Ireland is perhaps best known for free-flowing Guinness, lucky leprechauns, and a love of all things potato, but there's actually so much more to this little island than pubs and shamrocks. Discover rugged coastline and lush forests steeped in local legend, rolling countryside as far as the eye can see, buzzing cities filled with the friendliest people (and, ok, quite a lot of pubs), and some of the richest cul[...]
If you're wondering what to do in Dublin on an upcoming visit, you'll be pleased to hear that there is absolutely no shortage of historical, cultural, natural, or, uh, alcohol-related activities to more than occupy every second of your days. Wander through the incredible Long Room Library, sample Guinness and Jameson on tasting tours, explore the bustling Temple Bar district or enjoy day tours out to the towering Cli[...]
Getting up bright and early for another long day of adventures in Ireland, my friend Josey and I meet up with our Wild Rover Tours bus at 7am and settle in for a somewhat lengthy drive across the country to the Cliffs of Moher. We actually have a designated tour guide (not just a driver) on this trip, an Australian who has moved to Dublin to embrace the Irish roots on her mother’s side, and she is a veritable wealt[...]
I meet my friend Maryem in the hostel common room this morning for one last breakfast together before she joins her friends for the wedding and I go on my next adventure. Today: the Wicklow Mountains with Hilltop Treks! It’s a later start than my other two tours, so I have a relaxed stroll to the meeting point around 9.20am, although it’s easily 10am before we are driving out of Dublin with a full bus (thankfully[...]
After a wonderful day exploring Dublin and the nearby seaside yesterday, I am positively beside myself with excitement to journey north and see more of this little island’s natural beauty. I even convinced my new friend Maryem to join me on the tour today, making plans to meet at 6.45am at the hostel reception. When my alarm goes off, I am amazed at how quickly morning has come, and I realise just how tired I must[...]
Coming off the back of a nearly 30 hour multi-plane journey from Sydney (we are honestly far from everything), I am ecstatic to finally arrive in Dublin. Even more so when I step out of the airport to blue skies, a glaring sun, and 28C weather. Ireland is apparently in the middle of a heat wave, and while it may not really qualify as a "heat wave" to me (the Australian version of a heat wave is 45C and you risk boili[...]
Iceland is quickly becoming one of the most obsessed-over travel destinations, and there's no better way to discover this incredible country than on a road trip! Despite the impossibly chilly image of winter in Iceland, it's actually one of the best times to explore: there are fewer crowds, prices drop during the off-season, and it's the only time the Northern Lights are visible (read more about driving the Ring Road[...]
Spain's Catalonian capital is a bustling Mediterranean metropolis, with wide, leafy lanes prime for people-watching, sandy shores that are almost eternally sunny, and a fútbol following bordering on religious. It’s immediately plain to see why so many of my friends have raved about this city— I am completely bewitched by the people, the heat, the peculiar architecture, and the lively noise in every corner of Ba[...]
Mallorca is the largest of Spain's Balearic Islands, sitting in the sunny Mediterranean and enjoying all the crystal blue water that comes with the territory. The whole island is hardly more than 100km, but it is surprisingly full of adorable hillside towns, dramatic cliffs that plunge into the sea below, spectacular sandy beaches, and even tiny mountain ranges. Still, mention Mallorca to anyone and it’s almost[...]
Since I finished my Tour du Mont Blanc hike several days ahead of schedule, my friend Katy and I have a few days of just hanging out in Chamonix before we fly to Spain. One of these days, we decide to visit the Mer de Glace, recommended to Katy by a retired Australian couple she met while I was hiking. Mer de Glace, or Sea of Ice, is France's largest glacier, measuring 7km in length and more than 200m in depth, and[...]
What better way to celebrate finishing my Tour du Mont Blanc hike than going paragliding right in front on Mont Blanc? Back in Chamonix just minutes after coming off the trail and meeting up with my friend Katy, we duck into a shop and book paragliding for tomorrow afternoon. We spend the rest of the evening giddy with excitement. I’ve wanted to go paragliding for a long time now, but it’s always seemed too expe[...]
Crossing through France, Italy, and Switzerland to circle Western Europe's highest peak, the 180km Tour du Mont Blanc trek is part epic alpine adventure, part authentic cultural experience, but entirely unforgettable. There are few routes in the Alps that rival the iconic TMB, and it's a combination of the dramatic natural scenery and the charming mountain villages that have made this trek a fast favourite[...]
10,000m of elevation gain/ 180km/ 8 days/ 3 countries. By some miracle, I made it all the way around Mont Blanc alive and now I'm telling everyone I know to go hike the TMB! And I'm also telling everyone I know that I DID IT, because I'm pretty bloody pleased with myself, if I'm being honest. This has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done and I’ve got the wounds to prove it, but it has al[...]
Not only did the impending storm not arrive yesterday afternoon, it also doesn’t arrive overnight as everyone was saying (on further investigation, it was basically just Noam saying this to every single person on the trail and those people repeating it). We wake up to amazing sunshine and clear views of the mountains all around us. Any consideration for the shortcut through the valley to Chamonix is immediately dis[...]
I’ve been hearing from several people that a thunderstorm is supposed to roll in around 4pm this afternoon, so I’m up and active earlier than usual today. The two hiking friends I camped with last night, Noam and Ryan, are planning to leave early as well, so we all set off just past 9am to try and get to camp in Tré-Le-Champ well before the rain starts. Since we are getting on the trail at Le Peuty, the route b[...]