Extreme Travelling

We did something today that we haven’t done whilst we’ve been away. We set off from Coffs Harbour without any accommodation booked at our next destination. For most people that is part of the travelling experience - rocking up at your next destination and finding somewhere to stay on your arrival. But to be honest that isn’t us. Free spirits we are not! We like to plan and know what is coming up over the next few days and more importantly how much of our budget is left. Not knowing where we are going to be next month gives me headaches so not knowing where I’m going to be spending the next night doesn’t bare thinking about! Some of you may be asking ‘why now?’ as we have been travelling for over two months. Well if you hang on a sec, I’ll tell you. The main reason is because of those damn KiwiRunners. Those guys just didn’t give us enough spare time to sort anything out. They kept us too busy!! Internet was available but because of all the planned activities we didn’t get a chance to do anything productive let alone browse the bbc news. When we did finally get a moment there wasn’t much accommodation available, mainly because it’s holiday season and the stuff that was available was just too expensive.

So we got up early, anxious after a sleepness night worrying that we’d end up spending the following night in some drug den, and hit the road before sunrise. Part of the reason why accommodation was so expensive was because we wanted to stay in Byron Bay, one of Australia’s premier seaside resorts; popular with families, surfers and backpackers alike. To imagine Byron Bay think Newquay, but with good weather and a lot more crowded.

As soon as we started driving into Byron Bay our worst fears began coming to life. Motel after hotel after hostel. All with no vacancies. Even the man in the information centre said our plight was hopeless. He even suggested a nearby dog kennels who sometimes have spare beds for struggling backpackers. Just as we were contemplating moving on from Byron Bay, we struck gold. The Backpacker Inn. Right on the beach, with its own swimming pool, free bike hire and free surfboard hire. All of this for only $70 per night (£40). One of the most expensive places we’ve stayed so far, but we’d take it and for three nights if only so we could put off going through this stressful experience for another few days!!