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loiswolf · 1 year ago

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Day 25 June 23 High Prairie - Slave Lake 119kms

There was supposed to be rain today and yesterday. Yesterday was overcast and there were only a few drops after I arrived at High Prairie. Today was perfect sunshine again!

I’d forgotten the joys of motel breakfasts. My preference is for my own fruit and yoghurt in my room but that didn’t stop me from going to the breakfast room and enjoying a waffle.

I also managed to grab a bagel, fruit, eggs and a muffin. More than enough to keep me going all day. There was also a friendly couple ( the man an Aussie from Brisbane) I talked to for a while.

No trips up and down the steps this morning. I just wheeled Shirley out the door, all loaded up and hit the road. The first section of the ride today was flat and fast again. I only had to ride 13kms before spotting another house to photograph for my sister.

Ok, so I’ve been a bit mean…here’s a nice one Ruth.

About 20kms up the road was an Airbnb I had considered booking for last night. However, it wasn’t particularly cheap, had a shared bathroom situation and was miles from anywhere. My motel was a far better choice.

After a while I began to wonder what the strange phenomenon was that was slowing me down. A hill!! Yes, it had been a while. The hills were not particularly tough today and actually added some welcome variety to the ride.

I had scanned google maps searching for somewhere to stop today and came up with nothing until 90kms. Wrong! At 45kms this unexpected service station appeared.

The perfect place for morning tea I pulled in. It was unlike any of the usual run down ancient places I’d been to before. It was really new and really clean. Unfortunately there was no seating so I had to sit on a gutter to enjoy my breakfast muffin and coffee, dodging the cigarette smoke from passing smokers.

It was going to be a long day, so even though I had made good time I hit the road again determined to make it to that 90kms stop.

Yep, I was there by 1pm. I had my first glimpses of the lake just before I reached

Canyon Creek.

My “lunch” stop was this cute little place.

It was run by a very friendly, busy lady who served me my cinnamon scroll warmed up, on a plate with a knife and fork. Just a little different to yesterday’s dirt patch. ( actually yesterday’s scroll was yummier).

Only about 25kms from there. The traffic was busier and there were several of those gentle hills. After a quick stop at Walmart I managed to try to check into the wrong hotel. It was actually nicer and they had a room…..I should have stayed there. Anyway, this one’s not too bad and has some good dinner options across the road. Hmmmm, what will I have?

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venussoull · 4 years ago

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LIIIIIFFFFEEE UPDAAAATE 🥰

Have started my life coaching certification this month and holy heckers this course is more than I ever could have imagined. The tools they have already given us up to the third module are worth an incredible amount and honestly 5k is such a small investment for what I’m going to make out of this training and the lives I’ll impact on such a deeper level than I already am.

Speaking of impacting people — I have officially hit 10k on insta!! 🥳 I started content creation and working with brands just last year, and the incredible growth over that time has just been magical, particularly after moving to the Gold Coast where I was intuitively called and then another boost recently when I began truly sharing from my heart space. I can confidently say that my account is an incredibly positive and mind-expanding place that has helped so many people without me even intending to! Share your truth and the people will listen 🙏🏽

I also now have my own agent/manager! I just signed the contract over the weekend, this is insane and not something I was expecting so soon in this journey. She will be getting me more paid brand deals, negotiate and manage contracts, handle new collaboration requests and reach out to brands/companies that I want to work with by pitching me as her talent to the potential client with all my statistics. Here I am already working constantly with Culture Kings, Windsor Smith and Lounge Underwear, and it’s only gonna get bigger. I just sent an invoice to a brand for $200 for one post, but my agent will be asking for $350 and upwards per post as it’s her area of expertise and experience! (she’s actually incredibly qualified and has worked in marketing with huuuuge brands and celebrities, and now decided to create her own talent list).

Creating my personally designed merch is a bit of a pain during COVID, one sample from the US came this week (still waiting on EU products) but between the fulfilment process and dispatch and delivery timing, it’s not up to standard for me or my potential customers. Currently liaising with an Australian supplier actually based in Brisbane, but the integration between POD and my website platform aren’t compliant so I may have to manually fulfil orders. That’s a work in progress project...(today was such an admin day)

What else have we got... I published two YouTube videos in a week, one of them was incredibly vulnerable (you can watch here if anyone’s even reading this!) and the other was just a fun little vlog of me and my friend Nat for our Townsville/Magentic Island collaboration with The Ville. I may need to create more structure around YouTube, because there really is a lot of potential there. I have just been putting so much energy into insta/collabs, I may start knocking back potential new work for a little bit (keep my existing brands) and put a bit more energy into video skills.

I have a collaboration in Airlie Beach in a few weeks, and will be sailing in the Whitsundays too! That’s actually going to be so insane, living on a boat, finally going diving again (I did my diving certification in the Great Barrier Reef a few years ago and haven’t been since! actually reminds me to get a replacement card). Nat and I are road tripping up, staying at an AirBnB for 2 nights, 1 night in a van, then 2 nights on the boat. Can’t wait to see what comes from it 🥰

They are the main things at the moment! Have a few photoshoots in the works with some people, a film shoot in Byron planned, going skydiving in December, may be buying the new iPad Air so I can start digital illustration (such a calling right now), always reading a thousand books at once, and keeping up social appearances! I need to keep studying now for my coaching call tomorrow 😌

#personal #life update #caitlin

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travelexploreworldlove · 5 years ago

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East Coast of Australia 🇦🇺

We landed in a very smoky Sydney and collected our luggage and picked up our rental car from Apex. (Hyuandi Accent)

2 ½ hours later we arrived at the Cumberland Motor Inn in Cessnock. It was a clean standard room, with everything we needed. We headed to bed early, as we had to get up at 3:30am for the hot air balloon.

We met the Balloon Aloft at 4am at Peterson House. We chose our breakfast and made our way to the site were we would take off. The air balloon was set up and we boarded it. Unfortunately due to the fires, it was very smoky which meant we couldn’t see anything. After a 30-minute flight we safety landed and we got our breakfast.

Port MacQuarie

We travelled on to Port MacQuarie, it was a small seaside town. We were staying in Port MacQuarie hotel, with the room was extremely basic with a shared bathroom. There was also no air conditioning so it was very hot (as it was 35 degrees).

We walked around the town in the afternoon and had some dinner in the restaurant.

Coffs Harbour

The next day it was time to travel further up the East Coast to Coffs Harbour where we stayed in an Ibis. It was a clean room with air conditioning and private bathroom. We walked along the pier and visited the famous ‘Big Banana’. It was a very quiet town with not a lot to do!

Byron Bay

We travelled 4 ½ hours to Byron Bay in 35 degrees, it was extremely hot! We stayed in an Airbnb about a 10-minute walk from the town centre. The room was clean and tidy with a private bathroom.

As it was nice weather, we decided to walk up to Cape Byron lighthouse, it was a tough walk in the heat but the views were worth it.

We had dinner in Miss Margarita (a Mexican restaurant) and had a few drinks in the Beach Hotel and Sticky Wicket Bar.

Byron Bay was exactly what I had imagined, a very laid-back hippy town. There were many young travellers and plenty of nightlife.

The next morning it was lashing with rain, so we made our way into town for a late breakfast at Byron Fresh. We walked around the town and picked up some souvenirs. Later on, we waited until the rain had stopped and went out to Bayger, which is a famous burger bar - the food was so tasty. We watched an Australian band called ‘Thunderfox’ at the Beach Motel.

Surfers Paradise

We made our way to Surfers Paradise, only a short hours drive. We were staying in an Airbnb in Paradise Island. After we checked in, we went to the gym. Later on in the evening we walked into the town, where there was lots and lots of bars and restaurants. We ended up eating in Costa D'oro Italian Restaurant. It was so lively, with nightclubs, pub-crawls and lots of young travellers.

Looking back we should have stayed another night in Surfers Paradise!

