My time in Australia was chock full of continuously surreal experiences. How can you not see a kangaroo in real life or learn the lingo? As I reflect back on my time in Australia and plan a future trip, I've created the ultimate Australia bucket list of the experiences you can't visit Oz without … [Read more...] about The Ultimate Australian Bucket List
Cairns
Experiences, Not Expenses
Throughout my travels, I've learned that sometimes it's not about keeping things as cheap as possible. It's the experiences, not expenses that you remember years later. Some travel splurges are worth making. While I may stress at the time about adjusting my budget for those tours, accommodations or … [Read more...] about Experiences, Not Expenses
Australian Backpacker Bars
Backpacker bars make the travel scene what it is in Australia: "no worries." Most major hostels have their own in-house bars but each one is unique, with cheap drinks, activities and rowdy backpackers abound. They're the only places where you will find a party every night of the … [Read more...] about Australian Backpacker Bars
The Best and Worst of Australian Hostels
**This post has been updated in May 2014 to reflect the places I stayed on my most recent trip. Some locations have since closed.** I stayed in more hostels in Australia than I ever care to count. Some were great, some were disgusting and some weren't really memorable. In this post I will break … [Read more...] about The Best and Worst of Australian Hostels
Conquering Fears in Cairns
After a long month and a half of traveling completely by bus, I was more than ready to be in Cairns. I was finally traveling solo and had no clue what I was going to do now that I finally reached my destination. I checked into Cairns Beach House, which turned out to be a nightmare of a hostel, … [Read more...] about Conquering Fears in Cairns