Following on in the Equipment we love vein, Earth+ Mastercard (from Westpac). This has single-cardedly saved us the most money of anything (except maybe Kahlia’s “don’t buy that” scowl) on this trip, fee free foreign currency transactions. We can take money out over the counter or at ATM’s (that accept Mastercard) and we don’t pay a dime (in fees or in dodgy exchange rates). In comparison my St George card charges $5 every time I withdraw and Kahlia’s Westpac account charges 8%… that adds up quickly in a 2 week trip let alone a year!

On top of that I get Qantas Frequent flyers (when in Australia) and free travel insurance for trips up to 3 months in duration. It’s a shame about Westpac’s Internet banking, but you can’t have everything.

Our year is almost over and I have been thinking about some of the items that have been indispensable on our travels. I thought I would post some info about each of our favourite items under the Equipment tag.

Whilst planning for the Overland Track I stumbled upon the Steripen. It answered our need for quickly produced fresh water from questionable sources in a small and light weight package. Put it in a litre of water, press the button and a little over a minute later UV light has killed the nasties and the water is ready to drink.

After we had started travelling again we found we no longer to need to buy bottled water. The Steripen had come along in case we went hiking in the US, instead we found we could acquire our water from local taps, serialise and drink. In the process saving ourselves anywhere from $500-$1000 in bottled water costs we otherwise would need to buy!

Unfortunately it stopped walking somewhere in Costa Rica, one too many bumps in our travels or on the chicken buses. Being under warranty I sent an email to Steripen and explained our situation and the problem (mentioning we would be in the US and could we get it looked at somewhere in LA). We got a prompt reply asking for our address in LA, and a new unit was shipped to the address with a note asking us to return the faulty unit when we arrived. No proof, just trust and fantastic service that means we can go back to free water on this trip! Good work Steripen, a great product and great service.