Tag: australia travel

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What Everybody's Buying in Australia: Kangaroo Fur Rugs

Where: Australia
June 14, 2013 at 9:44 AM | by | Comments (0)

Welcome to "What Everyone's Buying," a new series on souvenirs, wherein we investigate what tourist trinkets are the hottest selling in hotspots around the world.

Spinning a globe or day-dreaming while looking at a world map will get most anyone realizing that Australia is really quite far away. Except for Aussies, Kiwis and other South Pacific islands, it takes a while to head down under and that's why it's even more important to get the right souvenirs.

The land down under offers plenty things worthy of eating up our checked baggage allowance. From Aboriginal didgeridoos and boomerangs to crocodile jerky, we could find gifts for everyone we know and then some. The one thing that's really caught our eye, however, are stacks of kangaroo pelts that double as floor rugs and wall hangings.

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Airfare Deal Alert: Now is a Great Time To Say 'G'Day, 'Straya!'

June 12, 2013 at 9:32 AM | by | Comments (0)

Last week, we amy have mentioned how great Australia is to travel to even during their Winter. Well, it seems like Qantas agrees since they've just made it a little more affordable to hop down under.

The Red Roo picked up on our first reason to head to Oz and created their "Just How Great is the Barrier Reef?" fare sale. The deal showcases the wonders of not only the Great Barrier Reef, but also the further delights the "Lucky Country" has to offer.

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Five Reasons Why Australia is Awesomest During the Southern Winter

Where: Australia
June 5, 2013 at 12:27 PM | by | Comments (0)

When a destination like Australia comes up in conversation, what's usually called to mind are activities of the summer months, like surfing, beaches, snorkeling, and numerous other outdoor activities. Because of a little thing called global tilt, however, winter has just begun in Oz, but don't let that deter you from visiting the largest island on the planet.

Here's just a few reasons why winter is perhaps the best time to cross the Equator and head 'down under':

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Yes, There's a 'Biggest Loser' Weight Loss Retreat. In Fact, There's Two.

Where: Australia
May 30, 2013 at 2:22 PM | by | Comments (0)

For those of you who look at a vacation as a time to lose weight, we have the solution for you. Following in the footsteps of their American counterparts, Australia just got their first Biggest Loser Health Retreat and it's open to those ready for a challenge.

The retreat, based on the weight-loss make-over show, is great for those travelers wanting to simultaneously hit the 'Land Down Under' and walk away a bit lighter. Guests will be offered a menu of wellness options including customized weight training programs, diet plans and educational workshops all in the name of living a healthier lifestyle.

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Put Down the Kindle and Pick Up a Qantas-Published Novel

Where: Australia
May 21, 2013 at 12:28 PM | by | Comments (0)

Put down your Kindle and stow your iPad, because Qantas wants you to actually turn the pages of a real book on your next flight. The Aussie airline's newest in-flight entertainment option will allow you to curl up at your seat with a series of published novels.

The initiative, called "Stories for Every Journey", offers frequent flyers the opportunity to settle into engrossing tales specially written for the airline and tailored around all flight durations. Not only are reads perfectly suited for a 2-hour flight or a 23-hour multi-leg journey, but they'll look good in any seatback pocket with original cover art designed by Paul Belford.

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Flight Review: A Quickie in Economy on Virgin Australia

Where: Australia
May 15, 2013 at 10:54 AM | by | Comments (0)

Now that we've already shared a detailed peek at what it's like to fly up front in the cushy seats of Virgin Australia's Business Class, it's about time to show you what economy has to offer on Australia's newest full-service airline.

The flight: Sydney to Brisbane, Australia.

Since our seat was towards the back of the economy section, we boarded from the back stairs which resulted in a speedy boarding and ultimately got us in the air quicker. A primped cabin crew, outfitted in their red skirt suits with purple scarves, warmly greeted every passenger as they headed for their seats. Just like in business class, these seats are covered in soft leather and have headrests that feature random pops of purple, red or light grey to keep the cabin interesting. Of course the major difference comes in seat size and legroom.

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How Virgin Australia Plans to Beam Magazines and Newspapers to Your iPad

Where: Australia
May 1, 2013 at 9:17 AM | by | Comments (0)

Piles of newspaper and old magazines are no longer an issue for Virgin Australia and their airline lounges, as they’re getting ready to go digital. We’re sure some periodicals will be kicking around in paper format for quite some time, but we still think their latest move is pretty darn clever.

