Outback Bound: Essential Gifts for First-Time Travellers to Australia

Do you know someone who is travelling to Australia? If you’re looking to welcome them with a gift that will be of great use during their stay, you have come to the right place. Australia is a vast continent with diverse landscapes, wildlife and traditions that every traveller must experience. However, it’s also known for its harsh environment, extreme weather conditions and venomous creatures.

Before packing their bags for this adventure of a lifetime, your loved one should be equipped with essential items to make their trip safer, more comfortable and more memorable. As such, we have compiled a list of must-have items for a more enjoyable Australian experience.

Survival Guide

One of the best gifts you can give to a traveller looking to explore the great interior of Australia is a Survival Book. This book will prepare the traveller for all the distinct hazards and survival challenges they may find in the outback.

A survival guide book contains information about everything a traveller needs to know about the real risks and how to react to them.

Information featured in these guides includes:

• How to recognise a rip tide and keep your head above water on the beach.
• Tips for driving Australia’s east coast in safety.
• About the chances of encountering a lethal snake or spider.
• The danger of shark and crocodile attacks and what can be done to avoid being bitten.
• How to determine if you are in danger of a wildfire.
• What to do and what not to do while driving in the outback.

Some of the more informative and well-written survival guide options to consider are the Outback Survival by Bob Cooper and the Australia Survival Guide by George Ivanoff.

Outback Survival by Bob Cooper

Bob Cooper’s extraordinary bushcraft abilities have been honed through more than 30 years of experience in Australia’s unforgiving outback. Instructing Special Forces units, living with traditional Aboriginal communities, delivering wilderness lessons in the UK, lecturing with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Service on desert survival in the Mexican Desert and learning the skills of the Kalahari Desert bushmen in Botswana have all provided him with survival tools.

The Australian outback is one of the most merciful places on the planet, but Bob Cooper is dedicated to safeguarding and improving the experience people enjoy when heading out into the bush.

Australia Survival Guide by George Ivanoff

The Australia Survival Guide is full of facts, stories, and life-saving information about Australia’s most deadly creatures, including snakes, spiders, sharks, bushfires, floods, and cyclones. There are also some charming and cuddly animals to consider, as well as some mythical creatures.

The best thing about this book is that it isn’t an average textbook; it’s written as if you were in the middle of the ultimate survival game. It has tips and tricks on how to survive and thrive in the rough and wild outback, as well as in the urban areas.

Sunhat

Due to the hole in the ozone layer, in Australia, you can get burned even on cloudy days. A wide-brimmed sunhat is an excellent method to remain safe! If you want to give someone travelling to Australia a gift that will help them stay safe, get a beautiful sunhat.

Universal Travel Adapter

Another great gift is a universal travel adapter. Many first-time travellers are unaware that different countries utilise different types of outlets. They won’t be able to charge anything unless they have an adaptor!

A basic universal adapter would be a decent gift, however, most only allow just one item to be charged at a time, which can be inconvenient. That is why you should consider getting an adapter with a few USB and at least one USB-C charging slot, all in one compact device.

Passport Holder

A passport isn’t a thing that you can simply throw in the backpack at random. It must be safeguarded against both physical and digital threats. That said, a passport holder is an excellent present option for someone travelling to Australia. There are numerous designs and styles to choose from, so shop around to find one that you think suits your traveller best.

Passport holders that are small enough to slip into a pocket are the most popular option. Whatever you select, be sure it contains RFID-blocking technology so that hackers cannot steal the traveller’s identity by scraping the data encoded in your passport.

LED Torch

Because Australia has so much breathtaking natural beauty, your friend or relative will most likely spend some time hiking and camping. While not the most trendy item, an LED torch is necessary and one of the finest gifts for someone visiting Australia. It can also be quite useful for backpackers sleeping in hostel dorm rooms, as it allows them to read or find items when the main light goes out.

Quick Dry Towel

A quick dry towel is a must-have for those exploring the Australian outback. Do not allow your inexperienced traveller to leave the house without one of these towels.

You won’t notice the difference between an ordinary towel and a microfiber travel towel if you haven’t travelled much. But believe, the difference is significant. A good-quality microfiber towel folds half the size of a regular towel, dries 10x faster, and takes longer to smell bad.

Size is an important consideration when selecting the best microfiber towel. Small towels are convenient because they take up little room in your backpack. Large towels dry you faster and are ideal for use at the beach.