12/20/2015

Kathmandu

I am a traveller, so Kathmandu is one of the many stores I visit when preparing a trip, or buying travelling staples that I don't have.

Travel stores are always ridiculously expensive, especially if you want to buy Goretex products or mountain stuff, shoes, or first quality products. However, Kathmandu is the most expensive of them all. 

Their stores are always great regarding variety of products for women, men and children, and general travel needs on offer. If they are not discounted lines, their pricing is always way more expensive than any other travel store for identical product and brand. Their own brand products are very expensive and quality is medium. One of the few exceptions is their pocket backpack and other products in the Pack&Go range.

Their sales are epic, usually 50-60% off. However, despite the 'discount', they are still overpriced and more expensive than in other travel stores. As a rule of thumb I would recommend going to Kathmandu knowing what exactly you want and having checked pricing for the same brand and product elsewhere beforehand. I would not recommend on-the-spur-of-the-moment shopping at Kathmandu!
 
In the past I have bought a few items  that I thought were worth an investment, like merino wool layering, and found that they were just OK regarding quality. Not bad, but not worth the pricing at all.

I have visited and purchased from a good deal of Kathmandu stores in Australia and New Zealand, generally speaking, the staff are very friendly, but not as knowledgeable or with the same level of expertise as other travel chain stores. Also,  I found that there are not many people in the aisles attending to customers either, and some of them have an attitude, that is not the one I like to find anywhere where I have to expend big bucks. 

I have never bought from their website, but they offer free shipping for orders over 100%, and they are worth trying as reaching the 100$ mark is super-easy at Kathmandu. 
 

Kathmandu Pocket Backpack

Usually I don't fancy Kathmandu's own brand products, but this foldable pocket backpack is a brilliant exception. Actually these pocket backpacks are  is my travellers kit hall of fame after using them for years.  Why are they worth having? Because they are:
> Foldable. If don't want to fold it, you can still fit it anywhere as it is made of nylon and, therefore, very flexible and lightweight.
 > Great quality. They truly last for ever.
>  Very light, about 150- 200 grams depending on the model you buy.
> Adjustable shoulder straps. And you detach the bottom when you fold the back into the pocket. 
> Detachable waist strap.
> Roomy, 15 L average. I use my old one for doing the grocery shopping and I can carry many kilos in it, many! 
> They can be washed with hand soap and will be as new.
 > Good looking!
> Unisex.
> They are truly practical for every day travelling and touring. I got many compliments ("I would like to get one of those, where do you buy them?" sort of thing) from non-Australians as I take this every time I travel.

Kathmandu tends to change the colouring of these from year to year, and readjusts the design from time to time, still keeping all the features that make this backpack the awesome product it is.

These backpacks are usually expensive but, in cases like these, when I know the product is great, I tend to wait for the big sales, like Boxing Day or Mid Year sales when you can get them at very reduced prices. Also, the older models are cheaper and more discounted than the new ones; if you have budget, the oldie is still as good quality as the newbie just not as trendy. 

Vapur collapsible water bottle

I bought this bottle Vapur Anti-bottle (Element series), in the Perth International Airport just on realising that I had forgotten my usual water bottle and I would need it for walking and trekking. I paid a lot of money for this bottle, which felt like a punch on the stomach. It has turned out to be my best travelling water bottle ever. 

Made of strong durable 'plastic', you fill the bottle with tap or mineral water, and carry it along. The bottle deflates when you drink and will be totally flat and weithgless when it is empty. There is no straw, it works by natural suction, press your lips together baby and suck it up. The water hole is covered by a strong cap, and comes with a strong handle, actually an attachment clip, great to carry it along in your hands, attach it to your backpack, and also to roll up the bottle once it is empty.

The bottle can be packed flat easily in your suitcase, backpack or your handbag and will come handy when you need to carry your own water without damaging the environment with disposable plastic bottles.  

The water won't taste of plastic.  

