I love a good adventure but after enduring spartan conditions trekking in Nepal and Tanzania, I have decided I need some creature comforts when travelling.
My friends would probably say I'm a five-star princess - but I'm not really - because I love seeing new places, meeting interesting people and getting out of my comfort zone.
When we travel around Australia we often drive and much to my husband's disgust, I load up the car with a few items I can't do without.
Coffee - I drink bucketloads of coffee - short black - and several years ago, my friends bought me a small Nespresso that I travel with. It saves money and it is funny how everyone graduates to my room every morning! I have now learnt to take dozens of pods as suddenly it is a great idea!
My pillow - no matter how awful the motel mattress is, as long as I have my own pillow I sleep.
Travel-sized cosmetics - I keep a sponge bag packed ready to go and replace items as I run out. If I don't do this, I inevitably leave something behind which I then have to purchase. I also have all of it packed in clear plastic ziplock bags - I made the mistake once of throwing everything in together and Fiji customs took it off me because it wasn't in plastic ziplock bags.
Track pants, oversized windcheater, slippers - if you've been travelling all day or out walking around the sights, a hot shower, comfie clothes and a glass of red is a great reviver.
So I am about to launch on our latest driving adventure - culminating in the Birdsville races next Saturday.
We leave tomorrow - a group of us - to travel the almost 2000km via Nyngan, Cunnamulla and Windorah supposedly arriving next Friday at Birdsville for the big race day on Saturday.
There are no places to stay out there and accommodation is a caravan or tent, along with several thousand other people, many of whom have flown in on private aircraft.
Anyway, in for a penny, in for pound...I've packed my RM Williams boots and Akubra for the race day, preparing myself to be covered in red desert dust!
Love an adventure!