A further update

I have been collecting together all the bits I have to take out with me. It is amazing just how many chargers, memory cards, cameras, phones and parts for people I have had to get together!

I notice that the good ol' pound has been falling against the all the other currencies we need. I'm glad we have already purchased ours. If we were to keep them for a few weeks we might actually make some money!

We are going to use Cash Passports for the first time. Travellers cheques are all but dead now and these things look like the future.

Vodafone are roaming-charge free with Vodafone 'Passport' until the end of August, so we will be using a different phone number on this trip. The offer works in Australia and New Zealand as well as across Europe. Worth getting a free Vodafone SIM card and putting it into a spare phone? We think so. And with a Freedom pack, it looks unbeatable at the moment.