It has been a year since we moved to New Zealand. A year without travelling overseas once seemed like a punishment worse than death, but now I’ve come to see it as being a bit like home detention. I’ve been stuck in New Zealand, due to a fast approaching wedding

What’s your favourite place on Earth? That was a question I was asked recently as part of a game for Gia’s hen’s night (I’m getting married in a week!). I’d never had to choose my “favourite” place before, but Don Det, a small Mekong River island in Laos, quickly came

I still remember a time when I had mostly negative feelings towards Vietnam. It was one of the first countries I travelled to and it left me a bit cold compared to the experiences I had in neighbouring countries. That all changed when I spent roughly four months there last

Despite having some decent things to see and do, Hanoi is more a place to pass through than a destination in itself. It’s the gateway to northern Vietnam, which is one of the most beautiful regions of Southeast Asia, and spending one or two days in Hanoi before moving on

Firmly on the Central America backpacker trail (AKA the Gringo Trail); Guatemala is home to all sorts of natural and historic wonders. From the jungle pyramids of the north to one of the most atmospheric colonial cities in the Americas there is so much to see while backpacking in Guatemala.

Upon entering the centre of the city for the first time since the 2010 / 2011 earthquakes, it became obvious what a long shadow those natural disasters still cast over Christchurch. This city is still in ruins. Men in orange vests and hard hats greatly outnumber camera wielding tourists. It’s