Down Under Travel

If you’ve never experienced jet lag before you’re one of the fortunate few. It is an uncomfortable and frustrating feeling that you just can’t seem to shake. Sometimes it seems as though it just needs to wear itself out over time. There are, however, a few things that you can do about jet lag that may help you get through it faster.

Jet lag occurs when a traveler has to pass through different time zones before arriving at their destination. This means that they will either be hours ahead or hours behind their time back home. This upsets the internal clock in the body that uses temperature and daylight to help keep it set. The bigger the time difference the more you may feel the jet lag and its effects.

One thing that you can do to help overcome your jet lag faster is to bring along sleep masks for all of the travelers in your group. Chances are you’ll have to catch some daytime sleep while your body is adjusting to the changes and sleep masks will help your body believe that it is sleeping in the dark. Some travelers never leave home without their sleep masks when they know that they will be traveling through several different time zones.

Bring along some infusions and herbal teas as well. Look for teas that help to promote sleep and reduce your alcohol and caffeine intake while you are still feeling the jet lag effects. It is important to catch up on your sleep at this time and anything you can do to help you get a deep sleep will help you get over your jet lag sooner.

One other thing you can do is establish a sleeping schedule before heading out for your trip. It may be a few hours earlier or a few later than what you’re currently used to. This way, your body will already be partially adjusted to a sleeping time change and it may make it easier to adapt to the new sleeping schedule.

You know that you have traveled into a different time zone and can adapt to that, but your body has a harder time taking it all in. It has a slower response time and that is where the frustration can set in.

Sometimes it can take up to three days to get over the jet leg completely. By this time, your holiday may be almost half over. Use the suggestions listed above to help you find relief from jet lag sooner so that you can make the most of your holiday as quickly as possible.

About five years ago, I decided to purchase a hard golf travel bag that allowed me to take my clubs wherever I wanted to without worrying about damaging them.  I used that case about three times before I decided I never wanted to carry my clubs with me again.

Why?  Well, first off, it’s an incredible hassle to carry clubs around an airport, hotel, and anywhere in between.  Most golf travel bags are big and bulky, not to mention really heavy.  I try to pack light on my trips and clubs don’t exactly fit into this scenario.  Secondly, airline bag fees have gotten extremely expensive and it’s usually cheaper to just rent clubs than bring your own along if you’ll only be playing once or twice during a trip.

Many people love to hit the links during vacation time, and I’m no different.  I enjoy hitting the white little ball around on vacation and have done so many times.  But most people also think that they need to bring their clubs along every time they might play a round.  This is not the case, folks.  Leave your clubs at home and rent a set from the club you’ll be playing at.

You might say that golfing is more difficult when trying to play with someone else’s clubs, and you’d be right.  It is much harder, but so what?  Vacation is meant to be a relaxing time, not a time when you should be working on your competitive golf game.  Instead, enjoy the weather and your surroundings and let golf be a secondary focus.  Your competitive game will be right where you left it when you return home.

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised if you leave your clubs home and follow my suggestion of renting a set instead.  It allows you to focus on the experience itself instead of the golf game.

Thailand is a a nearby, cheap tropical island break for Australians, and for good reason. Its close (only about 6 or 8 hours flying time) and its usually good value – depending on the exchange fluctations. 

But if you are heading down under from Europe – it makes sense to consider Thailand as a stop over on the way. Flying all the way – is about 20 hours flying time (plus airport time) – and is just plain brutal. You will arrive in better shape if you stop off one way or both. 

You will also find that you can get some good airfare deals via Thailand. Check out offers that including either Phuket or Koh Samui as well as the more traditional Bangkok. 

Airlines that offer Thailand stop overs include Qantas, AirNZ,  and Thai Air. Also its worth checking out the cheaper point-to-point airlines such as Jetstar and Air Asia who both fly into Phuket. 

In high season (December – January) you may also pick up a European charter operator such as Air Berlin who seasonally fly to Phuket. You will need to combine this fare with another to get you all the way to Australia though. 

Thailand is on Western Australian time most of the year – so you will be minimise your jetlag with a stop over as well. 

Whether you choose the big city of Bangkok or a nice beach such as Koh Samui or Phuket – Thailand is a great stop-over on the way to Australia

Shopping for a laptop sleeve can be difficult, purely because there are so many laptop sleeves on the market! They all have different features and specifications and before buying you really need to think about your needs. A very basic laptop sleeve will be made from foam or neoprene and will have no external pockets, these are unsuitable for travel unless used alongside another laptop bag or within a rucksack, if you try and use it alone for trips to the coffee shop or work then think about where you are going to place your charger and accessories?

Laptop sleeves for light travel need an external pocket, because placing your charger in the same pocket as your laptop will result in scratches, one of the very things that sleeves are supposed to protect against! The solution of course is to buy a sleeve with external pockets. Then think about how you are going to carry that sleeve, placing it beneath your arm is uncomfortable and not exactly safe, so you look for a laptop sleeve with a handle. 

If you want a laptop sleeve for actual travelling, as in backpacking or globetrotting, then you could go further and buy a sleeve in accordance with some more advanced needs. If you will be flying frequently or crossing border controls then seeing some over zealous security guard checking your laptop bag can make you feel uneasy, especially when that laptop probably costs more than that security guard earns in a year if travelling in the undeveloped world. 

