The springtime blossoms are spiraling through the air like snow flurries and my hay fever is going crazy, but right now I couldn’t care less:

I am too busy falling in love with Umbria.

It’s just so easy to. This tiny region in central Italy is often overlooked but if anyone knows how to pack a whole lot of goodness into one small region, it’s the Umbrians. So much that it will leave you wanting more.

View from the village of Todi in Umbria.

After spending almost week in Umbria for the Travel Bloggers Unite conference my head is spinning with images of Assisi, Spoleto, Todi and today my favourite village of them all, Orvieto.

Umbria is a place that you could return to again and again and I keep asking myself how it is that I have never been here!

Rambling medieval village streets, wine that will make you weak at the knees, and some of the best food I’ve ever tasted are only some of the reasons why this place has won my heart.

Exploring the streets of Orvieto in Umbria.

After a week in Florence and Tuscany, I thought I’d seen the very best of the Italian countryside and in my ignorance, I assumed Umbria would be more or less the same.

Tuscany is lovely of course, with its manicured vineyards and picture-perfect landscapes and it fulfills its reputation of being romantic: it makes me sigh, and want to cosy up to someone with a glass of wine while enjoying the view.

But here’s the thing…

Umbria has something else..

It has a wild, untamed feel about it and a raw beauty, which makes it infinitely more intriguing.

Valle di Assisi Hotel in Santa Maria degli Angeli, near Assisi.

Umbria will give you chills.

Honestly, it will! There is a sublime magic here that makes you want to get out and explore, and become lost amongst its ancient streets and valleys.

Sounds perfect? Well. Yes.

Orvieto

We all know the phrase ‘la dolce vita’ (the sweet life), but the Italians also have another saying that I find much more interesting: ‘Il dolce far niente’ - the sweetness of doing nothing.

Instead of rushing through life, Italians enjoy it. They love to eat. And drink. And laugh.

They have an attitude to life that is enviable. And the people of Umbria are no different.

Appetiser at lunch in Spoleto, Umbria

This week, thanks to the Umbria Tourist Board, I have thoroughly enjoyed life. I have eaten (oh my god, have I eaten!). I have drunk (no, that shouldn’t read been drunk).

And I have most definitely laughed.

(I have also talked so much that I have almost lost my voice….No comment.)

A week in Umbria is not even close to being enough but that only means the temptation to return is even greater.

Much more to come about Umbria!

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This trip to Umbria in all it’s glory was made possible by the Umbria Tourist Board and Travel Bloggers Unite.

No, I’m not at all done with talking about Italy but I thought I would mix it up a little, keep things interesting. Besides I am just too excited to keep it to myself any longer.

I am in Iceland!

This is a dream come true for me. Iceland has been on my travel radar for years and it’s still a little surreal that I am actually here.

Gullfoss Falls

It’s been a tumultuous and emotionally draining couple of weeks with the awful news of a death in my family.

It’s taken a while but I am beginning to feel a little less numb and more enthusiastic about being here. I even considered cancelling this trip to Iceland and returning under better circumstances.

I can honestly say now that I am glad that I didn’t.

Iceland has gone beyond my expectations. And although I tried to keep them low (I really did try), they were pretty darn high.

Grotta lighthouse, Seltjarnarnes

Being here is a timely reminder of exactly why  I travel, why I thrive on it.

It is this thrill of arriving in an unknown place and seeing it for the first time; of getting completely lost in it; and that gradual transformation as the unknown place begins to feel familiar.

I saw a lava field yesterday, for the first time ever. That first glimpse of a lava field will never happen again. Life should be full of ‘firsts’…and travelling delivers, time and again.

See?

Lava field in the Snaefellsnes Peninsula

After a few days exploring the areas in West Iceland by car, I am now in South Iceland surrounded by volcanoes and glaciers and more lava fields.

I swore I wouldn’t let the cold stop me in Iceland. I admit, it hasn’t been as cold as I expected but regardless, my Aussie blood is slowly freezing in these temperatures.

It is still worth the semi-naked dash outside to soak in the hot tub at the amazing Hotel Ranga where I am staying which, after 14 hours of driving yesterday….is exactly what I need. Having a warm and welcoming retreat like this to come back to makes all the difference. And wait until you hear about the gourmet feast I enjoyed in restaurant while I was there!

