. Later in the week we’ll test the waters at another Coogee hotspot—the Coogee Bay Hotel, which boasts four different bars. Stay tuned…

Gallery: Coastal Walk

hollycassandra — Tue, 1 May 2007 13:46:00 GMT

bondie to bronte beach

All About the Anzac

hollycassandra — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 00:21:00 GMT

We'll admit it: As typical American's we had no idea what the heck Anzac Day was when we arrived in Australia two weeks ago. But by doing a little online research, we learned that ANZAC Day - 25 April - marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. Those landmark engagements demonstrated how Australia had truly become a nation unto itself--rather than just extention of the British Crown.

Thanks to dozens of friendly and patriotic Aussie backpackers we've met around the world, we've learned that the people in this country are very proud of their their history and way of life. They love their homeland, and on no day is this more apparent than Anzac Day.

We knew that we just had to join the millions heading out to celebrate their great nation (and a Wednesday off from work!) with a dozen pints and several times as many rounds of two-up. We decided to head over to The Beach Road Hotel on the early side and learn how to play before the place really got going.

Holly and I stationed ourselves around the edges of the game, which was already in screaming progress, and asked the guys around us to explain the rules. Fortunately, they seemed all too happy to help us get involved!

Six hours, fifty bets and a few cocktails later, Hol and I were on a roll, screaming like crazy--losing our voices, but winning big.

Eight hours, ten more bets and a few bottles of cheap beer later, we'd somehow lost all of our money but made a zillion new best friends!

Here's a short clip from our Anzac Day...are we having fun yet?

Picking Up the Van!

hollycassandra — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 21:44:00 GMT

Are you kidding us?!

We still can't believe that World Nomads is actually trusting us take possession of their freakishly tall, psychadelically decorated Amabassador Van. Its not that we're not responsible (totally trustworthy, we promise!)...its just that of the three of us, Holly is the only one who can actually drive a stick shift.

Our jaws basically hit the floor when the folks at Autobarn handed over the keys and told us that we'd have to figure out the manual transmission. We recovered long enough to take a tour of the van's cool features (two burner stove! sink with actual running water!) and film this video for the folks running the AB.

At this point, Jen and I still haven't taken over the driving duties, but we've promised Holly that we'll learn....soon. Can anyone recommend a good place to practice in Sydney before we take off for the Blue Mountains??

Gallery: Sightseeing in Sydney

hollycassandra — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 20:58:00 GMT

We Only Have Eyes for Sydney

hollycassandra — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 20:46:00 GMT

ADP: When the weather gods deliver a day as brilliant as the one we had yesterday in Sydney, it would be foolish not to spring out of bed and make the most of it.

Well, these Ambassador Girls don’t exactly “spring,” but we did manage to zip out the door by 10:00 am to grab a long black at Speedos Café in Bondi Beach. The place was packed to the rafters with sun-worships clad in sundresses, board shorts and bikinis, and we were slightly scandalized to see less spandex covering up the guy’s bottoms than the women’s. We were also shocked to note that the lithe and gloriously toned chicks wandering down the street were housing huge portions of French fries (or “chips” or “wedges” depending on where you’re from), yet they all looked like finalists from Australia’s Next Top Model. Mental note to the Ambassadors: Sign up for surfing lessons immediately and go running daily to neutralize calories from beer, cocktails and wine consumed nightly

After breakfast, it was time to hit the beach.

Maybe it was our ultra-pale skin, loud American accents or unabashed gawking, but we somehow managed to attract the attention of two massive lifeguards who were naked save four inches of navy fabric stretched across their important parts. Completely distracted by eight-pack abs and shoulders as wide as a Texas linebacker, I totally forget what their first words were. I recovered quickly enough to ask about “Backpacker’s Rip”….something that I’d heard about while watching my first episode of Bondi Rescue. They pointed in the direction of a group of surfers, but I’ll admit that I wasn’t exactly checking out the view of the water.

With the noontime sun beating down overhead (and no sunscreen in our bags), we decide to jump in the Ambassador Van and head check out those iconic Sydney sites that first captivated us eight years ago.

After graduating college in 2000, I went to New York City to work for NBC Sports Advertising Sales Department. My first assignment was to help assist with the Sydney Summer Olympics (rearranging the order of advertiser’s spots) and I probably watched 99.9 percent of the broadcast—including those incredible shots filmed of the Harbor Bridge, the Opera House and Circular Quay.

So, when I jumped out of the van and saw those images in living color for the first time, I was probably a little more thrilled than it’s cool to admit.

