Yesterday, I sat and watched a kingfisher on the banks of a creek. When I first spotted the chocolate brown and blue bird, I didn’t know what it was. I wondered whether it was a kingfisher, and instinctively leapt up to check the Internet. But I couldn’t, because there is no Internet where I am….
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On my first day in India, my aim for the day was to get my bearings. I wanted to figure out Cochin, the historic trading port in Kerala, which was my first stop. I would study road names and monuments and landmarks that would help me find my way home. I also wanted to log…
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Just One Day opens, somewhat counter-intuitively, at the end of an adventure: Allyson has been on a guided tour through Europe, and is thoroughly underwhelmed by the experience. This trip is a barely-disguised Contiki tour for American teens, with rigid daytime itineraries and hedonistic nightly pub-crawls. On her last night with the group in London,…
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Oh, AA Gill. My feelings about him are mixed. On the one hand, he is mordantly witty, and utterly bereft of filter or bullshit – my kind of writer. On the other hand, he can be brutal and acidic and so proud and self-satisfied that it’s incredibly off-putting. AA Gill is away is his first…
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What could be more exciting, exhilarating and adventurous than committing to working on every continent in the world before your thirtieth birthday? This is the goal New Zealander Hap Cameron set himself when he was twenty-one, after graduating from a marketing degree at university. He wanted life experiences, and to avoid the trap of falling…
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What are your summer holiday plans? Whether you’re camping at a music festival, jetsetting to Europe or returning to your hometown, summer holidays should not be a holiday from your health! Party hard, kiss whoever you like, laze the days away – but keep in mind these age-old tips: 1. Use protection. By protection I…
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For anyone who has ever lived overseas, the idea of the expat love affair will be distinctly familiar. Either experienced firsthand or witnessed too closely, it is a phenomenon that occurs time and time again the world over. It can take the form of a brief and sensual holiday fling, the newly found best friend/soul…
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Happy Friday, Lipsters! Next week a few of you might be making the trek to Newcastle for the This Is Not Art festival. While I’m sure your weekend is going to be jam packed attending fantastic events and meeting rocking people, I thought I would use this fortnight’s column and my insider’s knowledge to let…
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It may be my country heritage, but I actually quite enjoy public transport. That said, as someone who still drives to work everyday, I think it would be more accurate to say that it is probably the idea of public transport that appeals to me. The notion of being able to kick back and relax…
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A pilgrimage is a spiritual journey. It’s a trip far away, towards a holy place, every stride on the road a step closer to self-discovery. El Camino de Santiago, or the ‘Way of St James’, is an ancient pilgrimage path to Santiago de Compostela in the Northwest of Spain. The concept of exploring the soul…
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When one feels lost in life, lacking in direction, miserable, one should go on an adventure. I know this thanks to books such as Eat, Pray, Love, Tales of a Female Nomad, Unfinished Business, and A Thousand Days In Venice. Adventures are transformative. Especially if they are difficult and involve travel. They’re particularly good after…
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I have lived in 22 houses and I am 27 years old. When my partner Chloe was 18 she had lived in 18 different houses; now she’s 26 and has lived in 25. You would think we have lived in enough houses, moved enough times, lost enough things and travelled enough to stay in one…
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I’m currently preparing for my first overseas jaunt and have learned a few things that I thought I would share with those who may be as uneducated as I. I apologise now if it turns out these things are Captain Obvious, but hey, my first flight was at 21 years of age, so really, I…
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It took me six months to become accustomed to Melbourne. To feel comfortable and not foreign. To not wander the streets weaving in-between people with muttered apologies. To not notice that every living thing in Melbourne moved faster than I did. I got used to the weather, the sudden changes, the bitter cold, the lack…
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