Outdoor Jacuzzi at Hotel Ranga, South Iceland

I am really enjoying the fact that Iceland is a little bit quirky:

I love that the majority of the population believe in the existence of elves (yes, you heard right), that the most popular restaurant is a hot dog stand, and that their national dish is cured shark. It’s fabulous!

Coast at Arnarstapi, Snaefellsnes Peninsula

I am doing my utmost to live at least a little like an Icelander while I’m here but that is proving easier said than done.

I am yet to be able to pronounce a single Icelandic word without sounding like a total fool; the pragmatist in me refuses to get on-board with the whole elves situation; and I have gagged during all attempts at eating the local delicacy of dried fish.

Sorry, Iceland!

But needless to say….I find the challenge a whole lot of fun.

Thank god there is such a thing as a GPS, that's all I can say…

Thanks to Hotel Ranga for providing me with accommodation during my three days in South Iceland. Hotel Ranga is a member of Great Hotels of the World Luxury Collection.

“A beautiful thing never gives so much pain as does failing to hear and see it.”  Michelangelo Buonarroti

After a week in Florence, gazing upon so much fabulous Renaissance art and architecture, my eyes were beginning to ache with the beauty of it all. Seriously, they really were.

Even if you fight against it, there is a point where it becomes easy to slide into a sort of nonchalance if your days are literally saturated with something you love this much…

“Oh, it’s another Michelangelo / Botticelli / da Vinci…meh!”

Florence: Courtyard at Palazzo Vecchio. (All photographs by Cherina Hadley)

Alright, maybe not quite that nonchalant, but it’s easy to start to crumble a little under this art / culture overload. Yes, travelling is really quite tough, it’s true.

I feel this same way each time I visit Paris. My theory is that if I deliberately limit the trip to around a week I will still get out while the going is good; while still elated by the excitement, but before the novelty begins to fade.

I adore art. I often wish I had studied art history. Not instead of photography but maybe alongside it, so I could have even a glimpse of how this all comes together.

Leonardo da Vinci: 'The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne'

As a photographer I understand that innate need to create something: a representation that says something about you, about the way you view the world and about how you would love others to possibly consider it too.

But art on this kind of scale never fails to knock the wind out of me. It makes me feel like what I do is so insignificant.

Places like the Louvre in Paris or the Ufizzi Gallery in Florence are so overwhelmingly that I want to stop in the middle of the room, close my eyes and try desperately to actually take it all in; to remember.

(There are usually hordes of people in these places and you risk certain death-by-trampling if you actually attempt this. I’m not kidding, don’t say I didn’t warn you! It could make for a pretty remarkable epitaph though…I’m just saying…)

Antonio Canova: 'Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss'

The last time I was in the Louvre I lost my ticket whilst inside the temporary exhibition of the Italian Masters, set apart from the main gallery. Yes, yes – I could think of worse places to be trapped too.

Two of the guards frantically tried to help me find my ticket whereas I was all, “Oh, you know what, no worries. I might just hang out with the Italian Masters a little while longer.”

As you do…

(Can I just say though…for god’s sake, who loses their ticket at the Louvre – before they have even gone inside?!)

Florence: Ponte Vecchio

So as I strolled through Florence on my last day I noticed that my level of wonderment was not making my heart race quite as much as it did a week ago. There were still palpitations mind you, just not as crippling. (Italian coffee has a lot to answer for!)

It must be time to move on.

Thankfully, I am heading to a travel blogging conference in the wild and beautiful region of Umbria in central Italy, which will include an art and history (and wine…well, obviously) tour next week.

And so it all begins again….

Florence: Ufizzi Gallery

PS: Ticket was never found and the aforementioned guards sneaked me into the Louvre proper. It’s a good day when you get escorted ninja-style into one of the most prestigious galleries in the world.

I did slip over and break a rib the following day though…karma? Perhaps 

It is such stuff as dreams are made on: sipping Chianti wine, in Chianti.

Today, this is no dream. Although, it is decidedly dreamlike….a little too much Chianti, perhaps?

The Chianti wine region in Tuscany evokes ridiculously romantic images of miles of undulating green hills sprinkled with pristine vineyards, traditional stone farmhouses…and some of the finest wines in the world!

It is all of this, as though plucked straight out of a fairytale…and a couple of hours of wine tasting in Chianti, Tuscany is an infallible remedy for a jet lagged Aussie in Florence.