Brisbane

The next morning, after going to the gym �� we made the 1-hour journey to Brisbane. We were staying in the Ibis Styles in the CBD. I was very impressed with the hotel, it was so clean and the room was lovely. The only downside was there was no wifi.

In the evening we walked around the city (mainly the harbor), which I was really liked, it reminded me of Sydney. We had a few drinks and snacks in the Bavarian Beer House.

The next day we went to the gym and got ready to walk around the city. It was 40 degrees, so we could only manage to stay out for 30 minutes before coming back to the hotel. We decided to do the washing and wait until it cooled down in the evening. Later on, we did some shopping and had dinner at WingHaus.

Hervey Bay

After checking out at 11am, we made our way to Hervey Bay – it took 3 ½ hours. We were staying the night in an Airbnb with a private bathroom. The room/bathroom was not very clean – least it was only for one night! We walked the pier and cooked our own dinner in the Airbnb.

Fraser Island

The next morning we were due to get the 3:30pm ferry to Fraser Island, but we decided to get the earlier ferry to have more time on Fraser Island. We had booked a 3 day/2 night Cool Dingos tour so therefore they took our bags at the ferry and they would be delivered to our room on Fraser Island.

When we got to main hotel on the island, The Kingfisher Resort (5 minute walk from the ferry), we were given the keys to our room and a shuttle took us to the ‘Wilderness Lodge’. This accommodation was very basic, it had a shared bathroom/communal area which we would be sharing with others on our tour.

That evening we met the rest of our group at the Dingo Bar and took part in a Bushtucker experience, were we got to eat different food such as Kangaroo and Crocodile.

In total there was 18 people in our tour, most of them girls and some solo travellers. When we got back from dinner, 7 of them were staying in our lodge and they made so much noise it was hard to sleep - even though we had to get up at 630am the next morning!

After our breakfast at the Dingo Bar, we got on the converted 4x4 bus and made our way to Lake Wabby and Lake Mackenzie. As the track was made of sand it was awful, there was potholes everywhere and we constantly were moving side to side!

When we got to Lake Wabby we trekked 3 kilometers over sand to a massive green dirty lake – I wasn’t impressed.

For lunch we stopped at a Rainforest park and went for a short walk along the freshwater stream. Finally, our last stop was Lake Mackenzie. It was beautiful, lovely clear water and white sand. We also saw a dingo walking along the beach!

That night we had sunset drinks at the bar and met the new people joining our group and the new tour guide, Wayne.

The final day, after breakfast we headed to 75 Mile Beach were we paid extra to take a 15minute flight over Fraser Island. It was so good, I am glad we did it!

We visited Champagne Pools, Indian Head and S.S. Maheno shipwreck. The last stop of the day was the Eli Creek, which was a freshwater creek, which was basically a lazy river. Wayne gave us Tyre Tubes to go down the creek – I really enjoyed it!

On our way back, Wayne was taking us to the ferry but as he was driving like a maniac, the bus got stuck in 2nd gear. This meant he didn’t think we would make the 5pm ferry. Fortunately we made it just in time!

Once we got back to Hervey Bay, we drove 4 ½ hours to Rockhampton Motel.

Airlie Beach

We checked out at 10am from the motel and drove 5 ½ hours to Airlie Beach. We were staying in Whitsundays Vista Holiday Apartments for 3 nights. We walked into the town in the evening and there were lots of bars, nightclubs and restaurants on the main street – it was very very busy! We had a few drinks and ate in KC’s Bar and Grill and listened to live music.

The next morning we met at the Port of Airlie at 730am and boarded the 8am boat to Hamilton Island. When we arrived at Hamilton Island we were allowed to use all the amenities on the island such as the resort pools. We walked around the island and had our lunch in the Marina Tavern (this was included on our ticket). We got the 1:10pm ferry to Whitehaven Beach, on the way to the beach and back it was an open bar with afternoon tea. The beach was absolutely stunning, beautiful white sand and clear water. We spent 2 hours on the beach.

The ferry picked us up and took us back to Airlie Beach, where we went to Woolworths and ate in the apartment.

The last day, we got the 8am ferry out to Hardy Reef. The ferry took 3 hours, with morning tea served. Once we got to Hardy Reef we took the 30minute submarine, which showed the reef without getting wet! Next we had our lunch and finally we got ready and snorkeled in the reef. I was very disappointed; I thought the coral would have been more colourful. There were fish but there wasn’t any turtles or mantra rays. After spending 4 hours at the reef we got the 3-hour ferry back to Airlie Beach.

We got Dominoes for dinner as we were exhausted and were planning on getting up at 6am the next morning.

Cairns

We made the 7 ½ hour drive to Cairns, stopping in Townsville for lunch. We left the car back and were only charged $200 for a cracked windscreen! The arrived at the Doubletree Hilton and checked into our room. We then had a few drinks and dinner in the hotel restaurant. The hotel felt very quiet with the bar closing at 9pm.

On Christmas morning we watched a Christmas movie and went down for the lunch at 12pm. The Christmas lunch was not great and was not worth the money. The only thing good about it was the unlimited alcohol! Later on in the evening we watched National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.

On Boxing Day, we paid for breakfast in the hotel and went to the gym in the afternoon. We packed all our bags, to get ready for Bali tomorrow!

#australia #Sydney #coffs harbour #port macquarie #balloonaloft #brisbane #cooldingos #fraser island #herveybay #cairns #rockhampton #christmas #doubletreebyhilton #great barrier reef #hamilton island #hardyreef #Bali #travel #couple

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tweedheadsaustralia · 2 years ago

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Holiday At Home - Sunrise to Sunset

#realty realestate property propertyforsale houseforsale

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jeremystrele · 4 years ago

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A Spectacular Northern Rivers Home Built By The Whole Family!

Homes

by Lucy Feagins, Editor

Hannah Fewson, with her parents Jane and David Fewson, and Hannah’s daughter Purslane (Pursy) with bull terrier Len and blue heeler Bean. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

Artwork on the right made by a group of Namibian women using potato stamps. Artwork on right by Jane and David’s other daughter Holly Fewson back in high school. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

A mix of jasmine and bleeding heart vine comes in the upstairs windows, and fills the whole house with their heady scent in spring. Also in this room are the few pieces Jane shipped over from her family farm house in Yorkshire: an old oak chest, small turned rocking chair, and a timber inlay artwork inherited from her great aunty Anne on the wall. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

A long view of the ‘winter room’ running the width of the house painted in Dulux Natural White. Landscape on the end wall by Shaz Rhodes. All furniture is from the tip shop, road side, inherited or thrifted. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

Hannah breastfeeding and chatting with Jane. The two large picture frames windows at either end are called the ‘snorkels’ by the family, and you can sit in the window frames and watch storms come in. The two antique arm chairs were collected from hard rubbish and reupholstered. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

View from the main bedroom into the winter room. Antique chais collected from hard rubbish and reupholstered. P Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

View down the side hall into the guest bedroom and mini study desk. Central Desert carved snake above door. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

Guest bedroom with a door into the walk-in robe. David built the bed from structural laminated veneer lumber left over from the stairs. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

Main bedroom en suite with bath, antique French plant pot, Moroccan rug, and two old chairs for chatting! Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

Another view of the guest bedroom. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

Main bedroom with view into en suite. David made this bed from salvaged timber from the build, and eucalyptus sticks from the property. Jumbled mix of second hand furniture, rugs and cushions. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

Downstairs view of the office. Antique ‘carpet chair.’ Copper plumbing pipe on the staircase balustrade. Tiny drink table made by Hannah from a stump and sticks. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

From the top of the stairwell, with spears from the Central Desert on the right. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

The living room. Art deco side lamp on the far right, and an old dentist’s floor lamp from the same era. Reupholstered road side rescued sofas. Mid-century Danish leather armchair. Old English tapestry above the fireplace. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

