Travel & Lifestyle

Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Pool

“I can’t believe we are in an airport!” – Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Review

Is this really an airport? The thought continues to echo through my mind despite knowing the answer. Looking out over the maze of island garden beds that turn the huge pool into a complex architectural wonder – and a kids’ aquatic playground – it’s hard to believe it to be true. To one side rise…

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11 immersive experiences you can’t miss in North America in 2026

From Broadway in New York to Disneyland in California, North America has long mastered the immersive experience. With new productions and spaces opening regularly, there’s also always something new to experience. Here’s just eleven of my favourite places to visit in the U.S.A. when looking to immerse yourself in art, music, scenery, cowboys (you’ll see…

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Flight Review: Flying America’s ULCC Frontier Airlines from New York (EWR) to Orlando (MCO)

With the demise of Spirit Airlines earlier this year, American travelers now have one less Ultra Low-Cost Carrier (ULCC) in market. As a loss of such an airline often means the increase of fares, it presents an opportunity for other budget airlines in the market, like Frontier Airlines, to take over their routes and help…

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Sydney’s pasta obsession gets an Asian twist in new Lee Kum Kee collaboration

Sydney’s love affair with pasta is getting a bold new flavour injection, with iconic Asian sauce brand Lee Kum Kee teaming up with local pasta favourite Spago for a limited-edition menu curated by MasterChef Australia favourite Mimi Wong. Available until 28th June across Spago locations throughout Sydney, the collaboration brings together handcrafted pasta and some…

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The Coffee Club launches Coffee Guarantee – and is giving away free coffee to prove it!

Free coffee is on offer at The Coffee Club this week (until the 21st June), with the Australian café chain inviting customers to bring in a takeaway cup from a competitor and swap it for a complimentary barista-made coffee. The promotion celebrates the launch of The Coffee Club’s new Coffee Guarantee, a nationwide commitment that…

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What it’s like travelling America’s newest high-speed rail service: Brightline from Orlando, Florida

When it comes to rail transit, something North America and Australia have long held in common is the lack of a true high-speed service. This is defined as a service that generally travels at speeds of 200km/h (125mph) on upgraded but existing rail infrastructure, or 250km/h (155mph) on newly built lines. Even now, neither country…

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1 Hotel Melbourne is a (literal) breath of fresh air along the Yarra River

I make no secret of my love for 1 Hotels. I’ve stayed in several of the brand’s US properties to date (1 Hotel South Beach in Miami is my favourite), and see it as a necessary evolution for a hospitality industry constantly seeking new ways to be authentically eco-conscious. There are plenty of sustainability initiatives…

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Epic Universe turns one: How the Orlando theme park proves itself a bold, seamless & unmissable experience

Friday marked the first anniversary of the opening of Universal Studios’ fourth Orlando park, Epic Universe. It promised one of the most ambitious launch offerings in theme park history, truly giving purpose to its “epic” name across five themed lands. So, a year in, how does it all stack up? Just before the one year…

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Virgin Australia lands exciting new collaboration with Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5

Virgin Australia is bringing a little infinity – and beyond – to the skies. Ahead of the release of Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5 on June 18th, Virgin Australia has unveiled a brand-new themed Boeing 737-800 decked out with some of animation’s most beloved faces, including Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear. It’s the airline’s…

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Melbourne favourite Tommy’s Booze introduces Kiwi: A limited-edition Italian liqueur with a fresh twist

Melbourne’s favourite makers of boozy Italian good times are back with a new flavour that’s impossible to ignore. Tommy’s Booze – the locally made liqueur brand born from friendship, hospitality and a whole lot of fruit – has unveiled Kiwi, a limited-edition release that might just be its boldest concoction yet. Sweet, tangy and unapologetically…

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Hotel Review: Sheraton Fallsview delivers iconic Niagara views and so much more

There’s no shortage of hotel options in Niagara Falls, Canada. Some trade entirely on their proximity to, and view of, the falls. Others offer a more boutique option, their own fun attractions (like a water park), and some also operate as a Casino. And then there’s the Sheraton Fallsview, which sits at the base of…

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News: Illuminate Adelaide 2026 is shaping up to be a massive winter event

Illuminate Adelaide is a beacon of light and energy in the midst of the city’s chilly winter. Expect the City of Churches to transform between July 1st and 19th into a vibrant winter playground of light, art, music, technology, and culinary discoveries. With world premieres, Adelaide exclusives and over 100 experiences and performances, this year…

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Flight Review: How ANA elevates the economy experience, and changed the way I look at air travel

As of early this year, I’d never flown either of Japan’s major carriers, ANA or JAL. However, that all changed last month when I flew from Seattle (USA) to Tokyo (Haneda) on All Nippon Airways (ANA) for the first time. I booked this flight using Virgin Australia’s Velocity Points, for whom ANA is one of…

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Disney Adventure World has officially opened in Paris: Here’s what’s new, and what’s still to come

Two weeks ago, on 29th March, Disney’s newest theme park Disney Adventure World officially opened its doors in Paris. Adventure World sits on the site of Walt Disney Studios Park, which opened as the second gate to Disneyland Paris in 2002. But it’s not just a rebranding. It’s a complete reimagining of 90% of the…

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Universal’s Fast & Furious roller coaster has already reshaped the Hollywood Hills – and Orlando is next!

