Christmas gifts for travellers

I must confess one of my go to guaranteed pick me ups is shopping, and with Christmas just around the corner I thought I'd share with you four of my favourite gifts for travellers*.

Travel Journal - from InkyBlots

Quote Print - from PeppaPennyPrints

Quote Necklace - from HonourYou

Scratch Map - from Sellazaurus

Random questions asked while travelling overseas.

When you travel overseas you are met with many a varied response when you declare that you are Australian. For the most part people react positively, usually stating how much they love Australia, would love to visit Australia or have some personal connection with Australia. There's also the love for our accent and occasionally a request for a "G'day mate" which, sorry to burst your bubble or dream about Australians....we don't actually say it that much.


I must confess there are often some surprising reactions and questions I have been faced with while travelling when mentioning that I come from the great land down under....

My love/hate relationship with organised tours

I like to think of myself as one of those people who tries to see both sides of the story. Someone who can look at the glass half empty and half full.

Sometimes I see this as a positive thing but sometimes it can be a little frustrating. It can make it very difficult to make decisions and determine which side I'm going to chose. 

So when it comes to the debate of 'whether to do an organised tour or not' I sit on the fence. I have seen this question pop up from time to time in various Facebook groups I am part of and am sometimes surprised with how quickly people respond with a resounding 'NO'.

My first and last Contiki back in 2009

for Melbourne Cup in Perth

I must confess... it's Raych here from Agent Mystery Case. I've blognapped have the gorgeous Zita staying with me here in Perth this week and I've taken this opportunity to briefly take over her blog and her schedule. This means for the first time, I believe, Zita who normally works each and every Melbourne Cup is free to kick up her heels and have a bit of fun with the race that stops a nation in its tracks.


There are a lot of fabulous Melbourne Cup events here in Perth, so it was hard to know which event to choose for a first timer. In the end I narrowed it down to my top 4, that still had tickets available.

Matisse Beach Club

to fly West... Perth here I come!

I'm sure for regular readers this won't come as much of a surprise but I must confess travelling somewhere new is never far from my mind, both domestically and internationally. And somewhere that has always been pretty high on my list domestically is the capital of the west, Perth.... Actually on my ultimate road trip wish list is flying to Perth hiring a small camper van and driving to Darwin but it's not a trip I am brave enough to do solo and I haven't been able to find someone to join my venture!... Anyway, back to this trip! 

Since being home from my last trip to the U.S. and Canada I had been thinking about where I'd like to venture to next, actually who am I kidding, I was already looking before I left Canada! So when a chat with a travel agent friend of mine turned into looking at flights to Perth and finding some that were at a great price, the travel bug in me couldn't resist and later this week I am taking off again! 


My fascination for visiting Perth has only been strengthened by reading blogs about the most isolated capital city in the world (true story!), in particularly Agent Mystery Case, who makes the city seem so appealing! But rumour has it that there is "nothing to do in Perth" and so I am making it my week long mission to bust this rumour and prove it all kinds of wrong!

Now as soon as I mentioned to Raych aka... Agent Mystery Case, she was on the case hunting down unique and super fun activities and events for us to partake in and I actually timed my visit to coincide with the Event Ready show which looks just fab! (extra confession...I've never actually been to a fashion show and even though I do not consider myself a fashion guru and even though I am super nervous and have no idea what I am going to wear I am also super excited to get a glimpse into this part of the fashion word!).

Two regular calendar events happen while I am in Perth, the first being Halloween, which I am a little puzzled as to why Australia has jumped on this bandwagon but when an invitation popped up to attend the Wolf Lane Halloween Howls event we jumped at the chance ($10 Spiced Pumpkin Daiquiri's! Yes Please!). The second event being that little horse race that happens on the first Tuesday in November! Now working in schools since forever has meant that I have never had the joy of attending a glamorous or even a not so glamorous event so I am looking forward to what Perth has in store for the Melbourne Cup. 

