Hi all! I decided to make a fun photo and use it as a new featured photo in my travel albums landing page. I thought it would be cool if it was a pile of old maps and travel stuff…

My travel junk… or is it memories?

To be honest, I could have done a better job technically, and used some flashes and stuff, its a bit unevenly lit.. but anyway. I have a heap of travel books, maps and old stuff lying around which I got from my many travels. It turned out to be more about reflection on travel experiences than anything else! You can click on the image to make it larger. Some of the stuff in there includes:

• My collection of travel books… I currently have 40+ Lonely Planet books. I just ordered another one, ‘Great Britain’. Although my favorite which I use for inspiration is Lonely Planet’s ‘The Travel Book’, its super cool and has a couple of pages for every country in the world. Lonely Planet
• Some Polish money which I got from a friend while on university exchange in Norway… Never actually been to Poland yet. Although I’m told I’m going this summer :s.
• A gangster style roll of Vietnamese money. We have been there so many times, and always have lots of notes left over. Due to inflation the roll is worth about 4 bucks… and not worth stealing.
• Some iron-on patches. About 10 years ago I thought it would be cool to have patches from all the places I visited all over my bag.. never happened, and now I don’t like the idea.. Anyone want some patches?
• The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek flyer. This is from Cambodia, where we visited the sights of Pol Pot’s regime. Very chilling, and worth a visit. Thousands of people were murdered here with primitive tools, include women, children and babies. See here for more information. We also went to s21, the school that was converted to an execution processing center. See here for more information.
• Some boarding passes for an Etihad flight. Not a huge fan of Etihad, but its who we used to relocate to Germany from Australia just over a year ago now.
• A trail map of ‘Mueller Hut Route’ in New Zealand. Many years ago, my friend and I hiked up to the Mueller Hut, in the Mt Cook region of New Zealand. We camped on the snow at around 2000m. Interestingly, 30mins from the hut lies Mt Oliver. This was the first peak that Sir Edmund Hillery ever climbed. He would later be the first to scale Mt. Everest in 1953. See here for more info.
• Fraser island map. Fraser Islands has world heritage listing and is one of the biggest sand islands in the world. Located just off the coast of Harvey Bay in Australia, its a magnet for holiday makers, and 4WD enthusiasts. Its great for camping and the interior lakes are crystal clear and incredible for swimming. Info
• Da Lat city map. Da Lat is one of my favorite places in Vietnam. This mountainous village is nice and cool, and has great markets. Its famous for its flowers and fruits, and there are also a number of waterfalls to see in the region. Best way to see it is by renting a motorbike. Info
• Japan rail card. No visit to Japan is complete without experiencing the bullet trains. The train system in Japan is among the best in the world. Its quite expensive, but get a JR rail pass when you visit to have access to anywhere in the country. Info
• My trusty GPS. This is an older one now, but you can still load all kinds of maps to it. Great for exploring. I bought this tax free on board M/S Norröna while in international waters, headed for Iceland. Info
• Faroe Islands bus schedule. Public transport is pretty efficient in Denmark. Even on its extreme territories, there is good public transport. The Faroe Islands has a population of just 25,000 people, and yet taking the bus was a good way of getting around. Info

So whats next?

Well I certainly plan to continue my travels long into the future! There are so many places still to see and experience! This summer I plan to get some short trips in around central Europe. We also plan to visit the UK this summer for a couple of weeks. I really want to see Scotland. In autumn, I have no idea… but I know we are hosting Christmas this year in Bavaria.. Something about a visit to Vietnam in February for Tet, lets see what happens. Here is my ultimate bucket list for the next 3-5 years!

1. A visit to Greenland – min 4 weeks
2. A visit to Iceland – minimum 2 weeks
3. A visit to Borneo – min 2 weeks
4. Take the Trans-Siberian railway to Beijing
5. A visit to the Pacific Islands – min. 4 weeks
6. A visit to Burma – 2-3 weeks
7. Visit the Falkland Islands and South Georgia
8. Visit North Africa, including Tunisia and Morocco.
9. A visit to St. Petersburg
10. A visit to Croatia and Greece.
11. A visit to Costa Rica
12. A visit to Patagonia.

Looks like I’ll be busy! Happy shooting and hope you enjoyed my memories!

Oh yes, nearly forgot! Here is where I used the photo! Travel Photography