Travel is a part of my life, it’s part of my work and it’s my passion. Travel is just something I do – this is after all “The Adventures of the Traveller Em”. Incorporating travel into everything I do and living life like a traveller, that’s what I’m all about .
So 2013 is of course no exception to my travelling rule – with loads of unexpected trips and travel already occurring. Here is some of the travel that I have ticked off already.
- Road trip to Adelaide in January for 4 days to drive a friend to visit friends and subsequently visit friends as well
Adelaide- City of churches
- Sydney – fleeting visit and sadly for a funeral, great to be with family and friends at this time.
- Wendouree, Ballarat for work with the CFA (Country Fire Authority) great to see darling friend Emily
- Townsville and Magnetic Island to see my friend Matt in the Army. Also got to see my good friend Cat who was there by chance at the same time!
- Dinner Plain – Alpine Region of Victoria for a weekend to see how it’s thriving after the threat of fires, perfect start to Autumn
- Adelaide for the Adelaide Fringe Festival- working and a chance to catch up with friends. The best time to be in Adelaide.
Anthony Demasi – Comedian and Magician performing in Rundle Mall, Adelaide Fringe Festival
Sydney, Sri Lanka, Melbournes Great Ocean Road, Darwin, Ayers Rock, Alice Springs and possibly more to come….. AND THAT IS BEFORE JULY!
This time I’ll be going to Sydney and Bangladesh and I’ll be away for 10 days.
It’s only been 4 weeks since I was last in Sydney but if it work calls for me to travel, then that’s what I have to do.
I’ll be heading to Sydney for work with FAPAA/ AFIF to get ready for heading to Bangladesh. I’ll be there working as the administrator for the Fedearation of Asia Pacific air Cargo Assocation’s annual meeting. There will be 18 delegate countries there and after going for 7 years, I have made some truly wonderful friends and valuable work colleagues.
I’ll also be in Sydney for the #TravelMassive after party following the Web in Travel Conference. I learnt about Travel Massive through Twitter and have made some really good friends in the industry through our meetups.
Whilst in Sydney I’ll also be visiting my new work, TravelCandy. There’ll definitely be more posts about them! They’re a travel website which offers hotel offers and deals for an exclusive members only club. www.travelcandy.com.au. I’ve always wanted to work for a Travel company and I’m enjoying working with the team.
I’ll miss Melbourne whilst I’m away. I love living here. But I also love Travel and look forward to more escapades.
Hoping to have many interesting stories from Dhaka, Bangladesh..
On a recent evening out in Sydney, I was once again reminded how beautiful the city I live in really is.
Sydney’s sunsets are some of the best in the world and the evening of November 23rd was no exception. With a back drop of Sydney Harbour you are hard pressed to find a better frame for this picturesque scene.
We were located at Sydney’s Opera Bar just below the world Famous Sydney Opera House.
Pricey drinks, but delicious cocktails. Decadent menu for those who choose it including the sampler for two, or a nice hearty fish and chips as you sit by the sea. A bowl of sweet potato crisps are a great share dish for the table.
A lovely place to spend a Sunday afternoon and enjoy some of Sydney’s best views
Farewell Jess!! Don’t forget the beauty of Sydney. Enjoy Canada
Courtney Crow is the founder and operator of the amazing website http://www.explorergirls.com. I was lucky enough to find Courtney when looking for extra places to blog and how glad I am. Through this amazing travel website just for awesome, out there, adventurous girls, I have met some true friends.
Courtney is a freelance writer and photogrpaher. Her most recent posting was at the 2010 Winter Olypics in Vancouver. Meeting the likes of Shaun White and Torah Bright are just the part of a normal day for the adventurous Courtney.
Read about why she loves her home country the USA and make sure to check out the awesome website she has created for us travel lovers!
1. Name
Courtney Crow
2. Occupation
Online Publisher and Professional Photographer
3. Country of Residence
Australia 4. Country of Origin
USA
I love travel because it can open your mind up to all kinds of things…adventures, people and places. It’s the best way to learn more about the world and yourself. You always meet amazing and interesting people always along the way.
7. Favourite place in your home country and why?
Just recently I visited the Grand Canyon in Arizona and Monument Valley in Utah. I was blown away with the beauty of the landscapes. It was somewhere I had never been before and only seen in postcards. I went back to Utah to go ATV riding near the Zion National Park and again was taken back with all the beautiful terrain.
