The situation: getting from Golden Bay (Takaka) to Queenstown by car. The problem: the main road, Highway 1, was destroyed south of Kaikoura by an earthquake and was still being reconstructed (only to open three weeks later). The solution: a 30-hour road trip! Marlborough was one of three stops en route to Queenstown on Highway … Continue reading Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand
We took the Interislander Cook Straight Ferry from Wellington on the North Island to Picton on South Island, then drove one hour drive to Takaka in Golden Bay. We thought the North Island was beautiful, but everyone we talked to said "just wait until you get to the South Island!" They were right. Even the … Continue reading Golden Bay, South Island, New Zealand
Martinborough is a tiny village situated on the southern tip of the North Island of New Zealand, in the midst of the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail. We stopped in for just one night, to partake in a wine tour with Martinborough Wine Tours. Wine Tastings with Martinborough Wine Tours We thoroughly enjoyed stopping at … Continue reading Martinborough, North Island, New Zealand
From Rotorua we took our time enjoying the scenic - and sometimes snaking - drive to Napier to explore the Hawke's Bay wine region. Read about why this area will always be a top North Island recommendation. We Got a Bird's Eye View with Bay Heliwork On a whim we decided to look into taking a … Continue reading Napier, North Island, New Zealand
With Australia in the books, we were excited to start exploring New Zealand. The change of scenery also brought a change of pace, which inspired us to embrace our inner kiwis and not book much in the way of accommodations and activities - counter intuitive for us Type A Levines. Here's a summary of our … Continue reading Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand
The state of South Australia has a population of 1.7 million people, 1.3 million of whom live in the Greater Adelaide area. In creating our itinerary, we had to pick between Adelaide or Melbourne, and we were nervous about our decision. It only took a day in this city for us to realize we made … Continue reading Adelaide, South Australia
Traveling MSY > LAX > SYD > CNS > Port Douglas took us a total of 34 hours, thanks to a flight delay in Sydney (the trip should only take 29 hours normally). It was worth it, though, to get to this seaside town with lots to do. Here are the highlights from our four … Continue reading Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia
Interactive trip map Here is our itinerary: We left for our trip on November 4th Australia 4 nights in Port Douglas, Queensland 3 nights in Adelaide, South Australia 5 nights in Hobart/Launceston, Tasmania 4 nights in Sydney, New South Wales North Island, New Zealand 1 night in Auckland 2 nights in Rotorua 2 nights in … Continue reading The Big Trip Part II: Australia / New Zealand
Friday, March 10 Sometimes I think we'd do well as contestants on The Amazing Race. Then we get into a situation like navigating Shibuya Station while sleep deprived and hangry, then I remember that we would promptly be kicked off after the first episode. Shibuya Station was like being inside of an anthill when it's … Continue reading Tokyo, Japan
"It is impossible to remain indifferent to Japanese culture... it is a great intellectual challenge and a gorgeous sensual experience." - Alain Ducasse We loved Japan. So much so that we had difficulty putting our experience into words (clearly, since it's been over six months since our visit!). As we pack our bags for our … Continue reading Kyoto, Japan
After extending our time in Bali so we could celebrate our first anniversary in our new favorite locale, we began researching other areas of the island we might be interested in seeing. We finally settled on the Seminyak area, but the hotel search led us to a great hotel on the beach in nearby Legian. … Continue reading Legian Beach, Bali
We left Ubud city life and headed to a little fishing village on the coast for some Balinese R&R. Most people only stop briefly in Padangbai to catch the ferry to Lombok or The Gilis, but we heard it was a great spot for diving, so we settled into the OK Divers Resort for a few … Continue reading Padangbai, Bali
Our first stop in Bali was Ubud (pronounced "oobood") - the cultural center of the island. It was incredibly green, and jam-packed with artisans and massage parlors on every corner. The Ubud market was especially intense - and this is after several cities with markets much larger than this one! Let's just say the local … Continue reading Ubud, Bali
Interactive trip map: https://www.tripline.net/trip/Big_Trip_2017_Part_I-3552243350161012A6B1DE784C249FF2 Here is our itinerary: We leave for our trip on January 30th 4 nights in Hong Kong, China 4 nights in Hanoi, Vietnam 4 nights in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (formerly Saigon) 3 nights in Siem Reap, Cambodia 5 nights in Koh Lanta, Thailand 4 nights in Chiang Mai, Thailand 3 … Continue reading Itinerary Update
Some things in life sound too good to be true. When you hear someone say "I flew business class to Asia for $12.50", this statement would make the list for most people. By applying for several credit cards over a two year period, Lindsay and I accrued over 490,000 American Airlines miles. Fortunately, we booked … Continue reading Flight to Hong Kong
Our first trip as a married couple. This trip was planned after Radiohead announced they were playing at a music festival in Barcelona in June. The itinerary was a quick 12 days over the pond: 2 days in Paris 4 days in Provence 5 days in Barcelona JRL