It sounds like visitors to the Virgin Australia lounges down under will soon have access to well over 2,000 different publications thanks to PressReader. Basically you’ll connect to the wireless network, fire up the app, and then start perusing plenty of newspapers and magazines from nearly 100 countries across 50 languages. Local favorites like The Australian and Gold Coast Bulletin are available, but feel free to digitally flip through the Los Angeles Times as well. They promise complete digital replicas of each and every edition, and often things are available through PressReader before they hit the newsstand.

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Hot Pink and Hot to Trot: Qantas' New Uniforms Shock in Sydney

Where: Australia
April 16, 2013 at 8:10 AM | by | Comments (0)

Qantas' new Uniforms are hot. They're also hot pink in places, and so hot that the airline just unveiled them with a full-fledged runway show and livestream during Sydney Fashion Week, starring Aussie supermodel Miranda Kerr.

Kerr catwalked along with the rest of the Qantas crew models to show off the 35 uniform styles to be worn by 12,600 staff starting in 2014. The looks, consisting of 15 different fabrics (including fine Australian Merino wool, Italian leather and a knit trilby hat made from recycled bottle tops) were designed by Martin Grant and paired with the unmistakably scarlet soles of Christian Louboutin shoes.

The Louboutins completed the head-to-toe peeks of red in the uniform, but hold up—remember the saying "if it's too good to be true, it probably is." Such is the case here. The shoes were special only for this runway show, a fact verified by our friends at Australian Business Traveller, who were in attendance at the event. Qantas crew won't be donning the French designer's shoes, which regularly retail for $700 and up; it's normal black shoes after today. Boo hiss.

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Is 'Koalaing' the New Planking?

March 12, 2013 at 11:10 AM | by | Comments (0)

We know Ellen Degeneres is heading off to Australia very soon after she "pulled an Oprah" and surprised her audience with tickets down under. Now, it seems the talk show host is trying to start a new trend. Koalaing!

Planking has come and gone, "owling" has come and gone, and now we are witness to a new craze of making like the cute and cuddly Australian marsupials. Just like a koala hangs out in gum trees, one person latches on to another with all 4 limbs; wrapping arms and legs around the person. It looks ridiculous, but we imagine it would make for great photo ops. (side note: koalas are not as friendly as they look).

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The Little Things: Celebrating a Birthday on Qantas

Where: Australia
March 8, 2013 at 2:15 PM | by | Comment (1)

In the midst of the bustle of travel, it's all too easy to overlook the details. We're talking about special touches others have stressed over just so you can enjoy a unique experience, whether you know it or not. Every so often we'll highlight The Little Things like this, so now you will know.

These little touches are usually static details that are available to everyone, but this time it was the airline crew who went above and beyond to make us feel special when we flew on the birthday of our travel companion. The crew of this recent flight on Qantas took time out of their busy work duties to wish him a very happy day.

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Catch Sydney's 'Tropfest' Short Film Festival Above Down Under

Where: Australia
February 19, 2013 at 12:12 PM | by | Comment (1)

Heard of Tropfest before? If not, mark it down to satisfy your film buff side, as it is Australia's most prestigious short film festival. During Tropfest, thousands of stars and star-gazers converge on Sydney to celebrate the art of filmmaking. 2013's Sydney Tropfest ended this last weekend, but luckily it's now a global event.

When it began 20 years ago the festival was named Tropicana Film Festival, since shortened to Tropfest. The first screening had about 200 spectators and, in contrast, this year's had about 150,000 heading to the city's park area named The Domain. Mother nature held off her fury long enough for people to relax on the grass and catch the 16 finalist films. And, for the first time, the festival was telecast on Australian network TV.

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Sandcastle Airplane!

Where: Australia
February 18, 2013 at 4:30 PM | by | Comments (0)

While most of the the US is still shivering and donning scarves, it's the height of summer in Australia and Qantas will not let us forget it. In fact, they've set up the ultimate sand castle display right in Sydney's Circular Quay.

The 'Flying Kangaroo' recently (re)launched flights from Sydney to Gold Coast and wanted to draw some unique attention to it. Since the "glitter strip" is well-known for its beach culture —we're talking about the Surfers Paradise— what better way to turn some heads with a sculpture meticulously carved into the shape of a plane full of passengers heading to soak up the sun.

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