We spent the rest of the day checking out area at The Rocks (super touristy, but cute) and Circular Quay, polishing off the downtown experience with a glass of champers at the Opera Bar.

A great start in Sydney---here’s to many more experiences, drinks (and hottie lifeguards) to come.

From Lost Girls to Ambassadors!

hollycassandra — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 01:15:00 GMT

We—Holly, Jen and Amanda—have officially taken over as The World Nomads Ambassadors, a fabulous title that comes with more than a few precious perks. Not only have we snagged an unbelievable set of wheels (a totally pimped-out camper van emblazoned with more Technicolor logos than a NASCAR low-rider), a new Nokia phone, a fully-loaded Ipod and the very laptop we’re using to write this blog, we managed to convince the dream team behind the whole WN operation to spring for a three-martini lunch on Cockle Bay Wharf.

Do Sydneysiders—and indeed all Australians--greet every visitor with such flourish and panache? If so, we can’t wait to see what’s in store for us as we rumble through the continent over the next six weeks. In case this is the first time you’re checking out The Lost Girls on the World Nomads site, allow us to give you a (brief) backstory.

Jen, Holly and I are three Manhattan girls who quit our magazine and media jobs (insert Sex and the City references here) and left the States to travel the world for a full year. This many not sound all that unusual to you globetrotting Aussies, but as any American reading this entry could attest: it is wildly out of the ordinary for a trio of Yankees girls to go nomad for so long. Our parents were shocked. Our friends were confused. Our bosses didn’t know whether to congratulate us or fire us on the spot. Dealing with mass confusion aside, ditching our ordinary lives has turned out to be one of the very best decisions we’ve ever made.

Over the last ten months, we’ve visited five continents and more than a dozen countries including, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Kenya, India, the United Arab Emirates, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia and New Zealand. We’ve danced with half-naked Brazilian supermodel-types at the favela funk parties in Rio de Janerio, we’ve cleansed our auras (and learned a few yoga moves) at an Ashram in India and volunteered with a fabulous set of pre-teen students in Kitale, Kenya (You can read all about these madcap adventures at www.lostgirlsworld.blogspot.com).

Being a Lost Girl can be a blast, but starting now, we’re also embracing our roll as World Nomad’s cutest, best-dressed set of Ambassadors. We’re currently making plans to hit up—and write about—all locations we deem fabulous in and around Sydney, beyond the city limits and all the way up the East Coast. Check in with us every few days for updates on our adventures, Lost Girl recommendations and a few chick-on-the-street interviews. And if you witness us stalling out in our manual-transmission, 1999 World Nomads camper van, don’t just honk and wave….stop and say hello! We promise---you can’t miss us.

Xoxoxo,

Your Ambassador Girls

Lost in New Zealand: The South Island

hollycassandra — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:09:00 GMT

While New Zealand’s North Island plays host to the bulk of its population, many people believe that its Southern sister provides far more in the way of stunning natural settings, atmospheric small towns and brag-worthy adventure activities. Amused by the sibling rivalry and excited to indulge our inner adrenaline junkies, we decided to follow up our travels through the north—Auckland, Rotarua, Tongariro National Park and Wellington—with a two and half-week road trip through the South Island. We’re not saying which of NZ’s two half is the better one—but we’ll let this highlight reel speak for itself!

1.Bottom’s Up at the Top of the Island

(ADP): Almost as soon as we picked up our rental car (waiting for us in the ferry parking lot with the keys tucked behind the front bumper—how quaint!) we struck out for Marlborough Country, a region world renowned for the Sauvignon Blancs, Gewürztraminers, Reislings and Pinot Noirs, which ripen to utter perfection in its chilly marine environment. I’ve never been much of a vino aficionado—all that swilling and swirling and sniffing seemed far less interesting than the actual sipping part, but after learning that we’d be staying within walking distance of at least 50 wineries, I started to get into a Sideways frame of mind.

The girls and I borrowed bikes from the owners of our B&B (cheaper and more fun than paying $80 to get drunk with old folks on a tour bus) and hit up the first of several wineries. After sampling some of the world’s most exquisite reds and whites, I realized two things---1. The reason I’d never been much of a wine drinker is that I’d been wasting my taste buds on crap like Sutter Home and stuff that comes in a box or jug. 2. I was having an increasingly tough time staying upright on the top of my bike! The girls pulled over long enough for me to grab a sandwich from the local grocery store, and together we wobbled off in to the sunset.

