Browse for “Must Do” to discover those unmissable experiences guaranteed to make your own trip a success.
Rio de Janeiro - Cidade Maravilhosa. 2 days in Rio de Janeiro? Wondering how to spend your time? Read on to discover 20 exciting things to do to help you make the most of your visit to "The Marvellous City" ...
Lanzarote on Foot - There is so much more to discover on this island than tourist hot spots Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen. Discover the quieter side of Lanzarote - best explored on foot.
Pa amb tomàquet - Tomato Bread
We’re Walking the Catalan Coast - Y Viva Espanã. Join me for a week long hike along 80 kilometres of the stunning coastline of Catalonia.
Discover the Delicacies of Dijon in 1 Day. Dijon is a foodie destination not to be missed. Come & take a stroll through its quaint streets with me ...
Itinerary for a 3 Day trip to Liverpool. A fun, friendly city that is just waiting to give you a big hug!
Trace your Ancestor's back in time. 3 Days in Wiltshire Itinerary - Days 2 and 3: Stourhead, Salisbury Magna Carta and a grand finale in Stonehenge.
Pinnacles Desert Nambung National Park WA
The road from Kalbarri to Cervantes is 378 kms (4 hrs 7 mins), but offers plenty to see on the way including two "Must Do" attractions: Pink Lake (Hutt Lagoon) and The Pinnacles.
Sal Salis WA
We arrived at Sal Salis in good time for a 2pm check-in and were blown away by it. This really is a very special place to stay indeed. It is a digital detox zone (no wi-fi), so forgive me, but I am going to say little more about our stay here beyond the accommodation review. The photos can do the talking and if you want to know more, then add this place to your bucket list and come and discover it all for yourself - I promise you, you will not leave disappointed.
Koala Bear Yanchep NP
Where to see koala bears in WA. The road from Perth to Geraldton is 414 kms - 4 and a half hours. En route though, there is an opportunity to see koala bears, which is a "Must Do". We took all day over the journey, allowing for two stops on the way.
Perth - a blend of old and new but young at heart
Polished Perth - capital of a state ten time the size of Great Britain - is as close to the nearest big city (Adelaide) as London is to Leningrad. Perth is a large, clean, modern city much like many others, but its balmy climate, position by the wide, blue Swan River and radiant sunlight bouncing off the skyscrapers gives it a unique charm all of its own. It is, in every sense, very polished with a smart, high-sheen finish.
Kangaroos on Lucky Bay - Cape le Grand National Park
The road from Bremer Bay to Esperance (home of Australia's best beaches) was long - very long - and straight. There were hardly any vehicles on it except the odd road train (shortish) which gave you a start as it rushed past. The road took us through interesting sounding places like Jerramingup, Munillinup and Nindilibillup. Up means "place of" around here - I wonder what these places we were passing through were places of ...? They didn't have enough interest to make us stop long enough to find out. We were keen to press on to Esperance and explore all those beautiful beaches. It took us around 4 hours in total to get here.
Voyager Estate Tasting Menu
Today, we had pre-booked a tour of the Voyager Estate . The tour included the Voyager Estate Tasting Menu - a 7 course degustation gourmet lunch.
Rottnest Island
We pre-booked a day trip to "Rotto" (Rottnest Island) - the family holiday playground of choice for Perth locals - with Rottnest Fast Ferries. This car free island is an off-the-grid slice of paradise about 30kms into the sea off the coast of Perth. The trip includes a shuttle bus collection from your hotel, which makes things really easy.
Nashville State Capitol Building & the stage in the foreground
Nashville Day 2 - the city changed its name to Draftsville as the NFL draft got into full swing. Broadway was completely packed out with music ringing from every bar and stage as the crowd worked themselves into a frenzy yelling "The Pick is In".
The Peabody Hotel Memphis Lobby
Where to Stay in Memphis - Peabody Hotel It is said that the Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel and ends on Catfish Row in Vicksburg…
A quick pitstop at Glady's Diner - make sure you get the best booth.
Two Days in Memphis Day 2 - Start the day at Graceland. Book the VIP tour if you want to avoid the lines.
I am a Man Memorial National Museum of Civil Rights Memphis
Two Days in Memphis Day 1 - There is a LOT to do here and you need to be very well organised if you want to do it all! This was how we tackled it.