My other fave would be all the beaches…Florida, California and Hawaii!
8. Best place for tourists to visit in your country?
Now, I live in Australia and have for 8 years…I would say tourists who visit Australia have to go into the Outback. It’s somewhere people often skip because it can be hard to get to, but totally worth it. Uluru is just awesome!
9. What other country would you life in if you had to leave your country?
If I had to leave Australia I would consider moving to Canada. After visiting here for the Winter Olympics and living here for over a month I have seen so many great things about this country. The people are friendly and welcoming, the landscapes are beautiful and there are adventures all around us…snowboarding, heliskiing, dog sledding, hiking, biking, climbing, sailing….and the list goes on!
10. Best travelling experience anecdote in your own country?
People love travelling in Australia for the Great Barrier Reef, surf beaches in Sydney and along the coast lines and the Outback.
11. Favourite activity when around your city?
My closest city is Melbourne and when I’m there it’s all about shopping!
12. Do you feel you know your country well, or is more exploring of your homeland needed?
After touring around the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley I realised how much I don’t know about the USA and how many more places there are to explore…Yosemite National Park, Montana and so much more!
13. Any warnings for travellers visiting in your country?
When visiting Australia I would say just make sure you don’t travel into the bush or outback alone…it’s so vast and large and people can get lost and disappear.
14. Must see movie featuring your country and Why?
I would highly recommend ‘Australia’ the movie – it is a great tale about the history of Australia and shows some of the amazing landscape Australia has to offer.
15. The best book to read before visiting your country?
I would recommend ‘In a Sun Burned Country’ by Bill Bryson, because it tells you so much about Australia and it’s funny.
16. The must eat dish or delicacy of your country?
You must try Kangaroo! I know it sounds awful, but it free range and tastes really good!
17. Best time of year to visit?
Australia is best to visit in the summer, then you can advantage of all the warm beach days and hit the famous Aussie surf!
I have to admit that when boarding the Garuda flight to Indonesia I was feeling somewhat anxious. I might have even said a prayer or 6, just in case. But my worry was completely unnecessary. The flight was very, pleasant, the staff were delightful and the food was really nice too.
Garuda have had some aviation difficulties in the past and this has cast quite a shadow over their name in the industry. I hope to see this changing more and more as their technical standards increase and their security measures tighten.
I was surprised to find spacious and comfortable seating, also lucky to have 2 seats to myself. The entertainment system is state of the art with movies on demand, tv shows and music channels. The food came quickly and it was really tasty for aeroplane food. A paddle pop was given to us an hour before landing, a bribe or just a sweet treat? I’ll take it either way.
I actually felt bad for my doubtful approach to the service of Garuda. On the plane I watched a film called Love Happens starring Jennifer Aniston about continuing life even after tragedy has happened in your life. The message used through out the film is ”A-OK”. The stars in the film are encouraged to take on life’s challenges and face them. Even though something bad happened in the past, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen again and you can’t live your life in fear avoiding any tragedy or sadness. So being scared of airlines because they have had technical difficulties in the past just limits our options and our life experiences.
Arriving safely in the lovely tropical surroundings of the Jakarta airport, I felt rather sheepish. My fears were unwarranted. I would now recommend Garuda to anyone, especially those heading to the carriers host country Indonesia.
Chris is an avid traveller, blogger and tweeter.Blogging and twitting about his travels around the world, Chris has some great stories to share. Chris is also a techie and has saved my life on Twitter and WordPress a number of times. Read why it is that Chris loves his travel and his AUSSIE AUSSIE Home.
Ever since my first trip to Hong Kong (
http://www.theaussienomad.com/travel-thoughts/my-first-overseas-trip-part-1/ ) I’ve been hooked. The food, the culture, just seeing how the rest of the world lives is fascinating to me. Also I’m a sucker for wanting to check out old buildings and the history of places, Australia lacks that being such a new country compared to the rest of the world.
Favourite place in your home country and why?
Nothing beats my hometown of Casterton (
http://www.theaussienomad.com/travel-thoughts/casterton-my-home/ ) although Melbourne is a close second. Back home has the quiet country roads, the small town community and my family. Its peaceful and full of so many great memories, its hard to beat that.
Best place for tourists to visit in your country?
Everyone knows about Sydney, Melbourne, Uluru and the Gold Coast these days. I’d love to see them venture into the smaller towns of Australia. Perhaps Ballarat in Victoria to see Sovereign Hill or maybe Tamworth for the Country Music Festival.