Actually, it is a quite possibly a foolproof remedy for most things.

If you’ve tasted a Chianti wine you will understand why this is one of Italy’s most important wine regions. Chianti is a hearty, full-bodied red wine made from Sangiovese grapes.

There are several blends of Chianti, the finest one being the Chianti Classico identifiable by a gallo nero (black rooster) symbol on the neck of the bottle.

After a day exploring Tuscan hill towns, I sit by an open fire and sip on my third tasting for the day.

This divine Chianti Classico is accompanied by crusty bread dripping in some of the best extra virgin olive oil I’ve ever tasted, tasty cheese and honey, and chickpeas drizzled in aged balsamic vinegar.

The hilltop wine estate whose magnificent view I am enjoying has produced everything in front of me, except for the cheese and the chickpeas.

Tenuta Casanova winery (I mentioned romance, right?) is a small family-run, organic estate near the town of Castellina In Chianti just south of Florence.

Casanova is a non-commercial estate and the family produces a very small quantity of exceptional wine, olive oil and balsamic each year – all of which is only available from the winery itself.

The balsamic vinegar is aged for either 3, 8 or 30(!!) years in open barrels in a separate cellar and I tried the 30 year old ‘vintage’ drizzled over ice-cream. Amazing!

Along with their heavenly red wines, they have also created a delicious, if not a little intoxicating, dessert wine aptly named…’easy to fall in love’.

Tenuta Casanova is only one of the many wineries in the Chianti region. If I had the time (and the stamina), I would try them all! But this was the perfect finale to my first day in the Tuscan countryside.

Do you love Chianti wine as much as I do? What’s your favourite Italian wine?

This is not a sponsored post.

I am not a souvenir collector.
Fridge magnets of the Hollywood sign and Eiffel Tower key chains are just not my thing. I rarely even buy postcards these days.

Travel is a great love of mine, but I love being at home also.

There is something heartwarming about being in a space that you can call your own. And although coming home after travel is often challenging, once you make that initial adjustment being home is its own kind of bliss.

While traditional souvenirs don’t appeal to me, having ‘reminders’ of my travels in my home does.

I recently splurged and bought myself a book that I have been eying off for a quite some time:

Nomad: Bringing Your Travels Home

I then proceeded to while away the hours in a café near the South Melbourne markets, drinking way too many coffees, and eagerly browsing the pages of my beautiful new book.

Nomad is filled with inspiring photographs of travel and ideas of how to bring these travels into the space you call home.

Interior stylist and author Sibella — paints the idea of souvenir collecting in an entirely different light and shows how you can bring travel into your home in the most unexpected ways.

Instead of trinkets or collected items, she talks about replicating, or reinventing, ideas and colours and objects and collections that embody the places you have visited:

A dispay of ceramics inspired by the Amalfi Coast in Italy; A Japanese tiered garden for good use of small outdoor spaces; A retreat reminiscent of  ‘The English Patient’…

She suggests photographing anything that catches your eye – a colour scheme, a cluster of objects, patterns, textures – and then making these ideas tangible by creatively incorporating them into your space when you return home.

I guess in sense it is making souvenirs from memories.
Which you have to admit is much more interesting than a key chain!

Check out this slideshow of a collection of images taken by Sibella in Japan and used as inspiration when she returned home.

Japan – Nomad from Sibella Court – The Society inc. on Vimeo.

The book itself is filled with loads of incredible ideas, many relatively simple. I have taken lots of notes and I am going to endeavor to follow the advice from this book on my upcoming trip (I leave in 3 days!! Yay!) and do some serious decorating when I return!

You should be able to find Nomad: Bringing Your Travels Home by Sibella Court in any decent online or real-life bookstore.

Sibella also has what looks like a delightful store in Sydney called The Society Inc.

How do you incorporate memories from your travels into your life back home?

Do you have a favourite book about travel that inspires you?

It’s been four years since I last soaked up that glorious Mediterranean sun in Greece. Four years since I travelled from one island to the next on the Blue Star ferries and dined on Moussaka and Greek salad at waterfront tavernas.

I can’t believe it’s been that long! And yet in six weeks I will be there again.

I think it is safe to say that I am beside myself with excitement!

Sifnos Island, Greece.

I have my mum to thank for my interest in Greece.

