I’d venture to say that most people that read this blog travel extensively – or at least have an interest in travelling. It’s also quite likely that you plan out your trips, and do your research. If you’re like me, you’ll spend countless hours researching how best to do a certain activity, and how to do it the most economical way possible. But are there times when you should just loosen your belt, open your wallet, and pay for the experience?
I’ve got a motto I like to travel by: “If you’re going to do it, do it right.” While it may imply spending a bit more to get EXACTLY what you want, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve always got to travel in style. To me, it just means that if you’re spending the money to do something, spend the money to get the experience that YOU want, rather than skimping on an activity just because it was a little more than what you were expecting. Otherwise, you just might regret it.
I’m in the process of planning a 3 week honeymoon to Europe, and I’ve come across this dilemma a number of times already. For example, at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, there’s a restaurant called Le Jules Verne, located on the first level of this French icon. I don’t even have to look at the prices to KNOW that the bill will be inflated significantly, as this restaurant caters to tourists. But is it worth paying that much more for the experience, considering the meal might not be up to par? I’d have to say yes. At the end of the day, twenty years down the road, those are the kinds of experiences that you’ll remember. Especially for trips like your honeymoon, special events like dining ON the Eiffel Tower will be those that you cherish, and you’re not likely to remember how much the meal cost. (Well, my fiance might.)
In reading reviews of this restaurant, everyone says it’s expensive, yet everyone says they’d return. Why? The experience, the memories, and the locale made the meal. So if there’s activities, meals, or even an everyday purchase that you’re on the fence about, remember – “If you’re going to do it, do it right.”
An airport in England has started charging airline passengers to “kiss and drop” zone outside its main terminal.
All drivers, including taxis, will have to fork out STG1 ($A2.07) for spending up to 10 minutes in the drop-off zone at Luton Airport, north of London. It’s the first of it’s kind in England, but isn’t likely to be the last. This comes after the airport recently introduced other charges, ranging from baggage trollies to the ability to jump security queues and needing plastic bags for your liquids in your carry ons.
As you can imagine, these new fees haven’t been all that popular, but the airport has defended the fees as something it needs to do to keep the airport running smoothly and within its budget constraints. Not everyone needs to pay these fees though. While the charge to “kiss and drop” isn’t excessive, it can be avoided altogether – the free carpark is only a two minute bus ride away. With that in mind, is this fee really a money making scheme, or just another luxury that a passenger can pay for?
After all, we don’t all need to fly first class. Do we?
I’m a pretty big movie buff, and a hardcore trekkie (nerd alert!) to boot. Last night, at the Sydney Opera House, J.J. Abrams and the cast of the new Star Trek movie had their world debut. The red carpet was rolled out, reporters were everywhere, but sadly, I was unable to attend.
Today, Hugh Jackman and the cast of the new X Men Origins movie are premering the movie at the famous Cockatoo Island, in the middle of the harbour – one of set locations for the movie.
So why Sydney? Is it because each film features a prominent Australian actor (Star Trek has Eric Bana, while Xmen has Hugh Jackman)? Is it because of the favourable exchange rate between the American and Australian dollar? Or is it because Sydney is truly a destination city, and people (actors and directors included) want to find an excuse to travel here?
Whatever it may be, Sydney seems to have been getting a lot of press lately. It’s a good thing too, the Australian economy needs all the help it can get, and showcasing two big movie world premieres in some of the most scenic parts of Sydney is likely to do some good. As for the movies, I’m excited to see both, but Star Trek – that’s the one I’ll be in line for on opening night. Yes, I’m a trekkie. And proud of it.
Clean up after yourself. In fact, why not clean up after everyone else also? It’s a sad fact that people have no respect for the environment in which they live, but alas, some people just don’t care.
Today is Clean up Australia Day. In 1989 an ‘average Australian bloke’ had a simple idea to make a difference in his own backyard – Sydney Harbour. This simple idea has turned into an annual tradition in which ‘average Australians’ clean up their beautiful country. But why must it be just one day out of the year, in which we clean up around us? Wouldn’t it just be easier to keep it clean all year round? Probably, but unfortunately most people don’t think that way.
So what can you do?
Today, all across Australia, thousands of people are volunteering their time to clean up the land around them, but it doesn’t stop there. You can become involved in organisations that continue to do this year round and help keep this country beautiful. “Living Green” is a lifestyle that is becoming more and more common within Australia, as many Aussies realise that our carbon footprint continues to grow and continues to impact the world around us. Many have become actively involved in organisations, while others simply become more conscious of things like the amount of water we use, the amount of electricity we use, or what is thrown away or recycled. Even the smallest, environmental decision will help Australia become more environmentally friendly.
