Like many lucky others, I am on the road this winter, and travel insurance is a crucial consideration. Given the big numbers of people on vacation here and abroad, a lesson I’ve just learnt around pre-existing conditions may be of interest. I was once advised whenever you've paid for an international flight or trip to finalise the travel insurance immediately. The rationale was: you mi... read more>

With much hullabaloo, after two years a cruise ship has returned to Sydney Harbour as the industry gears up to relive its glory days after the Covid shutdown. P&O cruises’ flagship, the Pacific Explorer, was given a mighty maritime welcome. The line says bookings for Australian cruises are approaching the pre-pandemic levels, and they expect a nearly normal season for next summer. Mor... read more>

They rather predictably state every journey begins with the first step but in truth any kind of slightly planned trip starts well before you lace up your boots.  For me it’s always conceived with a map, a trustworthy cartographic companion which contains more useful information than a thousand travel writers’ blogs. In fact, a map I might chance upon, or idly pick up, can often decide whe... read more>

This author travelled at their own expense…it may be the most important words at the end of any travel story which seeks to seduce our wanderlust. Beware the travel pages of many newspapers, magazines, websites which may make the world seem sunnier and more spectacular than it really is. Their tight lens closes in on the delights of food, luxury, exotic experiences and very up-market ... read more>

By nature, I tend to avoid anywhere which attracts over-hyped superlatives such as:  the ‘biggest shopping mall in the southern hemisphere’ even ‘the best Italian in Carlton’ or worst ‘the best-kept secret in Bondi’. But prejudices usually do you a disservice, as I’ve just discovered after hiking a four-day traverse of Fiordland in the South Island of New Zealand often called the ‘finest... read more>