melbourne

Highlights from a brief return to Melbourne

Last year, I had to travel from New York City to Australia to get my US working visa. I had my visa interview at the US Consulate in Perth, but while I waited for my passport to be returned to me I spent some time in Melbourne and Brisbane. This is a long overdue recap of my three or so weeks in Melbourne, in November … Continue reading Highlights from a brief return to Melbourne

Cottesloe Beach Perth Australia

Perth: 48 hours in the world’s most isolated capital city

As someone who loves to travel, it seems a glaring oversight that until this week, I’d never travelled farther west in Australia than the border of Victoria – less than halfway across the country. Australia is a big country, but there’s so much to see along the east coast that I’d neglected destinations farther afield, like Perth, the capital of Western Australia. Perth is the … Continue reading Perth: 48 hours in the world’s most isolated capital city

Chicago: First impressions of the Midwest

Steely skyscrapers. Ocean-like Lake Michigan and city beaches. Deep dish pizza. The electric blue of Chicago River. A gritty history of greedy politicians and powerful gangsters, which earned Chicago the nickname “The Windy City”, in reference to the “windbag” city leaders. The USA’s third-largest city has captured my imagination for a long time, so I was very excited to visit for a few days in … Continue reading Chicago: First impressions of the Midwest

food walking tour of lower east side with urban adventures

Tenements, Tales & Tastes: A Food & History Tour of New York City

New York City has a rich and diverse culture thanks to generations of immigration. The city has benefited from welcoming immigrants in countless ways, and the most tangible is it’s diverse and delicious cuisine! On a summer trip to New York before we moved there, I took the Tenements, Tales & Tastes food & history tour with Urban Adventures so I could learn how generation of … Continue reading Tenements, Tales & Tastes: A Food & History Tour of New York City

central park nyc

Highlights from 10 Days in New York City

New York City is one of my favourite cities in the world as well as my favourite travel destination in the USA. Ever since my first visit, three years ago, I’ve practically been counting down the days til I could go back, and it felt like my month-long trip to the USA & Canada couldn’t come soon enough! After spending 8 weeks in New York … Continue reading Highlights from 10 Days in New York City

View from boroka lookout in the grampians victoria australia

Highlights from a weekend in the Grampians

Last weekend, I visited The Grampians for the first time with two girlfriends, Olivia and Marlo. The Grampians National Park is one of the most beloved regions of Victoria, around four hours’ drive west of Melbourne. The park is enormous, and best explored in sections. We stayed in Hall’s Gap, which is close to more lookouts, mountains and hiking trails than we could possibly do in … Continue reading Highlights from a weekend in the Grampians

The Great Escape: 4 Days in Brisbane, Gold Coast & Sunshine Coast

Stressed? Burnt out? Bogged down in the winter blues? Prescribe yourself an extra long weekend in Queensland. In four days, I got the dose of sunshine, blue skies and blessed humidity that I’ve been missing in chilly, drizzly Melbourne. Before last weekend, I’d never considered squeezing in time in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast in one trip. I live in Melbourne, but … Continue reading The Great Escape: 4 Days in Brisbane, Gold Coast & Sunshine Coast

Bright buildings in New Orleans

Top 5 Travel Experiences 2015

Every year I like to look back and choose my top 5 travel experiences that defined the year. Last year, it was more about “big” experiences like seeing the Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree Rainforest and the best beach in Australia. Looking back, the experiences that stood out the most for me this year had more to do with time spent wandering and little discoveries, … Continue reading Top 5 Travel Experiences 2015