TRAVEL BUG WITHIN - Adventure, Road Trips, Travel Tips and Reviews

Travel writer Jennifer Johnston shares her travel experiences and tips inspiring midlife adventurers to explore further.

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Skip Scotland’s whisky trails and head for the hills

April 19, 2020 By Jennifer Johnston 2 Comments

Three hikers follow a path past some cliffs covered in green grass and rocky outcrops

I wrote most of this story 18 months ago for an outdoors/adventure magazine that ended up changing their editorial focus and no longer required my story. During these quieter times with Coronavirus placing a 'hold' on the need for travel stories, I want to continue writing and sharing my travel experiences. So I dug out this story on a trip to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Destinations, Scotland, United Kingdom Tagged With: #Visitscotland, Hiking the Isle of Skye, Isle of Skye, what to see and do on the Isle of Skye

Finding my tartan in Scotland

April 15, 2020 By Jennifer Johnston Leave a Comment

Tartan scarf draped over a rock with mountains in teh background

Sharing Queen Victoria’s love for Scotland Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park is the largest National Park in the United Kingdom.  Inside its 4,528 km2 expanse are five of the six highest mountains in Scotland. The highest is Ben Macdhui (1,309 metres.) On the 7th of October 1859, Queen Victoria at age forty hiked to the summit of Macdhui.  … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Destinations, Scotland Tagged With: Family connection to Scotland, Family ties, Scotland

A Taste of Kakadu celebrates more than Indigenous food

March 16, 2020 By Jennifer Johnston Leave a Comment

Image of \fFour orange Kakadu plum fruits on top of green pandansu leaves on a table

 Northern Territory's Kakadu National Park Taste of Kakadu in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park is an immersive Indigenous Food Festival celebrating local bush food, culture, and country. I experienced part of the 2019 Taste of Kakadu taking the opportunity to connect with Indigenous Australians and appreciate their culture … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adventure, Destinations, Northern Territory Tagged With: #seeaustralia, Australia, Bush tucker, Food festivals in Australia, Indigenous culture, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Taste of Kakadu Festival

A comfortable home away from home in Kyoto – Mimaru Nishinotoin Takatsuji

March 11, 2020 By Jennifer Johnston Leave a Comment

Screen door leading into a hotel reception with potted plants on either side of the entrance

Creature comforts and space in Kyoto One aspect about Japan travellers regularly comment on, is that hotel rooms are often on the smaller side. And I get it. Space comes at a premium price in this island country, home to 126.8 million people. But with a little research, you can find exceptions to the 'small hotel room' syndrome without costing a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Destinations, Hotel Reviews, Japan Tagged With: #KyotoHotel, #MimaruApartmentHotels, Kyoto, Mimaru Apartment Hotels, Where to stay in Kyoto

The Granite Belt Region: Where optimism and the scent of rain is in the air

February 22, 2020 By Jennifer Johnston 2 Comments

Red apple on the branch of a tree covered in green leaves

Things to do in the Granite Wine Belt Region “I haven’t had to mow the lawn in two years,” says Warren Thomas. Now if you’re a lawn lover, not having any grass to mow for that long could be depressing. But not for Warren, husband to the owner of local Ballandean business Washpool Skin Wellness  Rather than dwelling on not having to drag the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adventure, Australia, Destinations, Queensland Tagged With: Granite Belt Wine Country, Queensland, Regional Australia, Weekend escapes from Brisbane, Wine region of Australia

Igniting my Christmas spirit in Washington State

December 29, 2019 By Jennifer Johnston Leave a Comment

Rows of gold white and blue coloured Christmas trees inside a baselball stadium

Chasing a white Christmas Where I live on Australia’s east coast, Christmas falls smack bang in the middle of summer, and it's hot. So hot in fact Christmas Day usually involves a swim in the pool just to bring the body temperature down. If you’re lucky enough to be in an air-conditioned home, Christmas lunch is enjoyed in a room regulated at a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Destinations, USA Tagged With: Leavenworth, Pacific North West, Seattle, Sleeping Lady Resort, VisitSeattle, VisittheUSA, WashingtonState, where to find the best Christmas town in America

Recommended short getaways in Australia and New Zealand

December 13, 2019 By Jennifer Johnston Leave a Comment

Chuffed to be included in blogger Dean Williamson from Lavidaglobal.com list of the best places in Australia and New Zealand for a short getaway "To show you some of the magnificent places you might be missing we have asked some experienced travellers to let us in on their favourite places in Australia and New Zealand to get away for a few … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adventure, Australia, Destinations, Queensland Tagged With: #thisisqueensland, Moreton Island, Recommended places to visit in Australia and New Zealand, shortbreaks in Australia, weekend getaways from Brisbane

Top End magic – there’s plenty of adventure culture and history in Darwin

December 2, 2019 By Jennifer Johnston Leave a Comment

As the capital of the Northern Territory, Darwin is renowned for fun and adventure, but an interesting mixture of history and the slightly obscure is found in the Top End - when you know where to look. Darwin’s unique charm and character is a by-product not only of its geographical location - history and a couple of natural events played a role. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Australia, Destinations, Northern Territory, Solo Tagged With: #discoverDarwin, Darwin, Northern Territory, What to see and do in Darwin, where to go in Darwin

Where to find Queensland’s award winning wineries

November 21, 2019 By Jennifer Johnston Leave a Comment

Image of a man standing in a wine cellar dressed in a short sleeved shirt and blue shorts holds a bottle of wine in his right hand

Discovering Queensland's world-class wineries I’m partial to being outdoors and love to follow the hiking trails through the Australian bush. It had been way too long between visits to Girraween National Park. How long? My eldest, James was almost six when I last clambered over the magnificent granite boulders with some very special friends … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Australia, Destinations, Queensland Tagged With: Granite Belt Wine Country, Mike Hayes, Queensland wines, Sirromet, Sirromet winery, Stanthorpe, Stanthorpe Wine Country, Stanthorpe Wine Tours

Darwin lights up for tropical summer

November 17, 2019 By Jennifer Johnston Leave a Comment

Darwin is in perpetual summer mode. It's a place where winter attire is a rare requirement. But a noticeable change occurs when November 1 rolls around and the wet season rains appear heralding the start of ‘tropical summer.’ Dramatic thunderstorms bring a welcome respite from the heat and at dusk sunset lovers observe radiant golden colours as the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Australia, Destinations, Northern Territory, Solo Tagged With: #TourismNT, #TropicalLight, Art in Darwin, Bruce Munro Tropical Light, Darwin, Northern Territory

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