Category: TRAVEL

How to take-on a two-day fitness bender in Hobart with Bulk Nutrients – and survive

James Banham Bulk Nutrients

Sure there’s exercise and fitness, but doing it in Sydney on Bondi Beach, glistening under the southern sun in a balmy 25-degrees is nothing compared to doing it in the freezing cold in Hobart. Or up an even colder mountain. But, when you and a contingent of six other faces and folks in the Aussie fitness industry get on a plane and head south from Sydney to do just that as guests of Tasmanian born-and-raised protein supplement manufacturer Bulk Nutrients, you know you’re in for something quite unique. Bulk Nutrients and its founder, Ben Crowley were keen to show off the best that Tasmania – his home state and the home to his upwards of $27 million business based in Grove just out of Hobart – had to offer. And that they did. With a group of personal trainers, fitness writers, Instagrammers and bloggers in-tow, the Bulk team put themselves and their group through our paces to test the benefits of what Bulk Nutrients protein supplements can do. And after and two day assault on the bod, it seemed pretty unanimous – they work! Here’s what we took-on, what we recovered with and what we personally back. Day one with Bulk Nutrients: Arrive at Hobart airport. It’s cold. Super cold. Like, single digits cold. Coming from Sydney, it’s a shock to the system, but we all survive, order our green teas and coffee at the single cafe in the terminal before piling in to the seven-seater people mover to head to destination number one: Raw Challenge… Read More

New Zealand’s first smart hotel opens in Queenstown, mi-pad Hotel

Queenstown New Zealand

If you’ve ever heard anyone talking about New Zealand, then they would’ve mentioned Queenstown. But up until recently, they couldn’t have muttered the name, mi-pad Queenstown, because it’s only just opened and is a stunning, six-storey hotel right in the heart of Queenstown on New Zealand’s South Island. mi-pad is New Zealand’s first fully ‘smart’ hotel; a next generation, energy-conscious hotel experience for the smart traveller and the ultimate marriage of technology, sustainability, comfort and convenience. Complete with 57 stylish and well-appointed rooms with the latest in-room tech, multiple ‘social spaces’ and an impressive rooftop terrace, the hotel is keyless, spacious, conscious and savvy, making the stay a unique experience for any guest from the moment they arrive. Complete with an app that enables you to set temperatures and mood lighting in your room, request room service or alert hotel staff that they don’t want to be disturbed, it’s thought about what you want before you even know you needed it. Designed by John Blair and ringing-in at NZD$15 million, the hotel is less than a two-minute walk from the vibrant centre of Queenstown with its hundreds of bars, restaurants and activity operators set on the shores of stunning Lake Wakatipu. The mi-pad hotel concept is the brainchild of Queenstown property developer Lewis Gdanitz and is the fruition of three years of hard work. “mi-pad is the result of 15 years of research, travelling the world and finding the places that did accommodation really well,” he sayid. “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to deliver a property that’s… Read More

All The Fun Of The Airport – Making Your Travel A Part Of Your Holiday

Aeroplane

They say it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. And when it comes to airports, that’s certainly the case. Airports are no longer just about getting your plane – they’re now an incredible part of your holiday. From luxury spas to incredible shopping, there’s so much to do at the airport that you might not even get on the plane! How can you make your airport journey worthwhile? Let’s examine some of the world’s best airport features ready for you to add to your travel bucket list. Luxury shopping at Heathrow Airport, UK Heathrow Airport was the obvious choice for the Best Airport Shopping Award at the Skytrax Airport Awards, with voters crowning it the winner in a ‘landslide victory’. So what makes shopping at Heathrow so great? Well, not only is there plenty of variety at Heathrow, but it’s all so accessible – you can even hire a personal shopper to assist you! From top designer names like Gucci, Cartier and Chanel to more familiar (and affordable) brands like Jack Wills and Kate Spade – there are some great choices for fashion lovers. Know what you want? You can even order in advance and collect on arrival – now that’s what you call service! Concierge services at Changi Airport, Singapore As one of the world’s largest airports, there’s no harm in getting a bit of help around Changi Airport in Singapore. The concierge service is one of the most luxe you’ll find, with golf buggy transit escorting you from arrival to departures… Read More

