Inspiring Journeys, the luxury arm of renowned tour operators AAT Kings, is planning on heading down to next month’s Dark Mofo in absolute style with a four-day excursion. Designed to dive in deep to Hobart’s famously controversial winter arts festival, the immersive luxury tour has been carefully curated to pair the highly anticipated event with…
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Australia may have plenty of kitschy, human-made ‘big’ things, but no amount of overblown bananas or prawns could match the country’s epic landscape. With full respect to our beloved behemothic icons, “thinking bigger” is the crux of Tourism Australia’s next phase in their ongoing “Holiday Here This Year” campaign, and it couldn’t be more inspiring….
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Luxury staycations are hot enough right now, but what if you’re five-star room came fully-equipped with one of the world’s highest performing large format digital cameras. We’re talking a 102 Megapixel beast worth almost $10,000, ready and willing to help you capture everything from those direct Sydney Opera House and harbour views, to strolls along…
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Now that domestic tourism is pumping, operator AAT Kings has once again teamed up with the #EmptyEsky movement and various regional tourism businesses. Why? Well it’s the return of the popular Bushfire Relief Giveback experiences – short and insightful tours aimed at directing support to communities that were directly impacted by 2020’s devastating bushfires (and…
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Hotel snobs may turn their nose at the bare-bones basicness of Accor’s least expensive brand, ibis budget, but they’d be missed the point entirely. The typically well-located hotels have always served as reliable and ultra-convenient bases for those wanting to save more money on exploring than staying. So it’s a surprise to see them cut…
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Once quarantine-free travel is up and running, Air New Zealand will introduce a non-stop service between Auckland and Hobart as its tenth Australian destination. The route will provide a much-needed economic boost to both cities and their respective tourism industries, as well as open Kiwi’s up to the absolute wonder of one of Australia’s best…
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Even a glimpse of international travel, and what it will look like post-COVID, is still awhile away, but as with 2020, dreaming is still important. The problem is then sorting through the deluge of travel talks and videos to find what’s going to inspire you. The answer: well, anything. You can never know what’s going…
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Aussie brew fiends will soon be able to stay in the country’s very first craft beer hotel once BrewDog Australia open the ambitious property in Brisbane. The eco-friendly, dog-friendly, will be simply dubbed The DogHouse, bringing the concept over from the states following the success of the brand in Ohio – a property TIME Magazine…
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“Can I get a late check-out please?”. Perhaps the most common request when checking into a staycation, and one that’s entirely understandable. The folks at IHG Group hotels have obviously heard this one too many times, so to celebrate World Sleep Day they are using their ubiquitous Crowne Plaza brand to offer Australia’s latest check-out….
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Koala may be best known for their ridiculously popular mattresses in-a-box, but the environmentally conscious furniture brand has just made a big, sustainable statement outside of the bedroom. Sourcing cork from regenerative cork oak trees in the Mediterranean basin, they have managed to produce Australia’s first ever soda made entirely from cork. Yes, cork. Cork…
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It was a year like no other, with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade relocating to the Sydney Cricket Ground for a COVID-Safe event. 36,000 spectators filled the SCG for a bright and vivid celebration by the LGBTQI+ community. The theme this year was “RISE”, a call to rise together through love, compassion,…
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Finally, some news of an airline increasing, not decreasing, flights between the US and Australia. Delta Air Lines, who have been praised for their Delta Care Standard implemented during the pandemic, will start flying their flagship A350-900 aircraft six times a week from 8th March 2021. This will give Australians and Americans looking to return…
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More than 8,000 love stories and break up mementos have been sourced by the eternally playful folk behind QT Hotels & Resorts for a temporary museum dedicated to relationship relics of the past. Twisting the idea of Valentine’s Day, QT Gold Coast will turn into “Heartbreak Hotel” from 1st to 21st February, showcasing a pop-up…
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UPDATE 19/12: Watch new on ground video hosted by “Mario’s Dad”, Shigeru Miyamoto, as we see more of the attractions in the park. Miyamoto also confirms Super Nintendo World is coming to Universal Studios Singapore, though no date has been given. That will bring the attractions a little bit closer to Australia! Original Article – 12th…
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Aman is a name that often – okay, always – sends shivers down the spines of hotel enthusiasts. I’m one of those, and if it wasn’t for COVID-19 I would this year have had a big, green, proud, enthusiastic tick next to the “stay at Aman Tokyo, finally” underlined a million times on my mental…
