Most Kiwis go to Europe for a good 4-6 weeks or more — you need that long to get over the long haul flights, especially if you’re travelling economy.
Like life, travelling is a lot easier if you don’t have too much baggage.
But can you really travel for months at a time with just carry-on?
Former NPDC councillor and ex-SAS soldier, John “Horse” McLeod (73), has been to almost half (80-90) of the roughly 197 countries in the world.
Most of these trips he done with just his allotted 7kg carry-on bag.
Last year he and partner Susie spent three months (Sep – Nov) in Greece, Sicily, South Western Italy (Naples, Herculaneum), South Eastern Italy (Puglia — the ‘heel’ of the ‘boot’), Corfu, Romania (from bottom to top – near Ukraine border), Uzbekistan (from Capital of Tashkent right through the country to the Aral Sea in the north), & South Eastern Turkey area.
“Sue reckons it’s not so much a holiday when traveling with me it’s more of an adventure,” Horse laughs.
“We did 26 airports on our latest trip and just taking carry-on saved us so much time and hassle.”
They use all modes of travel (plane, bus, train, ferry, car) and like seeing the unusual.
“I love history & archeology — hence going to areas that many don’t go to, and a lot of World Heritage sites. But we still go to a lot of the usual as well.”
Preparation
Horse’s administrative background for the military comes in handy with preparations for each of his trips.
“I’ve administered for over 1000 people over a two week period — fed, watered and moved them,” so planning a three month holiday for two isn’t a problem. He spends about three months in his spare time, researching and planning each trip.
Day-to-day itineraries are produced with colour-coding for transportation details, documentation, and 24 hour clock times.
Every day of their ’24 European trip was planned, including ‘rest days’ so there was some flexibility to stay in an area longer than originally scheduled.
The only things that weren’t flexible were the dates they had to leave.
All documentation was printed out and carried in a readily accessible plastic folder as well as stored on his phone.
“You can’t always get wifi at the places you may need to show documents and some airlines like to have a hard copy,” he explains.
“Each document I print out in English on one side, and the local language on the other side.
“Say you’re at an airport and you want a taxi to your hotel, you give the taxi driver that sheet and he looks at it in his own language and understands immediately.”
It means that of Horse’s 7kg luggage allocation he has to allow 500gms for the paperwork. The bag itself weighs under 500 grams when empty, which means his actual luggage weighs just 6kg.
“As I finish with each document I get rid of them.”
He also has a list of sites he wants to see, how to get there, how long it will take and proximity to accommodation.
For accommodation he uses booking.com as “they offer a lot of good deals and they are reliable. If something goes wrong they sort it out immediately.”
Accommodation booking and payment is done prior to leaving and you can usually get a full refund if you give adequate notice.
“We use mid-range hotels, bnb’s, apartments, whatever.”
BnB’s can be a great way to meet locals, who are usually keen to share local knowledge and tips. If you’re willing to stay in a private room or on a shared property you can save money too.
“I do like having a 24 hour front desk for when you first arrive in a new country as sometimes your flight will come in late at night.”
He also books and pays for all transfers, train and ferry bookings before leaving New Zealand, if he can.
Depending on where you’re travelling, it can be cheaper to book locally, turn up and hope for the best, if you have that flexibility to your schedule.
For flights, Horse recommends skyscanner.co.nz as a good guide (giving dates/times, pricing & various airlines).
“The site, should only be used as a guide … book your flights with the airline and their official website only,” he recommends. “This website also shows other agents, (outside official airlines) that may show cheaper prices, but when it comes to the crunch, it’s always better to book directly through an airlines site.”
Jan/Feb is the best time to pick up deals from the major airlines and they are worth waiting for, sometimes getting as much as a $1000 saving for two return airfares.
Timing
“Do not travel mid-year to Europe — it’s the height of the tourist season and for most Taranakians it is just too hot and too crowded plus everything is more expensive. The shoulder seasons (March – May or Sep – Nov) are the time to go, with pricing dropping by about a third of peak season pricing.
