Australia's Hamilton Island

Hamilton Island is one of Australia’s best kept secrets.

As the largest habitable island of the 74 islands that make up the Whitsundays chain, the island is on a long term lease to the Oatley family who have developed the island into a fantastic resort. The island even has its own airport which allows for flights to Australia’s largest cities. The island is also accessed by ferry from Airlie Beach on the mainland, which is a popular destination for many who are looking to explore the Whitsundays and need a base. The town is also popular with backpackers and travelling students with a rather wild nightlife.

Made up of four hotels, holiday homes and villas, Hamilton Island caters from the budget traveler to the luxury hunter. Qualia is the island’s top resort offering views from each room out to the Whitsundays and several with their own plunge or swimming pool.

One of the real highlights of the island for many families is the use of a golf buggy to get around. Some of the hotel rates will include this fee in the price per room whilst others will require you to pay an additional fee if you would like to make use of the golf buggys when on the island.

Top Tip:

Head off the beaten track and head up the 2.6km bushwalk to Passage Peak. Better still, do it first thing in the morning to watch the sun rise and be amazed by the stunning views across the island and down to the main resort area. There are a number of bush walks around the island that can be enjoyed. Other activities on the island include sailing school, target shooting, a driving range, mini golf and kayak tours to name just a few. 

How to choose your airline

There are so many airlines nowadays that are all competing for your business and each one offers different products and services from booking to baggage collection, so how do you decide which airline to fly with? By shopping around for both prices, and airline reviews.

Whether it’s economy class or first class that you are planning to travel, it’s always a great idea to have a look around at prices to your destination. Speak with your local travel agent as well as having a look at the various flight booking engines online, such as Expedia, Opodo and ebookers.com. This will mean that you have more of a chance for getting the best deal. Many prices will be quite similar but some do offer the ability to search for dates around your ideal dates to see if you can get a cheaper fare when you are flexible with dates.

So when you have found a couple of possible options, the next thing to do is decide which airline to fly with. If you are already a frequent flyer or you have flown a number of times before, you will no doubt have your own opinions and preferences on airlines. You may have enjoyed wonderful service on board Singapore Airlines or enjoyed the food available on Etihad Airways, however, if you are faced with an airline that you have never heard of before or are unsure what they are like, it’s worth looking online for some airline reviews. This is a great example of Etihad reviews to keep an eye out for. The gentleman is a regular traveler as you will see from many of his other posts but he enjoyed his experience on Etihad Airways.

At the same time, it is also worth speaking with friend, family and colleagues about who they have flown with previously. Again, they may have had a great experience with one airline whilst had a terrible experience with another. The one thing you do have to keep in mind though is that all airlines are different and people will have all different kinds of experiences with the airline. Some people just love complaining whilst others understand the difficulties that can arise for an airline. Keep an open mind and an open eye for other people’s experiences but what it really comes down to is you. You’ll only get your own experience and opinion of an airline when you try it for yourself.

For traditional culture, there’s nowhere better than Ireland’s capital Dublin

From the moment you land, there’s a whole world of things to discover. If you have already booked your flights to Dublin, you’ll want to start researching what you can do there. To start, Dublin is home to the famous Guinness Storehouse in St James Gate, just minutes by foot from the city centre. Here you can learn about how the traditional Irish pint is made, from growing the Barley, to the fermentation process and even how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. At the end of your tour, you can try one for yourself for free at the

The Washington Monument

Washington, D.C. can boast so many different things. The White House, Capitol Building, a history as rich as they come but one thing that really sets apart Washington from other cities in the United States are the monuments dedicated to its heroes. One in particular, the Washington Monument, took over 100 years to be planned, designed and finally built. George Washington was one of America’s true leaders, dedicated to his country during the American Revolution. The patriotism that is within one of the leading countries on earth is astounding and for this, the idea to build a monument dedicated to George Washington was born in 1783.