A palm tree framing the crystal-clear turquoise waters of Aitutaki’s lagoon under a bright blue sky.

Exploring the Best of Aitutaki and Rarotonga

How to spend a perfect week in the Cook Islands In late October, I found myself staring at a massively selfish problem: I was 200 credits short of retaining my platinum status on Qantas. With our 25th wedding anniversary just weeks away, it hit me—why not turn this milestone celebration into a status run? Two […]

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Manta ray swimming gracefully in dark ocean.

Snorkelling with Mantas in Baa Atoll – Kihaa Resort in the Maldives

In August, I had the opportunity to travel to India for work. While planning my itinerary, I noticed that the Maldives were just a short flight away from Bangalore. We’d been to South Ari and Baa Atoll before, but August is whale shark and manta season so we couldn’t resist. This is how we wound […]

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Perhentian Island

We spent a long weekend in Perhentian as part of our three months in Kuala Lumpur. The Perhentian Islands are a pair of tropical islands located in the South China Sea, off the northeastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. These islands, named Pulau Perhentian Besar (Big Island) and Pulau Perhentian Kecil (Small Island), are renowned for […]

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A Weekend in Penang

After the Cameron Highlands, the plan was to spend two days in Penang, exploring Georgetown, Penang’s historic capital city which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and sampling street food from this renowned foodie paradise. The drive from Cameron Highlands to Penang took about four hours. As we descended from the highlands, we passed […]

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Lady Elliot Island

In August of 2022, we decided to take a very last minute holiday. We were able to get four nights on Lady Elliot, and tacked on a few days before to visit K’gari – Fraser Island. Getting There Lady Elliot Island is a coral cay at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. Access […]

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K’gari – Fraser Island

In August of 2022, we decided to take a very last minute holiday to Lady Elliot Island. As we had four nights on Lady Elliot, we decided to add a few extra days and visit Fraser Island. None of our Aussie mates have been there. One even asked, “Isn’t that just a big sand island”? […]

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The Long Layover in Kona (and Waikiki) (after a trip to Scottsdale)

(There’s a long preamble for this trip, so click here if you just want to read about Kona). We’d been isolated in Australia for 26 months. TWENTY SIX MONTHS! To be fair, there are far worse places to be confined. When the Australian border reopening was announced, we immediately booked flights to visit my mom […]

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