We have a few other events that we will be attending but I don't want to give away all our secrets and plans, you'll have to follow along on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to see what we get up to on our mission to prove there's heaps to do in Perth!!

 

Having said that though there are a few gaps in the itinerary that I would love to fill with those gaps with suggestions from you! 

Have you been to Perth? 

What's on your must see/do list?

Got a Perth based travel blog you love that I need to know about?

Please share in the comments below!

**Linking up with My Home Truths for I Must Confess, One Mother Hen for Open Slather and My Brown Paper Packages for Wednesday Wanderlust and Agent Mystery Case for Worth Casing Wednesday**

**Image Credit... Thanks to Agent Mystery Case for supplying all images for this post, can't wait to see them in real life!!

This time last year....

I must confess that on one hand I am finding it so hard to believe that it's been 12 months since my trip to Vietnam, and on the other hand it feels like a lifetime ago.


For my, spending my two week September school holidays in Vietnam was kind of like a test run. Up until this point all my travels had been to first world countries where the primary language was English so this was a step outside my comfort zone to see if I could handle a much longer holiday in a developing Asian country.


I was pleasantly surprised, and a little shocked, by all that Vietnam had to offer and had a wonderful time. One that I still think of often with fond memories. 


Since my trip there I have blogged about may of the things I saw and did, and there probably are a few more blog posts in that trip that have yet to be written... Just add that up there on my list of things to do along with find a job and somewhere to live.


I started off my sharing my 5 must have packing items for my trip, for any overseas trip I take really. I will confess that the awesome DSLR handbag didn't really live up to my expectations and the long handle broke whilst overseas which meant I've had to replace it but am yet to find something that I love and meets my travelling needs. 


And what's a trip overseas without a post on what to wear on your long haul flight! For me I am all about comfort when I fly, and I try and do it with a little bit of style, but sometimes a 'stuff it' attitude sneaks in. 

One of my favourite days in Vietnam was when we were in Hue. We took a cyclo tour through the city to a local families home who showed us some traditional Vietnamese hospitality and food. It was such a great night and made me smile so much!

One of the things that I was looking forward to in Hoi An was getting some clothes tailor made. Having the body shape that I do means I find it extremely difficult to find clothes that fit me well, especially on the bottom, so I was just a tad excited by this. I had done my research and chosen some designs but it's not something that should be entered into lightly as there are some horror stories out there, so I shared my tips on getting clothes made in Hoi An.

I also partly confessed to eating some meat in Vietnam that might make some people's stomach turn. I wouldn't say that I am a fussy eater in that I eat lots of different types of food, but I am not a very brave eater when it comes to exotic or out there foods so this was pretty big for me, but I took the When in Rome approach and gave it a go (albeit a very very small go!).

Vietnam was an amazing country and I do not regret my decision to make it my first South East Asian destination. There were a few things that surprised me and I learnt a few things about travelling in Vietnam that may help you to if you have this destination on your bucket list.

Finally when the trip was all said and done I scrolled back through the hundreds of photos taken and did the almost impossible task of choosing my 10 favourite photos from my trip, including the one below.



So that was it.... that's where I was this time last year and since this trip I have visited another 5 countries, 3 of which were also in Asia.

If there was something here that caught your eye or you want to save for later, click the little Pin it button in the top left hand corner of the photo below to save and share this article on Pinterest!

**Linking up with My Home Truths for I Must Confess and One Mother Hen for Open Slather**

Instagram photos

Of all the social media formats out there at the moment probably the one that I am visiting and engaging in the most at the moment is Instagram. I think it's because I find it quick and easy and less stressful and annoying as some of the others. And I find it easier to manage with who I follow and who I unfollow so that my Instagram feed is exactly how I want it to look. Sure there is the occasional sponsored ad on there now but they seem to be meaningful and appropriate to my interests so it doesn't bother me at all.


Finding other awesome Instagrammers to follow also feeds my wanderlust with my feed filled with amazing travel photos from around the world.