These are some things we've learned (or should that be learnt?) that we'd like to share. In no particular order...

- You will be amazed at how many Germans you meet

-Towels are really useful, not just for drying yourself but also shielding yourself from the sun and putting in the small of your back to make chairs more comfortable on long journeys

-Take medicines with you, you might not be able to buy what you want / need elsewhere and even if you can it may cost a lot more than you are used to paying

-Having days off is really important. Constantly being on the go is really draining; it's like having an all-consuming job 24:7. Without weekends and days off you become incredibly tired even though you are on holiday.

-Be careful of not taking something with the intention of buying it while you are away. You don't know how easy said item will be to find or what it may cost and you will not have left space for it in your bag.

-You will spend more than you intended or planned.

-Be careful of taking clothes that require specific care when washing. You will be throwing all washing into a single tub and then into a drier, cold or delicate washes are not enough to get the majority of clothes clean and are an impractical luxury if done as an extra.

-A head torch is really useful in a dorm.

-Be prepared to be disappointed by things you are looking forward to and amazed by things that are a complete surprise.

-Most dorm conversations will start 'Where are you from? Where are you going? Where have you been? How long for?'

-If you are travelling with someone else you will become intimately familiar with all their bodily functions, more so than when you just live together.

-Take a plug to use with a sink. It's surprisingly frustrating how often you want to fill a sink to have a wash, wash up, shave, etc. and there is no plug.

-Unless in Singapore, never trust a taxi driver

-We worried that we'd feel old surrounded by lots of 18 year olds on gap years but we actually met very few and most people were of a similar age as us having got bored of work and on a break.

-Bigger dorms are nicer than small ones. You are more likely to meet nice people and if there is an antisocial person they are a smaller percentage than in a small dorm. Also, dorms with a good mix of girls and boys have a much nicer atmosphere than those dominated by a single sex.

-Do it; it is amazing and way better than could ever be described. The world is an incredible and beautiful place and here is so much to see and experience.

Skills we've learnt

Josh

How to snorkel

How to cut up a mango (its not like an avocado)

How to water a garden in WA (it requires much more patience than in the UK)

How to drive an automatic car

Anna

How to beat Josh at chess / draughts / pingpong / pool

How to drive an automatic car

How to drive bigger vehicles

How to folk dance like a Malaysian