Getting in gear

Essential travelling companions

Peter Hughes Kangaroo Island, Australia

Like well-bred Georgians 300 years ago, today’s Australians are contemptuous of anyone who gets sunburnt. The Georgians thought it common; the Aussies, mindful of the risk of skin cancer, consider it stupid. So, heeding their old ‘Slip! Slop! Slap!’ TV campaign, I slapped on a Tilley LT5B hat (£59.99, from outdoorkit.co.uk). They are tough, pricey, guaranteed for life and, coming from Toronto, make you look like a Canadian. They are also ultra-practical: they pack fat, foat, are washable and don’t blow of in high winds. Having the mathematical ability of an eight-year-old, I also travel with a watch displaying both local and UK time – invaluable with Australia’s time diferences. There are plenty on the market. My model, a Seiko Cal H023, combining a stopwatch and an alarm, has been discontinued. An attractive alternative is the black Zeppelin LZ 127 Graf Dual Time (£159, from watchshop.com). Its bold analogue dials are styled like an aviator’s timepiece.

Having the mathematical ability of an eight-year-old, I travel with a watch displaying both local and UK time

Clemency Rose

Seoul, South Korea

In South Korea, exposed shoulders are still considered indecent in public – although barely visible shorts and skirts are acceptable – so I covered up with a lightweight Lily and Lionel scarf (£99, lilyandlionel.com), which also helped with the subway’s overzealous air con. At weekends, I often joined the extremely well-prepared locals in the national past-time of hiking on one of the many beautiful mountains in Seoul. You have to pack neon gear if you don’t want to be the bland one out – macinasac.com has some fluorescent beauties, such as this one (£26.99). Post-hike, I would invariably head to one of the restaurants in the city for a feast. The staf may not speak English, and the menus are cryptic, so a Korean phrase book is essential if you want to know what you’re eating (£3.49, lonelyplanet.com).

When joining the locals in the national past-time of hiking, pack neon gear if you don’t want to be the bland one out

Stanley Stewart Durrell boat trip, Borneo

The more you understand about the wildlife you have come to see – in Borneo or anywhere else – the more fun it becomes. At Camp Leakey, the pioneering and controversial fgure has been Biruté Galdikas, who arrived in Tanjung Puting in 1971, at the age of 25. Her books provide a wonderful background to orang-utans and the research work at the reserve. Look for Refections

of Eden: My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo (£7, from amazon.co.uk). Aboard ship, the bridge is the most fascinating place – all those instruments and charts in an atmosphere of quiet professionalism. Map geeks like me can order their own Admiralty chart for most of the world’s seas through the UK Hydrographic Ofce (ukho.gov.uk). Not all wildlife is as obliging as the even-tempered orang-utan. For more elusive species, these Zeiss Terra ED 10 x 42 binoculars are useful (£369.99, from amazon.co.uk).

Not all wildlife is as obliging as the even-tempered orang-utan. For more elusive species, binoculars are useful