After all, it started with an ‘average Australian bloke’, Ian Kiernan. Once setting up the “Clean up Australia” campaign, he approached the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP), with an idea to take his Clean Up concept global. Clean Up the World is an international campaign that encourages communities to clean up, fix up and conserve their environment through the Clean Up the World Membership program.
Who says one man can’t make a difference? So get out and do your part. Australia appreciates it.
Lance is back!
Lance Armstrong, now 37, has spent a better part of the last four years away from the sport that made him a household name. Dominating the ever-famous Tour de France, Lance is making his return to professional cycling in the upcoming “Tour down Under”, which kicks off in Adelaide on January 18 and runs through to the 25th. Much of the world’s attention will be on this up and coming race, with Lance amongst the competitors.
I, for one, am excited to see Lance back on his bike. With his return to cycling, he once again brings with him his fight against cancer. Armstrong will ride a bike decorated with the numbers 1,274 and 27.5. The 1,274 represents the number of days since he last raced professionally in the 2005 Tour de France. The 27.5 stands for the approximately 27.5 million people who have died from cancer worldwide during that span.
“Sometimes this disease does not need money, it needs attention and exposure and awareness,” Armstrong said. “It needs people to step back and look at that bike, and go, ‘Jeez.’ They see two simple numbers, and they think: ‘Why haven’t I heard? Why am I not thinking about this? Why haven’t I stood up and demanded change because of this?’ ”
I’m excited to watch this. While I wish I could watch Lance compete in person, it looks as if much of the Tour will be covered, for Australians on Channel 10. You can watch it live on Fox Sports Channel 1 should you have Foxtel. Those outside the country however, won’t fare as well. It looks as if you’ll have to catch bits and pieces of it on your local news, if at all.
As the rest of us get up at 6am to start our slow and arduous journey to the office today, one lucky individual will have what will end being the best job in the world.
Queensland, Australia tourism is hurting. Despite having some of the most amazingly beautiful terrain and tourist destinations in the world, the world’s financial crisis is really hitting the area hard. With hotel bookings down sharply, Queensland’s tourism board is taking it upon themselves to fix the problem:
They’re giving job seekers the chance to get paid $150,000 (AU$) to live six months rent free on the Great Barrier Reef. (Good luck getting onto the site. Apparently this sounds appealing to the entire world.)
The successful candidate will be asked to keep a blog and photo diary in exchange for six months rent-free on Hamilton Island as part of a $150,000 salary package that includes return airfares and travel insurance.
Australians and overseas applicants must be willing to “swim, snorkel, make friends with locals and generally enjoy the tropical Queensland climate and lifestyle”. Sounds really hard, doesn’t it? Tough life. They’re pretty much asking the successfull applicant to do what many of us are doing already: blog, photograph, and enjoy the world around us.
Pretty tough, huh?
As a matter of current events, a Ugandan woman gave birth over Canada recently on a flight to Boston, USA. Makes you wonder why it’s so hard to get a Visa or citizenship in todays world, yet you can “automatically qualify for citizenship if you’re born in almost any given country.
“A Ugandan woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl on a plane from Amsterdam to Boston while flying over Canadian airspace, making the child eligible for Canadian citizenship, US media reported on Thursday.Little Sasha was born Wednesday at 1400 GMT to the applause of other amazed Northwest Airlines passengers, as their plane flew over Halifax, Canada…”
While I never expect to read a normal news article on any given morning these days, this one struck me as a bit odd. More so because this is the kind of thing you’d think you wouldn’t want advertised:
I understand that everyone needs a bit of relaxing time off, and there’s nothing better for morale than a well deserved break, but why would you A)require the entire Navy to take the time off at the same time, and B) advertise it!?
Ok, so it’s not shutting down entirely, and ships already deployed will continue with business as usual, but what if, for example, New Zealand tried to attack. (Oh hang on, there’s nothing to worry about there, unless you’re allergic to sheep). The Navy has said that “If an emergency occurs, other personnel will be ordered back to work.”
Hmm, OK.
In all honesty, I don’t see this as being an issue. The Navy says this is part of an initiative called “New Generation Navy” aimed at attracting and retaining more staff by changing the culture of the navy and improving the work-life balance of personnel. Probably because they can’t reach their recruitment targets. A good start I suppose, but you need to do a lot more than just giving everyone some time off to forget about how bad their jobs really are.