Close up of the fireplace David bricked up. Old English tapestry above. Charcoal hand by Hannah. Large slab of limestone as the hearth from a local friend’s farm. Old English tapestry stool next to sofa. Detail of the wall light shrouds David had laser cut from ply. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

The central pillar in the downstairs room sort of divides the space into office, dining, living, kitchen areas. ‘We call it the ‘aorta’ as we had to put it in to run all the plumbing and electrics from upstairs!’ says Hannah. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

All kitchen cabinetry made by a local friend from salvaged timber. Sliding window above cooktop acts as a rangehood. The floor is the original concrete slab of the house/the old floor of the garage downstairs. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

The dining table was a former macadamia sorting table left in the shed when the property was bought! David made the top for it from timbers salvaged from old roof of the house. Hippeastrums from Hannah’s mother in law’s garden in a fish bowl on the table. Antique glass light shades bought off eBay. The huge Persian rug was found sodden outside a rug shop and bought for half price. ‘They left it in the rain and couldn’t move it – it was so heavy once it got wet!’ Hannah says. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

The Paddock Hall guest house Airbnb built and run by the family on the same property. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

David in his everyday work attire in the potting shed. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

Paddock Hall’s claw foot bath on the verandah. Photo – Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

Hannah, Jane and Pursy on the lawn, in front of the sliding kitchen window, (for passing tea and toast through!). The family eat breakfast at the antique French wrought iron table. Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

The impressive home exterior. Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

View from the pool to the barbecue area. The golden cypress cladding is morphing and ‘greying off’ in the weather, as it is untreated. Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

The pool! ‘Perfect as it’s deciduous, so provides shade in summer and lets the warmth in in winter,’ says Hannah. Jessie Prince for The Design Files. Styling – Louella Boitel-Gill

In 2014, Jane and David Fewson drove around Australia in an old converted fire engine. It was on this trip that they fell in love with the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, so much so that they decided to pack up their life in Fremantle and make the move to a small town located 30-minutes south-west of Byron Bay. They bought a large, rundown home on a 20-acre former macadamia farm that needed some serious work.

Jane and David’s daughter Hannah Fewson joined them shortly after, to help with the renovations. ‘Mum and Dad looked at many properties. This one’s location just felt right, and we liked that although there wasn’t a grand view, all of the 20-acres were usable and not a steep escarpment,’ says Hannah.

Seven years later, and Jane, David, Hannah, her fiancé James and their 18-month-old daughter Purslane are all living in the spectacular home they built together. On the same 20-acre block is a cosy Airbnb rental Paddock Hall, built a couple of years ago and managed by Hannah, as well as an old Queenslander that Hannah and James had trucked down from Brisbane. They plan to move into it after they’ve completed their own renovation.

Jane and David’s house was in a state of disrepair when purchasing, but has now been completely transformed by the family. David owns the post and beam barn carpentry company Brotherwood, and undertook leading the charge of the renovations himself.

It’s hard to believe this open, expansive home was once a was a large brick 1970s build with all the living upstairs, small hallways and pokey rooms. Downstairs was an enclosed drive-in garage with a roller door. Hannah explains just some of the extensive renovations they undertook: ‘We took the pitched roof off, brought the ceiling height up, and made a parapet around the new roof to give the external appearance of a flat roof. We clad the exterior upstairs with macrocarpa (or golden cypress) and rendered and painted the downstairs exterior. We polished the original concrete pad downstairs that became the floor for the living area, dining area and kitchen, and clad all the internal walls with lining boards.’

The whole configuration of the upstairs layout was changed, and the walls ripped out, to become four bedrooms, one ensuite and one bathroom.

Much of the family home has been made from found or upcycled materials. A local cabinet maker and friend built the kitchen out of found white beech, as well as all the internal doors and windows that were crafted from recycled timber. David built the dining room table out of timber from the original roof, and floorboards were discovered and polished after getting rid of the rotting orange (flea infested!) upstairs carpet!

Despite these significant changes, there are still a few footprints (literally) from the original owners. ‘Kenny’s [the previous owner’s] footprints are still in our polished concrete floors downstairs, as he poured the original pad and according to local lore, only owned one pair of shoes – the ones he was married in,’ says Hannah!

The family have filled the spaces with mostly second hand pieces they’ve inherited, thrifted, reupholstered, or bought off Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace. David also built some furniture items, including all the beds! A backdrop of crisp Dulux Lexicon Quarter white on the internal walls ties together this lovingly haphazard collection of pieces.

As well as the renovations currently underway on Hannah and James’ transported Queenslander (!), they group are also building another Airbnb on site, called One Oh Seven R. ‘It’s mid-century-esque underground concrete space, inspired by spaceships and the Thunderbirds. This will have a vegetated roof, a wall of massive steel, and glass sliding doors,’ says Hannah. We can’t WAIT to see how that turns out!

Find the Paddock Hall Airbnb here and keep up with One Oh Seven R’s progress here!

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labodeaccommodation · 5 years ago

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Most of the hotels are in locations of tourist attractions. But when you opt for book Airbnb management in Brisbane, you will notice that the properties are in posh neighborhoods, just like your own home. See Document

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garkomedia1 · 6 years ago

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How This Graphic Designer Travels the World on $50K

A recent study found that 74 percent of Americans go into debt in order to travel. I’m not surprised; between the rising costs of airfare, eating out, and extracurricular adventure activities, it’s easy to go over budget.

But what if you could trade your talents for travel around the world without shelling out your savings? That’s part of the strategy Abbey Ley, 33, employs to visit international destinations like Switzerland, Bali, and Australia. A freelance graphic designer, illustrator, and animator, she makes around $50,000 per year, a good chunk of which goes toward taxes, retirement, student loans, and business expenses. A few years ago, Ley started using her talents to afford travel while staying within her strict budget. Here’s what we all can learn from her process.

Outside: How do you manage your freelance income and your savings? Ley: I keep an active text document on my computer where I track my monthly bills and review it every few days. I have most of my monthly bills on auto-pay, so I never have to worry about late fees. For larger payments, like my student loans, I mark the withdrawal date in my calendar so I make sure to have enough funds in my account. In that same doc, I keep track of active clients and the amounts of projects affiliated with each one (when the deadline is and when I expect to be paid). To project monthly income, I total those up, but it often fluctuates; sometimes clients will put projects on hold or I’ll receive payments later than expected. Since my income is so inconsistent, I keep an emergency fund in savings, where I accrue 2.2 percent interest as long as my balance is at least $2,000. This is the fund I typically draw from for my travel adventures.

How did you get started on your current career path? Early on in my career, a few years after moving to New York City, I worked as the art director for Wanderlust, a series of yoga, wellness, and music festivals. The events take place at different mountain resorts across North America, and traveling was an incredible perk of the job for most of the staff. My job designing, though, didn’t require me to work on-site at the events, so I had to get creative to make a case for my travel expenses to be covered. I took on the role of organizing teams of photographers at each event, took lots of photos myself, and helped run our social-media accounts. I didn’t get paid extra for doing this work, but getting to travel made it worth it. These experiences solidified my love for travel, and I realized that working on the go with a laptop thrilled me much more than sitting in an office. A few years later, I saw a listing to intern abroad in Switzerland for three months as a designer, and I jumped at the opportunity. The pay was low, but I saw value in having flights and housing paid for. The hours were full-time, but I took on freelance projects alongside the job in order to fund adventure-filled weekend trips all around Europe.

(Abbey Ley)

What money-saving tricks or tips did you use on your recent trip to Bali and Australia? I originally planned the two-week trip to Bali because my friend owned a meditation and yoga-retreat center in Bali, and she let me stay there for free in return for branding and graphic-design help. I traveled in late January and February, which is the off-season, so flights were much cheaper than they would be in the summer. I also stayed with a friend in Brisbane, Australia, so that took care of lodging expenses. When I wasn’t hosted, I booked lodging via Airbnb. Homestays in Bali are very affordable in comparison to the U.S., so I was able to stay in a few beautiful places for about $30 per night. Food is also pretty cheap (and delicious) in the country.

