When it comes to Australia’s best wine producing regions, Western Australia’s Margaret River or South Australia’s Barossa Valley may come to mind. However Australia has more than 60 designated wine regions across the country and many regions on the East coast have also developed a worldwide reputation for award-winning wine.
So while the largest wine production region is South Australia, and Western Australia receives similar fame, don’t discount wine regions along the East Coast. Remember these names!
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You often hear people talk about the benefits of tourism for local communities. The main argument in favor of mass tourism is that it creates more jobs for locals and more opportunities to promote their culture. But is that all there is to it?
In reality, we witness large hotel chains spreading into developing countries, and cookie-cutter holiday resorts, not to mention foreign-owned food chains offering uniform food all over the globe. The world is becoming increasingly globalized and culture is being diluted and lost.
The situation is hardly black-and-white, though. For a local community to truly enjoy the benefits of tourism, we have to become more responsible as travelers.
As travelers with an eye and heart for adventure, we believe that sustainable tourism can and should be mutually beneficial, so have put together the following tips on how you can make a positive impact on local communities every time you travel. While still having the time of your life.
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There’s no doubt that Dubai is one of the most fascinating and interesting places in the world; a fast-paced cosmopolitan city with oodles of glitz, glamour and excitement around every corner.
This is a destination which effortlessly fuses its native Arabian traditions with all some of the best luxury amenities in the world, and with some of the most tranquil beaches in the Middle East, and the barren beauty of the desert, there are many unforgettable adventures you can experience during your time in the city.
Perfect for travelers looking to unwind, indulge, and get a taste of the Middle East, if Dubai is on bucket list, you’re in luck. We’ve put together the ultimate travel guide with our favorite spots, including where to stay, play, relax, shop, and tips you should be aware of when you head out to eat.
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A nature reserve and national park located in the north Chinese province of Sichuan, Jiuzhaigou is known for fabulous scenery such as multi-level waterfalls and snow-capped peaks. Though perhaps the parks best-known feature is its dozens of blue, green and turquoise-colored lakes. The saying that “no more water worthy of appreciating after those of in Jiuzhaigou” can be the true interpretation of its scenery.
But for such wonderful attraction, why do so many tourists miss it? Most simply don’t know how to get there. As the largest city in the southwest China, Chengdu is only about 400 kilometers away, and is your best gateway. From here you have the option of daily flights and buses to Jiuzhaigou.
The difference between choosing a bus or a plane comes down to both time and price. Most of time, taking bus from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou will take 9 to 10 hours, as opposed to the 40 minutes to 1 hour for the journey on a plane. The following if information to help guide your choice.
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Spain is the most popular destination for holidaymakers from Ireland and the UK, which means that those seeking sunshine and sand will have considered visiting the Canary Islands at some point.
Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and La Palma are the most popular islands for families to visit, so here’s a brief overview of each island to help you to decide which one is the right destination for your next family holiday.
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Senior citizens are now considered one of the fastest growing demographics in travel, while travel was once seen as a pastime of the young and responsibility-free, there’s truly no age limit on travel in 2017!
In fact, older travelers are more likely to globetrot than the younger generation. And they’re more intrepid too! “Quite often one hears of grannies and grandads cycling across the United States or Canada, or from Helsinki to Gibraltar, or from Mexico to Patagonia.” This 90 year old woman with cancer said no to chemo and yes to traveling the world in a camper.
So with this in mind, we’ve put together the following travel tips for retirees. Because it does become more important to plan carefully and cleverly with your age.
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Running out of money while traveling can be a nightmare. And for most travelers this means having to head home. But what if you could earn money while traveling, without having to worry about work visas, and it was enough to keep you on the road?
As luck would have it, there are always ways to earn extra money so long as you can find an internet connection. Broke on the road? The following websites let you earn cash online!
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When it comes to booking accommodation, hotels and hostels tend to be the first port of call. However, if you’re looking to infuse some extra adventure into your trip, there are plenty of wonderful and wacky alternatives.
In fact, accommodation should never be seen as a mere afterthought – it can really transform your experience of a place. Even if you’re more of a luxury hotel kind of person, it is definitely worth trying a more unconventional option at least once.
Here are some out-there accommodations and where you can find them.
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With a projected 1.7 billion international tourists arriving on foreign shores by 2025, up from 1.1 billion in 2014, it’s unsurprising that tourism is currently exploding in growth, and one of the most economically resilient industries worldwide.
There reasons for this are numerous. Budget airlines have contributed to the proliferation of travel by dropping fares substantially. For example, in Europe, Ryanair and Easy Jet make travelling between select destinations more affordable to everyone. The internet has also played a part; it’s now easier than ever to organize and book a trip in its entirety. Plus, because blog hosting has become so accessible, many people are also travelling full-time and making money from documenting their adventures, or while working remotely.
