Hello from Rarotonga!

I touched down in Rarotonga at about 7 AM local time. The weather here is a perfect 80 degrees and there is a nice ocean breeze coming off the island. I spent the morning walking along the nearly empty beach and taking everything in. I think I could've stood in the water all day.

 

As for the rest of the day-I'll be taking it easy for the rest of the day and settling in. I'm going to get a group of people together and hike the cross-island trail. It looks to be about 5 miles and there are some fantastic views and even has a waterfall at the end!! Keep your eyes open for some great pictures in the next couple days!

 

Brandon

 

Hello World!

Welcome to the Blog! My name is Brandon and I'll be chronicling my adventures here.

Starting today, I am embarking on a 2 month journey. I'll spend a week in the Cook Islands, a month in New Zealand and a month in Indonesia. I've got my plane tickets booked and a hostel reservation for the start of my trip, but other than no real plans or ideas on what I'll be doing. I've gotten tips from friends who have traveled to those areas who have given me tips and of course guide books to help me along.

This is my first time backpacking. For any of you readers who have never traveled or remember your first time leaving, it can be pretty intimidating. One of the best sites I found on packing for travel is here. The three big takeaways I got from this were:

1. Pack light, the lighter you are the more flexibility you have to move around.
2. You can always buy/discard items on the road, so if you're not sure if you need to take something- leave it behind.
3. The best time to pack for a trip is right after your return with all the lessons you've learned :).

Here are the contacts of my pack:

And with that I am off! Farewell and wish me luck!

Brandon