Do you agree with what the Australian Navy is doing? Is it really a good idea advertising this ahead of time?
With the U.S. Presidential Election just days away, the entire world seems fixated on who will lead America into the tough times ahead. Will it be McCain or Obama? More Americans seem to belooking at this election more seriously than any in recent history, and rightly so. America, and the world, find themselves in economic, and political situations not seen for decades, and only the most dilligent and intellengent of leaders should be in power to guide us through these tough times.
Most American’s have their decisions made, and are prepared to support the candidate they find themselves most in tune with. While that’s all well and good, and they are ultimately the ones who will decide the fate of the country, one might wonder how the rest of the world feels about the upcoming election, even though they cannot vote.
I’ve come across a site that allows anyone, anywhere in the world, to cast their vote for the next American president. Each vote is tracked (through their IP address) to see which country you are voting from. As for the results, is it really that suprising?
What if the world could vote?
Australians have always been considered some of the more relaxed and friendly people that you’ll ever meet as you travel throughout the world.
But is this changing?
As the world gets smaller through the advent of modern technology, this wonderful country isn’t as removed as it once was from the rest of the world. All of a sudden, Australia isn’t a big island in the middle of the ocean anymore. Australia is now a major player on the world market, and a “no worries” attitude doesn’t necessarily cut it when dealing with the international business market. The world is becoming a much more competitive place, and as it grows smaller, the fight to keep your head above water can become a bit more difficult. The “no worries” attitude doesn’t always fly. How long will we be able to hold on to this laid back attitude?
I’m not going to sit here and predict if the Australian outlook on life will change over the coming years, as it would be futile. It’s not if, but when. Australia has had an influx of immigrants from overseas over the last decade. Almost 1 in 4 residents of Sydney are foreign born, and when you have that kind of exterior influence on a country, customs and attitudes will change. While these can change rather quickly, stereotypes don’t. Fortunately, Australia has a great stereotype on the international scene, and these stereotypes aren’t shunned by the average Aussie. Backyard BBQ’s while throwing back a few stubbies and appreciating your close mates is part of what makes you an Aussie. While I’m relatively new to this lifestyle, only being in Australia for about 14 months now, these stereotypes are easy to adopt.
While Australia becomes a more of a world player, it’ll never be a economic benchmark. But Australians seem to be OK with that.
I would too, especially if that meant holding on to a “No Worries!” attitude.
Australia’s official language is English, but can you really understand the “lingo”? Take a quiz, to find out if you could really carry a conversation down under. Good luck, mate!
Click here for the quiz.
Post your results back here, and see how you stack up!
AUSTRALIANS look for important qualities when choosing their most trusted people: medical practitioners and scientists have them and so do musicians who relate to kids.The Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Poll ranks burns specialist and 2005 Australian of the Year, Dr Fiona Wood, as the most trusted Australian for the third year in a row. The creator of the cervical cancer vaccine, Scots-born Professor Ian Frazer, is the second most trusted Australian and children’s band The Wiggles come in third on the list. At the other end of the list, self-confessed terrorism supporter David Hicks and Islamic cleric Sheik Taj Aldin Alhilali are the least trusted Australians.
Reader’s Digest editor-in-chief Tom Moore said the top ranking people were trustworthy because they have values Australian people respect. “They are well-known, familiar and respected, consistent, reliable and honest and they all have a generosity of spirit,” Mr Moore said.
She said Australians trust people who had been high achievers, were involved in their communities and had a warm approach. Dr Huntley said The Wiggles fitted into that category.
“Many parents’ afternoons have been saved by The Wiggles,” she said.
So who are the Wiggles? Well, if you’re an Australian with children, you’re sure to know. If you’re soon to visit or live in Australia, you’ll find out very quickly. You can turn around in a grocery store without running into a Wiggles DVD or something branded with The Wiggles name.
The Wiggles is a children’s musical group formed in Sydney, Australia, in 1991. It was founded by Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt. The group has achieved worldwide success with its children’s albums, videos, television series and concert appearances. The Wiggles combine music and child development research in their videos, television programmes, and live shows. Field and Fatt were members of the Australian pub rock band The Cockroaches in the 1980s, and Cook was a member of several bands before meeting Field and Page at Macquarie University, where they were studying to become pre-school teachers. A school project led to the recording of their first album and tour in 1991. Their touring company expanded to include other characters (Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, and Wags the Dog) and a troupe of dancers.
…and so now you know, there is life after Barney the Dinosaur.
