Exploring Queensland’s Cape Hillsborough with kids […] read more…
Exploring Siem Reap with kids […] read more…
45 cool kid travellers you should be following on Instagram, now […] read more…
A recipe for Osaka’s favourite street food […] read more…
Top tips for first time powder pups […] read more…
Everyone enjoys a little highland fling once in a while, right? Turns out my kids are especially keen when said flinging is flung above the treetops. We’re in the NSW Southern Highlands at the award winning Illawarra Fly Treetop Adventures, home to Australia’s premier Treetop Walk – a stunning, suspended, cantilevered one way ticket to […] Read more…
Ever wondered what it’s like to fly ultra long haul in United’s Economy Plus? I settle in on the airline’s new 15 hour and 40-minute, 13,850km service from Sydney to Houston to find out. Some might suggest it’s slightly demented for a chronic flight phobic to choose a profession that saw her boarding almost 50 flights in the last 12 […] Read more…
Houston, we have a problem. Well, at least Raffles does. You see the boy is so obsessed with space that’s he’s saving up all his pocket money for a $250,000 a hit ticket on a yet-to-launch Virgin Galactic space flight (yes, he’ll be saving until he’s about 157 by my calculations), and has grand plans […] Read more…
With United Airlines launching flights direct from Sydney to Houston, an already popular hub that connects travellers to America’s Southeast, Midwest, East Coast and Latin America, Australians are wondering what the city, America’s fourth-most populous and most diverse city, might have to offer visiting families. I discover, after a few days of the city’s extreme congeniality, […] Read more…
My first impressions of Houston, the most populous and diverse city in the U.S. state of Texas, are that the wonderfully diverse and undoubtedly delicious city is… humid with a chance of hugs. I’ve been warned about the delays, long queues and heavy customs scrutiny when flying into America. So, I’m prepared for a long […] Read more…
There’s a distinct chill in the air and that only means one thing at Casa Eats World! Nagging. Incessant freakin’ nagging! Because, you see, both my wee powder pups are hooked on ice. Thankfully though, it is the type that falls from the sky as opposed to the stuff that’s manufactured in dodgy suburban garages. As […] Read more…
It’s a simple enough premise. Scale a 30-metre mound of soft sand. Grab a piece of plastic. Sit on said plastic with your knees up for balance and your fingers trailing behind you for some semblance of control. Go! Fast! Repeat! Glorious Port Stephens is more than just one of the prettiest coastal regions in […] Read more…
What do you get when you head overseas on a week-long exotic adventure with your bestie and leave the kids behind? Well, besides frequent hangovers. The answer is two rather miffed offspring who are eager for some adventures of their very own. And while they’re full of intriguing suggestions including flying to Morocco for cous […] Read more…
You might think that with six lifts and scores of runs, including off-piste and backcountry areas, that Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU is all about shredding the slopes, but there are endless other indoor and outdoor activities for little snow bunnies and powder pups, whether they’re strapped into skis or not. We certainly love the pow, and spend as much […] Read more…
It’s sooo fluffy” declares Raffles happily as he leaps out of our coach into the nearest heap of fresh snow, disappearing somewhere into its powdery depths. We’ve arrived at Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Tomamu, just a 90-minute drive from New Chitose Airport in Sapporo, to flurries of snowflakes dancing in the sky like frosty fairies. I’m so entranced […] Read more…
The Cambodian people love a little charred protein. But they things a little differently to us Aussies when it comes to a barbie. Like my kids, they love cooked stuff on sticks. And not just any old stuff… well, actually I suppose it is pretty much every old stuff. We braved a fair few of […] Read more…
My mama is the only person I know who can actually make magic happen. She’s always conjuring up incredible creations in the kitchen and has this way of making everything my sister and I wish for come true. And she does it all without even needing to use an accio summoning charm. She is so magic, I […] Read more…
There was no way we could come all the way to Old Blighty without a visit to Marlow, a town on the Thames that also happens to be our daughter’s namesake. And darned if it isn’t as full of character and charm as she is. Located between Windsor and Henley on Thames on the River […] Read more…
As far as family travel destinations go it might not make it to the top of the charts, but Cambodia is the stuff of kids’ Indiana Jones and Lara Croft-infused fantasies and should definitely be on your family holiday hit list. Not only are the people welcoming and the resorts kid-friendly, it’s easy and fun to […] Read more…
The temples of Angkor were the main reason I wanted to visit Cambodia, especially after mum let me watch Tomb Raider. But even Lara Croft, though she’s utterly awesome, didn’t prepare me for just how epic the temples of Siem Reap really are. There are hundreds of ancient ruins all over Cambodia, but the most […] Read more…
The magical Kingdom of Cambodia stole a little piece of my heart when I visited to work with a small (and now defunct) NGO in Phnom Penh, more than a decade ago. It was a place I’d always promised to return with my kids, but only once they were old enough to appreciate the country’s ancient […] Read more…
Under the omnipresent shadow of legendary Table Mountain sits The Cape Grace Hotel, quietly oozing old world charm and sophistication. One of the world’s most luxurious and stylish hotels, the boutique Cape Grace boasts enormous individually-styled guest rooms packed with antiques and artefacts, hand-painted fabrics and bowls of breathtaking protea blooms, each offering ridiculously beautiful views […] Read more…