What other country would you live in if you had to leave your country?
I think if I had to leave Australia I would want to live in Canada. for a long time I have seen the two countries as having similar values and attitudes. Not to forget everybody I have known from Canada just seem to be great down to earth people.
Best travelling experience anecdote in your own country?
Travelling with some friends up to Queensland on the plane. We flew out about 9am and had our first beer 20 min later when the seat belt sign went off. That set the tone for the rest of the week.
Favorite activity when around your city?
I actually enjoy getting out and going for a run/walk around Lake Wendouree. It’s not much of a lake with the drought now but its a great 6km walk to wind down and relax.
Do you feel you know your country well, or is more exploring of your homeland needed?
While I have travelled just about all over Australia, I’ve only just scratched the surface. An example was my visit to Tasmania that lasted just two days for work. I’d love to ride around it on a motorbike and take it all in.
Any warnings for travelers visiting in your country?
Australia is a big place. Everything is spread far and wide so be sure to factor that in when you come to visit. Don’t just think you can zip down the road to see Melbourne when you live in Sydney.
Must see movie featuring your country and Why?
I think people should watch The Castle. It’s a classic Aussie movie that I have watched many a time. It’s full of great Aussie characters and you will get more than your share of great Aussie slang.
The best book to read before visiting your country?
I’m not so up on great Australian books but my advice would be to grab a couple of good guide books (Lonely Planet etc) and go with that.
The must eat dish or delicacy of your country?
Every Australian loves a BBQ so head to the local butcher shop grab a nice big old piece of steak and find the nearest BBQ to cook it up on. We are also fairly partial to a great feed of Fish & Chips.
The top three sayings to make travellers stay in your country easier?
How you goin? – How are you today?
Mate – Friend
Barbie – BBQ
Best time of year to visit?
I would visit from December to about March so you catch the summer.
Sunday is just the best day to explore Sydney. Especially when it’s sunny with blue skies and you are surrounded by great friends.
I was lucky to have all these components working for me last Sunday 31st January 2010, to enjoy the best of what Sydney had to offer.
I started the day with a train ride to my favourite station Circular Quay, caught a Ferry to Mosman and checked out the shops. We then went off to the World famous Taronga Zoo to see Baby Luk Chai, elephant cutie!
Back on the Ferry at lunch time and then off to the IVY Marco Polo Pool for cocktails and chilled out tunes. Finishing the night in Martin Place with hundreds of cheering fans for Mr Roger Federers Australian Open Win.
Could one have a better day? Me thinks not!!
Details and a few tips for each venue and activity:
Ferry to Taronga Zoo
There is a direct ferry which goes from Circular Quay to Taronga Zoo which takes aproximately 15 minutes and gives you stunning views of Sydney Harbour. However, it must be noted, when one arrives at Taronga Zoo and notices the sign advising that you have reached your destination, it is time to disembark. Do not do what my lovely friend Emma and I did and think that some nice chap will come and tell you it is time to get off. Two announcements were made and it was not until the ferry was pulling out that we noticed we should have gotten off. All was ok. Buses go regularly from the Mosman terminal and take you straight to Military Road and from there you can take another bus to the entrance of Taronga Zoo.
Ferry information:
www.sydneyferries.info/
Taronga Zoo
This Zoo has to have the most remarkable view in the world. The backdrop of Sydney Harbour Bridge and the brilliant blue ocean behind the giraffe or Bear enclosure. The Bird show is certainly a sight to see. Must remember to watch the birds and not the glistening sunlight on Sydney Harbour.
Little Baby Elephant, Luk Chai, is star attraction at the moment. See him and his friends having baths at 10.30am.
For information on tickets, show times and opening hours visit:
www.taronga.org.au
IVY -Marco Polo -Pool Bar
Sunday sessions at the infamous IVY are a must for any Sydney socialite. Cocktails, DJ, high fashion and all of this pool side! You can easily get caught up in the glitz and glamour and spend your afternoon show-boating and checking that your outfit is picture perfect. Alternatively, do what we did and jump right in. Get in the pool, cool off and frolic about. There is a great vibe and on this steamy Sunday there was no better place in Sydney.
For large Scale events, the lovely City of Sydney Council set up a HUGE TV for all of us to come together and watch. We sat with 100′s of others to watch Federer take yet another Grand Slam title. The atmosphere was great and it provided the perfect wind down for our hectic Sydney day.
