After a year of planning our Everest Base Camp trek, we were finally en route to Nepal to turn a long-held dream into reality. Our first stop: Kathmandu — the bustling, vibrant capital that offers a sensory overload in the best possible way and is well worth exploring before heading into the mountains. Following a long, chaotic journey from Brisbane (complete with...
Let’s be honest — I’ve got some pretty wild dreams on my bucket list. And trekking to Everest Base Camp? That’s been right up there, screaming for attention for years. There’s just something magnetic about the Himalayas — the crisp air, the towering peaks, and of course, standing in the shadow of the legendary Mount Everest. Trekking along the Everest Base Camp Trek...
Esk is a quaint little country town in the Somerset region, which is nestled between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. Because it’s so close to both the Wivenhoe and Somerset dams, Esk is the perfect getaway for water sports enthusiasts. But even if water sports aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other amazing things to do in the area. The beautiful scenic drive...
During our stay in Ballina over Christmas, we drove an hour south to the picturesque town of Yamba, another delightful seaside town in northern New South Wales. Set right at the mouth of the Clarence River, Yamba is a little gem that is well worth visiting. Like Ballina and Byron Bay, Yamba is known for its beautiful beaches and great surf, as well as for the...
The coastal town of Ballina is a short 30-minute drive from the famous Byron Bay. While the hipster town of Byron Bay attracts hordes of backpackers and tourists every year, Ballina is the perfect, quieter alternative. We don’t like crowds, traffic or sharing a beach with thousands of others, so Ballina was perfect for us. Basing ourselves there to explore this...
A 90-minute flight from the capital, Manila, Bohol is one of many islands in the Philippines. This oval-shaped island is a picturesque isle home to stunning coral reefs, quaint stone churches, breathtaking waterfalls, and thousands of brown-hued limestone formations known collectively as the Chocolate Hills. It’s also home to the smallest primates in the world, the...
Coron is paradise on earth and a must do when visiting the Philippines. Coron is surrounded by jaw-dropping limestone formations. It’s home to pristine white sandy beaches and to lakes so clear that you won’t believe your eyes. Coron is part of Palawan Island and can be accessed from Manila by plane, just a short hour and a half flight. The town of Coron itself is...
On our recent trip to the Philippines, we had a very short stopover in its capital city, Manila, after visiting the islands of Coron, and Bohol. To be honest, I wasn’t sure about Manila. I don’t mind capital cities, but I’d read that there wasn’t a lot on offer in Manila other than good shopping, which I just don’t do when I travel; no time to shop, I’d rather...
On our recent trip to Cairns, we decided it was time to finally pay a visit to Fitzroy Island, one of the islands close to the city. Fitzroy Island is one of the best things to do while visiting Cairns but somehow, even after a couple of trips up north, we still hadn’t visited it! Our state is so big, it’s hard to fit everything in! This beautiful tropical island is...
With its squeaky-clean, white sandy beaches and its sparkling-blue water, Great Keppel Island is a paradise on earth. Only a 30-minute ferry ride from the coastal town of Yeppoon, it is one of the easiest Great Barrier Reef islands to get to. It’s also one of the most affordable. Being so close to the mainland, it is the perfect island for day trips, which are easily...