Australia is more expensive, so while staying with my friend in Brisbane, I shopped at the farmers’ market and grocery store and utilized his kitchen to cook meals instead of going out all the time. When I left Brisbane to explore Melbourne and Sydney on my own, I booked my own room in shared Airbnbs (and made some great new friends). I also stayed outside the central business district in areas that were less expensive. One money-saving idea that I decided to do a bit last-minute was to take an overnight train from Melbourne to Sydney, which saved me a night of lodging. Even though I didn’t book a sleeper car, I was still able to get some decent shut-eye.

What tips would you offer someone who wants to figure out how to use their talents to trade for travel? There are so many careers that can be done remotely and so many opportunities to travel for work. You probably have a skill or two that is worth value to someone else, if you think about it. Figure out what you’d most like to do, and research to find out all you can about it and the location you want to travel to. Reach out to people who are doing or have done what you want to do, and ask them questions. For women, there’s a Facebook group called Girls Love Travel that has been a great resource for me.

Save up in preparation for your trip, especially if you are trading your services or volunteering in exchange for travel. When agreeing to trade or volunteer your time, be realistic about the duration of time you can commit to. If you’re able to take on paid work while trading or volunteering, that will help. If not, look for opportunities that provide something of value to you (travel, housing, or meals).

Is there anything we can do from home to prepare for a long trip? I always cancel subscriptions I don’t use or can live without. Trim is a great mobile app to help with this. Before I go on vacation, I try to double down on the number of meals I make at home. (I always save a surprising amount of money not going to restaurants.) I try to do this on the road, too.

Finally, I rent out my Brooklyn apartment on Airbnb while I’m gone, even if it’s just for a couple weeks. For my Bali and Australia trips, I hired a friend who lived in my building to check on the place between guests. It took a good amount of communication and maintenance, but we figured it out in the end, and in addition to the extra income, I liked helping facilitate other people’s travel.

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timtamtalestakestwo · 6 years ago

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We’re back...

It’s been a hot minute since our last update...I think the last one was reflecting on our Aussie Christmas which seems a very long way away now!

A couple of weeks after the last update, Tom and I started our annual leave with a short flight from Newcastle up to Brisbane to stay with my lovely friend Julia (my housemate when I first lived here 5 years ago) and her partner, Matt. It was great to finally introduce Tom to them both having talked about Julz all these years! It was a very flying visit, filled with lots of amazing eats, as is the thing to do in Brisbane!

From there we headed north up the coast to the even hotter climate of aptly named Sunshine Beach, just south of Noosa, where we stayed in a beautiful little Airbnb with a pool and a garden, and 50 metres down the garden track to the beach! We did some beautiful walks along the coastal path, interspersed with swims in crystal clear water to cool off! One morning, we decided to hire a double kayak, packed it up with 5L of water, lots of snacks, and even more suncream, for an adventure up Noosa river towards the Everglades! We passed one of Richard Branson’s many private islands, and kayaked many kilometres of both very narrow mangrove-lined estuaries to wide open river surrounded by eucalyptus forest. We were aiming for our turnaround point at a large lake about 12km away which was off the edge of the map we had, so over the last 45 minutes before finally reaching it, there was a lot of ‘it’s just round this next corner, I’m sure of it’ repeated for about 15 corners. We were so hungry when we arrived, and the lake was so big, we didn’t have the energy to kayak further to find a place to land, so we ended up wedging the kayak in the rushes so we could eat our lunch on board! The way back proved tougher on our spasming back muscles but many games of ‘I-spy’ kept us going, and the beautiful ‘golden-hour’ light as we kayaked the final stretch topped off an absolutely fantastic 8 hours of kayaking! We also made a trip up to Rainbow Beach and the beautiful Carlo Sandblow followed by a seafood platter feast!!!

We ended our stay by popping along to the well-known Eumundi markets and stumbled across an old map stall, selling original prints of maps from the 1800s/early 1900s from all over the world. I found one with Bosham on (with Sturts’ Farm even marked on it!) from the 1850s and Tom found an old one of Rutland which had his road marked on! Was quite odd to find in an old box in a small town on the other side of the world!

We arrived back on the same day that Tom’s parents finally arrived in the country! Was so amazing to see them and finally be able to show them round! Wasn’t long until we headed off down to Melbourne to start our big road-trip back up to Newcastle!

Our first night was on the 55th floor of the EQ tower in the centre of Melbourne – certainly not one for anyone with acrophobia but wow what a fantastic view! It was even more special at night with the city glistening beneath us! The Australian Open was nearing the final (we could even see the stadium from our bedroom!) so the atmosphere in the evening was buzzing.

It was just a quick visit as the following morning we headed out of the city, down the coast and then inland to our first of many rural farmstays, just near Neerim South. We’d been upgraded to ‘The Farmhouse’ and it’s safe to say we were all completely gobsmacked when we arrived! Given this was Tom’s parents’ first AirBnB experience we had some expectation management to do as not all AirBnBs would be this fancy! It was enormous, very smart, and surrounded by acres and acres of farmland filled with parrots, kookaburras, deer, wallabies and the (despite huge efforts) unsighted wombats!

I am aware that if I describe our whole trip in detail both I, and you will be here forever, so I will try to just let the photos to the explaining. But to summarise our route and highlights…

We drove from our first night to Walhalla – a beautiful and somewhat eerie old gold-mining town in the middle of the forest which once had a population of 5000 or so, and now of 10. Drove through lots of dry expanses of farmland to our next stop, ‘The Burrow’ – a house built into the side of a hill with gorgeous views and our own little echidna to watch emerge at dusk! I made sure we didn’t miss Raymond Island- well known for its large population of koalas. It was extraordinary walking around the island and looking up at so many koalas snoozing in the branches!

Our next stop was the only place we had for 2 nights – a large house on stilts in Wonbyn, with yet another beautiful view across to the sea! We made the most the BBQ on the balcony and although the weather turned, we were treated to some very dramatic lightning storms over the ocean! This part of the coast is well known for it’s whaling history and whilst visiting a small inlet which was once a whaling station, we spotted a fairly decent size animal breaching the water every few minutes. It wasn’t like anything I’d seen before but thankfully I was with a couple of more-than qualified conservationists who suggested this might be a Dugong. The only thing being they are only found a few thousand kilometres up the coast and being a protected species, really shouldn’t be here…! Unfortunately we never found out if that’s what it really was but Tom (senior) did report it to the local marine agency who, perhaps understandably, didn’t seem overly convinced without us providing a photo!

Eden was a beautiful stop off and a fascinating hour or so spent at the Killer Whale Museum there, devoted to ‘Old Tom’ – allegedly the head killer whale who would signal to the whalers when the different whales they were after were in the area!

Next stop- a ‘farm motel’ near Bega (Bega being known for it’s cheese and peanut butter factory, what was there not for me to love!). Slightly less fancy than our earlier farmstay but the surroundings no less beautiful with a beautiful creek at the bottom of the hill where I spotted a couple of terrapins! We also went to the amazing Pioneers Museum in Bega which had a phenomenal collection of items from the last 150 years of the town!

Our penultimate night was in Depot beach, a tiny seaside village where kangaroos filled all the gardens and roads! It was also a great spot for some snorkelling and a close encounter with a big stingray! Again, the place was surrounded by rainforest which we ventured into for a beautiful walk down to a very still, tranquil lake, only be attacked by leeches!

We stopped off in Nowra – a request I had made, as my Grandparents had met there when my Gran had been training my Grandpa in the Fleet Air Arms in the 1940s. We visited the Fleet Air Arms base there (which is still active) and the museum attached. Saw the Fairey Gannet, the planes my Grandpa used to fly, and felt very special to be at the place that saw the start of such an adventurous life together!