2.Totally ‘WOW’ed by Nelson

(Jen): One of the best things about road trips is the ability to be completely spontaneous. While Holly, Amanda and I tried to stick to a tight schedule in order to fit in all the main South Island stops, an impromptu detour to the quaint and lovable city of Nelson reminded us that veering off course can sometimes be more fun. Ironically, what landed us in this town of eternal sunshine (seriously, Nelson holds the country’s record for the most clear days), was a sudden case of stormy weather. We had signed up for a 2-day hike/kayak trip in the nearby Abel Tasman National Park, but were greeted by a torrential downpour before we had a chance to step foot on the trail. As inclement conditions were considered rare in these parts, the tour guide suggested we hunker down for the night and try again the next day. Slightly bored by the string of one horse towns that fringed the National Park (or half horse towns as we liked to joke; we’re so funny!), the girls and I decided to make the 45 minute drive to Nelson to experience the lively arts, entertainment and coffee house culture that the city was so well known for. Little did we know just how lively the town’s art really was!

Intrigued by our Lonely Planet’s description of the World of Wearable Art & Collectable Cars Museum, we decided we had to check it out for ourselves. Although tiny in comparison to our favorite hometown art haunts - the Met, Guggenheim and Whitney – this funky, Nelson gallery packed a huge creative punch. Showcasing the highly imaginative, tactile and bizarre designs from New Zealand’s highly acclaimed Wearable Arts Award Show (held each September in Wellington); the WOW section of the museum is a dazzling spectacular of abstract fashion and avant-garde costumes, which included winners of the Bizarre Bra category. Amanda, Holly and I snagged “VIP” seats in front of an illuminated carousel turned catwalk for the collection of artfully adorned mannequins dressed in everything from chain mail lingerie and ball gowns made from boxes to glow in the dark handbags and multi-tiered skirts fashioned from astro-turf). When the fabulous fashion show was over, we headed to the other side of the building to check out the impressive display of vintage cars including a 1959 Pink Cadillac, a 1908 Renault and an E-type Eldorado.

We emerged from the museum feeling culturally satisfied, creatively stimulated and supremely happy that we opted to spend the day in Nelson rather than on a wet and muddy park trail. Plus, we had an entire evening ahead of us to relax, explore the town, grab dinner at a cute local café and maybe even hit up another vineyard or two for some more wine sampling. Just when we thought things couldn’t get better, the grey clouds overhead started to dissipate and the area’s famous sunshine made a surprise celebrity appearance!

3.To Hike Oar Not to Hike

(Holly): The weather may have took a turn for the worse the day the girls and I signed up for an overnight combo hiking-kayaking trip through Abel Tasman National Park (what’s the point of hiking if you can’t make out the scenery through the fog?), but we saw the bright side the very next day as the sun peaked out through the clouds.

So we set off in a water taxi to a remote part of the park and stopped along the way to watch seals sunning themselves on rocky islands. When we arrived at the drop-off point, we had a picnic on the beach (I’ve never eaten so many peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches in my life as I have this year). Then we walked for over four hours on a path that led past pristine beaches bordering the most emerald green water I’ve ever seen and lush rainforest.

It was dusk before we arrived at a proverbial fork in the road that lead to a communal hut containing bunks for about 30 people. A sign read “Stay right for high tide, left for low tide.” Not knowing where the heck the tide was, we opted to take the left. This, my friends, was one of those times when we should have taken the safe route. As we neared the bottom of a hill on the low-tide path, we discovered that it was completely flooded. And since we didn’t have enough time to retrace our steps before nightfall, we stripped down into our bikinis, carried our packs on our heads and waded through the chilly water. By now we’re accustomed to overcoming obstacles on the road (remember those cockroaches in our beds?), so we weren’t about to let a little water to stop us.]

Since there was no electricity at the hut and nothing to do, we dozed off immediately before waking at sunrise to head down to the beach (which was no longer flooded, f.y.i.). A boat had dropped off the remainder of our tour group so we could kayak the rest of the way back.

It was only two people per kayak, so I teamed up with a guy named Chris from England who was travelling with his two “mates” for a year (fellow Lost Boys!). It took us about five hours to make it back, but we stopped for a picnic lunch on the beach (and to periodically splash water on Jen and Amanda with our oars). High tides and dreary weather aside, I was sad when our trip through Abel Tasman came to an end—its speculator rainforests and azure-wave lapped beaches are Mother Nature’s gift to the world.