“The weather’s still great, the water’s still warm but you don’t have to put up with extreme heat or bustling crowds. The locals are also happier to see you.”
Packing
Everything Horse and Susie take is multi-purpose — including their bags. They can be carried like a suitcase, or worn as a backpack. Make sure your bag opens suitcase-style over a traditional ‘backpacking’ bag — you never want to have to pull everything out to find one item and then have to tetris it all back in.
They don’t take a camera — just a phone that takes great photos, with one charger between both of them.
“You also have to be prepared for conditions. Like rain, or if you’re climbing up mountains, or going to an area that’s quite cold.”
Take two pairs of long pants, Horse reckons — one good pair of jeans you can wear out to dinner, and a pair of cargo pants — those multiple pockets come in handy (especially if they have hidden internal ones), and you can unzip the lower legs and voila, they are shorts.
They both favour Skechers Shoes (“they’re really good for walking”) — black, to hide any dirt.
A shirt with hidden inside pockets to stash cash and passports.
“You don’t want to be carrying a bum bag (too noticeable) or something around your neck (uncomfortable).”
One jacket, but a versatile one that you can unzip the liner and wear as a lightweight jacket, and/or unzip the sleeves and wear as a vest. Yes it may be bulky but you don’t put it in your bag … you carry it with you.
For women, pick a colour palette (neutrals are great), and lay out all your clothes as outfits before you pack. Every item should be able to be worn with at least two other items — if it doesn’t fit into at least three outfits, don’t pack it. Two pairs of shoes are enough, three if you must — one pair of super comfy trainers that will stand up to a bit of hiking or exploring, a pair of casual shoes IF your trainers are a bit too shoddy or ugly to wear to restaurants or bars, and a pair of sandals for beach days, really hot days, or going to restaurants.
A Turkish towel (thin cotton) can be used as a sarong, a scarf, beach towel and blanket on the plane.
Horse also takes a simple day pack that rolls up very small, so that if they do a day trip they can just take what they’re going to need for the day.
A convertible backpack or cross-body bag is another option — especially one that has both a zip AND is then folded over to be buckled, so it can’t be easily pick-pocketed from. Bonus, it’s also usually small enough that most airlines will let you take it onboard as your ‘personal item’. You can put your small, heavy things, like chargers, in here, and it is generally never weighed.
Horse also loads up on US dollars or Euros, depending on where he’s going. It saves time and fees and the hassle that can come from not being able to easily access cash, especially if you’re in a non-English speaking country where even the ATMs don’t offer English options.
They take two debit cards each too so they can always top up next time they need to.
If they want to take gifts home they buy a check-in bag at their last destination, along with souvenirs, then bring it on the flight home.
Packing Tips
- Use the inside of shoes to stow any fragile items, socks and underwear.
- Limit socks and underwear to maybe 3 of each, and get used to doing laundry
- Packing cubes are ideal to organise your belongings and compress them, making better use of space, but they also add to your overall bag weight so may not be worth it.
- Get sample sizes of toiletries — basics only
- Wear heavier items on the plane to lighten your bag
- Pack materials that don’t need ironing and are quick to dry
- Take a crushable hat
Tips for saving you money, hassles and time:
- Watch out for pickpockets in crowded places (ie trains/metros), don’t flash your cash or wear valuable jewellery or watches, and dress down so you are less noticeable
- when using ATMs have your partner watching out for you while making a transaction. Use an ATM inside a bank if you can.
- Don’t exchange money at an airport if you can help it (the fees are a rip-off).
- Dine out a few streets away from major tourist sites and eat where the locals eat (much cheaper).
- Abide by local customs, particularly when visiting mosques or churches.
- Drink plenty of water in hot environments.
- On using Taxis, always check/agree on a price before you ride.
- Have a photocopy of your passport and keep it in a separate place from your real document.
