It’s holiday packing time again!
JJ and I are off on a long-awaited trip to Abu Dhabi, Rwanda and Zanzibar. We’ll be overseas for three weeks in total, and will be ticking gorilla and chimp trekking off the bucket list! Before I go, here’s my plane outfit, and what I’m packing in my carry-on and checked bag for this trip.
I’ve been travelling internationally for 20+ years and have the planning phase down, in fact, I love it. If planning a big complicated trip has you stressed, relax, you got this, just follow my step by step process. (more…)
Cosy country escape
For ages, JJ and I have been talking about visiting the New South Wales central west region of Orange. It’s known as the ‘food basket’ of NSW and is a renowned cold-climate wine-growing area, so we knew it’d be right up our street. I’d also heard that the area is beautiful in the Autumn months. We don’t really get a proper Autumn where we live in Sydney ’cos we don’t have many deciduous trees by the beach. I was looking forward to kicking big piles of fallen leaves while walking in the crisp country air…..and quaffing vino. (more…)
Budget-friendly tips for a crazy expensive city
Usually, if there’s a long weekend coming up JJ and I will pack our camping gear and head up or down the NSW coast on a road trip. We started having a look at camp sites for the Easter break in early February but soon realised we’d left it a bit too late this time – everything was booked out, waaaaah! We weren’t keen on paying school holiday rates to stay in a B&B or hotel somewhere as we’re saving for another big overseas adventure. So we settled for a budget friendly, hassle-free Easter staycation (to be honest we were both super excited just to have 4 days off work!). After many weeks of horrible wet weather, we were treated to a long weekend of glorious sunshine which allowed us to really make the most of living in this beautiful part of the world. (more…)
Happy New Year!
In December JJ and I flew back to the UK for 10 days to spend Christmas with our families, and then headed to the Italian Alps for a 10-day ski trip. (more…)
Canada’s smallest and westernmost territory
Seeing photos of the Yukon’s national parks was what first convinced me that I needed to visit Canada. The territory is wild, mountainous and very sparsely populated with only about 35,000 people on almost half a million km squared. (more…)
Visiting the polar bear capital of the world
On the edge of the Arctic and the western shore of Hudson Bay lies the small frontier town of Churchill. This unique community is accessible only by plane or train, with Thompson, about 400km to the south, being the nearest settlement.
Churchill is most famous for being situated on a polar bear migratory path. During autumn, bears head towards the shores of Hudson Bay from the tundra, earning Churchill the nickname ‘Polar Bear Capital of the World’. Residents of Churchill leave their cars and houses unlocked to offer an escape for pedestrians who encounter polar bears in town. (more…)
One of Canada’s premier wild grizzly bear viewing locations
Located 80kms north of Campbell River on Vancouver Island, is a remote area of the Pacific Northwest called Knight Inlet. 60kms from the mouth of the inlet is Glendale Cove, home to Knight Inlet Lodge, a small floating eco-resort. Glendale Cove has one of the highest concentrations of grizzly bears in British Columbia, so it made sense that JJ and I stay at Knight Inlet Lodge for our ultimate bucket list bear viewing experience. (more…)
Why does this Canadian city consistently rank amongst the world’s most liveable places?
Aside from Vancouver’s cleanliness and high standard of living, it’s a vibrant, cosmopolitan city with a relaxed and friendly vibe. The Vancouverites we met were fun-loving, led healthy lifestyles and enjoyed spending as much time as possible outdoors. As JJ and I live in a Pacific harbour city (Sydney), we knew Vancouver would feel a bit familiar which might have been part of its appeal. The major difference between Sydney and Vancouver I guess is the weather during colder months, but visiting in late July we were blessed with long days and perfect summer temps in the high 20s – woohoo for escaping southern hemisphere winter! (more…)
Get into holiday mode before you fly with a healthy + relaxing weekend
Only a week left before the 3 week Canada trip, everything’s booked and pre-paid so it’s time to focus on my wellbeing and de-stress ahead of the long flight. (more…)