4.The Pirate Queens

(ADP): The Lost Girls love any excuse to get dressed up in wacky costumes, so when our kayaking captain mentioned that the annual Abel Tasman Pirate Bash was going off that night, we decided to crash the party in our swashbuckling best. Here’s what we pulled together, a look inspired by Jack Sparrow’s surly crew and executed entirely with crap pulled from the depths of our backpacks.

5.Freestanding Fruit

(HCC): I missed my favorite season this year—fall—because I was in Africa. But I still got to experience autumn because the seasons are reversed in the Southern hemisphere. And parts of New Zealand reminded me of Upstate New York—especially since the time was ripe for picking apples there. I bugged Jen to pull the car over as we sailed past orchard after orchard so I could buy apples from some of the help-yourself roadside stands. She reluctantly agreed, but became much more enthusiastic after she tasted the juicy fruit. There’s nothing better than an apple fresh off the tree, and New Zealand’s are especially sweet.

6.Blair Witch Beach

(Holly): We’ve made some pretty crazy pit stops during our Kiwi road trip—including stopping at the place where the Blair Witch Project was filmed. Just kidding! Seriously though, we pulled over for a bathroom break while driving down the coast to Queenstown and stumbled upon an eerie and beautiful beach. It was adorned with driftwood resembling human bones, the charred remains of bonfires and pale rocks arranged in creepy circular patterns.

There were tee-pee structures made of driftwood decorated with hanging stones tied by reeds. We couldn’t figure out what the heck they were for. Jen speculated that they were some kind of Maori offering. Amanda theorized they were a sacrificial burying ground. We could have stayed there for longer and really let our imaginations get away from us. But with the sun setting fast, we decided not stick around to find out.

7.Frozen Solid

(ADP): Clawing and pick axing one’s way up, over and through a huge melting mountain of ice may sound like an uncomfortably chilly way to spend an afternoon, but we totally dug our “hard core” climb on the blue tinged, 20,000 year old behemoth known as the Franz Josef Glacier. After getting suited up in a half-dozen layers of clothing (to defend against the elements), strapping crampons to our hiking boots (to prevent slip-sliding over the edge) and getting a crash course in glacier science (it’s blue because tiny air pockets only refract a certain wavelength of light), we trekked a few kilometres to the base of the beast and started our ascent. While it was definitely wet work, we felt pretty bad ass squeezing through the narrow crevasses and making forays through frozen caves such as this one. I loved acting like an ice princess, but my favourite part of the day was warming up with a massive bowl of chilli at the Landing Cafe later that night. Yum!

8.Road Rules

(ADP): Driving at night in New Zealand requires a certain kind of commitment. First, the “highways” really consist of unlit two-lane roads that careen around cliffs and whip around mountains, the kind that look fabulous in artsy car commercials but require 1000 percent of your attention lest you pull a Thelma and Louise and careen over the guardrail. Then there’s the wildlife: Rabbits and possums like to make their appearance once the sun goes down, and choose the very second that your vehicle is gunning down the road to make a mad dash in front of the tires (we were able to swerve most of the time, but one sickening crunch was enough to put us off our midnight snacks!).

For these reasons, and others I’m sure, Kiwis don’t really drive at night, but we had no idea that they locals actually hate and discriminate against nocturnal travelers until we visited the tiny town of Franz Josef Village. First, the reception desks at every single hostel had closed by 8:00pm, forcing us to pay nearly three times as much to check into the town’s resort hotel. When we tried to leave the next day after our hike, we found the only gas station locked up tight at around 7:30pm—the guy at the nearby service station actually seemed offended that we expected the place to be open. “Well what do you want….its the middle of the night?” Some of us actually like to get up early and get home early.” So, not to be deterred in our midnight trek, we coasted 100 km down the highway (most on fumes) and filled up at the one pump in the entire South Island that actually let you pay for gas by feeding bills into a machine. Apparently, even that pump didn’t like to be woken up from its deep sleep---it ate $20 of our money but spit out enough gas to fuel our ride to Queenstown.

9.Jet (Boat) Setting!

(Holly): Tours are like a box of chocolates: You never know what you’re going to get. Thankfully, the jet-boat excursion Amanda and I opted to go on in Queenstown was a blast. Our driver, a 21-year-old Kiwi who navigated Lake Wakatipu and the Shotover and Kawarau Rivers, got our feet wet as the boat hit speeds of 50 mph in water sometimes as shallow as four inches. While some passengers couldn’t keep from shrieking as he turned the boat in circles and narrowly missed granite boulders protruding from shore, we were pleasantly surprised by the joy ride. When it comes to speed, we say bring it on!