The final night of our big trip was spent in a very architecturally pleasing converted grain silo on another farm a couple of hours south of Wollongong! It was an early sign of a good place when they’d left little chocolates on our bed on arrival!!! The farm was at the base of a big plateau, which had a Blue Mountains-esque feel with expanses of dense eucalyptus forest and beautiful waterfalls, swimming holes, and plenty of dragons and lizards!

My summary was not very short, apologies. There is a lot I haven’t even mentioned but I’ll leave it at that for now so you don’t fall asleep if you haven’t already! It was a wonderful week enjoyed by all – I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking!

It was straight into a set of night shifts for me, and Tom and Gill continued their roadtrip north to Brisbane and back. They filled their last couple of weeks here with lots of trips to local National Parks and long walks, days on the beaches, snorkelling, and a week with my Tom at the end with a trip to Sydney and lots of delicious dinners out!! We had to sadly say our goodbyes this week as they flew back to the UK and the cold weather but was absolutely lovely to have them here for the month!

I hope it won’t be such a long hiatus before the next blog, and I hope it will also be a little more concise…

The next couple of weeks see our 3rd anniversary, my birthday and Tom’s birthday so I’m sure we’ll be keeping busy enough! Ooo and I forgot to mention that Tom’s visa has come through (so he is now on my visa) and doesn’t have to be deported so I will leave you with that fantastic news!

Have a wonderful week all! Love from us both xxx

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spudandemdotravels-blog · 6 years ago

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Indonesia - Bali

Hello everyone,

Our last stint in Indonesia was spent in Seminyak, which we can only describe as the Asian version of Ibiza. Here you can spend your time watching Aussies walk up and down the high street drinking Smirnoff Ices, or visiting the endless number of surf and boutique fashion shops. In honesty, it wasn’t really our cup of tea and we found that prices in general were inflated which is no doubt due to the locality of it to the airport. Nevertheless our little airbnb pad was ideal to use as a base even if the AC didn’t work, the sink kept on blocking, and the resident Gecko was the most annoying little blighter at night with his incessant mating call!

(That said, the sunsets on Seminyak beach were incredible)

Our first day back as a two was spent catching up on life admin; all boring stuff really but we had quite a bit to think about, particularly the rough outline for New Zealand and the strict customs rules upon arrival. Once that was out of the way, we organised a scooter as we had plans to try and catch up with Bry and Kyson again, and to visit Canggu which was up the coast from us, and Ubud, the bohemian yogi heaven.

We trekked out fairly early the next day to explore Ubud and the surrounding area. Once we had got out of the labyrinth of streets and traffic lights within the Denpasar area the countryside opened up, and it was beautiful. It really felt like we were riding through paradise. We passed terraced rice paddies being worked on by the local farmers which in turn were being followed by a long legged breed of white birds (name unknown, sorry Nicholas!), palm trees, beautiful homes, winding roads and excellent views before reaching Ubud town. Once we arrived we stopped for a coffee before scooting around the streets where we stumbled upon a local market. The wares looked to be of relatively good quality, and after very easy negotiation with the vendors we parted with some cash and bought some souvenirs. By the time we were all shopped out we stopped for Nasi Goreng (fried rice) and some more of those delicious sweet corn fritters, before planning a route home via the north of Ubud.

By this point we had linked up with Bryony and found that they had been staying in Amed for the last few nights. Amed is in the north of the island and is home to the main diving spots that Bali has to offer, so we arranged a fun dive with Adventure Divers and scooted up to meet them. Our journey took about 3 1/2 hours but in this time we had a little detour (by little we mean that Maps Me once again put one on us and directed us to ride through a river bed and fields on the way there...) to Blue Lagoon on the east coast just north of Sanur and Padang Bai. We managed to squeeze in a little swim and the snorkelling was great, but unfortunately the place was rife with plastic. Spud collected a sack during our swim, but we still managed to enjoy the variety of fish on offer before we cruised on. We managed to get to Amed by lunchtime and met Bry and Kyson at a local eco deli for a bite to eat. We met again in the evening and ate grilled fresh fish (barracuda, mahi mahi and tuna) with a few beers to wash it all down whilst discussing the plan for the next day as we had organised to dive with them in the afternoon!

(Padangbai harbour)

We had a brilliant day with Adventure Divers the next day. Our first dive was at the Jemuluk drop off which was a shore dive that went onto a shelf. Within minutes we had seen sting rays which was on our list of hopefuls, and towards the end of the dive we say a white tipped reef shark. We managed to conserve our air to be able to stay down an hour, and when we surfaced we were ecstatic. Two big thumbs up for Jemuluk drop off! After a coffee and some lunch we were ready to head to the next dive site, the USAT Liberty - a WW1 ship wreck. Bry and Kyson had got to grips with things in the morning, so we all jumped in the bus and headed to the west of Amed where the wreck is situated. We left with our guide but soon bumped into the other groups. The dive was amazing and quite technical as during parts we were inside the wreck. Neither of us could believe the range of colours of both the fish and coral that we could see. We saw many new types of fish, but highlights for us were the orangutang crab and the sizeable humphead wrasse. We were all on a high once we surfaced, and after refreshments at the dive school we had a long scoot back to Seminyak before dark.

(Sunset over Mount Agung in Amed, Agung is an active volcano which looms over the town - the last eruption in the 1960’s caused such violent earthquakes that is moved the USAT Liberty ship from the beach to about 50m into the water from the shore, creating the amazing wreck we dived on)

The next few days were spent exploring the local area. We had a couple of afternoons in Canggu, and managed to surf whilst there. The conditions were pretty messy so things were hard work after the luxury of the Lombok reef breaks, but we managed to stay in for an hour! The same applies for Legian beach although this time only Spud surfed. The waves were dumping quite hard onto the shore but he managed to get out ok, only to find that the surf died down so unfortunately that session failed miserably. We also ventured out to Jimbaran and the Uluwatu area south of the airport. The beaches were generally pretty good in this area although Jimbaran wasn’t anything special. We spent a couple of hours on Balangan beach before meeting up with Bry and Kyson one final time before their flight home. We had a last lunch in a nice french restaurant then enjoyed a Balinese massage (although Spud and Kyson chickened out of wearing their high quality disposable underwear!) before saying our goodbyes as they headed back to the UK.

Before we knew it the time had come for us to pack up again and prepare for our flights to Brisbane and then onto Auckland. We cleared our bags of anything we didn’t need, cleaned our shoes to make sure there were no potential contaminants on them that would be deemed a risk by NZ bio security and enjoyed one final Bintang beer at a local restaurant that offered a free pool before heading to the airport.

Onwards to our final destination - New Zealand!

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bluestonepm · 4 years ago

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Kelvin Grove Market Snapshot

We’re experiencing unforeseen circumstances outside our control, so we’ve invested a lot of time into investigating and researching the local market and compiling the facts and data below and attached report so you can make educated, well-informed and strategic decisions. The information and situation are overwhelming, so please let me know if you have any questions.

Kelvin Grove Market Snapshot

COVID’s most significant impact on the market is the inner city unit market with Airbnb and Hotels converting from short term to long term accommodation. The sudden influx of stock has significantly diluted the market with supply far outstripping demand.

There are currently 4 other similar units advertised for rent in your building*.

There are presently 113 units advertised for rent in the suburb of Kelvin Grove*.

*https://www.realestate.com.au/rent/property-unit+apartment-in-kelvin+grove,+qld+4059/list-1?includeSurrounding=false&source=refinement

The attached Current market Analysis report details 34 directly comparable properties (1-2 bed, 1-2 Bath and 0-1 Car) currently advertised for rent within 500m.

The snip below (bottom) shows how the Median Asking Rents and Indicative Gross Rental Yield dropped off due to COVID with owners like you and agents like Bluestone experiencing first hand that the trends have continued which will be confirmed when CoreLogic update the data.

Quest Hotel is possibly about to give us another 20 – 34 units to rent at 10 – 20% below market value**.

Suburb Snapshot

The following statistics apply to Units in KELVIN GROVE*

Median Days on Market is 46 days vs. Brisbane 23 days.

