This is a travel website. I write about travelling, my misery when I'm not travelling, food, hiking, tramping (if I'm in NZ), backpacking, food, my dog (Prada!) and what else.... oh yeah food! What I'm never going to do is write a blog post on what to wear for 48 hours in Venice. 

​There are reasons for that which I will extol below, however mostly I know you're smarter than that. I know you have heard of Google, and I know you probably aren't 20. Most of my followers are a little like me, over 30, have some experience and are slightly squidgy round the edges. If you are going to Venice I'm pretty sure you can work out your wardrobe!

Everywhere I look at the moment travel bloggers (particularly female ones) seem to be embracing the "what to wear 'insert somewhere really cool that will get a good SEO hit'" blog posts. I'm never going to do that and here's why:

• You've seen me right?? I'm not exactly the type that should be giving fashion advice. I was in my youth very much in love with fashion, and while I do still love it, after my house burnt down when I was 21 (wow that's 30 years ago!) I learned very quickly that what you're wearing has no effect at all on your experiences. If you want to wander Venice looking like a bag lady - I'm right there with ya sister!
• It's all relative. Fashion advice is like talking to someone about what religion they are. Its fashion. Its opinionated and its relative to your age, style, economic status and care factor. If you want to wander the streets of Venice in your red stilleto's - my knees won't cope with that so you're on your own sister!
• You don't need to have insta worthy photo's of yourself in the latest fashion wandering the sights in Venice to have the most amazing time. A stunning pashmina isn't going to change your experience unless its something you can stuff in your bag in the middle of the day and bring out again in the evening to cover  your shoulders against the cool evening air, so your day can evolve on a moments notice. Then it would be a magical pashmina cause boy do those things crease! 
  
• Spending money on your wardrobe to travel just flat out doesn't make sense. Sure if you need something that you will wear at home anyway, go for it. Unfortunately I so often see people completely hooked into thinking that if you don't wear the "appropriate" clothing you aren't fully embracing the experience. My sister and I walked the Camino Frances a few years ago. It was one of the best experiences of my life and apart from a pair of wraps we bought from Zara when it started to get cool, we walked it in our everyday clothes. Not a pair of hiking pants or boots between us. And you know what - we made it the entire way and I know some who were kitted out as if on an excursion to base camp who did not. 
  
• Time! I can hear you scoffing but time is a MAJOR factor in fashion choices on the road. I'm going to change the names and locations to protect the fashionista, however I was in Venezuela in a hostel and was heading to a day out hiking. A girl in my dorm was doing the same experience however she needed 45 mins to get ready. Now sure 20 of that was the make up, but the other 20 was selecting her clothing for the day. My life is too short to be spending 20-45 minutes every day selecting an outfit and getting ready. OMG - that is 273 hours in a year!

So laugh away - but you can see I did have an interest in fashion once (even though the 80's would be the most fashionless decade of them all).

Clothes you are comfortable in, that will serve a dual purpose. For example: I have a pair of black pants that are not stretch pants but they are stretchy. They are great for hiking, walking, cold weather and a good restaurant. 

A fantastic pair of shoes that you can walk in for days - also always in my bag or on my feet. Check out my fave Altra's from Wild Earth. 

I always have thongs (flip-flops to you non Aussies) for showering or casual beach and bar wear. I almost NEVER have hiking sandals. They are too big, too ugly (see I am a fashionista after all!) and I have nasty feet so its important my feet stay strong and walking in something that is equivalent to being barefoot is essential for me to maintain that strength.

A lightweight cardigan will never let you down. I have a merino grey cardigan that is so light and will survive scrunched at the bottom of my pack for days. I also have a wrap which is also my sarong and also my towel (if I need it) and also my headscarf and also my beach blanket. Between the cardigan and the wrap I can be warm enough for anything that doesn't require a puffer (and I get cold). 

There are a lot of things you go without to travel. It's not just saving for your next trip, its the decisions you have to make while traveling that often mean missing out on experiences you love for no other reason than you can't do everything. Well I can't do everything... my funds just don't stretch to that I'm afraid.

I'm always making choices based on what I really want to do and experience but none causes me the pain that missing out on live music does. When I was in Mali I made sure I experienced some live Mali music, they are globally famous so that would have been silly to miss, however forgoing my fave band at home in the saving process is absolutely torturous for me. Music, after travel is my favorite thing. 

So when my absolutely all time favorite band The Butterfly Effect, announced that after 5 years of being split up, they were doing a reunion tour, -OMG - nothing was keeping me away. Well almost nothing... I was still overseas when the tickets went on sale and in the time difference and the slow internet kerfuffle, I missed out on Brisbane tickets. I was DEVASTATED! They are Brisbane boys and I couldn't imagine what crowd could possibly be better than a Butterfly Effect home venue. Still, there was no way I was missing out so I bought tickets for Fremantle (being the next most grungiest venue on the tour) and to Perth we did go.

Turns out - I shouldn't have been concerned. While their fans are always crazy this crowd was one of the maddest crowds I've ever seen. Anyone who knows me knows that is a HUGE statement. I've been to so many of the worlds biggest and smallest bands, from solo artists to complete orchestras and I have seen some truly amazing things. Not even my K-Pop night in Seoul could rival this truly mental Fremantle crowd. 

Not only was I transported back to my pub and club working years, I was back in a venue (although refurbished and renamed) that I'd sang, rocked and head-banged to bands like Hunters and Collectors, Violent Femmes and The Angels.  TBE were giving it everything they had, which is in fact their trademark, however the energy reflected back from the crowd must have been astonishing from the stage.

The tickets were $50 each, we spent maybe $50 on drinks so between us we spent $150 tops, which gave me one of the most memorable nights of the past few years, in the town where I spent many of the years of my misspent youth, with the person who I love most in this world and we both came out injury free!

The Butterfly Effect - you rock my world!

Excuse the sound on the video, but its the feeling that you need anyway.