10.A Ring Around Queenstown

(Jen): Unless you’re living under a rock, it’s common, pop culture knowledge that Peter Jackson shot the internationally-acclaimed Lord of the Rings trilogy in his home country of New Zealand. But what the average tourist may not realize is that the dozens of stunning locations and natural wonders displayed in the films are being repackaged as ‘must see’ sites and served up as special movie tours by local companies across the North and South Islands. Practically every town in the country has jumped on the Hobbit bandwagon, cashing in on J.R.R. Tolkein’s epic tale through themed hikes, drives, boat cruises and even helicopter flights. And Queenstown was no exception!

Now, Holly, Amanda and I aren’t generally fond of hokey, guided excursions that we could just as easily do on our own, but when we heard about a four-wheel drive adventure tour offered through Nomad Safaris, we thought it’d be a fun way to see the area’s main attractions. As a hard core LOTR fan, I was happy to buy into the whole ‘walk in the footsteps of Hobbits, Elves and Dwarfs’ line, so I insisted that we pick the package that included fun facts and behind the scenes info about the local locations used in the three films. After a breathtaking, four-hour tour that wound up a steep, narrow dirt road to Skipper’s Canyon, ran above the Shotover River, took us off-roading through rushing creeks and provided gorgeous views of the famous Remarkables mountain range, we arrived back into town with a greater appreciation of the region’s natural beauty. Not to mention, a more in-depth knowledge of how and where specific LOTR scenes were shot. In case you’re interested, the accompanying photo of Holly, Amanda and me was taken at the river that Arwen (Liv Tyler) raced across on horseback as she fled the ring wraiths chasing her and Frodo (Elijah Woods).

11.The Queenstown Scene

(Jen): During our time on the road, Amanda, Holly and I have found that a city is often best defined by its people. And it didn’t take us long to discover that Queenstown’s laid back, extreme action and ‘totally radical dude’ culture cultivates a bad ass, yet carefree and seriously cool breed of residents. So when one of the hostel workers we’d befriended invited us to a house party he and his roommates were throwing, the girls and I happily accepted. Excited to replace the standard backpacker party fare of overcrowded clubs and beer soaked bars with a more authentic local experience, we met up with our new group of buds and headed into their hood. What started as a small get together soon erupted into an MTV Spring Break-worthy bash as neighbors, friends of friends and enthusiastic onlookers piled in to drink and dance the night away! A few hours and hundreds of candid snapshots later, Amanda, Holly and I headed back to our hostel to catch a few hours of sleep before hitting the adventure activities circuit in the morning. Were we worried about making it through the next day after a night of partying? No way! We’re Queenstown-ians now!

12.The Thrillogy

(ADP): Adrenaline junkies like my dear friend Jen seem to find hurling themselves out of airplanes and off of bridges to be good, harmless fun, so I wasn’t surprised when she told me that she wanted to sign up for AJ Hackett’s “Thrillogy,” three super sized bungee jumps that take place in and around New Zealand’s adventure capital of Queenstown. What did surprise me was the sound of my own voice, volunteering to do this insane thing with her. The night before our scheduled jumped, I was literally quaking between my sheets: when the time came to test both gravity and the strength of the cord tied to my ankle, could I really be counted on to take the leap? The answer—and lots more fun photos of me tweaking out—to be found in the next blog entry. Stay tuned!

13.Christchurch Chillin’

(Jen): Just like with Auckland, Christchurch was a city that many Kiwis and fellow backpackers told us not to waste too much time visiting. While the girls and I preferred to stay in Queenstown as long as possible, we were booked on a flight out of Christchurch, so it made sense to crash there for at least a night or two prior to our departure. As it turned out, The Lost Girls’ take on the city was a little different from all the ‘naysayers’ that had come before us. Lush botanical gardens, narrow, cobble stone streets, lively buskers, sweeping gothic steeples and colonial-era architecture gave Christchurch a unique and elegant charm that reminded us of Boston. Slightly burnt out from our 3 ½ week race across the country, Holly, Amanda and I greeted Christchurch with open arms. It was the perfect place for us to relax and refuel for a couple days before jetting off to Sydney. Between long jogs in the park, movies nights at the local cinema, a free buffet dinner at the city casino (hey, we had a coupon, alright!), beers at the neighborhood pub and impromptu photo shoots in town square, the girls and I perfected the art of Christchurch Chillin’ and arrived at the airport refreshed and excited to take on our last destination – Australia.

Stay tuned for The Lost Girls’ adventures Down Under!

- - - Amanda, Jen and Holly