Prost!  Who is game to sink a few steins, wear a lederhosen or dirndl, and eat their weight in pretzels? We are! Oktoberfest, essentially an adults Disneyland is the world’s largest beer festival. Held annually in Munich, Germany, it is a 16-day festival running from mid-September to the first weekend in October and it is a place not to be missed whilst visiting Europe! It is estimated that over 6 million people visit Oktoberfest and serve more than 6 million litres of beer every year – staggering numbers, right?

So with it just being around the corner, here are some tips on how to survive Oktoberfest.

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To put it simply Sail Croatia = cloud nine….sunbathing, swimming, drinking, eating, exploring, partying and sleeping.

I have heard so many amazing stories about Croatia yet this trip definitely exceeded my expectations! Not many people can say they have lived on a pirate ship for 8 days sailing the most stunning stretches of coastline that Europe has to offer.  No matter where you look it is a million dollar view, a real paradise. It is definitely an understatement when I say I was living the dream.

Each day we would set sail early in the morning then stop for a swim en route to our destination. Swim stops meant jumping off the boat into the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic, floating on lilos while drinking a cheeky cider then drying off by laxing out on the deck, catching rays and reading. Lunch time would roll around and we would head inside for an amazing lunch on the boat. After this we’d then pull into our destination for the day/night.

We got to visit all the top islands including Brac; with the awesome cave bar, the beautiful Makarska; which is nestled under the picture perfect Biokovo mountain range, the famous party island Hvar; where we partied at the biggest open air club in Europe, Korčula; the birth place of the famous Marco Polo, Mljet; where we got the chance to kayak, cycle or scoot around the breathtaking salt lakes in the National Park, as well as visiting the coastal cities of Split, Slano and finally, the gem of the Adriatic, Dubrovnik.

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I have had friends go on this turkey tours and highly recommend it, but I have to admit I didn’t know much about Turkey, so wasn’t sure what to expect at all, but thought why not give it a try, and as it now turns out this is one of the best trips I have ever done.

We started off  in Istanbul, and I have actually been here before, but just for one day, so my original first impression wasn’t that great. But going through Turkey with a local guide is completely different; not just for the history of each of the sites we visited, but also at night to have someone to recommend where to eat and what to order adds so much more to the experience.

The rest of the trip carried on along the same note. Visiting ancient sites such as Troy and Ephesus-which is by far one of my highlights for historical reasons, walking through a site which is said to have been host to likes as Cleopatra, the Virgin Mary,Saint Paul, and even Elton John is an experience you just can’t explain. Each location was a completely different side to Turkey; and I never realized just how vast and beautiful it is!

In my eyes the tour was laid out perfectly, having the first 3 days of quite full on sightseeing and traveling, then the next couple of days to relax by the coast, and even party a little was brilliant.

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Travelling to Gallipoli for ANZAC Day has always been a dream of mine since childhood. It returns our family to the place where my Great Grandad faced the most difficult time of his life in the fight for peace. He never spoke about it on his return to New Zealand but it was with him for the rest of his life.

To be at Gallipoli for ANZAC Day and particularly to experience that moment was something I don’t think can ever be topped. It was so beautiful and peaceful; it was hard to believe that 97 years ago it was full of war and bombing. Words can’t describe the feelings of pride, sadness and admiration that you feel for the people who served there. I’ve never in my whole life felt so proud to be a kiwi. Read more…