Brooke Schoenman had the difficult task this week of analysing her country from a Traveller’s perspective. Why so difficult? Because she comes from one of the biggest and most well known country in the world, The big ol’ US of A.
Brooke has been living in Australia and is now getting the chance to reflect on her home country. She loves her adopted country but of course misses the creature comforts such as a quiet weekend with family and some yummy chocolate chip cookies.
Chech out Brooke’s awesome blog as she trots around the world, especially her video blogs!
http://brookevstheworld.com/
That is a really tough question! I love to see new places, experience other cultures and all that fun stuff…. but I think I also love travel because I feel like I am at my best when I’m doing it. In my normal life, I’m quite reserved and shy, but when I head out on the road – by myself – I come out of my shell.
7. Favourite place in your home country and why?
Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio – It is THE BEST roller coaster theme park EVER! I was raised from a young age on roller coasters, and I still look forward to the bigger and the better!
8. Best place for tourists to visit in your country?
Uhm… Cedar Point? The country is so big; it is hard to pick out the best. Everyone should experience New York City and get a taste of the southwest states in my opinion.
9. What other country would you live in if you had to leave your country?
Australia! At least that’s where I am trying to live at the moment. Hopefully, I will be applying for a partner visa with my Aussie boyfriend come later this year!
10. Favourite activity when around your city?
It has been a while since I’ve been home! Peoria, Illinois is not a small city, but it is not Chicago either, so there isn’t much in the area of tourist attractions. I really just enjoy hanging out with friends and family, going to dinner, going bowling or catching a concert.
11. Do you feel you know your country well, or is more exploring of your homeland needed?
I definitely need to explore more of America. Perhaps, if I bring my boyfriend home with me, I will have more motivation to see the rest of the States. The US is truly gigantic, and I have only been to Arizona in the West. Many people laugh when they hear I’ve traveled to Kyrgyzstan but have never been to Washington D.C.
12. Any warnings for travellers visiting in your country?
If English is not your native language, try to learn a bit before coming over. Outside of large cities, people may not know how to help or understand foreign tourists as they don’t see them as often.
13. Must see movie featuring your country and Why?
I’m drawing a blank… The only thing that keeps coming to mind is “American Pie” and all the other teen/college type movies that make us look ridiculous. Please don’t base your idea of America on these
14. The must eat dish or delicacy of your country?
A good burger, apple pie and chocolate chip cookies As surprising as it was, I happened to miss a good burger (not McD’s style) when on the road. They’re just never the same abroad!
15. The top three sayings to make travellers stay in your country easier?
How much? Can you tell me where… ? Thank you.
16. Best time of year to visit?
I guess that depends on what you want to see. For Australians that never see snow, winter (their summer) is a good time to visit many states. The southern states get very hot in the summer, so try to get to them in the spring or fall.
It had been 5 long years since I had celebrated the National Day of my country in my own country. I had forgotten what it was like to celebrate with Australians, in the heat of Summer on our own turf. So this year had to be a big one and 2010 certainly lived up. My Australia Day was jam packed full of Aussie goodness! Beaches, bikinis, Bondi and burnt to a crisp. What a day!
I wanted to also take this time to review my last 5 Australia Days:
2006 – Delhi India.
I actually forgot it was Australia Day until the enving as it is also Indian Republic Day
2007 – London, England
Beers at 9am, watching the movie Chopper, singing the Anthem on the train and being denied from the Temple Walkabout. An English Australia Day with all the class.
2008 – BIG WHITE, BC, Canada
Working in housekeeping until 12pm, started drinking 12.30pm, BBQ outside our snowlobile hut. Riding a Snowmobile in my Australian Bikini before heading to Happy Valley Tavern, The Happiest Place on Earth! Freezing Cold, but we still wore our bikini’s and boardies.
2009 – Monterrey, Mexico
Student Exchange in Mexico with 35 other Aussie students provided us with an unusual setting for our Australia Day Celebrations. Triple JJJ Hottest 100 on the 25th (the day before due to timezones) and all day BBQ as we returned from a weekend in the dessert, followed by a Birthday Party/ Australia Day BBQ on the 26th. VB shirt was donned and beverages were consumed. FIESTA!
The country is so big; it is hard to pick out the best. Everyone should experience New York City and get a taste of the southwest states in my opinion.
