It was our first trip to Cairns, Australia,
and with the weak Japanese yen,
we were a little worried about costs too,
so we brought quite a few things with us.
This time,
I’m sharing the
things we were glad to bring to Cairns in our 60s.
I hope this helps if you're planning your own trip.
Budget-Friendly Items That Helped Us Save on Food
If you want to keep costs down in Cairns,
even replacing just one restaurant meal
with food from a supermarket
can help.
Eating out can add up quickly,
so having a simple meal in your hotel room
worked well for us.
This was the salad we bought♪
It felt much larger than the salads
we normally see in Japan.
This was half a roast chicken.
At the time of our visit,
it was around
¥1,500.
Compared with the prepared chicken we often buy at supermarkets in Japan,
the flavour felt simple and natural,
and the meat was really juicy.
We thought it was delicious!
We have also tried roast chicken
from a certain large warehouse-style supermarket in Japan,
but personally,
I preferred the Coles chicken by quite a long way.
This amount was just right for two people.
We were not especially hungry that evening,
so it made a nice light dinner.
When we visited,
drinks were also
cheaper at the supermarket than at convenience stores.
Buying several drinks at once
and keeping them in the hotel refrigerator
was useful.
A hotel with a kitchen is ideal,
but if your room does not have one,
paper plates and cutlery are surprisingly useful.
They are also handy
if you want to use one of the public barbecue areas.
In 2026,
when we looked around our local 100-yen shops in Japan,
we could not find a set containing
a spoon, fork and knife together,
so we bought ours online.
If you want something you can wash and reuse,
plastic cutlery can also be more practical
than disposable wooden versions.
Cutlery was useful not only for supermarket food,
but also when we bought fruit at Rusty’s Markets
and wanted to eat it back at the hotel♪
Bringing it was absolutely the right decision.
I also recommend packing
a few plastic bags.
They ended up being useful in several little situations.
Read our Rusty’s Markets and first-day Cairns article:
Cairns Airport to City by Uber + Our First Day at Rusty’s Markets
For Tired Legs and Swelling
When travelling,
you often walk much more than usual,
so tired or swollen legs can become noticeable.
I brought
compression socks
with me.
I found them convenient
for relaxing at the hotel
and during long flights.
Compression garments are not suitable for everyone, so if you have a medical condition or circulation concerns, check with a healthcare professional before using them.
I also brought VENEX leg warmers with me♪
A Small Item I Used When My Neck and Shoulders Felt Tired
Sitting in the same position on a flight
can make your neck and shoulders feel uncomfortable.
One small item I brought was
the Face-Pointer.
It is slim like a pen
and does not need electricity.
It was easy to carry on the plane
and convenient to pack during the trip.
Whenever I felt tired,
I used it for a little while,
which I personally found relaxing.
Large massage devices are not very practical for travel,
so having something small like this
was easier to carry.
Something for Sudden Weather Changes
During our stay in Cairns,
the weather changed quite quickly.
It could be sunny,
then suddenly rain
or turn cloudy.
Because of that,
our folding umbrella was genuinely useful.
Some showers during our trip
only lasted a short time,
but without an umbrella,
your clothes can still get wet.
A compact umbrella
that can attach to your bag
is also convenient.
A Travel Adapter for Charging Several Devices
We wanted to charge
our phones,
portable battery
and other devices at the same time,
so we bought
a travel adapter that could handle several devices at once.
Hotel rooms do not always have many convenient outlets,
so being able to charge several things together
was really useful.
Australia uses a different plug shape from Japan,
so travellers from Japan need
an appropriate plug adapter.
It is also worth checking
that your electrical devices support the local voltage
before using them.
What We Brought in Case Heavy Food Upset Our Stomachs
In Cairns,
we often ate foods like
meat,
fries
and fried dishes,
which sometimes felt heavier than the meals
we normally eat at home.
If you usually eat small portions
or know that rich food can make your stomach feel uncomfortable,
it can be reassuring to bring
the stomach medicine you normally use at home.
I brought Ohta's Isan from Japan
because it was easy to carry.
If your digestion also tends to change while travelling,
bringing the medicine you already know and use at home
may help you feel more prepared.
Mamarin,
who was in her 60s,
actually used hers during the trip too.
What We Were Glad to Pack for Cairns
Those were the things
we were glad to bring on our Cairns trip.
Some were very ordinary:
paper plates,
cutlery,
plastic bags
and an umbrella.
But those simple things
were often the most useful.
And when supermarket roast chicken
turns into dinner in your hotel room,
the humble paper plate suddenly becomes
a surprisingly important travel item.
