Say cheese.
February 7th, 2010
I think I’m a pretty good photographer… then I see work from real travel photographers and I realise that I’m at best just better than average. I actually studied photography for five years (as part of my graphics degree), but I just don’t know all those little ‘tricks’ that can turn an average photo into an amazing photo. But there is help. Friend, and fellow Australian Society of Travel Writer member, Ewen Bell (that’s one of his photos above, not mine!) has recently started a website called Photography for Travellers and… (read more)
100 million books and a free trip around the world.
February 2nd, 2010
I had a meeting today at the Lonely Planet office in salubrious Footscray to discuss promotional ideas for the upcoming publication of Lonely Planet’s 100 millionth guidebook. That’s a hell of a lot of guidebooks and that’s a hell of a lot of people getting lost trying to read the Lonely Planet guidebook maps! One of the major promotions for the 100 millionth guidebook is a photography competition where travelers are invited to share photographs of their favorite travel experiences online and be in the running to win a round-the-world trip for two… (read more)
Racing cockroaches, rubber ducks and cows.
January 25th, 2010
‘Australians usually celebrate Australia Day with a barbeque, oftentimes with lots of beer’ That’s the the answer to ‘what do Australian’s do on Australian Day’ on wiki answers. Which is actually pretty much what happens. But it’s not all barbies and tinnies, though. There are many other things to do on Australia Day. Like racing strange things. Last year I attended the Cockroach Races in… (read more)
Haiti – 200 years of bad luck.
January 20th, 2010
I went to Haiti in 2003 for the Saut d’Eau Vodou festival. Back then Haiti was in ruins. Not from an earthquake, but because the entire country was falling apart after years of dodgy governments, lack of any significant industry and it’s own people stripping the land bare. Here is an extract from my book The Naked Man Festival which describes Haiti’s turbulent and troubled history:
‘The streets around Champs de Mars were packed with men standing around doing nothing. This didn’t surprise me… (read more)
The Best Beaches in the World (possibly).
January 16th, 2010
I’ve just got home from a lovely week in sunny Hervey Bay, Queensland where I did lots of swimming, eating, swimming, drinking and also some swimming. My favourite place was Pelican Beach, which was one of the most beautiful, untouched beaches that I’ve ever been to. In fact, it would easily make my top 10 beaches that I’ve been to. Which then means I should have a Top 10 list to put it in. There are so many other wonderful beaches in the world that I’m yet to go to, but… (read more)
Pelicans and Paradise.
January 11th, 2010
I discovered paradise today. Okay, I didn’t discover it personally and my brother has been coming here for years, but Pelican Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to. Pelican Beach is actually a tiny island about twenty minutes by boat from Hervey Bay in Queensland. My brother Bruce (along with his family) took us out there on the way to Fraser Island. And, best of all, we had the entire island to ourselves… (read more)
Planes, Trains and Automobiles… and Buses.
January 7th, 2010
Okay it’s time for a little whinge. Tomorrow my daughter Jasmine and I are flying to Hervey Bay in Queensland with Tiger Airways (which should be interesting). Except we’re not flying to Hervey Bay because it was so ridiculously expensive to fly there direct from Melbourne. So we got a cheap flight to the Sunshine coast where I thought we could just jump on a bus and be in Hervey Bay in a couple of hours. I was so wrong. I just assumed that because Queensland is Australia’s biggest tourist destination and Hervey Bay is a major tourist town that there would be a direct bus there. There are no buses – unless… (read more)
Tall things.
January 5th, 2010
I like tall things. When I travel I like going to the top of tall buildings (maybe it’s because I’m short?). I’ve been to the top of the Empire State Building, the World Trade Centre, Petronas Towers, Eiffel Tower, CNN Tower (Toronto), Sydney Tower, Sears Tower (now called Willis Tower – or ‘what are you talking about Willis Tower’), John Hancock Centre, Montparnasse Tower, Commerzbank Tower (Frankfurt), Tokyo Tower, and Lincoln Cathedral (which is only 159 meters tall, but it was the tallest building in the world from… (read more)
Travel highlights of 2009.
December 29th, 2009
Another year has flown by (they really do fly the older you get) and it’s been another great year of travelling for me. I feel so blessed to have these wonderful opportunities to travel like I do and there were many ‘highlights’ in my travels this year. And often the highlights are not necessarily about a place as such, but about the people you are with, the food you ate, discovering something so new or simply a beautiful moment. So, I thought I’d put together a list of my Top Ten Travel Highlights from 2009 (in no particular order)… (read more)
World’s Best Hotel (minus the stained sheets)
December 21st, 2009
A survey released this week by travel website Travel+Leisure ranked Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve in South Africa as the world’s best hotel in 2009. The survey ranks the tops 500 places to stay across the globe, and was compiled based on the opinions of the website’s ‘experts’ and thousands of readers. A night at Bushmans Kloof (about 3 hours away from Cape Town) will set you back US$715 (A$803). Second place went to the Oberoi Vanyavilas in Rajasthan… (read more)