It’s no secret that Raffles is a bit of Sir Richard Branson fan, speaking often about how he wants to be just like him when he grows up. You know, “successful, kind… and a billionaire”. And I have no problem with that. But Raffles has a huge problem with the fact that I am enjoying […] Read more…
When mum sat down to put together a list of her favourite Family Travel Instagram Accounts, we kind of got in to an argument. I mean, she was picking some cool accounts with lots of photos of pretty places and cute kids wearing pretty dresses, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but she missed so […] Read more…
There is a mysterious vortex just south of Christchurch on the Banks Peninsular. Either that or our driver has taken a wrong route… by about 18,000 kilometres, because somehow, we appear to have pulled up in France. Not that I’m complaining. I’m a Francophile from way back and am quite happy to find myself strolling […] Read more…
If it flies, speeds, falls or rolls, then there is a good chance Raffles, my mini man of action, is going to want to try it, which is a little problematic given his mother is something of a coward. When he leaps, jumps and slides his way into mischief he assures me “Danger” is his […] Read more…
Despite the fact that we have explored the destinations immediately above and below it many a time, Queensland’s Mackay Region is one of those places that we just seemed to keep missing. But a recent visit made us realise what a major oversight that has been. From its Art deco buildings and pretty palm-tree lined […] Read more…
“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, travel for Mr Eats World and I meant finding a bargain deal for a random destination, chucking a handful of clothes, a camera and a toothbrush in a backpack and buggering off. But when two became three, booking a holiday suddenly required actual thought and planning, and to […] Read more…
The long boat splutters its way past a fisherman in the soft light of late afternoon before chugging its way down a lush, garden strewn corridor. We follow the green and blue trail of hydroponic gardens until we reach the jetty of the Novotel Inle Lake Myat Min, where a cacophony of clanging cymbals and drums greets us. It’s quite the […] Read more…
We’re leading a small flotilla of long boats across Inle Lake, the machine gun rat-ta-tat of their engines shattering the silence in this serene water world, almost as much as the squealing “woohoos” coming from Raffles as we rev up and race our way across the freshwater lake. Strewn with marshes and floating gardens, and skirted by teak stilt-houses and pretty […] Read more…
Traipsing through a foreign airport with two small people at 4am, after ten hours in transit, is the kind of behaviour that I’d ordinarily suggest parents be given some pretty intensive therapy for. But on this occasion (and with little choice in the timing) the tiny travellers are doing us proud, having pretty much snoozed […] Read more…
So you’re planning to sleep your way to your destination ready to hit the ground running on the other side? With the kids in tow? Yeah, listen, about that…. 10 minutes into your flight and the baby in 6D will have been howling for nine and a half. Your own kids will be whining because […] Read more…
Raffles and I have just completed our first ever take-no-prisoners, one-of-a-kind mother and son adventure. Of course, given our extraordinarily itchy feet, and the fact that we’re both a little mad, we couldn’t just head off for a quiet weekend pour deux in a cosy hotel close by. Nope, instead my little action man and I […] Read more…
Disguising myself with my darkest glasses and a wide brimmed hat, I slip unnoticed into the shadows as my kids bury the body. Ummm… maybe I should rephrase that. It’s barely 10am, and with the sun’s heat already pounding onto the white powdery sand of Maré’s Yejele Beach, I’m determined to nab a shady spot so […] Read more…
Travel means different things to different people. When you’re flying solo, it may be for the chance to discover the world, or to discover yourself. And when you travel with kids, you might view it as a chance to bond or an opportunity to raise globally aware humans. No matter how or who you travel […] Read more…
Sugarpuff has a bit of thing for Hello Kitty. And by “bit” I actually mean the kid loves that prissy puss with the white-hot intensity of a thousand burning suns! Needless to say in Japan, the birthplace of the famed feline, my girl is in Hello Kitty heaven. When I say feline I must do so with a […] Read more…
On a scale of one to epic, I rate Love Fish Barangaroo an epic point five. And that’s not just because the food and service at the waterfront restaurant is so good, but because the restaurant is so green. The owners, Michelle and Michael, are my new eco heroes because they are all about serving […] Read more…
Bali is beckoning again! As soon as the temperatures start to drop, my inclination to beat a hasty retreat to somewhere warm rises. And where better to escape to than beautiful Bali? It’s one of Australia’s favourite holiday destinations, and for good reason. Just six(ish) hours from the East coast of Sydney and only three […] Read more…
Sydney Harbour’s largest island is one of the city’s most intriguing and architecturally important sites, cloaked in mystery and history. For almost 200 years, the only way you could visit was if you were transported there in manacles, or you were brandishing a resume packed with industrial skills. But now, visiting one of our crew’s […] Read more…
Sugarpuff is on a bit of a health kick at the moment. She’s become obsessed with Yoga (her very own special version which she claims makes her feel “loosey goosey” – it’s best not to ask). She’s also become more interested in healthy eating because she says it gives her more energy (though, I doubt […] Read more…
We’ve just spent a weekend up at Port Stephens, one of our favourite spots for filling our pants with sand and leaping into the ocean, like a boss. There are so many great beaches and rivers and we love the epic dunes that you can ride camels along, sand board down or quad bike your […] Read more…