The reality of being a frequent traveller is far from glamorous

Georgina Penney travels frequently. Picture: Georgina Penney Source: Supplied

AS WE ease back into the swing of things at work after days of sleeping in and soaking up the sun, it’s what many of us are dreaming about doing right now: Ditching the 9-5 job for a life of travel.

Australian traveller Georgina Penney followed her heart and did just this, spending seven years jetting around the world with her husband. The globetrotter has penned a book about her experiences called Fly in Fly Out and shares her tops tips for surviving frequent travel with news.com.au.

Never leave home without Vicks Vapor Rub. If I could ever give anyone a travel tip it would be that. I’m channelling the Windex obsessed dad out of My Big Fat Greek Wedding but seriously, don’t leave home without it. This is me giving you the beady eye here.

It might sound like some pretty odd travel advice coming from a supposedly sane 33-year-old Australian woman who spends well over a quarter of each year belting about the globe but if there’s one thing that travel teaches you, it’s that the basic things are the most important.

Why all this travel? Well, my guy works in the oil industry and the ongoing joke is that oil is only found where it’s extremely hot, extremely cold, extremely wet or just totally outrageous and it’s kind of true. (Think Brunei, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.)

She followed her heart. Picture: Georgina Penney Source: Supplied

And I genuinely love the lifestyle, but in the last seven-and-a-half years and three extra-large passports, I’ve come to a couple of conclusions about this travelling gig.

Firstly, the term jetsetting is far more glamorous than the reality. This is where the Vicks comes in. The minute I get on a plane, I shove a generous amount in each nostril. It effectively kills my sense of smell for hours. Just what you need when you’re in a tin can with no air holes and a lot of other human beings. Flight attendants do it and so can you.

Belait River, Borneo. Source: Supplied

Looking attractive while travelling in economy? Ha! No matter how much you try to stay nice on a long haul flight, your clothes will always end up stinky, your hair will look like Young Einstein’s and your breath will be doom ridden.

So give up. Instead of looking glamorous in flight, be comfortable. Wear your fancy stuff to and from the airport if you must but the minute you’re on board, my advice is yoga pants (*cough* pyjama pants) all the way.

Oh and take some extra strong mints in your handbag. You won’t regret it.

I won’t go into detail about only taking carry-on luggage. Just do it if you can. You’ll thank yourself for it when you swan out of the airport past all those people falling asleep at the baggage carousel.

And once you’re actually there?

Mulu Gunung National Park, Malaysia. Picture: Georgina Penney Source: Supplied

Don’t assume anything. Seriously don’t. Even if the place you’re visiting resembles your home country, there’s a good chance it won’t be anything like it underneath. Do your research and remember that unless you’re a celebrity, the reason you’re travelling isn’t to tell the world about you.

It’s so you can take a break from your life, understand the world better and maybe learn more about yourself along the way.

Ask questions, engage with your environment and try everything you can. And always, always remember that while Aussies are on the whole staunchly monolingual, most of the world can hear in English while speaking in their native language. Anything insulting you say will be recorded, relayed to the chef and passed onto your food.

Be nice! Picture: Georgina Penney Source: Supplied

And finally enjoy. Listen to the locals, listen to your fellow tourists, put down your cameras and just be.

Anyone who’s been to the Louvre, Angkor Wat or anywhere in between will have seen that kind of tourist who walks around everywhere with their phone or camera in front of their face.

Instead, why not take an opportunity to really notice the scenery, people watch for a little while and return home with a bunch of anecdotes you can be sharing for years instead of thousands of photographs you’ll lose when your hard drive crashes like mine did two years ago. (Lesson learned there!)

There’s nothing like travelling to expand your view of the world and make you realise that while we’re all a little bit different in super interesting ways, we’re all the same at heart.

So have fun. And don’t forget your Vicks!

Find out more about her book here.

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