Author: Michael

We’re Not In Kansas Anymore…

Posted on by Michael

…because even Kansas has widespread cell service. This is life in the real Australian outback.

Australian outback petition
More than attracting tourists, these are the real issues for the people who call the Australian outback home

I wanted to share this quick video hit from the road. It’s another example of what you do when a story opportunity presents itself. We didn’t have access to most of our gear, but we did have access to an interesting story. We had pulled over at this roadhouse on the Lassiter Highway, about two hours out of Alice Springs on the way to Uluru, and noticed a petition on the counter. They’re not going for access to Facebook or Twitter here. This is actually a matter of life and death. Here’s our conversation.

This brief conversation, in the heart of theAustralian outback, is yet another reminder that one person’s travel is another person’s real life. As travelers, we’re interlopers, and it’s best to remember that. Leave a light footprint, assume nothing, and take only expeience when you leave.

The Best Way To Travel With Money Overseas: Do’s and Don’ts

Posted on by Michael

There are important tips you should keep in mind when it comes to the best way to travel with money overseas. Getting the biggest bang for your travel buck should be a part of your planning, whether your heading out for a spontaneous weekend getaway or putting the final touches on a trip around the world that took a year to organize. It’s certainly a lot easier to manage your money, and your budget when your travels are limited to one country, but there are some guidelines that are fairly universal.

This week, I want to talk about cash… actual hold-in-your-hands cash, and the best way to travel with money. We’ll delve into debit and credit cards in later posts, but although we are moving towards a cashless society, you will almost certainly run into at least one situation where physical money does need to change hands.

Best way to travel with money overseas
Starting your travel with at least some cash on hand instead of relying on credit or debit cards can be the best way to travel with money.

I’m officially old enough to be able to use the phrase “back in the day” non-ironically. So… back in the day, money management for Continue reading “The Best Way To Travel With Money Overseas: Do’s and Don’ts” →

The Alice Depot
Alice Springs
WWI Memorial

Alice Springs and the Mirage of Civilization

Posted on by Michael

Stepping onto the platform of the Alice Springs rail station, it helps to have a sense of history in order to appreciate where you’re standing. On the surface, this could be any rail platform in almost any town with a rail stop in the world. Close your eyes, as I did, in order to remove the last traces of eyesight from my already limited visual perspective, and that is in fact the first sensation… that you’re not anywhere in particular. The sounds of passengers who have been confined to a series of rail cars for several hours or days is a common experience for many world travelers – the press of clothing, the sounds of directions given by attendants to the neatest cab stand, rental car counter or the baggage car – I’ve experienced the same routine in Atlanta, Denver, San Francisco and any number of other stops… and now Alice Springs. The first impression is that to visit Alice springs is to visit, as Bill Bryson called it, “Anytown America.”

I respectfully disagree.

Alice Springs train depot
The train depot on the edge of Alice springs

Even though flights to Alice springs are easy to book, and the town is often a quick pit stop on the way to Uluru, dig al title deeper. The Alice Sprigns to Uluru part of our documentary and our travels in Australia. The feel of a fresh breeze on your shoulders and on your face is a welcome relief after more than a day of recirculated air. As I had mentioned, our brief time shooting through the open window of the luggage car was a welcome luxury most passengers Continue reading “Alice Springs and the Mirage of Civilization” →

The Ghan
Real life painting
Really, really red
GoProGhanRed
The Ghan and the Outback

Entering the Red Centre: Beyond Color

Posted on by Michael

When writing about our travels and experiences on our way to visit the Red Centre of Australia, I’ve referred to our arrival in our  jumping off point of Adelaide as a soft landing, at least in reference to the beginning of production for the documentary. As we prepared to depart for the heart of the Red Centre, I can’t say my opinion changed much. For a city of more than a million people, Adelaide seemed surprisingly… cozy. Dropping off the rental car on the way to the train station, we couldn’t help noticing that the car had remained parked at the hotel for almost the entirety of our stay. Between the public trams and the easily accessible markets and commercial areas, most of the essentials for the itinerant traveler are well within reach. I can’t say with complete authority a car is unnecessary for an extended stay, but for what was essentially a layover, a repeat trip would have us forego the rental car.

With that, the heart of the trip was looming. This was the onset of what The Palette Project is all about – exploring the world through color – and the Great Southern Rail was getting us there. We had reserved overnight seats on the Ghan – the north/south rail line from Continue reading “Entering the Red Centre: Beyond Color” →

RFID Sleeve

Keeping Your Private Travel Materials Private

Posted on by Michael

There are three ways to look at the mindset of a reporter. It’s either the life of a professional pessimist, a cynic for hire or… and this is the way I chose to look at it, the continuing adventures of a Boy Scout. Don’t get me wrong, while I was in fact a Boy Scout – kerchief, socks, merit badges and all – I’m of course referring to the motto of being prepared.

You can be working on the most harmless story about how to avoid buying a Christmas tree worthy of a Charlie Brown holiday special, and that will be the day the Colorado branch of the DEA has the raw nerve to raid a secret marijuana farm east of Pueblo (granted, not a major priority today, but in 1998…), so you have to be prepared to Continue reading “Keeping Your Private Travel Materials Private” →