Twelve years ago she visited Greece and stepped off the ferry at the wrong island. This island was Poros in the Saronic Gulf. She stayed on Poros for a week and she has returned to Greece (and Poros) almost every year since.

Of the four times I have been to Greece since 1998, three have been with my mum. It has become a bit of a tradition for us to ‘meet up’ in the Greek Islands. Sounds terribly bourgeois, I know.

(The Greek Islands can be surprisingly easy to travel on a budget however, and this is something I will be talking about in more depth in a later post.)

Paros Island, Greece

So what is it about Greece that draws me back time and again? Besides a great mum and daughter getaway…

Greece has so much to offer and I love all of it: getting lost amongst the adorable twisting blue and white alleyways, the amazing quality of light, the weather, the history, the lovely nature of the Greek people…I could keep going…

BUT, when I think of the Greek Islands, this is not the first thing that comes to mind. This is not what I get excited about.

It’s the food.

Oh. My. God. The food!! It’s enough to make you weak at the knees.

Prawn Saganaki – recipe below. (Photo by Lois Cooley)

Is it awfully shameful to admit that? Probably. But it’s the truth.

I think food probably plays a large part in most traveller’s adventures. But there is nowhere else that I can think of offhand that I would place the food FIRST and FOREMOST.

Mostly it is the natural environment, landscapes and wildlife, hiking/outdoor activities potential, art and culture, or urban landscapes that draws me back to a place.
Shameful or not, this is not the case with Greece. It’s the food.

(Not to downplay all those other things – they are great too, just not as good as the food!)

Moussaka (Photo by Lois Cooley)

My stand out Greek dish is Prawn Saganaki, closely followed by Moussaka (lamb mince layered with potatoes and eggplant and topped with bechamel sauce) and barbequed octopus  and you can find a recipe for my own version of Saganaki at the end of this post.

I also have weakness for Retsina, a traditional Greek white wine infused with pine resin. Disgusting?

Well, some liken it to drinking pine-scented disinfectant, but I disagree. Obviously.

Greek wine: Retsina (Photo by Lois Cooley)

In his writings about Greece, Lawrence Durrell wrote that Retsina tastes like:

“…pure turpentine which has been strained through the socks of a bishop…. but it is to be recommended most warmly. It is mild and you can drink gallons without a hangover … If you drink Retsina you will live forever and never be a trial to your friends or waiters.”

Sifnos Island, Greece

We all know that Greece has been in pretty dire straits since 2008 GFC and the February rioting in Athens against newly imposed austerity measures, reinforces the severity of their situation.

Several people have raised the question about whether now is really the best time to be travelling to Greece.

That maybe it would be best to wait until their economy has recovered a little.

Quite the contrary. I feel that now is the perfect time to go.

I know I am only one person but all those tourist dollars make a huge difference to an economy.

I bet you can’t guess what I plan to spend most of mine on….

Lefkes village, Paros Island.

Saganaki Prawns (serves 2)

250g raw prawns peeled

400g tin diced tomatoes (or equivalent fresh)

3 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp sweet chili sauce (optional)

½ red pepper, finely diced

½ green pepper, finely diced

1 brown onion, finely diced

I clove garlic, finely diced

2 tsp dill

2 tsp oregano

Small handful of fresh basil

Approx 150g of diced feta cheese (add more or less as desired)

1. Pan fry onion, garlic, and red and green peppers in some olive oil until soft.

2. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, sweet chili sauce, dill and oregano and allow the mixture to simmer and reduce for about 20-30 minutes. Sauce should not be runny.

3. Add the prawns and stir until cooked.

4. Once prawns are cooked, add the feta cheese and basil and continue to stir for about one minute. (You want the prawns to be cooked through and the feta just beginning to melt)

5. Serve with rice and a Greek salad…and enjoy!

What do you love most about the Greek Islands?

Does trying the local cuisine play a large part in your travels?

After spending 3 months traveling through some of the wild places of the USA and Canada, and actively avoiding the cities, it still feels very strange to be living in a city again.

Even a city as stupendously cool as Melbourne.

One part of me is loving it: the wine bars, the galleries, exploring the graffiti-art lane ways that Melbourne is famous for.  Another part of me is craving to be near a beach / mountain / forest in the middle of freaking nowhere.

Hosier Lane, Melbourne

Since I have been here I have had to save money for my trip to Europe in April. So how do you have a good time in Melbourne while on a crazy-small budget?

