Scoot Magazine: White Knuckle Winter

If you’re travelling on Scoot in June or July keep an eye out for my story White Knuckle Winter, about the fun adventures to be had in Sydney over the cooler months. From sailing the harbour with salty sea dogs to dry canyoning with Blue Mountains Wild Adventures, there’s a lot to get cold hearts racing! You can take a look at the whole mag here too.

My naked pants!

I’m not scared of a bit of aaahctivewear and have found Lululemon gear suits me best. Recently when I travelled over to Lord Howe Island for a few travel assignments I had the opportunity to road test some new ‘naked sensation’ pants from Lulu.

All my other tights are shiny lycra, but these were a matt, cotton finish. Their naked name comes from the feeling – they do feel like you’ve got nothing on, so for the exhibitionist in you, they’re perfect, but if you have those kind of nightmares where you forget to put your pants on they might not be a great idea. Kidding. They’re great.

The style I have is Align, and they retail for $119AUD. Certainly not cheap but with all my Lulu gear, they’ve lasted so much longer than any other brands I’m happy to fork out the extra. They’re comfy on the plane (especially with a toddler crawling all over) and I really enjoyed using them on our hikes on the island. Check them out.

Thanks to Lululemon Australia  for the pants.

Jetstar Asia: Skiing Niseko vs Nozawa

As you’ve probably guessed I love skiing, and I’ve had a great time skiing in Japan over the years. This piece, for Jetstar Asia is comparing the big boy of Niseko with the traditional little resort of Nozawa Onsen. Both are great, but for very different reasons. Check out my story Two Sides, Two Rides to find out why.

Blue Mountains Wild Adventures Canyoning and Abseiling

Love to get wild in the Blue Mountains?! Then jump on an awesome canyoning or abseiling day or half day trip with Blue Mountains Wild Adventures to experience the best spots the World Heritage listed National Park has to offer. James and his guides are fantastic and go to heaps of great sites like Claustral Canyon, Juggler Canyon, Tigersnake Canyon and Empress Canyon, as well as Malatia Wall for abseiling and run tours of the iconic Six Foot Track. I’ve done Juggler and it was SO MUCH FUN! Check out this little video of a Blue Mountains Wild Adventures group in Butterbox Canyon.

Head over to the website (brand spanking new one)  or call James on 02 9389 0535 to book. They’ll pick up from Sydney or Katoomba and all gear is provided.

Sky Business: Talking travel to Lord Howe Island

This week I had a great time talking about my recent trip to Lord Howe Island on Sky Business program, Business Class, you can check out my handiwork here. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, it’s such an incredible place and so close to our major cities, being a two hour flight from Sydney and Brisbane.

Backpacker Essentials Cover Story: Thredbo on a Budget

I love skiing in Thredbo. It’s an easy drive from Sydney and I’ve always had a great time there. Yes, there are arguments for saving your dollars for overseas, but there’s something special about skiing through gumtrees and returning to your lodge for a hearty Australian red wine by the fire. I wrote about my tips for skiing Thredbo on a budget for YHA’s magazine, Backpacker Essentials, which is out now. But you can read it here.

Talking travel on SKY

I’ve never been that into seeing or hearing myself on tv or radio but sometimes it’s part of the job. Last week I popped in to the Sky Business studios in Sydney for a live spot talking travel on their programme, Business Class. I love heading to WA to explore so I had a great time sharing all my favourite spots, especially about my incredible experience swimming with the whalesharks. You can watch it here.

Scoot: Craft Brewing Hotspots

It’s just a little piece, but it was no less fun to research! Check out my craft brewing hotspots snippet that appeared in the Scoot inflight magazine, The Pulse, recently.

Herald Sun: Travellers Giving Back on the Road

The view from the Six Foot Track in NSW’s Blue Mountains, by James Marten-Coney.

When you travel it’s an amazing opportunity to give back to the community you travel through. There are so many ways to do this so I wrote this piece for the Herald Sun travel section to explore a few of them. Photo by my favourite photographer and travel buddy James Marten-Coney.

Travel Ideas: Drop me off in New Orleans

New Orleans dragged me in and kept me under her spell for four days. The music was incredible, the food so enjoyable, the hurricane cocktails addictive and of course the people were so interesting and full of magic. I had the pleasure of reliving my Nawlins’ visit recently for Flight Centre’s brand new Travel Ideas magazine, and you can check out the story here, the whole mag here, or grab a printed copy in any store.