Last year, we reported on how the new Fast & Furious themed roller coaster Hollywood Drift would be arriving at Universal Studios Hollywood in Summer 2026, breaking a tonne of records along the way. It will be Universal Studios Hollywood’s first ever high speed outdoor roller coaster, and the fastest coaster of any Universal theme…

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New York french wine bar

My favourite dishes in New York City right now

You can’t really understand New York City’s food scene until you’ve been up to New York State. The entire land is like one big farm, giving the epicentre of capitalism access to the top shelf of American produce. The Culinary Institute of America is up there, smack bang in the heart of leafy Hyde Park,…

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25 Hours Paddington Hotel

25Hours Hotel The Olympia feels like a not-so-quiet revolution for Paddington

Paddington just is. It’s a rich, well-to-do area with some of Sydney’s best pubs, incredible restaurants and a seemingly endless roster of upscale boutiques. It’s never been a dynamic part of Sydney, but it has always been one of the city’s most coveted neighbourhoods. And so it’s always been odd that it’s never had a…

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Stay, play, dine: A cultural getaway through Sydney’s Potts Point

Arriving in Sydney’s vibrant inner-east feels like stepping into a city that has learned how to reinvent itself without losing its edge. Just past the iconic Coca-Cola sign at the crossroads of Kings Cross and Potts Point, where neon glow meets leafy side streets and boutique energy, you’ll find a pocket of Sydney perfectly suited…

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A killer lineup and a new location for Adelaide’s 2026 Beer and BBQ Festival

The Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival (ABBF) has been a staple event in the brewing community for a decade at the Adelaide Showgrounds. Between 2015 and 2025, it’s grown to be the largest brewing event of its kind in Australia, with more brewers under one roof than any other festival in the country. It’s survived the…

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Dogo Onsen art

Dogo Onsen: What it’s like visiting Japan’s oldest bathhouse

Soaking in really hot, mineral-stacked water with a dozen naked strangers is one of the most important traditions in Japan. And that’s saying a lot in a country that has turned intentional stillness into a life-giving art form, whether it’s at a gentle tea ceremony or along a quiet path in a scrubby forest. This…

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Sim Local’s seamless eSIM experience refines the art of staying connected overseas

Sim Local has simplified the eSIM process to the point where it’s now much cheaper, easier and much less stressful to dial in high speeds when your overseas. Vicious roaming charges were once a bugbear for Aussies travelling overseas, but the widespread availability of SIM cards and the increasingly seamless set-up process changed that. And…

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Ehime pilgrims

Is Japan’s 88-temple pilgrimage the final boss of wellness travel?

In his book Sacred Journeys in a Modern World, Roger Houdsen describes pilgrimage as a “prayer of the body as well as the mind”. In their 1978 works, Victor and Edith Turner explored pilgrimage as a “liminal” experience, fashioning such epic inner journeys as “temporary breaks” from social structures that result in a sense of…

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A night at Brisbane’s Boom Boom Room: Sensual flavours and late night energy

Tucked beneath the streets of Brisbane, Boom Boom Room isn’t just a place to eat – it’s a full-bodied, late-night experience that leans into mood, music, and indulgence. Equal parts supper club and sensory playground, it promises modern Asian dining with a theatrical edge – and it delivers. From the moment you step inside, the…

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Trip.com and China Southern Airlines bring “Journey to China” pop-up to Sydney CBD

Trip.com, in partnership with China Southern Airlines, is set to transform Pitt Street Mall into an immersive travel experience with its upcoming “Journey to China” pop-up, running from 27 to 29 March 2026 (10:00 AM – 7:00 PM daily, both dates inclusive). Designed as a city-centre activation, the three-day pop-up invites Sydneysiders to explore China’s…

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The Wall Street Hotel in New York City

The Wall Street Hotel is classic New York opulence told through an Australian lens

The gestation period for high-profile hotels often gives me whiplash. Hotels, one of my favourite things about travel, always excite me, especially when news hits about a big new opening in a city as addictive as New York City. But when one is announced, I always let a huge sigh when I see that the…

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Brisbane’s Boom Boom Room is back – louder, later and ready to party again

Brisbane’s underground favourite Boom Boom Room is ready to make some noise again. After a short break, the Ghanem Group venue reopens tonight (Friday 6th March) with a refreshed concept that leans harder into late-night energy, live entertainment and bold modern Asian flavours. The idea is simple: a night that evolves. Early evenings begin with…

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New Orleans Mardi Gras

New Orleans, Congo Square and the Sounds of Freedom

It’s hard to imagine something so beautiful can come from something so… ugly. And yet freedom is an ecosystem that rarely functions without friction. It’s the endpoint of a long, arduous and often cruel journey, and the beginning of a life so wonderfully and exclusively yours that it’s impossible not to take the good with…

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Tempo by Hilton Louisville

Tempo by Hilton Louisville Downtown NuLu: a top Kentucky Derby pick for good reason

Forget any preconceptions you might have of Louisville as a sleepy southern town. Many of the bars here are open until 4am and it doesn’t take long to see why Kentucky’s largest metropolis bills itself as Whiskey City. With close to a dozen downtown distilleries (and more on the way), bourbon and rye lovers will…

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Top Roads for Touring South Australia by Car

Rolling down windows, music blasting, endless stretches of Australian landscape unfold ahead. Road trips hit differently when you’re behind the wheel in South Australia, where vineyards give way to rugged coastlines faster than you can say “pull over for photos.” We’ve spent countless weekends chasing sunsets along SA’s most stunning routes, discovering wine regions tucked…

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Here’s every concert scheduled for Las Vegas in 2026

Between classic Las Vegas residences in all the major resorts and scheduled concerts at The Sphere, the Entertainment Capital of the World isn’t slowing down with shows in 2026. It’s impossible to sink into the neon wash of Las Vegas and not want to see every type of show imaginable. The “Vegas cadence” is something…

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