Kelvin Groves Vacancy Rate of 4.9% vs Brisbane’s 2.2%

Median Asking Rent for KELVIN GROVE is $402 per week vs. Brisbane $400.

*Statistics are calculated over a rolling 12 month period.

Ultimately whether property rents or not all comes down to the rent that you instruct us to advertise, and with Supply and Demand dictating rents, investors must meet the market on price and list at market value**.

**What is Market Value? – “The highest price a Ready, Willing and Able ‘Tenant’ will pay, when not forced to ‘rent’ from a Ready, Willing and Able ‘Investor’ not forced to ‘Rent’ for a property that has been adequately Exposed to the Open Market.” – Spencer vs. The Commonwealth 1907 (‘sales’ references converted to ‘rental’).

The Rental Comparison Case Study below:

Uses reliable data to show the financial benefits to advertising property for a lower rent subsequently renting it out sooner than trying to achieve a higher rent consequently taking longer to rent the property, i.e. Lower weekly rent with short vacancy period = more income Vs higher weekly rent with long vacancy period = less income.

Highlights the difference between pricing strategies, i.e. high rent = low occupancy = lower yields/returns Vs lower rent = high occupancy = higher returns/yield:

Bluestone Property Management & Sales is the real estate agent that savvy Investors use when renting out their rental property/properties in Brisbane Queensland (QLD). Why because Bluestone’s Property Managers maximise the rental yield and minimise the stress involved in managing their units, apartments, townhouse and houses. Additionally, Bluestones Property Management Fees (commission charges) provide excellent value for money, so if things aren’t stacking up with your current agency give the Team at Bluestone a call.

Investment Regards,

Mark Shorrock

Managing Director & Principal Licensee

Bluestone – Property Management For Wealth Creation

M: 0439 979 095 | [email protected]

Office Mobile (call or text): 0422 676 416

3/269 Abbotsford Road, Bowen Hills Q 4006

WHY BRISBANE WILL OUTPERFORM AND RECOVER QUICKER THAN SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE MARKETS

There is always someone willing to manage your property cheaper, and you get what you pay for!

The Hidden Costs Of Moving House

Should we sell with a tenant in place or vacant?

WARNING!!! – Cheap Property Managers Can End Up Being Very Expensive!

Disclaimer The information provided by Bluestone Property Management is of a general nature only and is not intended to constitute legal advice under any circumstances. Individuals should consider their own circumstances before proceeding to rely upon any information provided by Bluestone Property Management. Whilst care has been taken in best practice advice provided, and the information contained in it has been obtained from sources that Bluestone Property Management believe to be reliable, Bluestone Property Management (including its directors, officers, employees and contractors) does not warrant, represent or guarantee the accuracy, completeness or fitness for purpose of that information. Bluestone Property Management (including its directors, officers, employees and contractors) accordingly does not accept any responsibility, liability, loss or damage whatsoever resulting from the use of the information provided. By using the services of Bluestone Property Management, Clients acknowledge that they have read, understood and accepted this disclaimer of liability.

The post Kelvin Grove Market Snapshot appeared first on Bluestone Property Management & Sales.

#property management #management agency #investment

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megaarjunme-blog · 5 years ago

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https://promodj.com/keralahomes/blog/1136162/ALLEPPEY_TAXI_SERVICE

https://wrapbootstrap.com/user/dreamdeland

https://www.artscow.com/user/2930706

https://www.gamerlaunch.com/community/users/blog/5331201/?mode=view&gid=535

https://forums.databricks.com/articles/31215/best-taxi-services-in-kerala.html

https://headwayapp.co/keralakonnections-changelog

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8yg9w3r2yvm9kl965vhfu/_BEST-HOMESTAY-IN-VARKALA.paper?dl=0&rlkey=hlu4b41dbvqfsubeqqlweaudd

https://app.box.com/s/obl8qiqk3gzf3zpbjr683yv6xq5jorda

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls093147960/

https://www.patreon.com/user?u=28780771&fan_landing=true

https://www.behance.net/gallery/90067653/RENTAL-MANAGEMENT. https://medium.com/p/8b39307feb8c

https://www.quora.com/Which-is-best-property-managements-in-Autralia/answer/ROHIL-MOHAN-1?prompt_topic_bio=1

https://www.sportsblog.com/homestayz/airbnb-management/

https://uberant.com/article/664971-rental-management-services-in-brisbane/

https://andrew-brown.mn.co/posts/4711650

http://www.kreavi.com/dreamdeland/info

https://rcexplorer.se/forums/users/dreamdeland/

https://h2g2.com/entry/A87963321

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visitonair · 5 years ago

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17 Companies That Will Actually Pay You To Travel – Forbes

A number of companies will now pay you to take a vacation. Pictured here: a waterfall in Iceland, where an employee of TourRadar went for free.

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Earlier this month, Iris Serbanescu, director of partnerships at TourRadar, the world’s largest online travel agency for multi-day tours, traveled to Iceland with a female-owned local operator called Pink Iceland. “The most incredible thing we did was hike a volcano and then descend 400 feet into its crater,” says Serbanescu. “I was blown away by the powerful feeling of being inside the crater of a volcano.” But even better than that—her employer paid for the trip.

TourRadar is one of a growing number of companies rewarding employees with the ultimate perk: free travel. Since early 2019, TourRadar has been giving employees annual travel credits of up to $1,800 to go on vacation, allowing them to save their paychecks while taking one of the 40,000 different adventures offered on TourRadar around the world. The aim: To fight corporate burnout, which was recently classified as a medical diagnosis by the World Health Organization.

“Some companies may discourage their employees from traveling all the time but at TourRadar, we encourage it,” says Christian Wolters, managing director of North America at TourRadar. “Our employees are passionate about meaningful travel, so we provide them with travel credits to encourage them to open up, try new things and experience different cultures through touring just like our customers do.”

A view of Playa del Carmen, one of the tropical destinations where the company Bonanza has relocated to during “Freedom February.”

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Other companies that compensate with generous vacation policies include Airbnb, which gives staffers $2,000 worth of travel coupons each year to stay at Airbnb properties, and Moz, where people get reimbursed $3,000 annually for vacation expenses. Meanwhile, Bonanza—an online marketplace—takes things to the next level during “Freedom February.” Every February, it moves its entire office from Seattle to a tropical location like Costa Rica, Oahu, Puerto Vallarta and Playa del Carmen. All employees (along with their families) are given a bonus and extra personal days so that they can enjoy the workation.

There’s a reason behind this. Scientific evidence proves that taking longer vacations has a positive effect on employee well-being and productivity, while research shows that good vacation policies can help reduce healthcare costs, lower turnover��rates, boost employee engagement and more. “We believe in the power of travel. It’s good for the world and good for our bottom line,” says Greg Sullivan, cofounder of Afar Media, where employees get unlimited vacation time and a $2,000 credit to travel the world. “The best employees are those who are engaged with their work, engaged with the world and energized by opportunities to see new and different things.”

READ MORE: “Why You Should Skip Iceland And Go To These 9 Under-the-Radar Places”

Sama Abdi, social media manager at TourRadar, on a paid vacation in Greenland.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Pozniak

Sama Abdi, social media manager at TourRadar, has traveled to countries like Greenland and Cuba with TourRadar’s FAM trip program—and she says the results are powerful. “Working in travel is very rewarding for a variety of reasons: not only do I get to inspire others to book their dream escape, but I also get the chance to travel for free,” says Abdi. “This has impacted my performance in the best way possible; I’m so much more motivated coming into work every day knowing I can plan my next vacation without dipping into my savings.”

When FullContact—a technology company that provides a suite of cloud-based contact management solutions—launched its “paid paid vacation” policy in 2012, it created a ton of buzz. Not only does the company provide $7,500 per year for employees to travel, it also requires that they don’t work while on vacation and that they don’t check business emails, texts or calls. Moreover, employees have to actually go on vacation or they have to pay back the $7,500. “It’s worked incredibly well,” FullContact’s communications director Brad McCarty told the Washington Post. “When someone returns from a Paid Paid Vacation, you see, without fail, people shining brighter, working harder and more excited to get back into the swing of things.”

