M-whY

I arrived at the airport well before my flight was scheduled to take off. This gave me some time to reflect on my 26 days in New Zealand. I had mixed feelings on leaving. On the one hand, there's so much to do in here. I hadn't made it to Dunedin or Stewart's Island. I didn't get a chance to see the penguins or the albatrosses. Nor had I done the Trans Coastal and Trans Alpine railways. When travelling on a budget, it's important to remember you can't see it all. Enjoy the things you do, and don't worry about the things you miss.

However, I was a bit glad to be moving on. I had done just about everything I had wanted to do, and enjoyed them all immensely. Tops on my list were the glaciers, Milford Sound, and the Tongariro Crossing. They were all spectacular, just like the pictures in my guidebook. Rotorua's geothermal attractions were a must see as well. Anyone visiting New Zealand must include those in their itinerary.

If I ever returned to New Zealand, I'd hope to be back with a larger wad of cash. Tourism is the biggest industry in the country, and the there's an endless amount of activities available to one with deep pockets. The Trans Alpine railway, which I've already mentioned, travels through scenic mountains of the South Island, for a round trip price of about $150 NZ. Adventure sports, like white water rafting, bungee jumping, and skydiving, are not cheap either. Missing out on these don't bother me at all though. Like I said, you can't do it all.

The plane to Sydney was packed. I didn't have the whole row to myself like my previous flights. I sat next to a woman from Singapore, who had been working in New Zealand on a working holiday for the past few months. She was taking a few days off from work to visit friends in Australia.

"Hmm, should I declare my soy sauce and vegetable oil as food items?" I wondered aloud as I filled out my customs form.

"Why not, it can't hurt to be safe," she suggested. "They probably won't care anyways."

We arrived at Sydney a few minutes ahead of schedule.

"So did you have to apply for a lot of visas before you left home?" she asked as we touched down. In our conversation about travelling, I had told her my ambition to travel the world.

"Well, I guess I'm lucky since I'm travelling with an American passport. I don't need visas for a lot of countries, and most others I can get them as I go."

Right after saying this, I realized how easy Americans have it. I've met so many European, Israeli, and Japanese travellers. In a hostel, it's not uncommon to hear half a dozen conversations going on, none of them in english. (And conversations that ARE in english have a heavy british or australian accent.)

How come there aren't more Americans on the road?

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!