Tourist to Traveller

Imagine exploring turquoise lagoons dotted with mushroom-shaped islands, swimming through crystal-clear waters, discovering ancient stone structures and wandering through lush tropical jungles. Now imagine doing all of that in a destination that is still relatively undiscovered by many travellers. Welcome to Palau! Hidden away in the western Pacific Ocean, Palau is one of those destinations that m...

Madrid wasn’t originally on my Spain bucket list. I imagined a busy, corporate capital that might not have the character or atmosphere I was looking for. But after travelling around Spain for a few weeks, I arrived in Madrid with very few plans... and ended up completely changing my mind. What I discovered was a city full of lively plazas, late-night tapas, unexpected hidden gems, incredible food...

Fes was one of the most disorienting yet fascinating cities I visited in Morocco. The moment you step through the gates of the ancient medina, you're surrounded by a maze of narrow alleyways, the smell of spices and freshly baked bread, and donkeys carrying goods through streets that feel as though they've barely changed in centuries. It's chaotic, sometimes overwhelming, and not al...

Finding a gift for someone who loves to travel sounds easy enough… until you realise they probably already own three passport holders, a collection of baggage tags and enough travel-themed mugs to last a lifetime. After around 20 years of travelling while balancing a full-time job, I’ve learnt that the best travel gifts aren’t necessarily the most expensive or the most obvious. They’re the things...

There are places you visit because they’re jaw-droppingly beautiful. And then there are places you visit because the experience is so strange and unique that you spend the entire time thinking, “How is this actually real?” The Dead Sea in Jordan is definitely the second kind. When I visited, I knew I was going to float. What I didn’t realise was quite how weird that would feel... or how difficult...

Vanuatu has 83 islands, but that doesn’t mean you need to visit 83... or even five. When I started planning my own Vanuatu trip, I found myself wondering whether we were making the wrong choice by only visiting two islands. Were we going to miss out on Santo? Should we have tried to squeeze in another island? And would we regret not seeing more? After eight days split between Efate and Tanna, I ca...

There’s something exciting about having a big trip just around the corner. The flights are booked, the accommodation is sorted, and you’re already imagining yourself at the destination. Then suddenly you realise… there’s still an enormous list of things to do before you actually leave. After years of travelling, I’ve learnt that the things that cause the most stress aren’t always the big things. S...

Egypt had been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my dad would read us books about the world, ancient history, animals and different countries instead of the usual bedtime stories. Somewhere amongst those books were the pyramids, the Sphinx and the stories of ancient Egypt. So when I finally stood in front of the pyramids, it wasn't just another travel experience. It...

If you’ve ever scrolled past a photo of Palau in Micronesia and wondered, surely that water can’t actually be that blue, I have good news… it really is. Palau is one of those rare destinations where reality genuinely looks like the photos. Think jungle-covered limestone islands floating in impossibly turquoise water, hidden waterfalls, white limestone mud, traditional meeting houses, WWII ruins an...

What if you had the choice between two nights in a five-star hotel or two nights sleeping under the stars on a traditional sailing boat on the Nile? When I travelled to Egypt, I never planned to sail the Nile on a felucca. In fact, I had already booked the luxury accommodation. But when our guide offered us the chance to swap the hotel for a couple of nights on a traditional felucca, we decided to...

Hobart has a way of surprising you. One minute you’re wandering between historic sandstone buildings at Salamanca Place, coffee in hand. The next, you’re standing on kunanyi / Mount Wellington with cold wind on your face, looking across the city, river and sea. Then the sun goes down and you’re choosing between a cosy wine bar, a historic pub or somewhere serving incredible Tasmanian produce. In t...

One of the things I loved most about travelling through Vanuatu was discovering just how much you can experience without constantly packing your bags and changing hotels. Port Vila is more than a place to stay... it’s the perfect base for exploring Efate Island. Within an hour, you can be snorkelling over coral reefs, swimming in impossibly blue lagoons, chasing waterfalls, exploring tropical isla...

Travel Gives You So Much More Than a Holiday What if your next holiday could give you more than incredible photos, beautiful destinations and a few weeks away from work? After more than 20 years of travelling, I’ve realised that some of the greatest benefits of travel have nothing to do with the destination. The real transformation happens in the moments when plans go wrong, you have to navigate s...