It’s not all beaches and sunshine, however. What a lot of travellers may not be aware of is that every trip we take takes its toll on the environment; in the UK alone, air travel accounts for 6.3% of the country’s CO2 emissions. That’s just one example in an exhaustive list of factors that are directly affecting the environment via travel. However, as a traveller, there are steps you can take to minimize your environmental footprint and travel sustainably.
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Most travelers understand the importance of switching off data roaming when you’re traveling overseas. And for those who don’t, it only takes one $700 phone bill for this realization to hit hard!
Yet having access to mobile data is perhaps even more important for those who travel. So when it comes to hacks for finding cheap mobile roaming abroad, last year we brought you news of a company called Flexiroam, who offer a data roaming solution that lets you earn free data before you travel, avoiding huge roaming fees overseas. It’s a new approach to travel sim cards where you can earn 100 GB of free data to use in over 120 countries around the globe.
And while we were incredibly impressed by the app in November, Flexiroam have just released a major app revamp (March 1 2017) offering even more free mobile roaming while you’re overseas!
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The capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam is a beautiful city with an amazing variety of things to see and do. And if you love travel photography, getting the perfect shot will most likely be at the top of your list.
From it’s seventeenth-century buildings and canals, to impressive museums and joint-smoking alien sculptures, few cities meld history with modern urban flair like Amsterdam, and this is a fantastic place to be a photographer.
Best known as the home of Anne Frank, this home of 2,431,000 friendly residents invites you to visit the city that takes its name from its famous canals built on the Amstel River. The following are great photography locations for shooting throughout Amsterdam. Head here if you’re looking to travel like a photographer and not a tourist.
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There are a myriad of articles online providing tips for staying healthy while traveling abroad; stay active, wash your hands, eat well, be cautious of the tap water. However staying healthy should start at home, before you depart for overseas.
Travel can put real pressure on our immune system, even if it’s for fun; the stress, breaking the routine, “plastic” inflight food, jet lag, exposure to sick people, and environmental toxins. These all take their toll.
So while washing hands with soap and using hand sanitizer while you’re away are all great tips, these practices won’t stop you from getting sick if you have a weak immune system before you go. A strong immune system will keep you healthy despite everyone else coughing and sneezing around you, and will protect you from that bacteria circling through the airline A/C.
So it’s important to take care of your immune system whether traveling for business or pleasure. And, if you prefer to spend your time abroad doing what you love rather than being sick in bed, there are a few things you can do to prepare your immune system by staying healthy before you travel.
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Europe is one of those destinations where you could easily spend $400 a night on a standard hotel room, or throw down $20 for a burger, and there’s no doubt that the expensive reputation of some European cities can be intimidating for first time visitors. It’s not always the cheapest getaway.
Yet Europe is one of the most iconic backpacking destinations in the world and continues to welcome millions of budget travelers touring the continent with very little cash to spend.
These travelers know that even the most expensive cities have room to economize, and that if you’re willing to sacrifice a little comfort and convenience, Europe doesn’t have to break the bank.
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The Eiffel Tower truly is one of the most iconic, most visited and most photographed landmarks in France, and if you love travel photography, getting the perfect shot will most likely be at the top of your list.
Situated in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, whether you’re cruising past it on the Seine, climbing to the roof of a nearby Cathedral, or standing directly below it, there are a million ways to get a shot of the Eiffel Tower, and it’s quite easy to take a great photo here. Though this is one of the most photographed landmarks in the world, so what’s not always easy is taking an interesting one. As a tourist, it’s difficult to capture a unique angle which the world hasn’t already seen.
The following are great photography locations for shooting the Eiffel Tower. Head here if you’re looking to travel like a photographer and not a tourist.
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Many of us dream of going on safari at least once in our lives. To see the exotic landscape and get up close and personal with beautiful and majestic animals really is the experience of a lifetime.
South Africa is a great destination to choose for all of this, and if you want to make the most of it, these tips will help you to maximise the magic.
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These beach camping destinations around Australia are gorgeous, and they’re some of my favourites. Here’s where to go to sleep (and wake up!) this summer by the sea.
Whitehaven Beach, Queensland: You’ll find a gorgeous array of beach camping sites in the Whitsundays, but one of the standouts is Whitehaven.
Pristine white sands and glistening blue waters await, with the campsite and toilets nestled in the bush just metres back from the beach. It’s only small (with seven sites), so book early to grab a spot.
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“When it comes to travel, if you don’t snooze, you lose, and that’s why your own pillow is probably the smartest item you can stuff into your carry on tote, suitcase or back of the car when traveling for any length of time. Even one night spent embracing an offensive pillow can mess with your rest and make you crabby and sluggish!”