Catch The Latest Flicks For 7 Bucks at Kino

Postpone watching your favourite latest release movies to anytime on Monday at the wonderful art-house cinema, KINO on Collins St and you will pay only 7 bucks.

If you want to go to a popular session I would suggest booking your tickets in advance. We missed out on a showing of The Artist recently and regretted not booking in advance

Melbourne city lights: Flinders St Station and Federation Square across the Yarra.

Food, Glorious Food

Melbourne is all about the food. Go for some of these cheaper options but do try to treat yourself to one good restaurant while you are there.

Pay what you feel by an anonymous donation at Lentil as Anything vegan restaurant located inside the extraordinary Abbotsford Convent.

Eat your fill of curry, rice, and naan for $6.50 (all-you-can-eat)  at Om Vegetarian on Elizabeth St.

Get you Mexican fix with $6 tacos at Paco’s Tacos on Bourke St.

$4 pizza at Bimbo Deluxe on Brunswick St, Fitzroy  or Lucky Coq on Chapel St, Windsor.

The Carlton Hotel, Bourke St has $14 steak nights on Tuesdays!

Get out of the city

Dandenong Ranges: Walk the Eastern Loop Trail in Sherbrooke Forest

Instead of the traditional barbeque and Triple J Hottest 100 countdown on Australia Day, I headed to the Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne and went hiking.

It has been my favourite day by far since I’ve been in Melbourne.

Take the train to Belgrave (end of the line) and walk for 15mins to the start of the Eastern Loop Trail – 7.5 km – easy to moderate (there are a few hills but it’s so pretty you won’t even notice. Promise!)

Hiking the Sherbrooke Forest Trail in the Dandenong Ranges.

Get in Touch with Your Arty side

Melbourne’s art scene is thriving and there are so many galleries that you will have trouble knowing where to start!

An exhibition-crawl is great mid-week night out: enjoy some art and have a few free drinks to boot.

Once you’ve worked up an appetite wander through Chinatown to find a delicious meal for under $10. My favourite teriyaki chicken and miso soup meal is at Gigi’s on Swanston St – $8.50 and you won’t walk away hungry.

To find out which galleries are having exhibitions this week check out:

Broadsheet (see below), The Thousands or Art Almanac

A bit of a Splurge that won’t break the bank

Keep a Wednesday night free and head to the chic and classy Longroom on Collins St for $22 all-you-can-eat tapas.

Book ahead and don’t eat lunch – the food here is delicious and plentiful.

A Day at The Beach

If you want to hit the beach, it’s tempting to just head to St Kilda.

The Sandringham line will take you straight to Brighton Beach and is only 20 minutes from Flinders Street Station. It’s generally less crowded.

Swim, take a picnic lunch, walk on the beach…bliss!

Brighton Beach, Melbourne

Have a Laugh

Melbourne’s cheap comedy nights make for a great night out.

For $12 you can see about 6 performers at  Softbelly Bar on Little Bourke St in the CBD  and Felix Bar in St Kilda.

Broadsheet Melbourne

No matter what your budget or interests, the online magazine Broadsheet Melbourne will help you to plan something awesome for every occasion.

Whether it’s a gallery opening, theatre production, restaurant or bar you are looking for Broadsheet is infinitely useful. The Broadsheet site has a great search function and they even have an iPhone app so you can plan you day and night en route.

Do you have any other budget ideas for Melbourne to add to this list?

Include them in comments section below!

“Pilgrimage? Hmm, that sounds like a lot of religious mumbo jumbo to me”

(I’m sure I’ve heard someone, somewhere say this)

It’s true, the idea of a pilgrimage is usually associated with a religious ritual or rite of passage: the pilgrimage to Mecca in Islam, the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem in Judaism and The Vatican in Catholicism.

But I am going to help myself to a little creative license here and suggest that any journey or travel can be considered a pilgrimage: and a non-religious one at that.

The Vatican, Rome.

Don’t get too excited. This is not exactly groundbreaking.

It has been discussed before. Most recently at the dinner table in my house amongst a few close friends: an atheist, a Christian and…well, me…who falls somewhere in between.

We very quickly came to the realisation that our ideas of pilgrimage varied significantly. It was even suggested that our entire life journey could be considered a pilgrimage, or series thereof.

Camino de Santiago, Spain.

So what is a pilgrim?