- Before heading to airports ensure things such as laptops/phones etc that customs officers want to view are handy & easy to get at.
Try a Walking Tour
If you’re travelling to a city you know little about, try and do one of the free walking tours on your first day. They usually start about 9 or 10 in the morning, are recommended by hostels and other budget accommodation providers, but can easily be googled, and last 2-3 hours. It’s a great way to identify the tourist hot spots, bookmark things you want to come back and see in more detail, and meet other travellers. As opposed to the pre-booked, GetYourGuide/Viator tour groups, the tours tend to be a bit more casual and genuine, and the guides are often travellers themselves who are happy to share tips.
Handy Apps
- Airalo – e-sim to get you mobile data without needing to buy a local sim or pay roaming rates
- Transit – free public transport app, amazing for navigating big cities
- Wise – travel debit card and app – make transfers and convert currencies on the app, and use either your card (or your phone wallet) to pay
- Hostelworld – for backpackers and those looking to stay in shared accommodation/meet other travellers
- * Whatsapp – you can call on it using wifi, and often times the contact for businesses or accommodation providers is a Whatsapp number.
Abiding Memories:
An English speaking Customs Officer in Uzbekistan,(whose dream country is NZ) on seeing Horse’s NZ passport, called him “BRO”.
Traveling in the countryside in Southeastern Turkey, miles from the nearest city or town, and having traditional meals with the local farm folk in small cafe-like places, then hiking up Mt Nemrut (2150m), to view, gigantic statues of Gods and Kings that surround an ancient Kings Tomb. The view from the top was also spectacular.
The Merry Cemetery in Northern Romania (close to the Ukraine border), where all the headstones are made of wood and painted blue. Each headstone has a painted picture of the person & tells their story on the front & back. The church there has some of the most outstanding religious hand painted artwork, both inside and out.
Exploring the Greek Islands
The sun-drenched beaches, crystal clear blue waters, picturesque villages and rampant history make Greece a must-do destination for many Kiwis heading to Europe.
Horse has been there around a dozen times now and on this trip he and Sue visited Athens and Meteora, a rock formation in Thessaly where 24 monasteries were established atop the giant natural pillars.
They also spent three weeks exploring four of the Greek Islands they hadn’t been to before: Naxos, Paros, Chios and Samos.
“All four islands are well worth the visit. Great Beaches and plenty to see.
“Naxos would be the more ‘touristy’ but in my view is way better than the likes of Santorini or Mykonos. That said, you can still find a peaceful, quiet little village and beach in such places if you look hard enough.”
He recalls one perfect day they had, taking the ferry from Naxos to Paros.
“The weather was warm, the sea calm, then strolling down the waterfront at Paros gazing at windmills, blue domed churches and ancient ruins.
“We checked into our hotel just on the edge of the town, and had a balcony overlooking the beach. We spent the afternoon relaxing on the beach, swimming in warm water & sun bathing.”
The day was capped off with wine and dinner on the hotel beach frontage, watching a brilliant Aegean sunset, with yachts silhouetted against the sea & sky.
Chios was his favourite of the four Greek Islands they visited this trip.
“We really enjoyed visiting the small villages scattered throughout the island, such as Pyrgi and Mesta. Each village has its own different architectural style, along with being very traditional with friendly locals.”
Chios now joins Horse’s list of top Greek Islands, along with Crete, Delos, Rhodes, Corfu, and Kos.
Maybe get an Acropolis at night image from iStock?
“We’ll grab a wine and meal at one of the small Taverna tucked away in the cobblestone alleyways, then take a night stroll past the Acropolis, which is all lit up, and it’s accompanied ruins, like The Odeon of Herodes Atticus.”
Meteora, a World Heritage Site in Greece, has magnificent 14th Century Monasteries perched on top of huge rocky pinnacles.
Word of warning: don’t go to Meteora on a Monday as many of the monasteries are closed, meaning there are massive crowds at the few that are open.