Airport security guards are the worst, they will always remove a laptop from a laptop bag, and will never be careful when handeling it. The solution is to invest in a checkpoint friendly laptop sleeve, if you remove the accessories there is never any reason why airport or checkpoint security should ever need to remove your laptop from the sleeve!

The highest peak in the Australian Alps, Mt Kosciuszko was once the meeting place of aboriginal tribes who gathered to feast on the bobongmoth, a large moth found there in vast swarms during summer.

The first white man to climb Mt Kosciuszko was the Polish-born explorer Paul Edmund Strzelecki who reached the summit, 2228 m above sea level, on 15 February 1840. He named the mountain in honor of the Polish patriot, Kosciuszko.

Mt Kosciuszko forms part of the Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. The park covers an area of 625,517 ha and has been set aside by the state government for the purposes of conservation and scientific research and to aid protection of water catchments. Three major rivers, the Snowy, Murray and Murrumbidgee, have their sources in Kosciuszko National Park.

During the Great Ice Age ancient glaciers moved through the valleys, creating several glacial lakes. In the alpine regions the vegetation consists of sphagnum moss, alpine sundew, the snow daisy, bluebells, buttercups, the snow gum Eucalyptus niphophila and the tall, wallaby grass Danthonia frigida.

The wildlife found in the Kosciuszko region includes the wombat, possum, kangaroo, koala and the rare native mammal, the Broadtoothed rat Mastacomys fuscus.

Among the abundant and varied birdlife are lyrebirds, colorful parrots, emus, the great Wedgetailed eagle and cockatoos.

Have you ever considered trying out tubing in Vang Vieng?  Well, now’s the time – pretty soon it may be too late. 

I first went Vang Vieng tubing earlier this year while I was in Laos to apply for a Thai tourist visa.  My partner and I were in Vientiane when we found out that we’d have to wait two days more than expected for our applications to be processed, and rather than spend the weekend in the capital we decided to take a bus to the north to Vang Vieng, the home of tubing in Laos. 

Our arrival in Vang Vieng was nothing like we expected.  After the relaxed, sleepy capital of Vientiane we were expecting a small, quiet village, but when we got to Vang Vieng for tubing we found a busy small town packed to the rafters with partying tourists.

Vang Vieng tubing has exploded this little town, and today Vang Vieng is nothing like it was in the old days.  The town used to be small and traditional, but now that tubing has arrived in Vang Vieng it’s nothing bt a hub for bars, cafes and tubing shops – there are precious few locals living there anymore, and those who do work almost exclusively in the tourist industry. 

Vang Vieng tubing has changed the face of Vang Vieng so much, in fact, that the town is in danger of losing its charm altogether.  While it’s still great fun to visit – and the tubing on the Nam Song river is fantastic – before long they’ll be just too many tourists in Vang Vieng.  Tubing will make the sprawl spread outwards, and the main reason people visit Vang Vieng – to see the beautiful countryside and go tubing on the sleepy river – will be lost in a sea of cheap hostels and loud bars. 

So, if you’ve ever wanted to go Vang Vieng tubing you should go now… before it’s too late. 

One of the most fascinating parts of travel is to discover new places that are so different from your own home.  One of the most interesting parts of the world is the country of Egypt which is part of the Nile River region.  When you start to learn about Egypt, you will see that the Nile River plays a huge factor in the lives, cultures, and religions surrounding the river.

Studying Nile River facts will give you a better idea of where to travel in the Nile River basin.  Egypt by itself is a wonderful region to discover due to its history and culture.  But you can also travel to other areas down the river to see what the Nile brings to the areas around it.

The Nile River is the single factor in sustaining life in that part of the world.  The water rejuvenates the land, and brings animals for food, while it also helps create the minerals necessary for the land to be fertile on the banks of the river.  Seasonal flooding brings the richness of the Nile further into the land creating earth for cultivation and farming.

With the power that the Nile River has over the people of the region, it is not surprising that ancient cultures considered the Nile a part of their pantheon of gods.

Enjoy the mischevious antics of the Lefton boy figurines. Skillfully crafted by artists, these figurines show boys as babies through toddlers to teens. If you love collectibles figurines, then you should include a Lefton figurine in your figurine collection.

Lefton figurines not only show boys at different ages, but they show different time periods as well. You’ll love the figurines show the boys doing simple chores like shining their shoes or playing a muscial instrument.

Lefton artists also have designed a Lefton figurine for each holiday. Many of those include boys. You’ll find a Lefton boy figurine for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, even St. Patrick’s Day. The Lefton Colonial Village has many pieces that make it look like a Winter Wonderland. Let it become part of your Christmas decorating tradition.

I love to think of my home accessories as a scrapbook that shows all of the fun, interesting and momentous occasions in our family. There’s a Lefton figurine that shows a little boy sledding. I bring him front and center every Christmas and he stays out for the rest of the winter. He reminds all of us of our blustery New England winters and all of the fun we had out sledding for hours at a time. I’m sure that you’ll find Lefton figurines that have the same wonderful memories for your family and friends.