But there are a couple of issues here. Pillows are bulky, and don’t often fit into your bag. And it’s difficult to maneuver trains, buses, taxis, and other forms of transport when you already have your hands full, and then try to stuff a pillow into the mix. Of course you drop it. And now your favorite pillow is dirty and wet. And probably smells like old beer.
Though there is a solution to our travel pillow woes!! An Australian woman named Di Tipper has created the SleepKeeper Case – a product which is so simple that it’s genius, and means everyone can travel with ease with their pillow from home. It might sound like an oxymoron, but the brilliance of the SleepKeeper means that you can now travel light, with a full size pillow!!
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Thanks to the internet, you can find money-saving advice on just about anything – pet care, car insurance, the list goes on. Travel advice is one of the more popular categories; there are thousands of articles with tips for saving money while traveling the globe.
If you’ve read my article for saving money on airfare in 2017, in the same spirit, I decided to write another one on a more slow-paced means of travel: RVing.
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Unlike Paris, for most, a night dining in London doesn’t come with a language barrier. Yet that doesn’t make eating out in London any easier. True, there aren’t too many customs and you’ll be able to order simply enough, so why then is an evening in London so daunting?
Well, you see, London is a huge metropolitan city that is saturated with wonderful and intriguing restaurants serving cuisines from all over the world. On one side of the street you might see an American-style diner serving Man vs Food style burgers, yet on the other you’ll find a Michelin star restaurant where food is art – literally.
Although London might not have the same overwhelming foodie identity as cities like Paris, it’s a city where nothing is off limits, where the street food is just as amazing as a restaurant experience and where the world is your oyster with such a grand selection of culinary delights.
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Vacations bring to mind adventure, fun, and importantly: good food. Travel brochures will give you an idea of where to go when you arrive, but it’s best to get perspective before you arrive. You’ll often find suggestions on arrival are the most expensive. Such lists also lack suggestions on other criteria like the type of food served and the location from where you’re staying.
The Maldives is home to some of the best cuisine in the world and it would take pages to list every choice. Below however, you will find some of the highest-rated places to dine at when visiting.
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If you’re planning on hitting the slopes this winter, Europe is home to some of the World’s most iconic ski resorts. And while skiing might have originated in Norway and Sweden, it’s the southern ski destinations that have cemented their names as a classic.
“From Ernest Hemingway in the 1920’s and James Bond in the 1980’s to the snowboarders of today, the mighty Alps provide both framework and backdrop for skiing in France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.” You’ll find reliable snow, vast skiing terrains, legendary night life and family friendly facilities. There are Michelin-starred restaurants, five-star hotels and destination spas with ultra-luxury chalets.
Europe has literally hundreds of ski resorts to choose from, though only a couple of classics. Here are our favorite top 10.
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There’s a lot of conflicting travel advice online for finding the cheapest flights, and a lot of advice which is repeated so often it’s now general knowledge; be flexible with your dates, compare flight prices, travel during off season, don’t be afraid of a layover, etc.
But while the same old tips and suggestions pop up across different blogs time and time again, the travel industry evolves at such a rapid pace that every year is different from the one before. The tips and tricks which worked 12 months ago may not be up to date anymore.
So we’ve put together tips based on recent travel trends from the results of the 2016 Annual Flight Study from Momondo. Based on 13 billion fares across the top 100 routes searched for on momondo, this study has some fabulous insight on how you can save in 2017, making sure you’re always getting the best airfare!
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Usually associated with washing in rivers and pooping in horrible public toilets, a campervan holiday doesn’t exactly scream luxury.
However, a holiday on the great open road should not be completely dismissed by those folks who fancy the finer things in life. With the right choice of vehicle, it really is possible to combine the freedom and flexibility of a road trip with the luxury of a four star apartment.
That’s why we’ve compiled this guide to the fanciest mobile homes the Aussie dollar can buy. Whether you’re buying or hiring, take a look and see what we mean – you might just be surprised!
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Finding suitable accommodation is a huge part of travel, and choosing a hotel can be one of the more time consuming parts of our planning. And sometimes we don’t get it right.
But for a sure bet, have you considered staying in a Casino hotel? With luxury accommodation, cheap rates, and some of the tightest security around, casino hotels can be some of the best hotels out there. And who knows, you might just end up paying for your entire holiday just by staying there!
The following are reasons you should consider staying in a Casino on your next trip.
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There are many, many reasons you should purchase health insurance when traveling abroad, the most obvious being to protect yourself in the case of an emergency, though some countries are beginning to require health coverage as a mandatory condition of entry, meaning travelers no longer have the choice to travel without a plan.
Expat hubs around the world are beginning to require mandatory health insurance before issuing a visa, and more and more countries are deciding to refuse entry without it. Many travelers don’t realize that without the correct insurance, they could be turned away from the destination they are visiting before they make it past airport arrivals.
The following countries are among those jumping on the trend of making health insurance mandatory for those wishing to travel or live overseas.
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