My Strange Relationship with My Travel Buddy Scott

February 26, 2014August 6, 2015 Matt Edwards 1968 Views 3 Comments Australian guys, Australian wildlife, Burglary, Unexpected aggression

I had been in bed not longer than an hour when I crept out of the room to visit the bathroom. Though I had arrived only an hour ago at Scott and Sam’s home in London, I figured they would probably already be sleeping. The house was silent and the chill London air was still outside. I was quiet as a mouse as I quietly opened the creaky bedroom door, careful not to wake my hosts. What happened next is perhaps the most terrifying tale of woe and whimsy in the history of travel-writing.

On the tracks at Dorasan station, South Korea. The tracks behind me go all the way to Pyongyang.

Fun Stuff

13 Travel Items That Are Now Extinct

January 30, 2014August 6, 2015 Matt Edwards 2323 Views 3 Comments Travel Nostalgia

My first international flight, with my parents, occurred over 20 years ago at the age of 12 and since that day I was hooked. Some 8 years later, I went on my first big backpacking trip around Europe. Even though I’m not that old, in the time since I first started jetting about the globe the internet happened, mobile phones happened, computers became affordable and accessible, and many technological and political influences changed the way we travel forever. I thought I’d take a walk back in time and reminisce about the once-essential travel items that have gone the way of the dodo.

Adventures

A Roadtrip through the Swiss Alps from Paris to Italy

January 15, 2014August 6, 2015 Matt Edwards 7233 Views 3 Comments Architecture, Bikes, Food, Mountains, Roadtrips, The Alps

I’m somewhat apprehensive as we take the RER away from Paris city and towards the hire car places at Charles de Gaulle airport. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Babs has literally just stepped off a 24-hour plane ride from Sydney, and I’ve been at a conference all week outside Paris. It’s a warm autumn and I’m sweating in my suit and worn out from days and nights of business meetings. I’m feeling a tad grumpy. I’m not ready to deal with Paris traffic and furthermore, we have zero plans on where to go. But life is rarely plain sailing and travels reflect that. Besides, we’ve nowhere to stay in Paris anyway and no better plans. Throwing caution to the wind, we embark on a roadtrip across Europe through the Swiss Alps.

Christmas in Australia, Australian surfing santas

Adventures

Weird, Wonderful and Lonely Places I Have Spent Christmas

December 22, 2013August 6, 2015 Matt Edwards 3588 Views 1 Comment Beaches, Christmas, Parties, Snow

Christmas is different things to different people. As travellers, we’re fortunate enough to experience the magic of the holiday season in different cultures and places, although for some of us we’re ditching the travels and returning home for Christmas. I had a walk back through time to think about all of the weird, wonderful and lonely places I’ve spent Christmas Day over the years.

The Louvre Palace seen from across the Seine, Paris, France

City Guides

20 Cool Things to Do in Paris

December 6, 2013August 6, 2015 Matt Edwards 23531 Views 4 Comments Architecture, Brasseries, Cabaret, Food, Museums, Opera, Parties, Shopping, Wine

While other cities are frequently observed as having masculine characteristics, Paris is invariably described as being female. Sensuous, seductive, the unmistakeable city of light, love and romance, my affair with her began instantly as I first arrived off the train from Bordeaux in my early twenties. A frenzied and fertile breeding ground for the arts and novel ideas, Paris has at various times been the home of countless luminaries- indeed Honoré de Balzac went so far as to wildly proclaim “whoever does not visit Paris regularly will never really be elegant”. Severely in want of elegance, I recently re-visited Paris and fell in love all over again. If you’re in the mood for a worldly romance, you’ll need this hit list.

Cool clouds somewhere over central Brazil

Travel Tips

The Truth about Flying

November 19, 2013August 6, 2015 Matt Edwards 2965 Views 3 Comments Flying, Physics

Griping about the discomfort of flying is a thoroughly modern first-world phenomenon. Here’s how you can relax and enjoy the magic of flight, whether you’re a frequent or infrequent traveller.

St Ives, Cornwall, England, UK. Boats in harbour at low tide

Adventures

Life is a Roadtrip through Southern England Part 2- Cornwall and the Cotswolds: Fishing Villages, Nostalgia, Pomp and Spectacular Scenery

November 10, 2013August 6, 2015 Matt Edwards 3701 Views 3 Comments Beaches, Fishing villages, Nostalgia, Ocean, Roadtrips

In last week’s story, Part 1- West Sussex to the Jurassic Coast: BMWs, Extreme Tides, Mystical Forests and Pirate Coves, we haphazardly plotted a journey from London to Looe, where we received bad news about my grandfather. We began to question whether we could or should cancel the trip and head home.

Adventures

Life is a Roadtrip through Southern England Part 1: West Sussex to the Jurassic Coast: BMWs, Extreme Tides, Mystical Forests and Pirate Coves

November 3, 2013August 6, 2015 Matt Edwards 4041 Views 6 Comments Beaches, Fishing villages, Ocean, Roadtrips

England never interested me until recently. My early backpacking days were filled with mountains and ice and snow and golden-skinned Scandinavian goddesses, and wild parties and cheap beer in hot, humid locales in South-East Asia. (Or at least that’s my rose-tinged reflection.) England didn’t seem exotic enough for this Aussie, the cultural appeal of a plate of fish and soggy chips cooked by a man named Roger and eaten on a sodden shingle beach in the rain. Of course, I was merely ignorant of the fact that England is brilliant. A fog of mortality and reflection shrouded my journey through the motherland.

Don't Talk to Strangers, Cool sign in Vancouver, Canada

Travel Tips

How to Get the Money to Travel

September 18, 2013August 6, 2015 Matt Edwards 2480 Views 9 Comments Budgeting, Money, Working Holiday Visa

The difference between people who travel, and those that want to but never do, is not just determination (which is also important), but creativity in determination. Travel can be a regular feature in your life, if you’re creative and motivated enough. Before my 22nd year was done, I had visited the USA, Thailand, much of Europe, had been all over Scandinavia, Singapore, Tahiti, Estonia and the Maldives! How did I do it? Read on for some further ideas!

Heading up the Kosciusko Express Chairlift at Thredbo. Australia

Adventures

Snowboarding and Skiing in Australia

September 3, 2013August 6, 2015 Matt Edwards 4051 Views 1 Comment Driving, Skiing, Snow, Snowboarding

It’s often a surprise to many that not only is it possible to ski in Australia, but the skiing can be very good. And that at least for those on the Eastern seaboard, winter is looked upon with some fondness not only for the relief it brings from the summer heat but also for the expensive adventures that lay in wait in the Snowy Mountains. The Australian snowfields have always held some magic for me- the cold, dry chimney-smoke winter air of the mountains and the anticipation of white-knuckle adventure.