By Catriona Rowntree
What do you collect on your travels? My cameraman, Marcus, once told me ‘just pick one thing’. He chose drums and I chose hats. Here’s a snippet of my collection, displayed in our hallway, which I’ve traded and discovered in the back of antique stores and markets. Every hat has a story and is adored by me, can you pick their origins? PS I also have way too many fridge magnets.
For Anne Bennie, Assistant Director, Head of Public Programs, at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, “A pashmina is my must-pack. Whether during flights or in hotel rooms, or when you need to dress yourself up, it is perfect. If you are a week into your travels and growing tired of your clothes, they always add a bit of colour. They pack down well and are a great wardrobe standby.”
“My Kindle is an essential. Between dives, I love to read and the Kindle allows me to have a number of different books with me. I read a wide range of business books and science fiction.” – Dr Jenny Gray, CEO of Zoos Victoria.
Phillippa Grogan always packs a scarf when she goes away: “I pack a very thin scarf to keep in my handbag so that if it’s cool, I can wear it around my neck; and if I go into a church, I can wear it around my shoulders. Wearing a scarf makes you look a bit more elegant, too, I think. My favourite brand is Cosi which is a brand of scarf made in Nepal. They use the same weavers as Hermes, and their cashmere scarves come in incredible colours.”
“We never travel without a decks of cards (our games are canasta, poker, rummy 500, and Bananagrams)…” – Jeralyn Gerba and Pavia Rosati, co-founders of Fathom, and authors of “How to Travel Anywhere (and Avoid Being a Tourist)”. $44.95. pipermagic.com.au
You can never run out of uses for travel-sized tissues! They are worth having with you whenever you travel. Whether as emergency toilet paper, to mop up a spill, to wipe a grotty nose, to write on, or to soak up some humidity on the brow, they have some very timely uses. And they fit discreetly into a pocket or wallet so they’re always within reach. If you wear specs and like to clean them with a tissue, get the ones without the aloe vera. For a bargain, buy them in 18 x pocket packs, each with nine tissues. $10.99. ebay.com.au