Likewise, TourRadar encourages its employees not just to take time off to travel but to take time off for meaningful travel. “When you’re traveling on one of our multi-day tours, it isn’t just an extra day trip on top of a weekend while you’re still constantly looking at your phone for work,” says Wolters. “These are international experiences that average seven days in length. We want you to turn off and enjoy our product like our customers do, so you can come back to work refreshed with new life experiences under your belt.” Indeed, research shows that workplace culture improves when companies promote healthy boundaries and encourage time off.

READ MORE: “Bucket List Travel: The Top 50 Places In The World”

TourRadar’s Sama Abdi in Greenland.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Pozniak

TourRadar also goes beyond vacation time by offering an international work exchange program so that employees can spend time in its Toronto, Vienna or Brisbane offices without taking any time off. “The office exchange program allows TourRadar employees to swap offices with another employee in a different country for two to four weeks,” says Wolters. “This allows them to experience a new culture while getting to know their international counterparts better. We have a very diverse workforce from all around the world and we want to encourage them to interact with each other in person as much as possible.”

Ultimately, Wolters believes that TourRadar’s focus on work/life balance is helping foster a more enlightened workplace culture that encourages employees to be open-minded, adventurous and ready to take on any challenge.

Vienna, where the company TourRadar offers an office exchange program.

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Want to get paid to see the world? Check out these companies that will pay you to go on vacation.

Airbnb: The online hospitality marketplace gives employees $2,000 worth of travel coupons each year.

Basecamp: At this startup that created a succesful project management tool, employees working there more than a year get a paid vacation to one of 16 amazing places around the world.

Afar Media: The travel media brand gives full-time employees unlimited vacation time and a $2,000 stipend to encourage them to travel to new places.

BambooHR: The software company gives employees a “paid paid vacation” of $2,000 a year.

Bonanza: During “Freedom February,” the e-commerce company physically moves its office to a tropical location for the month and gives employees a bonus and extra personal days.

Clyde Group: The Washington DC-based PR firm runs a mandatory five-week sabbatical program with a $5,000 stipend. The company’s only requirement, according to NBC News? “Make us jealous.”

Evernote: The company behind the note-taking app offers employees unlimited vacation days and a $1,000 annual vacation stipend.

FullContact: With its “paid paid vacation” policy, the tech company provides $7,500 per year for employees to travel and requires employees to disconnect.

Go Overseas: The travel website offers its employees “paid paid vacations” with five extra days off a year to take a free trip on a volunteer, adventure or language-focused program run by one of its partners, plus a $1,500 flight allowance.

Motley Fool: The business and investing site gives unlimited vacation time and runs a “Fool’s Errand” program where one employee a month wins $1,500 toward a two-week, off-the-grid vacation.

Moz: The software company reimburses employees $3,000 a year for vacation expenses.

Salesforce: Employees receive six days of paid volunteer time off a year, as well as $1,000 to donate to a charity of their choice.

SteelHouse: The online marketing and advertising company offers employees a $2,000 annual vacation stipend. Don’t use it? You lose it.

TourRadar: The travel company gives up to $1,800 in travel credits to employees, as well as an international work exchange program. TourRadar is currently hiring 20 positions in its Toronto, Vienna and Brisbane offices.

Travelzoo: The travel commerce site gives employees a $1,500 stipend and three extra days of PTO to book one of the company’s negotiated travel deals.

TSheets: The time tracking and scheduling software company provides employees with a $1,500 per year travel credit, but you need to completely disconnect while you’re away.

Yesware: The Boston-based tech company offers employees a $5,000 travel stipend to fund a dream trip when they celebrate their five-year anniversary at the company.

• “Ranked: The 20 Most Dangerous Places to Live”

• “Bucket List Travel: The Top 50 Places In The World”

• “Why You Should Skip Iceland And Go To These 9 Under-the-Radar Places”

• “23 Surprising Things That Will Get You In Trouble In Italy”

The post 17 Companies That Will Actually Pay You To Travel – Forbes appeared first on Visit onair.

source https://visitonair.com/17-companies-that-will-actually-pay-you-to-travel-forbes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=17-companies-that-will-actually-pay-you-to-travel-forbes

#travel #visit #holiday #vacation #trip #journey #traveldestinations #traveltips #travelpacking #trav

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nique-clare · 6 years ago

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Melbourne, Australia

18 August 2018 - 25 August 2018

Azrie and I booked a flight to Melbourne early May this year. Agreeing to go overseas together was impromptu (what could go wrong going on a trip with your best friend?) but we did plan when it came to our flights, accommodation, and places we were to visit. We intended to visit our friends who are studying there as well as to have an overseas trip together before his internship started. I’ve always wanted to study in Australia – and migrate there, if I ever have the opportunity to – but that didn’t happen of course, so travelling there was enough to make me excited. Besides, the last time I went Down Under was in 2004 and I barely have any recollection of it. I went to Gold Coast and Brisbane, I think. I only remember feeding parrots, going to the beach, and an amusement park. But I digress. Here’s what we did in Australia last week.

18 August, Saturday

We met at Changi Airport somewhere between 9 - 9.30am, and did some window shopping after we checked in and entered the transit area. We were due for take off at 11am, but our flight was delayed till about an hour later. Nonetheless, I was more than happy to be leaving Singapore. As we flew with Scoot, we had to rely on ourselves for entertainment throughout the flight. Even though I slept around 3.30am and woke up at 7am, I could barely nap on the plane. We ended up watching a couple of episodes of Elementary that I downloaded on Netflix while eating our lunch on board and sneaked in naps here and there. As I’m a sucker for nature, I couldn’t help but be mesmerised by the sunset towards the end of our flight. Here’s one of the many pictures that I took.

Once we reached Melbourne, we had a few issues with our Visas but that was quickly resolved, and we went to the pick up point to meet Chavin. It was about 7ºC outside, I think, and it was raining and windy. After what seemed like an eternity of trying to locate his car in the cold, we set off to get a late dinner and picked Gloria up. We then dropped by the Coles supermarket across his apartment to get my SIM card before walking back to enjoy our steaming hot and spicy Mala goodness. Even though we booked our own Airbnb apartment, we stayed over his place that night.

19 August, Sunday

Our initial plan was for me to attend mass in a nearby church while Azrie checked into our Airbnb before we went to Phillip Island. Unfortunately, I overslept (Sorry God) so I ended up going to our apartment with Azrie as Chavin and Gloria waited for us downstairs. We had to retrieve our key from a convenience store across the road but we went to the wrong one instead (the one beside our building’s entrance). We had to drag our luggage in the rain but on the bright side, we met a little sweetheart whom I guess belongs to one of the staff.

I didn’t take any pictures but here’s the link for our Airbnb (below’s the view from our apartment, though). It was so cozy and the view was beautiful. I wouldn’t mind staying there again when I visit Melbourne in the future. I’ll be back for sure hahaha. After unpacking our luggage, we met with Chavin and Gloria again before picking Syahmi up. We finally set off for Phillip Island around noon. We stopped by a gas station on the way, and the foodie side of me got a little excited when I saw that they had a mini bakery in the attached convenience store, as well as pre-made hot drinks (basically the powder was provided, all you had to do was pour hot water in). We were soon back on the road and reached the island approximately an hour later.

We had our lunch straightaway as we missed the pelican feeding session, and had a mini feast of fish and chips at Fisherman’s Wharf. We fed our leftovers to the seagulls and headed to the Koala Conservation Centre after dropping by the beach. Despite not being able to fulfil my dream of carrying a koala, we did get to see several of them and even managed to stand less than a mere metre away from one. Part of the centre was also closed, but we managed to see wallabies and exotic looking birds (to me at least) along the main path, so I still enjoyed myself regardless.

