How to Spend Three Perfect Days in Athens
I’m obsessed with Greece. From the moment I stepped foot in this beautiful country, it was love at first mouthful. There’s something about Greece feels so healing. Being there calms my overactive mind, soothes my worries, and leaves me feeling healthier and stronger than ever. And the food? I’ve been to over 90 countries and …
May 2021: Travel Summary and Statistics
G’day, mates! G’day from, uh… lockdown. Yup. As I type this, Melbourne’s currently dealing with an unexpected COVID outbreak and we’ve been placed into lockdown until it’s under control. Dave’s been vaccinated! I have shingles! My birthday’s been cancelled! It’s been a rollercoaster of a month. Nighttime wanders through Melbourne… back before things started getting …
Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk: A Complete Guide
The Lake Waikaremoana Track is one of three Great Walks in New Zealand’s North Island. These Great Walks are hiking tracks, deemed to showcase some of the best natural landscapes in the country, with the trails and accommodation maintained to a far higher standard than your typical backcountry hut. Lake Waikaremoana is one of the …
April 2021: Travel Summary and Statistics
In April, I left New Zealand. Record scratch. Wait, what? Yep. After five months of blissful, life-changing, and wonderful experiences, this month, I packed up my backpack and said my goodbyes. Let’s dig into what happened. You know it’s autumn in New Zealand when the ferns are turning red When I left you last, I …
March 2021: Travel Summary and Statistics
Last night, I slept for 18 hours. Collapsed into bed at 3 p.m. and made it out only at nine the following day. The day before, I did exactly the same. My friends, in March, I well and truly hit the wall. Burnout affects most travellers eventually — me fairly regularly — and of course …
February 2021: Travel Summary and Statistics
I kicked off February with one of my favourite New Zealand experiences to date. Winery-hopping in Marlborough. It was so much fun! Simply turn up, rent a bike, grab a map, and hit the vines. On the Marlborough wine trail, you’ll find 30-odd wineries within a few kilometres of Renwick, and it makes everything all …
January 2021: Travel Summary and Statistics
In January, New Zealand had its first community case of COVID-19 in more than two months. Three guests from one of the managed isolation hotels in Auckland tested positive several days after leaving quarantine. Fortunately, there’s been no further transmission within the community, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ve had yet another lucky …
The Cost of Travel in Vietnam: A 2021 Budget Breakdown
I’ve spent almost a year travelling in Vietnam, making my way from one end of the country to the other. I celebrated my birthday in Hoi An one year then Mui Ne the next. I’ve rented apartments in Saigon for months at a time, living with a local family and working my way through every …
December 2020: Travel Summary and Statistics
When people ask me what it’s like to be in New Zealand right now, I tell them that it’s normal. There’s still an element of surprise, though, when I explain that it’s normal normal. New Zealand hasn’t had a community case of COVID-19 for two months, and even that cluster was composed of just six …
The Cost of Travel in Guatemala: A Detailed Budget Breakdown
I must admit, I didn’t know much about Guatemala before I visited. In fact, I didn’t know an awful lot about Central America in general. And I would normally think of myself as pretty worldly. But that part of the globe had slipped me by… until my husband and I spent a month there during …
The Cost of Travel in Ireland (2021): A Detailed Budget Breakdown
Ireland was one of the first countries on my travel bucket-list. Maybe it was the hopeless romantic in me thinking I would meet a handsome man, like in P.S. I Love You, or maybe it was the sheer amount of beautiful photos that had me captivated from a young age. Either way, I was deeply …