A Modern Wayfarer

Unique Travel

Archives for July 2014

6 Qualities of A Modern Gypsy Traveler

A Modern Gypsy likes to plan, but never over-prepares. They value holiday spontaneity over strategizing.  They don’t feel the need to painstakingly plot every single intricate pre-holiday detail, right down to the cab ride from the airport! Sure, an imaginative traveler is well researched and versed on what to see and do in a city (after all, pre-trip planning is nearly half the fun), but these culture-hunters live for spur of the moment experiences and won’t baulk at diving headfirst into the ... Read More

Bali Surf Yoga Retreat at The Temple Lodge

bali surf yoga retreat bali

Bali Surf Yoga Retreats have become a real mainstay for the experiential and imaginative traveler wanting the best of both worlds - fun and fitness. And a bali surf yoga retreat at The Temple Lodge has got to be one of the top spots to lay low and hang-ten!  The Temple Lodge offers sparse yet unique Balinese-style accommodation perched smack-bang on top of the white cliffs of laid-back surfer mecca Bingin Beach. Uninterrupted 360-degree sea views span from Uluwatu to Kuta and the majestic ... Read More

Beyond Bintangs & Bogans: Bali Travel Highlights

It’s surprising just how many Aussies still view Bali as our tabloids portray: a red-hot global no-go zone filled with drug-smugglers and “jungle juice”. But the small island off the Indonesian coast is not the boganville it’s made out to be. Beyond the headlines, clichés and warnings lies a melting pot of cultural travel highlights offering the imaginative traveler utter sophistication, beauty and charm. However I do feel the need to put a disclaimer on this article because - let’s face it - ... Read More

Casa Luna Cooking School in Ubud

The gourmet restaurant Casa Luna, founded by Australian-born Janet de Neefe (who coincidentally also founded The Ubud Writers Festival), is a veritable institution. So it’s not surprising, then, that her gourmet food tours and Casa Luna Cooking School in Ubud is renowned the island-over. Aimed at putting the sensuality and romance back into cuisine, the Casa Luna Cooking School classes provide insight into the Balinese way of life, love and belief system. They promote active participation while ... Read More

Dining Perfection: Metis Restaurant Bali

I have no idea why it took me almost three full laps of the street to find Metis Restaurant Bali on my scooter, particularly because the building is a picture of modern architecturally designed perfection.  Aside from my questionable map-reading skills, dinner at Metis is perfection in every way, and is an absolute must if you’re in the Seminyak area. It’s fine dining at it’s most seductive. You can arrive early, grab a designer martini and watch the sun set over a quintessential Balinese ... Read More

Thredbo Ski Season 2014 via GoPro

So I caught some of the Thredbo Ski Season action on the new GoPro Hero 3 Camera. Hope you enjoy. "Many people travel the world to go skiing without ever knowing that it is not skiing that they are after. Skiing is a great excuse to go somewhere, but maybe it gets a little too much attention? To travel is to notice the world as it turns. Let skiing be your guide, but not your Master. Loosen your grip, put down your itinerary, ignore Google, take a moment to look around, and don't rush, ... Read More

How To Ensure You Don’t Need A Holiday After Your Holiday

Let me ask you a question ladies and gents: When was the last time you jetted-off on vacation to a new and exotic paradise, only to come back home weeks later just as tired and jaded as you left? Kind of ironic isn’t it – to need a holiday after your holiday - but it happens. It’s a real thing. In fact, so many of us spend an inordinate amount of time researching and diarising our trips before we’ve even departed our offices that we tend to create an itinerary on crack. We over-plan and ... Read More

Weekly Wayfarer: Andrea Magrath of Some Kind of Wanderlust

This week's Weekly Wayfarer is the lovely Andrea Magrath, everybody's favourite foodie traveler living in London! Originally from Sydney, Australia, Andrea moved to the UK to pursue a life of food-inspired travel writing. This talented expat is certainly worth her chops in writing (yes, pun intended) - she is currently the London Correspondent for TRUFFLETravel.com, and has contributed to the who's who of publications including Daily Mail Online, Grazia Australia, The Huffington Post, Shop ‘Til ... Read More

An Open Letter To Jet Lag… And New Ways To Reduce It

An Open Letter to Jet Lag Dear Jet Lag, Oh how I despise thee. Flying is like a sick game to you... and one you always win. Why do you take such pleasure in rendering us useless at the start of our adventures? What did we ever do to you? You've been the elusive foe of many a traveler for as long as I remember and it's time we got some runs on the board. There's a general global consensus that hydration, sleeping if it's nighttime at the destination and noise-cancelling headphones will make ... Read More

10 Reasons Why Skiing is Better Than Snowboarding

As I eagerly prepare to take advantage of the wintery-fresh pow-pow dumped by the snow Gods in Thredbo, Australia this week, I thought I’d open up a can of worms and take on the age-old rivalry that is skiing VS snowboarding. Or, in the case presented today: why skiing is better than snowboarding! Now I realise that as an avid skier since the ripe age of seven I may be slightly bias in this arena, however it’s worth noting that I have many a boarder friend and don’t discriminate…much. I’ve ... Read More