Travel tips from Ocean Swim Fiji guest star, Olympian Shane Gould

The Siegestor, or Victory Gate, a triumphal arch in Munich. Photo / Getty Images

Holidays can teach us many things - about a destination, about other people, and about ourselves.

SHANE GOULD

My father worked in the travel industry, in hospitality and marketing and travelled a lot to the USA. As a result of his enjoyment, he encouraged me and my three sisters to travel. "The world is your oyster," he would say.

From a young age, I did travel overseas, as we lived in Fiji until I was 9. The school I went to at Nadi Airport was run by the NZ Education Department, so I knew more about New Zealand than Australia. Sometimes I have a slight Kiwi accent. Growing up I was exposed to people from different countries - their food, customs and language and accents, including local Fijians, Polynesians and Indians. I still have respect for people's differences, which I think is the best byproduct of travelling.

When I was competing internationally, I travelled with fellow swimmers and managers to California, Europe and of course Munich, Germany, for the 1972 Olympics. Security was tight in the 1970s too because there was a spate of terrorist plane hijackings, so passengers were patted down in a screened room before boarding. I was 15.

From left: Shane Gould, Keena Rothhamer, and Novella Calligaris at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Photo / Getty Images

I continue to be an avid traveller, mostly to attend conferences, work or visit family, and have picked up some tips along the way.

1. With security screenings and three-hour check-in times I find it's useless to fight the travel system and get irritated. Give yourself up to the queues, bag screenings and lounge waits. Take a book or do some writing or buy that glossy inspiring home makeover magazine and dream.

2. Don't drink alcohol or sugary soda or fatty foods. Give your metabolism a break. I enjoy lightly sparkling water lately and sushi is my airport transit food choice.

3. I travel with a sturdy backpack for my laptop, iPad, compact camera, change of clothes, glasses in cases and a few toiletries. My check-in bag is a bright-coloured four-wheeled trolley, always under 20kg, room for a gift or souvenir. I always take a swimsuit and goggles and a light, warm, waterproof jacket.

4. I hang a hands-free passport wallet around my neck from check-in time to baggage collection, with a printed itinerary in there too.

5. With jetlag, I try to get into the sun on arrival and walk. If I'm fuzzy with tiredness I'll just sleep whenever possible.

Olympian Shane Gould in Hawaii. Gould will be the special guest at Ocean Swim Fiji. Photo / Supplied

6. I like to go to a botanic garden, a museum or an art gallery or do a cooking class or walking food tour of the city I visit. Otherwise all I see is airports, cafes, hotels and pools.

7. Often I buy food from the local supermarket rather than eating out all the time. It's a significant experience of local life and culture too, again to be made aware of similarities and differences between humans just going about our lives.

• Australian Olympic swimming legend Shane Gould is this year's special guest at Ocean Swim Fiji, a five-day luxury swimming holiday in August. Only 20 spots remain - go to oceanswimfiji.com for more information and to book before July 31.