Linda’s welcome at Phinda Private Game Reserve by Linda Weiss
Linda arrived at andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve yesterday to the most incredible welcome party! A lioness and her two teen cubs almost waved them in to land from the very edge of the airstrip! And, if that wasn’t exciting enough…then the male lion appeared to say hi! The game… Learn more
Linda’s ‘Mega Lekker’ escape to South Africa by Linda Weiss
The first e-postcards have arrived from Linda who is currently spending two weeks exploring South Africa! Straight off our flight into Cape Town we headed to Franschhoek in the Western Cape Winelands to stay at the stunning Franschhoek Country House & Villas. We took a wander through the quaint village… Learn more
A Week in Japan at Christmas by Ian Collier
Japan is certainly a ‘hot’ destination for Discover Travel presently, with unprecedented levels of interest in this most fascinating of countries since they dropped all restrictions in April 2023. My last trip there was in April 2019 when I walked the Nakasendo Trail, so I jumped at the chance to… Learn more
3-night Disney Magic at Sea Cruise out of Auckland by Peter Dunne
I recently embarked on a 3-night Disney Magic at Sea Cruise out of Auckland with my family. I thought who better to get some feedback from then my daughters Lily and Charlotte – it is Disney after all! I had an incredibly thrilling and delightful time on the Disney… Learn more
A family holiday in Samoa by Juliet Davis
With a 3 hour direct daily flight from Auckland and their time zone just 1 hour ahead, Samoa has proven to be a fantastic holiday destination for our family (with children aged 8 and 10). Our 12 days away was a mixture of time in Apia, Lalomanu Beach on the… Learn more
A week in Northern Spitsbergen in search of pack ice and polar bears. by Ian Collier
A few years ago, I wrote a short piece about how much I enjoyed my 2 day ‘digital detox’ aboard the Rocky Mountaineer train in the wilds of British Colombia. Disconnected from phone and internet does provide an increasingly rare opportunity to focus entirely on your surroundings and so a… Learn more
Oslo to Longyearbyen by Ian Collier
Oslo is often overlooked by travellers keen to explore Europe’s great cities, probably because it doesn’t have any obvious iconic landmarks and is perceived as being very expensive, so I was completely unprepared for how impressive it is for the first time visitor. This is a city with vast green… Learn more
Whirlwind 50 hours in Barcelona! by Ian Collier
We really packed it in, on Sunday afternoon we wandered the Gothic Quarter, jumped on the hop on / hop off bus ‘red’ route and strolled along the beach. On Monday we did the bus ‘blue’ route, went to Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, the Camp Nou stadium and explored… Learn more
Exploring San Sebastián & the Basque country by Ian Collier
After our sprint around Barcelona, we elected for a change of pace and a short flight from Barcelona to stay in an apartment for 4 nights in the old town of San Sebastián. This is truly a foodies paradise, with hundreds of excellent restaurants and the famous charming pintxos (tapas)… Learn more
5 days in Sydney by Peter Dunne
I had lived in Sydney in the late 80’s and been back a few time over the followings years, but never as a tourist so this year when I visited for 5 days it was an interesting mix of reminiscence and new experiences. Easter is a good time to visit… Learn more
Armchair Travel: Backroads’ Favourite Recipe for Spanish Tortilla! by Discover Travel
What do you remember most about the best trip you’ve ever taken? Aside from the people you shared it with, it’s probably the food. Great dining is an adventure—from exotic dishes to quirky restaurants and friendly waiters, it’s one of the best ways to experience a foreign place, even as… Learn more
Walking Japan’s Nakasendo Trail by Ian Collier
Japan is very popular for Kiwi visitors; with the Rugby World Cup last year and the Olympics upcoming in 2020, the country’s profile has never been higher. So many visitors to Japan use the impressive Japan Rail network to hop at Shinkansen (bullet) speed from one big city to another… Learn more