First Leg of My East Coast Adventure - Sunny Noosa

After finishing the final exam for my Tourism Degree and desperate for a well earned break, I packed up my things and boarded the Oz Experience bus for Cairns. 

As the weather had been miserable the last few days in Brisbane, I was definitely hoping that the rain wasn't a sign of things to come for the rest of my trip. To my surprise, the moment we pulled into Noosa, the sun came out and there was nothing but clear skies. I definitely used this opportunity to make my Brisbane friends very jealous.

 As always, I wasn't very organised and hadn't yet booked my accommodation or any tours. The Oz Experience tour guide must have heard my plea for help because he suggested some accommodation, tours and then booked them in for me.

While in Noosa, I stayed at Halse Lodge, which is a beautiful old Queenslander that has been converted into a backpackers lodge. Considering it is a budget hostel, I was very impressed with the lodges beauty, it's facilities, location (right near Hastings street), it's relaxed vibe and most importantly it's free glass of wine at the welcome meeting.

On my second day in Noosa, I joined an Everglades Tour with the Discovery Group. 

The Everglades Tour showed us around the Noosa River and then out to the Everglades where we had a quick bush walk and break. We then boarded the boat and continued down the Everglades onto Harry's Hut, an old loggers cabin where we had a delicious lunch that was cooked by our guide. After all, there is nothing better then a lunch that you don't have to prepare or help out with.

The tour was very relaxing and with only a small group, it meant that we could go at our own pace and see things that we were actually interested in seeing. The only negative about the whole day was the lack of sunscreen that I had used. I came back to the hostel at 5pm with a very burnt and sore back. Ouch!!

For the rest of my time in Noosa, I definitely didn't make the same rookie mistake. Suncreen is my friend!

2012 – The Year for Travel!

As with every New Years celebration, the infamous New Year resolution follows. These goals or resolutions are usually unrealistic and sometimes difficult to achieve. How many times have you planned to lose weight, change jobs or save money….successfully?

Cruising down the beautiful Noosa River and slightly hung-over on New Year’s Day, I decided that instead of creating another unachievable and dull New Years Resolution for 2012, I will instead aim to travel and let myself loose on the world. If resolutions are meant to be about self-fulfillment, travelling the globe is surely a suitable path to achieve this.

 

With savings in my bank and an urge to travel, I have decided to lows the pictures from the Cwhich is more than capable of fufilling d eye-openingreer contributing!backpack the East Coast of Australia before heading off on a European Adventure. Having just completed my studies, there is really nothing holding me back - so no excuses! Plus it would be a great compliment to my tourism degree. Both life enriching and career contributing.

While a lot of my itinerary is still in its drafting stage, I will give you a sneak peak of what looks to be an amazing year of travel.

East Coast of Australia

Although I have lived in Australia my whole life and have visited many of it’s capital cities, I am still yet to actually see and experience what my beautiful country has to offer in its more remote locations.

I figured the best way to experience the typical Aussie backpacking trip was to book myself onto an Oz Experience bus that will take me from Brisbane to Cairns at the end of Jan. This hop on, hop off form of tour will stop at all the iconic Australian hotspots such as Noosa, Rainbow Beach/Fraser Island, Airlie Beach, Whitsundays, Magnetic Island, Mission Beach and Cairns. Supposedly I will even get to try my hand at being an Aussie cowgirl at Kroombit Cattle Station, where I can participate in a goat muster and ride a mechanical bull. Keep an eye out for the pictures from the Cattle Farm, they are sure to be amusing!

London

Late April, will find me making my way to London, where I will spend a week sight seeing and experiencing the best of what London has to offer. Some of the must do’s while in London will include a Monopoly Pub Crawl, visiting London’s Portobello Road Markets, seeing the Queen, spending some pounds in Harrods and finally finding out what all the fuss is about mushy peas. I have also been advised that there is a wide range of free, yes I said FREE museums that are a must see when in London.

Contiki – Road to Athens

In May, I will depart on my first Contiki trip. This tour makes its way from London to Greece, stopping along the way in Paris, Lucerne, Munich, Tyrol, Venice, Florence, Rome, Corfu and finally ending in Athens. This trip is almost like a tasting plate, allowing me to sample the best of what each country has to offer, while partying and meeting some amazing people along the way.

Greek Islands

Mid May will be relaxation time! After the action packed Contiki tour, I will be looking forward to a bit of R&R and maybe a cocktail or two while I Island hop around the Greek Islands. Two of the Islands that are definitely on the ‘to-do’ list while I am in Greece are Santorini, to see the classic Greek Sunset and cave houses and Ios, to party, shop and lay by the beach. Knowing my clumsiness, I will most likely make a fool of myself, attempting some of the water sports that the islands have to offer.

Spain

My final stop on my European adventure is Spain. I am still deciding where to go; however, as I am only there for one week, it’s probably best if I make Barcelona my main point of call. I’m already in love with the food, Sangria and the Country, and can you blame me? You have no choice but to love a country that closes down halfway through the day for a nana nap.

Know of any travel destinations that I should add to my itinerary?