The unfinished dream that never came true
Longwood was the dream that never came true, but not for want of trying. An entertaining story of romance, tragedy, trauma and grace. The magnificent octagonal house was never finished - the civil war intervened and changed the lives of its occupants - the Nutt family - irretrievably.
The revolving Carousel Bar - a must do!
Where to Stay in New Orleans - Hotel Monteleone Accommodation Review A lovely hotel - authentic and full of charm. The Carousel Bar is amazing and the rooftop pool is…
Bananas Foster - Chucking in the Cinammon!
The New Orleans School of Cooking was a great place to spend a morning here. The cooking in the Deep South is way different from the rest of the USA. It is Creole - a veritable melting pot of all the nationalities that coalesced in this part of the world (Portugeuse, Spanish, French, Italian) and made it what it is today. Nothing goes to waste - it is "rooter to tooter" as the expression goes - i.e. - everything on the hog is used except it's squeak.
New Orleans Jazz Festival
New Orleans has been throbbing 24/7 since 1718. It is the birthplace of jazz and has always had music at its heart. The French Quarter Jazz Festival was in full swing when we arrived - what a great week-end to visit! New Orleans i's way more than honky tonk pianos and saxophones though. The food is great here, the welcome is warm, the people are full of life and colour and the vibe is great.
Kawarau Gorge New Zealand - Site of the First Bungy Jump
To bungy or not to bungy? The first bungy jump happened here and A.J. Hackett is still in business with a big centre in town at Kawarau Gorge. There have been 2 million successful bungy jumps since 1986. It makes you wonder what the definition of an unsuccessful bungy jump is?!
Sounds of Silence - Doubtful Sound
Yesterday, we took a short cruise with Real Journeys across Lake Manapouri then a coach trip on the remote sub-alpine route over Wilmot Pass and into Doubtful Sound where we docked overnight on the Fiordland Navigator. This is a very peaceful and beautiful place where you can experience the Sounds of Silence of Shadowland. The boat turned off its engines and everyone kept a complete silence for five minutes - blissful.
Hot Water Beach
Ten minutes drive from Cathedral Cove is Hot Water Beach where hot water from two underground springs gushes up from 2kms below ground to the surface when you dig in the sand. The trick is ...
Coromandel Walkway
Yesterday, we made our way down the coast from Orewa to Coromandel, visiting beautiful Rapaura Water Gardens at Tapu en route. Today we embark on a pre-booked tramp along the Coromandel Coastal Walkway with Coromandel Discovery.
Cape Reinga Lighthouse
We visited Cape Reinga lighthouse today which is as far as you can go in New Zealand without falling into the sea - Northland's Toe. The lighthouse overlooks where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasmanian Sea, which creates a whirlpool effect - fascinating. Maori legend has it that this is the Meaning of Life - where female sea meets male sea, creating the beginnings of life. We passed by beautiful Tapotupota Bay and the huge Te Paki sand dunes on the way.
Waitangi Treaty Grounds - Maori Cultural Performance
A 3 and a half hour drive up Highway 1 today towards KeriKeri will end with a family reunited. I am staying with my great aunt and cousin and their family in KeriKeri and we haven't seen each other for many years. Spending a few days with them is one of the main attractions of this trip for me - probablyway more fun than some of the big tourist sights!
View from Chalet 26 Storms River Tsitsikamma National Park
From Oudtshoorn, we drove for about an hour through some beautiful scenery to drop off the off the hire car at George airport, stopping off at the impressive Fancourt Golf Club en route to satisfy Tim's curiosity. Two and a half hours later, the pre-booked transfer car had dropped us at the Storms River Tsitsikamma Section of the Garden Route National Park (GRNP) ready to start our two day hike - The Dolphin Trail.
Ostrich - up close and personal. They eat a lot of stones to aid their digestion. You can see them going down their long necks!
Oudtshoorn – Cango Caves and Ostriches Cango Caves Oudtshoorn is an interesting place and it is worth spending at least a day here - or better still two, if you…
African Penguin Colony Boulders Bay Cape Town
We took a Peninsular Tour to the Penguins today, finishing at the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach. The coastline was pristine - miles and miles of clear blue waters, huge waves and very few people around - perfect. The penguins were a fascinating sight - quite immune to all the attention they get from the tourists.
No-one was swimming in the sea. Maybe because the water is very cold here in Summer (it is warmer in Winter, oddly?) - or maybe because sharks are common in these waters. Sharks are so common they employ shark watchers to sound the alarm if they spot one.