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When we talk about spontaneous travel, we’re usually referring to sojourns taking place in far-flung destinations – falling asleep in Berlin and waking up in Amsterdam; booking a literal-last-minute flight to Osaka after reading about some super specific yakisoba served at a hidden hole-in-the-wall in Dotonburi…that kind of thing. What we’re not often referring to…
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In an unprecedented move for two of the country’s biggest travel operators, Qantas Frequent Flyers are now able to earn, and use, points on premium train trips with Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions. That means interstate trips on historic trains The Ghan, Indian Pacific, and the Great Southern are now more accessible than ever before. This…
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As part of their ambitious level-up to the “Qantas service, Jetstar prices” they’ve been promising this year, Regional Express (REX) are officially graduation from small country airline to a capital city-hopping carrier as of 1st March 2021. While we’ve expected it for some time, Rex now has now acquired a number of next-generation Boeing 737-800NG…
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Sydney has some incredible high-concept barber shops for when you need that necessary touch-up, or complete remodel, but the city has never seen anything like “UNOIT” before. Positioned between a wine shop and a gym, where Crown meets William at the edge of Darlinghurst, this ambitious, newly opened unisex barber shop is the brainchild of…
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With some aspects of Melbourne’s lockdowns easing, some of the city’s hotels are bracing for the inevitable influx of staycationers who really need to get away from their homes for a few years. The relatively new Element Melbourne Richmond is one such property, launching what they are calling the “Ultimate Sleepover Experience” by turning the…
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**UPDATE 23 OCTOBER 2020** New flight options between USA and Australia have been confirmed, with a recommendation to book at least 8 weeks out to secure a seat. Demand is expected to be high and the situation is changing by the day. The best approach is always to get in touch with an airline directly…
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Super convenient activities and experiences booking service Klook has now made it much easier, and cheaper, to plan the most quintessential Hunter Valley itinerary by opening the platform to 25 instantly bookable wine tastings. What’s more is that over 10 of those tastings have been made available for just $1 (with promo code “WINETIME”), with…
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Let’s face it, as much as you need a staycation, your desire to get out and about once more has nothing on what your best fur friend has been going through this year. Dogs need pampering too, which is why QT Hotels & Resorts across Australia and New Zealand have introduced a new concept called…
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Over the past few years, the idea of wellness and mental health has become increasingly entwined with classic conceptions of hospitality, focused on providing truly restorative stays and getting to the heart of why people take vacations to begin with. From the jungle-entrenched eco-resorts in Bali, to high-end hotels in major cities like London, New…
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In response to news that South Australia has opened borders with NSW and ACT, Virgin Australia has rushed to ramp up its domestic network between the states. Given that residents of NSW and the ACT are now able to travel to South Australia for leisure or work, the airline has acted swiftly and immediately scheduled…
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India, Poland, Mexico – all off the cards for Aussie travellers anytime soon. But that isn’t to say we can’t at least take some of our senses to these far-flung destinations. With Virtual Travel the trend of 2020, Intrepid’s fiercely local, day-tour-oriented Urban Adventures brand has launched numerous ticketed digital tours along that very idea,…
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Under a new customer policy announced recently, Virgin Australia will now be offering unlimited booking changes without any change fees for reservations with travel between now and 31st January 2021. The announcement comes as the airline refines their “Passenger Promise” concept, remaining hopeful for the uptick in domestic travel as we near the end of…
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Sydney’s lavish, perfectly located Pier One Sydney Harbour has now started taking private bookings for one of the luxury hotel’s most coveted corners, for groups of up to 10. With hotels still finding their place in the ongoing pandemic, the “Harbour Bridge Balcony Party” is an attractive option for groups that feel like something special…
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To celebrate International Dog Day (which is today, you’re welcome), various IHG hotels across Australia are opening up various ways to pamper the many good boys and girls that have been mostly stuck inside right along with us. Your dog needs a staycation too, so take note of all the hotels introducing ways to pamper…
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AirlinesRatings.com has long been a reliable and comprehensive guide to the best and worst of aviation. Now, in an industry first, the website has introduced a very relevant dimension to its safety rating system, considering a score for airlines based on their COVID-19 protocols. When the time comes to chose between multiple airlines, passengers are…
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