Travel Bug Within

A travel blog inspiring mid-life adventurers to chase their wanderlust and explore further

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Destinations
    • Australia
      • New South Wales
      • Northern Territory
      • Queensland
      • South Australia
      • Tasmania
      • Victoria
      • Western Australia
    • Fiji
    • New Zealand
    • Asia
      • Bali
      • Hong Kong
      • Japan
      • Thailand
      • UAE
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
    • Iceland
    • Ireland
    • United Kingdom
      • England
      • Scotland
      • Wales
    • USA
      • Hawaii
  • My Adventures
    • Solo
    • Family
    • Single Mum Travel Tales
  • Travel Advice
    • My Top Five or Ten
    • Hotel and Restaurant Reviews
    • Book Reviews
  • Other Stories
    • Feature profile and lifestyle stories
  • About
    • About Me with the travel bug
    • Contact
    • Why the name Travel Bug Within

Sharing a few tales

April 15, 2020 By Jennifer Johnston Leave a Comment

Table covered in pieces of a jigsaw puzzle making a border

Keeping me busy With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing us to stay at home, slow down and live differently to what we’re used to, it's apparent we're turning to activities that we never seemed to have found time for in our pre-coronavirus ‘busy’ lives. I’m now ‘finding’ myself sitting down to actually read a book from the stockpile on my bedside … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Solo, Stories "outside" of the Travel genre Tagged With: slow down, Travel Memories, what to do during coronovirus, why I love Scotland

Top End magic

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

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

The very special Tiwi Islands

October 6, 2019 By Jennifer Johnston Leave a Comment

Passing the island’s southern coastline from the open deck of our SeaLink ferry, I see nothing beyond the thicket of trees hugging the white sandy shore. Once inside Shoal Bay, the multi-coloured corrugated rooves of houses peek through the trees indicating the first sign of civilisation – Wurrumiyanga - Bathurst’s main settlement. The tropical … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adventure, Australia, Destinations, Northern Territory, Solo Tagged With: #discoverDarwin, day trips from Darwin, Tiwi Islands, Where to go near Darwin

Seattle and its love of literature

October 3, 2019 By Jennifer Johnston Leave a Comment

Seattle is a city worth visiting for many reasons.    Here's my article in this month's edition of Stopover, Icelandair's inflight Magazine about the lesser-known aspect of Seattle - that it's a UNESCO-designated literary city. Icelandair Stopover Destination Seattle … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Destinations, Solo, USA Tagged With: Seattle, UNESCO listed literature city, VisitSeattle

Bangkok’s little beauties

August 8, 2019 By Jennifer Johnston 2 Comments

Discovering the best things to do in Bangkok In a city of almost ten million where the streets hum with a constant flow of people moving to and from their destination, imagine finding a little slice of serenity. Would you think it possible? Recently I travelled to Bangkok with a group of writers and bloggers from Brisbane. We flew with Air Asia … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adventure, Destinations, Solo, Thailand Tagged With: Bangkok, Best serviced apartment in Bangkok, Chinatown Bangkok, Highlights in Bangkok, Shama Lakeview Asoke, what to do in Bangkok in three days, where to eat in Bangkok, where to stay in Bangkok

Cruising Nitmiluk Gorge

June 7, 2019 By Jennifer Johnston Leave a Comment

There are numerous ways to get up close and personal with the impressive scenery and wildlife in Nitmiluk National Park.  On this mid-May morning, I'm doing it via a boat cruise on two of the gorges in Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge. At the southern tip of Kakadu National Park, Nitmiluk (pronounced Nit-me-look) a Jawoyn word meaning cicada place, is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adventure, Australia, Destinations, Northern Territory, Solo Tagged With: Cruise on the Nitmiluk National Gorge, Katherine Gorge, Nitmiluk Gorge, Nitmiluk National Park, Northern Territory, what to see and do in the Northern Territory

Why not climb a mountain?

April 29, 2019 By Jennifer Johnston Leave a Comment

Hiking Mt Maroon Good Friday might be a day of rest for some, but for me, it was a day to hike a mountain. I’d responded to a media call out to join the epic Moonrise on Mount Maroon on Friday, April 19. The requirements: A writer/journalist who is fit enough to hike the seven-hour return night hike Available to depart at 2 pm on Good … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adventure, Australia, Destinations, Queensland, Solo Tagged With: climbing Mt Maroon, hiking, Hiking in the Scenic Rim, middle aged woman climbs mountain, Mt Barney National Park, Mt Maroon

Hong Kong for writing inspiration

January 27, 2019 By Jennifer Johnston Leave a Comment

Another side to Hong Kong Don't think Hong Kong is only about food, shopping and the lights on Victoria Harbour. I’ve written about some of the new discoveries I made in Hong Kong during my trip in January 2018. I also visited the Man Mo temple and quietly asked the God of Literature for support and writing inspiration for 2018. I think he was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hong Kong, Solo Tagged With: FCC, Foreign Correspondents Club Hong Kong, Hong Kong highlights, Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong, Writing finds in Hong Kong

A quintessential Hong Kong experience

May 29, 2018 By Jennifer Johnston Leave a Comment

A line of customers stands patiently outside a nondescript shop in the Hong Kong’s Sham Shui Po district. In the northwestern section of the Kowloon peninsula, Sham Shui Po is one of Hong Kong’s most authentic neighbourhoods. This shop is brightly illuminated, thanks to a row of fluorescent lights embedded in the ceiling -  highlighting the shop’s … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adventure, Destinations, Hong Kong, Solo Tagged With: #Hong Kong, Shia Wong Hip, Snake Soup in Hong, snake soup in Hong Kong, try a delicacy in Hong Kong, where to find snake soup in Hong Kong

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Who is Travel Bug Within?

A mid-life adventurer sharing stories about interesting places in an honest and occasionally sarcastic way.

I hope to tickle your wanderlust and encourage you to explore further via Travel Bug Within

Jennifer x

Logo of the Australian Society of Travel Writers

For feature stories click on the bird logo linking to my personal website

Copyright Jennifer Johnston 2014 • Site by Swish Design