The Oxford Dictionary defines a pilgrim as such:

-  a person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons.

-  a person travelling to a place of particular personal interest: ‘thousands of pilgrims converged in Memphis for the 16th anniversary of Presley’s death’

-  (chiefly literary) a person regarded as journeying through life: ‘we should recognize our status as mere pilgrims in this world’

I recently wrote about walking an alternate route, a road less travelled, along the Camino de Santiago and received quite a few interesting comments about the motivation behind embarking on such a journey: in particular, religious motivation.

Camino de Santiago, Spain.

One of the friends from the dinner table discussion will be my travel companion on my next Camino pilgrimage along the Norte route. (This has now been postponed until next year)

Our motivations and expectations are vastly different.

Mine are simply that I would like to go for a nice long walk, eat some good tapas, hopefully have a few creative epiphanies and preferably cross the finish line with mind, body and spirit intact.

Hers are slightly more complex. And while quite spiritual in nature, they are not at all religious.

Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris.

Interestingly, even the non-religious who attempt this walk (of whom there are many) openly refer to themselves as pilgrims. And why shouldn’t they?

There are embarking on a journey; they are moving towards something; they have a purpose in mind; they hope to find fulfillment, spiritual or otherwise; and to them, the journey they are making is sacred.

Sounds like a pilgrimage to me.

The Pyrenees. Camino de Santiago, Spain.

I have made the pilgrimage to Santiago twice and I don’t feel that my journey was any less sacred because of what I do or don’t believe. And despite the lack of religious motivation, it was still a pilgrimage.

Having said that, the impious can learn great deal about travel and pilgrimage from religion: it is, after all, where the idea of making a journey, or pilgrimage, originated.

Philosopher, Alain de Botton talks on this idea in more depth in this incredibly fascinating TED talk about what modern secular society can learn from religion. I love this guy!

Pilgrims have been walking to Santiago since the 10^th century but the pilgrimage has become significantly more accessible since then.

Modern day pilgrims don’t have the same concerns as medieval pilgrims:  encountering wolves and bandits and witches is not something most of us need to worry about these days. Blisters, yes. Wild boar, possibly. Wolves, no.

Camino de Santiago, Spain.

It is said that the more difficult the journey, the more sacred it becomes. I’m not sure I agree with that, but overcoming obstacles certainly contributes to a sense of fulfillment. Regardless, any journey can become sacred if you choose it to be.

So go forth pilgrims: Wave your staff in any direction and start moving towards it.

Camino de Santiago, Spain.

What do you think of the idea of pilgrimage?

Do think a journey can still be considered ‘sacred’ and a pilgrimage even when there is no religious motivation?

Even the name excites me. Iceland. A land of Ice.

I am told Iceland is a place that you fall blissfully in love with and keep returning to, again and again.
This tiny island that floats on the edge of the Arctic has intrigued me for years. Its vast open spaces; the rugged natural beauty; iceberg choked lakes; thundering waterfalls; the largest ice cap outside the north and south poles; the elusive northern lights…who wouldn’t be intrigued by Iceland?

But I never imagined going there alone.

Seyðisfjörður, Iceland. Photo: Flickr creative commons

That wasn’t the plan. But I have learned time and again that changing your travel plans can often bring the most unexpected surprises. So after a little hesitation, I have decided to still go to Iceland.

I will be travelling solo. Something I love to do.

But my ideal trip to Iceland had included hiring a car and circumnavigating the country over several weeks, pausing to hike and camp at will.

I won’t be doing this on my own.

Atlantic puffins. Photo: Flickr creative commons

It’s too expensive for a start and, call me cautious, but with the dodgy weather I wouldn’t feel safe driving on my own.

So I have to think about this trip to Iceland in a different way: as more of taster…a warm-up for bigger and better trips to come.

Lake Jökulsárlón. Photo: Flickr creative commons

Here is a sample of what I hope to do/see on my trip to Iceland in May:

• Horse riding trek on an Icelandic horse,

• Boat trip amongst the icebergs in Lake Jökulsárlón.

• Hike in Skaftafell National Park.

• Tour the Golden Circle – waterfalls and geysers galore.

• Visit the hot spring ice caves at Kverkfjoll.

• Go to the Icelandic opera in Reykjavik.
  

• Photograph puffins and hike at the Látrabjarg bird cliffs in the Westfjords. (unlikely without a car…but you never know!!)

