New Zealand has been on the backpacker map since backpacking became a thing. Who knows why, probably something to do with landscapes out of a storybook, buzzing cities, ridiculously nice people and more adrenaline activities than you can shake a massive stick at.
However, just because lots of backpackers make the journey, doesn’t mean there aren’t still myths floating around about travelling in New Zealand. We don’t mean that old worry about whether you’ll meet Orlando Bloom hiding behind a tree on your forest trek (you won’t, we checked), but some slightly more sensible questions you may have about an antipodean adventure.
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So, we were pretty sure that Aussies spoke English? But, if this list is anything to go by, you’ll probably still need a bit of help understanding the lingo before you can nail it as a local.
Alternatively, you could just raise the end of every sentence to confusingly sound like a question and add an ‘o’ to everyone’s name. Standard.
The perfect place to stop for grog
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Today’s blog comes from our resident road tripper Hannah “Jeffers” Jeffery who isn’t actually that keen on Dire Straits. Honestly.
If you have a secret thing for trailer trash, questionable driving skills (more sheep than people = empty roads) and musical tastes that shouldn’t be inflicted on coach loads of other travellers, then you’re the perfect candidate for a campervan trip! Kidding, it’s quite clearly all about the epic driving routes, mind-blowing landscapes and wilderness campgrounds and only a tiny bit about the Dire Straits playlist and roadside pie shops. However, before you scream “roadtrip” and bundle your motley crew of travel buddies into a van, there are a few things you need to know about campervanning in NZ.
With the help of our lovely friends at Mighty, Britz and Maui – the purveyors and experts of all things campervan – we’ve come up with some not altogether unhelpful dos and don’ts.
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We’ve been travelling to and sending people over to Australia for over 35 years and, in that time, we’ve picked up a tip or two. We spoke to our Travel Experts in the UK and Oz, our friends on the ground Down Under and “Australia Insiders” (i.e. they love beaches) to collect our list of Aussie Rules.
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Today’s blog comes from STA’s James Greenslade who has left his Aussie homeland for a few months to taste the British summer. Warning James – it often tastes of rain.
You know that incredible dreamlike location from The Beach? Well the Perhentian Islands are Malaysia’s very own version, without the Lord of the Flies vibe. With a landscape you don’t usually see outside Instagram, it’s a perfect chance to escape the city smog, #nofilter needed.
Ready to embrace the tropical island lifestyle without the being stranded part? Read on for five reasons why you should add the Perhentian Islands to that ever growing must do list.
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