As we didn’t intend to spend the night on the island, we had to hurry to our next destination – the Penguin Parade. The weather became colder and slightly unbearable as the sky turned dark, but waiting for the penguins to emerge from the icy waters was worth it as we were treated to several groups of them waddling for almost a good half an hour. Some of their slightly erratic behaviours gave us a good laugh now and then, contributing to their already adorable appearances.

We left before it became too late, and set off for our dinner location, YOMG Mornington, possibly because I asked Chavin if there were any good burger shacks around (foodie in me, once again). The eatery was in a town that seemed deserted and quiet (then again, it was already 9pm), not unlike the areas we passed through to get there. As if the darkness was not eerie enough, we listened to conspiracy theories and unsolved crimes/mysteries on the way. About YOMG Mornington, to put it simply, the food was amazing. We pretty much ate the same type of burgers (the Yo My with Cheese and the Kingsway) and shared the Chilli Cheese and Nacho Curly Fries as well. We had yogurt afterwards, which comprised a couple of unique flavours and toppings which weren’t really to my liking, but still worth trying. The ambience was also rather lovely and quaint and I wished that we could have stayed there a little while longer. The drive back to Melbourne took about an hour so we left shortly after our late dinner.

20 August, Monday – 21 August, Tuesday

The next two days were hellish, to say the least. To spare the details, Azrie and I were down with norovirus, or in other words, the winter vomiting bug. Azrie started displaying symptoms in the morning on Monday and me, on Tuesday. I either got it from him and or we got it from our lunch on Sunday (we ordered grilled fish while the rest had theirs battered – none of them fell sick). We spent both days in the apartment with nausea, stomach pains, and fever, and had to make trips to the clinic. We spent quite a bit on Uber these two days, but we were too sick to walk anywhere, except for that one trip to the ubiquitous Chemist Warehouse in a nearby town (Errol Street, I think) to get our medicine. Unlike Singapore, the clinics in Australia don’t have pharmacies attached to them. On a positive note, we managed to visit the Melbourne Observatory at night on Monday and attended a tour that lasted from 8 - 9.30pm. We were learned about the history of the site and were also fortunate to be able to view Jupiter from a large – floor to ceiling high! – telescope.

22 August, Wednesday

We were well enough to travel around on Wednesday despite our lack of appetites. We walked for half an hour to our recommended-by-Chavin lunch location, Universal Restaurant on Lygon Street. Azrie had the Chicken Parmigiana and Fried Chicken (basically meatballs) while I had the Marinara pasta. The weather was relatively warmer then so we enjoyed our lunch al fresco.

After barely finishing half of what we ordered – kudos to the norovirus – we went to the Old Melbourne Gaol, which ceased its operations in 1994. We had a slight taste of what it was like to be arrested in a tour of the City Watch House, before proceeding to the jail connected to it. I’ve always been interested in history and culture and I truly enjoyed the two hours we spent there. Though it was already closed, we walked to the Federation Square afterwards to appreciate its architecture (but stopped by the State Library of Victoria before that). We then strolled along the Yarra River beside the Federation Square.

The Winter Night Market at the Queen Victoria Market opens on Wednesday nights from 5pm - 10pm only, so we decided to have our dinner there. We rested for a while at our Airbnb after visiting the Old Melbourne Gaol before walking over to the market at 8pm. The atmosphere was surprisingly lively as there was a live band and other activities such as the silent disco and what seemed like a machine operated puppet show. There were many seemingly tantalising menus available and I wish that I had my appetite then. Azrie bought a cajun chicken and rice set and we shared a chicken skewer. After walking around a little more (and after I purchased a gorgeous pair of $35 light teal coloured crystal and tassel earrings – yes, it was worth it), we had a Nutella and peanut butter sundae. We met up with Chavin and Gloria, and Chavin came over to our apartment afterwards. We watched the endlessly nonsensical but otherwise entertaining The Interview before heading to bed.

23 August, Thursday

As usual, we skipped breakfast and went straight for brunch instead. We ate at an Indonesian restaurant along Lygon Street (I can’t seem to find it on Google. I think it’s new). Azrie ordered rice with chicken and I had noodles with chicken, and we shared a dish of sambal kang kong. The avocado shake I ordered was sweet and refreshing.

We walked to the National Gallery of Victoria after that. We saw a myriad of artworks in various exhibitions, and I wouldn’t mind going there again. We didn’t get to go to the Museum of Modern Art exhibition as we didn’t have much time left before meeting Chavin to get food for our barbecue dinner, but it’s definitely on my bucket list – should I ever visit New York City.

We walked to the Coles across Chavin’s after that, and dropped by the Spencer Outlet Centre en route. We didn’t buy anything as we didn’t have time, but we returned there on Saturday anyway. About the barbecue – there was smoke in his area for some reason. We waited for it to die down – and for Syahmi, Gloria, Caroline, and Natalie to arrive – and finally commenced our barbecue. We had a great night of scrumptious food, talking, and rounds of Exploding Kittens. Chavin drove us back to our Airbnb after all the fun.

24 August, Friday

Azrie, Chavin and I embarked on a day road trip to the Grampians, which took approximately three hours to reach by driving. I can’t emphasise enough how amazing Australia is, and one reason is because of our simple yet tasty lunch: two boxes of 24-piece nuggets for $10/box (!!!). I digress once again. I can’t help it, I’m a foodie. We were treated to beautiful sceneries on the way, and here’s one of the views that I captured.

As if I wasn’t already in awe of the nature that surrounded us, the Grampians took my breath away again. As I mentioned in my previous post, I don’t particularly favour cities and prefer nature instead. The Grampians was just that. We stopped by an information centre to ask for potential sites to head to, and bought ice cream before going back to Chavin’s car. Within seconds of boarding, we caught sight of a field filled with kangaroos, and of course we stopped the car. We stayed for about 15 minutes and carried on with our journey.

We decided to visit the Mackenzie Falls, Lake Wartook, and the Reeds Lookout (during sunset). No words can describe the beauty of these places, and I’m still in awe. My favourite place was Lake Wartook. We also saw an emu on the way.

We left before it got too dark and drove to our dinner location, The Red Door Pizzeria. The three of us shared two pizzas: the Authentic Peking Duck and Shredded Beef and Mushroom. Dinner, like the rest of the meals we had in the country, was absolutely delectable. We headed back after our meal after our bellies were filled. On a side note, we didn’t exactly get to go stargazing on this trip as we planned to, but we managed to get clear views of the starry night sky to and fro The Red Door Pizzeria. We picked Gloria up on the way back to our Airbnb and played a few rounds of Exploding Kittens before calling it a night.

25 August, Saturday

Our last day was spent shopping at the Direct Factory Outlets South Wharf. We checked out of our Airbnb and left our luggage at Chavin’s first thing in the morning. We took about 15 minutes to walk to the outlets after that. Before shopping, we had brunch at Citizen Cafe Bar, an eatery just outside the building. Azrie had pancakes with ice cream while I had Free Range Eggs Anyway, which was scrambled eggs on sourdough toast. I also had a bliss ball to go, which was a little snack ball coated in coconut and comprised cacao, nuts, and jam, I think. After a few hours of shopping, I got a few pieces of clothing – a Fila tank top and crop top and a Lorna Jane sports bra and mesh tights – while Azrie got a pair of Fila socks, alongside other gifts for our friends back in Singapore. On the way back to Chavin’s – yes, we walked again – we took photos at a 1970s classic photo booth. We were unprepared the first time, so we ended up taking another set of photos. We spotted a comic book store, All Star Comics, after that and popped in for a while before resuming our journey.

That’s it for our Melbourne trip! It was really dreadful having to return to Singapore knowing that we could have visited more places if we didn’t fall sick, plus my new semester was to begin the day after touching down. Nevertheless, I had a great time in such a beautiful country with perfect company. I’m definitely going to visit Australia again, and possibly explore the other states too.

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