Chances are that 47% of fellow travellers find you annoying

Female woman holiday trip travel photo

Everyone loves a holiday, everyone loves time off and everyone loves documenting said good times for future reference, right? And there’s nothing wrong with that. At least not if you fit into the roughly 10 million Aussies that go abroad every year. But, are you one of the annoying ones? We all hear tales of “oh, I hate this”, and “I hate that” when we recount stories of each other’s travelling habits overseas, but some new findings by the travel people at Agoda have now got a verifiable list of the most annoying behaviours travellers adopt when overseas – and none of them are good. Number one on the list won’t come as much of a surprise to you if you’re living in the modern day, but doesn’t make it any less annoying. According to the fresh stats, 47% of world travellers find it irrefutably annoying when travellers spend too much time on their mobile devices. Are you guilty? Makes sense when you’ve spend in excess of thousands of dollars to go somewhere and you’re not taking it in. The rest of it is fairly broad, but basically noisy travellers (57%), travellers glued to their devices (47%), and those insensitive to cultural nuances (46%) topped the most annoying habits of fellow travellers according to Agoda’s global ‘Annoying Travel Habits’ survey. Mass tour groups and selfie-takers, cited by 36% and 21% respectively, completed the top five irritants. No surprises there! Here are some other fun facts for Aussies abroad… – Noisy travelers (56%), insensitivity to cultural… Read More

Lonely Planet inspires a lifetime of travel on foot with Epic Hikes of the World

Hiking

Just because Lonely Planet clearly doesn’t stop, what with cruise guides amongst their myriad other things for itchy-footed travellers, they’re back this month with a reason to travel from now until forever with their Epic hikes of the World instalment. The latest book comes packed with 50 hiking routes in 30 countries along with 150 ideas to keep you putting one foot in front of the other for decades to come. It even has five amazing hikes from Australia included in there, too. There’s enough land after all… Hiking has become the number one most enjoyed activity for active travellers, according to a recent study on adventure tourism*, and Lonely Planet being the legends they are, know what we need to keep it up. The new book comes a part of the ‘Epic’ series, which gave us such pearlers as the Epic Bike Rides of the World (2016) and Epic Drives of the World (2017), offering challenge-after-challenge to the most gun-ho of travellers.   The Aussie hikes in this book they’ve included are Sydney’s Seven Bridges (27 km), The Great South West Walk (250 km), Tasmania’s Three Capes Track (46 km), Victoria’s Feathertop to Bogong Traverse (77 km) and Indiana Jones and the Gold Coast (54 km). The book is jam-packed with all the perks of true insight, like practical information on the best time of year to hike, how to get there, where to stay and what to eat. All hikes are coded according to difficulty, taking into account their duration, local conditions and possible inaccessibility. Get the new Lonely Planet book Epic Hikes of the World for $44.99 from… Read More

When you’re next in the French West Indies, visit Hotel Manapany by Francois Champsaur

Hotel Manapany 2

Francois Champsaur’s new luxury hotel, Hotel Manapany, hidden away in Saint Barthelemy, French West Indies is the rage at the moment, touting everything you love about luxury travel, right at the tip of South America. After the renovation of the Hotel Vernet in Paris, Francois Chamspaur and Anne Jousse – the President of the hotel and resort group B Signature – have taken it upon themselves to show the world what it means to open the first eco resort on the island of Saint Barthelemy It’s a ruggedly handsome spot of land north of the South American coastline, the natural beauty of which, really plays to the direction they’ve decided to take the new project. Interior designer Francois Champsaur saw the combination of the immense ocean, the white sandy beach, the coastal vegetation, and the silhouettes of islands in the distance as things to play with the atmosphere of the hotel, in addition to the interior style itself. To put it plainly, he was inspired by the presence of nature, and the natural balance between these elements. The resort is made-up of 43 cottages scattered on the beach and hillside of the island. Blending with the plants and landscape are wooden decks, pergolas, and small windows with shutters which catch the light and create the feeling of being nestled amongst the trees, whilst providing an exceptional view of the sea. The hotels pathways have been narrowed to blend in with the landscape and the beautiful beach that borders the cottages has regained its wild and lush vegetation…. Read More

