Tagged: australia

This Year's Loss of Great Barrier Reef Corals Is the Worst on Record

It might be time to move the Great Barrier Reef to the top of your bucket list.The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies has reported that about 67% of the corals…

Australian Tourism Campaign Adopts Unfortunate Slogan

A new tourism ad campaign has been launched for Australia's Northern Territory (the NT), a desert region best known as the home of red sandstone monolith Ayers Rock (or…

Greece Tourism Numbers Up, Houseguest Pet Peeves, and More: Today's Travel Briefing

Good morning, everybody! Here's the latest from the world's tourism boards and couches being surfed. * TOURISM NUMBERS UP IN GREECE (Associated Press) Tourism in Greece appears to…

10 Great Adventures in South Australia's Outback

Take a journey into the heart and soul of South Australia with an adventure in the Outback. Here are the 10 best moments and experiences in the South Australian Outback to add to your…

Sydney Opera House Getting a $202 Million Renovation

(photo by Bkamprath/Wikimedia Commons)The Sydney Opera House is unquesionably one of Australia's most iconic sights—if we're talking manmade landmarks, it probably tops the…

"Wild By Nature"—A Compelling New Travel Memoir—Upends Expectations

As a professional travel writer, I periodically have to deal with one of the hazards of my profession. It has nothing to do with airport security, or brain eating larvae. No, because…

Doing the Famed Sydney Bridge Climb The Speedy Way

Some 16 years ago, a clever entrepreneur named Paul Cave came up with the idea of allowing tourists to scale the arch of Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge (largest single span steel…

Days 4 & 5 In The Australian Outback: Adventures in Alice Springs

(Wallabies gather in a parking lot in Alice Springs; yes, that is a baby wallaby peeking out of the pouch!)Had I visited the Northern…

Day 3 In the Australian Outback: Experiencing the Traditional Aboriginal Way of Life

Uluru and Kata Tjuta, the massive (and quite beautiful) rock formations that are at the heart of the famed National Park with their names, have been sacred sites for Australia's…

Posts from the Australian Outback: Day 2 in the Northern Territory Means Camels in the Bush

One of my goals in visiting the Uluru area was to explore this eye-poppingly beautiful area in as many ways as possible. But I couldn't, in my wildest imagination, have guessed…

Posts from the Outback: Day 1 of My Northern Territory Adventure in Uluru National Park

You don't know until you go.That could be (and should be) my mantra. Because even destinations I've seen hundreds of times in photos and videos always surprise in…

Sydney Gets Lit: Vivid Sydney 2014 Brightens Up the Harbour

Even on the dullest day, Sydney is a vibrant city. But from May 24 to June 10 Sydney will get “Vivid.”The annual winter (yes, it's winter in Australia now) Vivid Sydney…

You Can Use a Starbucks Card Abroad Without Fees

Starbucks junkies may blow the equivalent of a MacBook Pro a year on those pricey morning cappuccinos, but if they're travelers, there may be one tiny benefit to the…

How to Tell a Family Travel Deal from a Dud

Nothing can kill a good vacation vibe faster than paying more at check-out than you'd expected. So how can you tell a great deal from a dud? Do the math. We take a hard look at three…

The Able Traveler: Whistler Ramps Up for the Paralympic Games

Oftentimes major events like the Olympics can be the impetus for access improvements. And because the Paralympics closely follow the Olympics, the host city also has to be able to…

What's New: An Online Update for Frommer's Istanbul

Turkey is a dynamo whose changing face keeps me on my toes, especially in 2008. Smoking has been banned in many places, and the ban will extend to restaurants and bars next year.…

Getting Outdoors and Getting High in Park City, Utah

Park City isn't your usual Utah town, as its residents are happy to tell you. Once a raucous mining center, it was never known for its saintliness, and even today, a local leader…

Travel Troubleshooter: We're Out of Cars, And You're Out of Luck

When David Nicholson arrives at the National Car Rental counter in Guadalajara, Mexico, he's told they're out of cars. And he's also on his own. Shouldn't National have tried to find…

Travel Writing 101: Getting into Print (and Online)

Until the advent of the Internet, it used to be difficult to get published. Unless you produced radio, television, slide talks, or cinema programs, there was only print. You could…

The 7 Best Bargains in U.S. National Parks

A National Parks PassEighty bucks. That's what this will set you back. And in return, it will provide you, three additional adults, and all the kids under 16 you can fit in your…

Traditional, Quirky, Experimental and Delicious Spring Festivals

Spring brings a bevy of unique and often bizarre events to the world stage. Some are ancient, others are cutting edge modern, but they all offer visitors an opportunity to interact…

What's New: An Online Update for Frommer's Spain

The big news for visitors? The government has ordered all bars, restaurants, and nightclubs to create sealed off-smoking areas or else to ban the butt altogether. A law went into…

Rio Without the Feathers and Sequins: Post Carnivale Travel to Brazil

Over the past week, the media has blasted us with captivating images of Rio de Janeiro and other Brazilian cities celebrating Carnivale with lavish costumes, scantily clad women (and…

You Can Afford: Iceland in Winter

"Swimming pool! Water wings!" It was 40 degrees and drizzling, but my toddler Nina-Rose couldn't wait to plunge into the outdoor pool. My wife and I had taken Nina, age almost-two, to…

Greek Island Prices Go Down After the Summer Sun Sets

Cast you mind back to that schmaltzy 1980's chick flick Summer Lovers (www.summer-lovers.net) -- you know the one -- set in idyllic Santorini, in the heat of a passionate summer with…