Petra was the reason I travelled to Jordan. I’d seen the Rose City in documentaries, books, travel feeds and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but nothing prepared me for the moment I walked through the Siq and saw the Treasury for the first time. It felt completely unreal... like I’d stepped into a film set, except this ancient city was very much real. What surprised me even more was just how e...

Before I travelled to Morocco, I thought I knew what to expect: golden sand dunes, bustling souks and ancient medinas. While those iconic experiences absolutely delivered, what surprised me most was everything beyond the postcards. From snow-capped mountains and lush green valleys to centuries-old traditions, incredible hospitality and even thriving wine regions, Morocco challenged every assumptio...

When most people picture Tasmania in Australia, they imagine epic mountain hikes, rugged wilderness and multi-day adventures. But one of the biggest surprises for me was discovering that some of the island's most unforgettable experiences came from walks that took less than three hours… and often much less. From standing above the blue waters of Wineglass Bay to wandering through ancient rain...

There’s something magical about having a travel bucket list. It’s more than a collection of places you hope to visit one day... it’s a reminder to dream bigger, stay curious, and keep planning adventures that truly excite you. In this episode of Tourist to Traveller, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my own travel dreams and sharing the destinations that are currently at the top of my bucket lis...

Most travellers dream of visiting Jordan for one iconic reason: Petra. And while Petra absolutely deserves its place as one of the world's greatest archaeological wonders, there was another place that completely surprised me... Wadi Rum. Known as the Valley of the Moon, Wadi Rum feels like stepping onto another planet. Towering sandstone mountains, endless red dunes, ancient rock formations a...

Chefchaouen doesn’t just photograph beautifully... it feels different the moment you arrive. Tucked into the Rif Mountains of northern Morocco, this blue-washed city invites you to slow down, wander without a plan, and breathe a little deeper. But here’s what most travellers get wrong: they rush it. Chefchaouen is often squeezed into a tight Morocco itinerary as a quick day trip, leaving just enou...

Palau is one of those destinations that doesn’t just live up to the hype... it rewrites what you thought tropical travel could be. Remote, raw, and wildly beautiful, it’s a place where emerald islands rise out of electric-blue water, WWII history sits alongside ancient culture, and nature is protected. Palau is a small island nation in Micronesia that consistently ranks as one of the world’s top d...

Travelling the world with a chronic illness isn’t something you often see talked about online, especially when the illness doesn’t “look” obvious. From the outside, my travels might seem carefree and high-energy, but behind every trip is careful planning, flexibility, and a deep understanding of my body. In this episode, I’m sharing something I don’t often talk about publicly: my experience living...

Long-haul flights are a fact of life when you’re a frequent flyer. They’re the gateway to bucket-list adventures… but they can also be uncomfortable, exhausting, and wildly unpredictable. On a recent trip from Australia to the USA, a “quick” stopover in Dallas turned into a 24-hour airport survival situation when a once-in-a-century snowstorm hit Texas. Flights were cancelled, hotels were full, Ub...

Before I even landed in Spain, the Caminito del Rey was already locked into my bucket list. I’d seen the photos... narrow walkways hugging towering cliffs, the river below, and views that felt almost unreal. What I didn’t realise at the time was how misunderstood this hike actually is. Despite its dramatic reputation (and its past as one of the world’s most dangerous walks), the Caminito del Rey t...

There’s a moment that happens every time I arrive at an off-grid tiny house. My phone loses signal, the noise drops away, and finally I feel like I can breathe again.  Over the years, my yearly off-grid tiny house stay has become a ritual... not just a getaway, but a full reset. It’s the kind of travel experience that doesn’t just give you memories, but actually changes how you feel when you come...

Marrakech is one of those cities that pulls you in fast... the colour, sound, movement, magic. It’s exciting, intoxicating… and for many travellers, completely overwhelming.  The truth is, you can’t truly “do” Marrakech in a day. But if 24 hours is all you’ve got, you can experience something real... the rhythm of the medina, the calm behind carved wooden doors, and the quiet moments that live bet...