Lonely Planet introduces first guides to cruise travel 

Cruise ship 1

We all love the thought of jumping on board a luxury, floating palace and sailing away into the sunset on an undetermined island-hopping cruise of relaxing, eating and drinking. But, who amongst us knows the best way to go about it? Or, even where to actually go, on said cruise? Ahoy mates! ? Leading travel media company Lonely Planet realised how nuts people are for cruises, so for the first time is releasing cruise ports guidebooks to help travellers discover the best onshore experiences. Lonely Planet’s Cruise Ports series is published this month with guides to Alaska, Scandinavia & Northern Europe and the Caribbean ? #lonelyplanet #cruiseship #travel #travelgram A post shared by T H E F A U (@the_f_au) on Jul 6, 2018 at 8:14pm PDT Well, thanks to the travel legends that are Lonely Planet, their new range of cruise guides for travellers take-out the guess work, making cruising holidays a breeze. According to Cruise Lines International Association, the Australian cruise market grew by 4.4% in 2017 with more than 1.34 million Australians taking an ocean cruise last year. Australasia also accounted for 5.4 per cent of global cruise passenger numbers in 2017. With numbers like that, they were right to jump on board with the new range of books when they did. Lonely Planet’s Cruise Ports series has kicked off with guides to Alaska, Scandinavia & Northern Europe and the Caribbean, offering top-notch ideas for holidays to those of us a little more sea faring. The new books feature coloured maps, highlights, reviews and tips on how to save time and money, proving… Read More

Changi Airport has just launched the ‘Changi Stopovers in Singapore’ program

Changi Airport Stopovers

Changi airport is the gateway to Asia and the rest of the world if you’re heading north, so it’s no wonder that over 1.4 million Aussies head through the nation state every year. Though it often comes withe the reputation of lengthy stop-over times and long journeys on from Singapore, which are one of the biggest pain points for travellers from Australia. Singapore’s Changi Airport has created a new program to encourage travellers to make the most of their time in Singapore city while they’re in ‘stopover mode’, sparking a new reason to get out of the airport and check out some of what the country has to offer. So, the Singapore Tourism Board has announced its ‘Changi Stopovers’ program, allowing travellers to book a stopover package from as little as $63 per person which includes a complimentary one-way airport transfer from your hotel of choice (listed below), a complimentary mobile SIM card for data roaming and access to 20 hotel partners as part of the program. These are the hotels included: 1.    Andaz Singapore 2.    Aqueen Jalan Besar 3.    Clover Jalan Sultan 4.    Copthorne Kings 5.    Fort Canning Lodge 6.    Four Points Sheraton 7.    Fragrance Imperial 8.    Hilton Singapore 9.    M Hotel 10. Oasia Downtown 11. Oasia Novena 12. Park Regis 13. Ramada Singapore 14. Rendezvous Singapore 15. Santa Grand Bugis 16. Santa Grand Little India 17. Studio M Singapore 18. V Bencoolen 19. Value Balestier 20. Value Thomson See more about what’s on offer at Changi Airport website.

How to be perfectly prepared for your road trip this summer

Road trip car

You have been looking forward to hitting the road with your best friends this summer. Hopping into the car and driving to your chosen destination is going to be the highlight of your summer, so you want to make sure everything goes perfectly. From making sure your car is suited to driving in the city to getting prepared for the actual journey itself, you have a lot of things to think about before you set off. Make sure your long awaited road trip goes off without a hitch and consider all of these perfect pointers. Super supplies Before you set off on a long road trip you need to make sure you have the basic emergency kit for your car including items such as spare tyres, a torch and a luminous vest. You should also visit www. peakhd.com to buy products such as antifreeze, oil and diesel in bulk. This is a much cheaper alternative, rather than making a mad dash at a petrol station along the way. Splendid snacks Nobody ever likes to be hungry in the car and if you want to make limited rest stops then it’s important to stay stocked up on delicious snacks. Obviously, potato chips, popcorn and sweets are ideal snacks, but make sure you are careful not to bring too much chocolate; this could melt and cause a huge mess in the back of the car! Comfort is key If you’re on a super long trip then you need to make sure you are dressed comfortably and that you… Read More

7 reasons to visit Singapore this year

Singapore city

It’s getting to that time of year again where people are booking up their vacations so that they can relax and unwind from a busy year of working hard. While some people enjoy simply going somewhere with plenty of beaches and swimming pools to lounge by, some people would rather take a vacation that’s going to give them a little more than simply sitting by the pool. There is only one problem when it comes to booking your summer vacation – where to go this year? If you’re looking for a fun-filled and action packed vacation this year, why not consider going to Singapore? Located at the very south of Asia, and with a plethora of things to do, you’d be mad not to check out our reasons to visit Singapore this year. The food If you’re like many, you probably enjoy a takeaway delivered to your door from time to time. You’ve probably enjoyed rice and egg noodles, prawns, and chinese sausage and yep, you guessed it – it originates from Singapore. Why not indulge in a chilli crab or a fried carrot cake in the heart of Singapore with those that you love the most? One thing is for sure, you won’t be disappointed with the local delicacies that are on offer! Take a look at the most famous dishes in Singapore so that you can get an idea of what beautiful dishes to expect while you’re visiting the incredible city that is Singapore. The weather With the hottest months ranging from February… Read More