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Regarding blinders Bohemia, the thing with blinders is when you have them on you can't see them. I only have to take a quick look at your blog to find an obvious example.

"we only spent 2 weeks in Australia and really wished we had a few extra weeks to explore the outback and west coast. Unfortunately both New Zealand and Australia required proof of onward travel upon entering the country so we had to set dates in advance of our trip."

How do you think that differs from my Pamplona example above? 'Oh gee, we would like to stay longer but we have a reservation............'

In fact, you could have stayed longer. You could have changed your onward ticket; you could have thrown it away; you could have arrived without an onward ticket booked.

Onward travel is often cited as a reason for a booking. In fact, it is not a blanket REQUIREMENT by a country. It is simply a way to try and identify illegal workers. I rarely have an onward ticket when I arrive somewhere. I have never been asked to prove I intend to travel onward. Immigration do NOT have to enforce it and in fact rarely ask about it. It is ONLY when they are suspicious that they use it as a way to try and identify your real purpose in coming to their country.

Often it is the airlines who insist on a return or onward ticket. Why? Because if you are denied entry they can be fined and have to return you to your starting point. So they 'cover their ass' by insisting you have an onward or return ticket. I simply find another airline.

It is NOT illegal to arrive in Australia, NZ or anywhere else without an onward ticket. But if asked about onward travel you have to convince immigration that you intend to leave the country again. The EASIEST way to do that is to produce an onward ticket. It is NOT the only way. It is all about intent. What they perceive your intent as being. Refusing you entry because you do not have proof of onward travel is a simple way for them to do so. But it is NEVER the actual reason you are being denied entry. It is ALWAYS suspicion of something.

But that's a side issue. Even if it were actually required it still doesn't mean you have to leave on that day. You could have changed your ticket or threw it away. YOU imposed that limitation on your time in Australia on yourself. I'd have stayed till I was ready to go or some REAL limitation like the maximum time allowed as a tourist ran out.

There is a lot of good advice in your blog Bohemiana but I think you might consider your own advice, "learn from our mistake"

You suggest the mistake was only booking 2 weeks in the case of Australia. I suggest the mistake was booking a specific time period at all. What if you had been ready to leave in 1 week? You would then have spent a week just waiting for your flight to move on. Equally as bad.

There is nothing wrong with researching places you think you would like to visit. There is nothing wrong with taking that info with you when you go. There is nothing wrong with trying to get some feel for how much money you will need for the maximum amount of time you have available. But when you get on that first plane my advice is to throw the itinerary out the window (figuratively of course).

I have done a fair bit of travel in my life and learned over time as I said earlier, that where you go doesnt' matter. Whether you get to everywhere on the list you made or never get beyond the first place on the list doesn't matter. What matters is how much enjoyment/experience or whatever, you get out of each day you are away.

I would NEVER have left Australia before I was ready to leave. I was travelling once and ended up on a Greek island simply because when I asked a bartender in Athens which island I should visit he named the island. I arrived on that island expecting to spend perhaps a week (7 days) there before moving on. I stayed for 7 years. While there I would sometimes get asked by tourists who heard I had been there several years, what made me decide to stay. I honestly answered that I never decided to stay, I just hadn't decided to leave yet. In fact when the time came that I did leave, I packed up and was gone in a week.

I realize not everyone is free to stay somewhere for 7 years but you are free to stay for as long as you legally can and move on only when you want to move on. The mistake Bohemiana is giving up that freedom.

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Travelinstyle--I have many places on my blog where I have written the exact words, "Learn From My Mistakes." However, budgeting is one area that I feel I didn't make very many mistakes based on the travel style my husband and I choose to do.

But this isn't a Which travel style is better? post. This was a post from someone who asked specific questions about budgeting.

Good luck OP, there's tons of great info out there. You'll have a great time on your trip!

I'm out.

Edited by: Bohemiana

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Thanks so much for your feedback everyone.

I normally travel for a set amount of time (whether that is 2 weeks or 3 months) and with a good idea of the places I want to go but with the option of flexibility if needs be. So for me knowing how much to save for a trip for a set amount of time is important. In the past I have always looked into detailed costs for each city or region but it is interesting to see how other people think about and plan their budget.

Thanks for all your replies, a lot of food for thought in there :)

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If you want a ballpark budget number g_girl, nothing could be easier. Plan on 50 euros per person per day not including transportation costs. That is an average basic number that will be sufficient for a backpacker pretty much anywhere.

Bohemiana, the original topic or question does not limit responses. Often a thread takes on a life of it's own. Suggesting that responses should be limited to specific questions asked is simple minded. If someone asks for directions to a cliff edge I don't tend to give them without first asking why they want to go there. Or using a more relevant example, if someone asks the price of the Rocky Mountaineer train trip from Vancouver to Banff, Canada, I do not give them the answer without also advising them that most consider it a waste of money and that more can be seen and done if you hire a car and drive the route. Often people ask questions based on the information and/or experience they have. Sometimes there are other questions they should be asking but are not aware of. I don't assume everyone knows what they are doing or that alternatives exist.

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My own travel philosophy may not be entirely synchronised with that of travelinstyle, but he is spot on in this instance. I for one am glad that he offers an alternative method of travel, and more importantly an alternative view of travel and what it means.

It opens your eyes to a lot of things, not least keeping your options open when you embark upon a lengthy trip. If people kept their opinion to themselves then this forum wouldn't be such a rich and diverse place to ask and discuss your questions.

Edited by: Andy87