It was not your average day, crossing over from Thailand into Laos (via a 5 minute river boat). The transition seemed too easy. Sighting the big orange bus on the side of the road, just after crossing the border into Laos I have to say was a magical sight. I have traveled extensively with Stray Travel in New Zealand and I have to say, I was pretty excited to journey with them again, this time in South East Asia!

A couple of weeks ago my friend left me her surfboard because she had to go back to the USA. I was really excited and everyone told me that this would be the perfect board to learn on since I have never surfed before. I've been in Byron Bay for a couple of months and  watched the surfers over here so many times. It  looked like heaps of fun and really easy. I heard from people who know way more about surfing than me that there are really good surfing beaches in Byron Bay. So I was very enthusiastic to take my board out and to finally go surfing.

bzzz... bzzz... bzzzzzzz... If I had to rate the sound of my alarm in the early morning on a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is the most annoying, I would give it a 15 but not on Tuesday the 16th of April 2013! This day, I would be travelling from Queenstown via Milford Sound, Mount Cook and many other amazing spots to Christchurch with the one and only orange bus from Stray!

What is a backpacker these days? Does traveling with a suitcase mean you're not a backpacker? Does camping in a tent and roughing it mean you are? Or is it just that the times have changed so much with the advancement of new technology and the ever evolving tourism industry? So how has it changed and how far have we come?

When you think about backpacking around the world apart from the destinations, activities and what to pack you also need to think about how you are going to carry everything. The clue is in the name "Backpack"ing. Over the last few months I have seen all sorts of different people travelling with so many different types of bags. Different things work for different people, some prefer the suitcase on wheels, some prefer the backpack and some prefer to have a boyfriend who carries your bag for you (I call these people smart).

Going travelling can be a life changing experience but you need to make sure it is life changing in a positive way. Whilst travelling you will do things you would never normally do, eat things you would never normally eat and meet people totally different to anyone you may have come across before. For some people who go travelling they will go home a different person, with a new outlook, new friends and new habits (not always good ones).

Two people with a mission: To discover the north island of New Zealand! So we hopped on the next Magic Bus, ready to conquer the North Island! We visited lots of places on our adventure, here's what we thought of the places we stopped at on our journey to discover paradise!

If you're travelling around Australia, no doubt you would have had your pre-conceptions about the wonderful Aussies. However, there are a few phrases and stereotypes of Australians that not all Aussies will agree with, and some Australians hate these stereotypes with a passion! Here are the 3 stereotypes that Aussies working at Nomads Airlie Beach dislike the most.

If you are looking for something to do on your lazy Saturdays before going out, you will really enjoy Glebe market. It is located just outside the city centre but it really feels like you're not in Sydney any more. The atmosphere there is very town-like. When you walk into the street the market is located on, you immediately notice the serenity and peacefulness of the neighbourhood.

Unfortunately when you're travelling, plans don't always work out and the weather you were hoping for doesn't always happen - especially when you're in Far North Queensland! The Whitsundays generally provides us with unlimited days of sunshine, hot weather, beautiful blue skies and a perfect backdrop for your overnight sailing trip, but unfortunately weather is unpredictable and we do get the odd day of rain - especially in our scheduled wet season between November and March.