Extra Kudos
> Different colours
> Different sizes
> With filter or not
> You can by the filter separately
> Fancy or plain designs.

Two downsides: 
> They are expensive, even the simplest model, like the one in the photo, will be pricey, The filter is very expensive. I consider all my travel items an investment as I use my thingies over and over again, so let it be.
> I would like the material to be a bit less rigid and more colours available in the Element range.

12/19/2015

Tubular multifunctional BUFF

I discovered this brand in South Africa.  I took quite a bit of safaris in Africa. We would leave at 5-6 in the morning, in an open Jeep, to go to a natural park or reserve to visit and its freezing cold. It was so cold that nothing seemed to warm up my neck and head especially because I didn't expect to find this sort of cold and did not have anything appropriate with me. A guy recommended the Buff thingies to me, which seemed to be everywhere in major travel shops in Joho and Cape Town and was very popular with adventure and sports travellers.

They are quite expensive for what they are, a piece of micro-fibre fabric tube, really, but they are really good. Worth the money.I consider all these products for travelling an investment because I will be using them over and over again. They are multi-purpose, can be used in many different ways, they come in different degrees of thermal protection, men and women sizes, men and women designs (200+ designs). I love the feeling of these, especially of the polar one and the fact that they can be packed anywhere, they can be used everywhere any time. A great product for travellers.

The product is sold all over Europe, South Africa, USA, and Australia. The demonstration below is brilliant.

12/16/2015

Gastrolyte Effervescent

A must have in any first aid kit and recommended for travellers.

I took tons of these tablets a few years ago when I go the stomach flu, but they are needed when you get any stomach upset involving diarrhoea, heavy colds and the flu. I tend to take a tube of these, or just a few, when I go on holidays and I know for sure that I will be doing lots of walking, trekking or strong physical exercise, as I can dissolve a tablet in a bottle of water and carry it with me ready to drink. Besides this sort of tube, when empty is most handy and you can reuse it to carry small things inside (small coins, small tools, other pills, rolled banknotes, whatever small) and rake them with you  safely. 

My only complaint is that the product is expensive, about 10 bucks the tube. That is not much if you are buying just a tube for a trip. However, if you are sick, especially with gastroenteritis, you will be taking lots of these. I wonder why the manufacturer hasn't thought of providing customers with bulk packages to save money and visits to the pharmacy in those cases. 

They come in at least two flavours and are quite pleasant to drink.

12/10/2015

Virgin Australia

I travelled domestic with Virgin Australia and twice was enough not to bother again. 

The only thing I liked was their pricing, but the rest was average or not good. I expected the service on board to be basic, due to the pricing, and it was, but I also found that customer service was poor.


There is a young-and-fabulous culture in Virgin that I don't like. When I travel I want the culture of I-am-really-helpful-to-customers, but I found I-don't-give-a-dam-about-you attitude instead that put me off immediately. The thing is that the staff were very friendly and smiley, just not into customers unless you were a toddler or a kid. I ordered a paid meal, and they forgot about it. I could see the staff 'too busy' chatting among themselves, so I had to order it again.

They have good prices if you don't carry any check-in luggage, but their flights are basic and Virgin has more probabilities of cancelling a flight than other companies (together with Tiger Air). Their pricing is similar to Jetstar and Qantas, but they aren't as good to me. So they are at the bottom of my domestic preferred airlines in Australia. 

Air France

I always wanted to travel in the Concorde. They died before I could even been able to think about that.

I have used Air France a couple of times in my international flights to/from Europe as they were the ones offering the best pricing for the same itinerary. 

I was super-excited the first time I travelled with them. My excitement was short lived. 

The flights and intercontinental planes were average, on the cheap side regarding spaciousness and comfort of the planes, quality and quantity of the food, and attention to customers. The entertainment program was good. This would have been OK if it wasn't because I found Air France staff in their majority, unfriendly, uptight, and some of them bordering rude.  This might be the exception to the norm, of course, but I won't pay again to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Air France? Pas du tout!