• And…hopefully see the northern lights again.

Not much to ask for really…

Icelandic horse. Photo: Flickr creative commons

I may be being a little optimistic, and which of these things I actually get to fit into my 10 days in Iceland will be very much dependent on the weather.

There’s no getting around the fact that Iceland is a little chilly.

By early May when I arrive, the weather should be getting a little better heading into the northern summer but being so far north Iceland’s weather can be hugely unpredictable. Much of the winter snow hasn’t cleared, roads can be closed and hiking in the more remote areas can be difficult.

Svartifoss Waterfall. Photo: Flickr creative commons

Even in August, at the height of summer, the temperatures rarely max out at more than about 15 degrees Celsius.

I could be in for any kind of weather.  So as I drag out all my trusty merino thermals and rain gear that haven’t seen the light of day since I was in Alaska last fall, I can’t help getting excited about layering up and heading to this cold place.

Because you all know how much I love cold places.

Ice caves. Photo: Flickr creative commons

If you are still not sold on the idea of Iceland, check out this inspiring video by Klara Harden of her 25 day hike alone through Iceland.

(Klara also has a new project in the making: a film of a cycling trip through Madagascar. Find out more about With Love From Madagascar)

MADE IN ICELAND from Klara Harden on Vimeo.

Have you been to Iceland? Is it on you bucket list?

What was the best experience you had there?

Where are your favourite ‘cold places’?

How many of you have already forgotten your New Years resolution’s?

I have.

Something about making more money, finding eternal happiness, drink less red wine…something, something…blah, blah…

That’s okay though. Resolutions are made to be broken, right?

Right?

Well, maybe you could just really quickly invent some new ones: close your eyes, point to a random spot on a map and race off to the nearest Travel Show to find yourself a plane ticket to….well, anywhere!

Yes. That would make us all feel better.

Photo: Flickr creative commons

At least, that would make me feel better. So I have done just that.

(I didn’t close my eyes when I looked at the map of Europe though…I am way too much of a control freak for that. You totally should though)

A couple of weeks ago I spent the weekend elbowing the crowds and trawling through the stalls of the Travel Expo and the Adventure Travel Expo in Melbourne.

They were my first ever travel shows. They were chaotic and exhausting but I found a seriously cheap flight to Europe with Qatar Airways, so it was happy endings all round…

(Something to note…You usually have to book on the day to get the deals on offer. Being stubborn, I was still convinced I could find something cheaper so I didn’t book. I soon realised that what I’d been offered actually was the best price. I still managed to get a similar price by booking directly through the airline.

This is not always a guarantee.)

Now, it’s true, this does kind of go against my feelings of disdain towards booking trips through travel agents.

I did a HUGE amount of research for flights before I went to the travel shows, so I knew the ballpark figures I would need to pay for what I wanted. And to be honest, I didn’t really expect there to be a marked difference.

And maybe I got lucky, but I was really impressed!

Yes, you are still booking through an agent BUT there are rows of stalls representing a multitude of travel companies and airlines all offering much of the same thing…and they are all in direct competition with each other for your business.

It helps that you can walk two meters and ask for a better deal. They also have special deals that are only available if you book on the day.

Before you head to a travel show:

Have a really clear idea of where and when you want to go, and how you would like to get there.

The clearer you are on what you want the more likely you are to get it.

There are all kinds of deals to be had:

Rail passes, bus passes, flights, accommodation, package tours (Cringe. Hey, whatever floats your boat though…)

But please remember…the sole purpose of these lovely people is to sell you something. And they would all love a piece of you.

So stand your ground and try your best not to be talked into a resort holiday in The Bahamas, when hiking in the Himalayas was more what you had in mind. Or vice versa. (I’m not sure which would be the worst-case scenario actually?)

Even if you don’t plan on booking something on the day, it could still be worth stopping by to get destination information, ideas for your trip, and tour and airfare pricing.

Here is a list of upcoming Travel Shows and Expos happening in the next few weeks around the world. (A couple of them are on this weekend)

Australia

The World On Show – Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane

Canada:

The Travel and Vacation Show, Ottawa

Study and Go Abroad Fairs – Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto

USA

The New York Times Travel Show – NYC

UK

The TNT Travel Show – London

Have you ever been to a travel show?

Did you have any success or did you think it was a waste of time?