Author: the30somethingbackpackers

Buenos Aires on a budget

Buenos Aires on a budget

Jetlagged we stagger out of our hotel lobby onto bustling Av 9 de Julio, squinting in the Autumn sunshine. A steady stream of office workers pass by, effortlessly glamourous even at this early hour. Towering above us a powerful black and white image of Evita is painted onto a scruffy concrete high rise, looking out proudly over her city. This is Buenos Aires. 

The sultry Argentine capital was our first stop in South America and marks the moment we fell in love with this fascinating and mesmerising continent. Colourful, raw, passionate, gritty; Buenos Aires has a lot to offer travellers besides amazing food and nightlife. It’s varied neighbourhoods showcase the different sides of the city and deserve thorough exploration. 

While city breaks can be tricky for backpackers travelling on a shoestring and Argentina certainly isn’t the cheapest South American nation, we found plenty of  budget-friendly things to see and do in Buenos Aires.

Here are our top tips for visiting Buenos Aires on a budget. Continue reading

Top ten things to do in New Zealand

Top ten things to do in New Zealand

There’s one very good reason why Peter Jackson picked New Zealand to film his blockbuster trilogy The Lord of the Rings – the landscape is quite simply not of this world. From the smouldering moonscape of Tongariro National Park to the postcard perfect jade waters of Abel Tasman, it’s hard to believe such beauty exists on planet earth. But it does and it’s ripe for exploring, so what are you waiting for?!

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We’ve been nominated for an award!!!

We’ve been nominated for an award!!!

As newbie bloggers we are so excited to be nominated for the Leibster Award!! In case you’re wondering what the heck the Leibster Award is (as we were at first!) it’s an accolade given to bloggers by other bloggers. The award exists only online and helps to shine a light on new bloggers and recognise valuable content. We’ve been blown away by how amazingly supportive the blogging community has been since we started our travel blog four months ago and the existence of this award just further demonstrates that.

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Getting dirty on the farm: an authentic outback experience

Getting dirty on the farm: an authentic outback experience

We’ve been on the farm for less than 10 minutes but we’re already milking cows….by hand! On the other side of the gate, fields stretch as far as the eye can see, turning gold in the late afternoon sun. A kangaroo hops across a red dirt track close by and joins the horses grazing in the shade of a tree. Sounds too good to be true, right?  Read the full post

The Great Ocean Road in 3 days

The Great Ocean Road in 3 days

I’m hanging my head out of the car window like a dog, scanning the treeline as we swoop around another corner. The mighty Southern Ocean hurls itself against the cliff face a few hundred metres below us but that’s not what I’m interested in at that particular moment, as there’s a whiff of eucalyptus on the sea breeze which means they’re close! And by ‘they’ I mean fuzzy grey koala bears! There are dozens of them dozing in the branches of the eucalyptus trees around Kennett River along the Great Ocean Road. It’s just one of the many unexpected delights that can be found along this iconic route. Read the full post

Philippines: Two wheeling on Siquijor

Philippines: Two wheeling on Siquijor

My teeth chatter as we lurch over another pothole and my ill-fitting helmet slips down over my eyes for the 14th time, but I don’t care because we’re riding through the most spectacular tree lined avenue, the sun flashing through the leaf canopy like strobe lights. When we top the crest of the hill the sea stretches out twinkling before us, framing a perfect crescent of white sand. We oooh and aaah as we have done on every hilltop and around every corner so far that day.

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Philippines: In search of the perfect beach

Philippines: In search of the perfect beach

There are no shortage of beautiful beaches in the Philippines. There are long ones, pink ones, hidden ones, deserted ones, rugged wave battered ones and sugary white ones. There are beaches full of colourful kitesurfers and beaches for cocktail swilling backpackers. The choice is mind boggling. The only trouble you might have is deciding which beautiful beach to sink your toes into.

Having spent a month in the Philippines travelling to as many of the islands as we could manage, we found lots of stunning beaches, all unique in their own special way. Here’s our pick of the best. See full post

Our Vietnam highlights

Our Vietnam highlights

Wearing traditional conical hats and colourful clothing, the rice pickers laugh and chat cheerfully amongst themselves as they go about their work, pausing every so often to answer their mobile phones. The scene perfectly epitomizes Vietnam’s extremes of old and new. From the colourful tribespeople in the northern mountains to the tech savvy teenagers on motorbikes, jostling for position in six indistinguishable lanes of traffic in Ho Chi Minh City. Go to full post

Five days in Laos

Five days in Laos

Laos took us by surprise. From the moment we set foot outside the airplane at the most picturesque airport I’ve ever seen we were bewitched. We were expecting lush jungle and a charming French colonial vibe but weren’t prepared for Laos’ raw, unspoilt beauty. Outside the main tourist spots the land of a million elephants is still relatively undeveloped compared to its neighbours, making it a traveller’s dream destination.

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