Terminal boredom: free things to do in airports
I don’t mind wandering airports – empty or busy, I find them a fabulous use of time. I love the exotic layers you’ll find in the big, Middle Eastern hubs, […]
NOTEBOOK
Canter past Patagonian icefields. Sail the tranquil waters of Lake Como in Italy. Sip coffee in a Palestinian village. Listen to the ancient voices of Australia’s Arnhem Land. Climb the mountain paths of northern Albania. Let’s go!
Women in Saudi Arabia
Until late 2019, I could not visit Saudi Arabia as a solo, female traveller. Only business visa holders and religious pilgrims could visit Saudi Arabia, and even then, as a […]
ABC Radio interview: luxury train travel in Central Asia
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan: how romantic are the names of these Central Asian countries? Travelling in them has been a long-held dream of mine. I travelled along the legendary Silk […]
The rise of women-only tours in Islamic countries
Coming to you – most appropriately – from Cairo today, I’m sharing my latest story about the rise of women-only tours in the Middle East and surrounds. When talking about […]
Walk into Jordan’s colourful, poetic heart on the Jordan Trail
With its Crusader castles and Roman ruins, the Dead Sea and the rose-colored jewel of Petra, the Jordan Trail leads walkers into its poetic, colorful heart. Long-distance walking holidays are […]
Hiking in the Grampians National Park: Victoria, Australia
The new Grampians Peak Trail is a hiking route that spans 160 kilometers of terrain through the Gariwerd/Grampians National Park in western Victoria, Australia. It’s an amalgamation of existing trails […]
The dish we missed: chefs name their most delicious travel memories
After two years of lockdown here in Australia, where we couldn’t leave our country, what’s the dish you missed the most? I chatted to 10 of Sydney and Melbourne’s top […]
Lies, spies and disguise: visiting Albania’s museums of secret surveillance
If you ever wanted to indulge your conspiracy theories, Albania is a great place to do it. The mountainous little country looks out to the heel of Italy’s boot, and […]
Take a break: short escapes in Victoria, Australia
Take two days on the Mornington Peninsula or the Yarra Valley, or three days in the Grampians? What’s your choice for your short escape this autumn? In the Grampians, three […]