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Stirling Castle

Just 45 minutes from Edinburgh lies Stirling, a pleasant medieval town and a castle that is arguably the most important castle in Scottish history.

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As the saying goes, “he who holds Stirling, holds Scotland.” Due to its geographical location, if a king was in control of Stirling castle, they could rule over and defend Scotland.

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To get to Stirling, you can take a guided day tour via large tour bus from Edinburgh, you can rent a car and go on your own, or you can take a train.

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I recommend having the freedom to explore the castle, town and surrounding areas on your own, because you may also want to stop by the National Wallace Monument or meander around the walled city and have lunch in a nice cafe such as the Darnley Coffee House in the cellar of a 16th century house.

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The castle offers guided tours included in the cost of admission, starting at 10 AM and leaving every hour after that until 3 PM, so you can plan your visit to coincide with the start of one of these tours. We thought our tour was great, just enough information and explanation of each part we visited from an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide.

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The other exhibitions at the castle were also very interesting, and certainly worth a bit of extra time after the tour.

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If you have any interest in learning a little more about Scottish history, if you are a fan of Braveheart, or if you just want to see a cool castle with beautiful views over the countryside, Stirling Castle is definitely worth a visit.

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Top 10 Things To See and Do in Edinburgh

  1. Edinburgh Castle – A significant monument in the history of Edinburgh as well as an iconic part of the Edinburgh skyline. Edinburgh_Castle2Edinburgh_Castle3The castle is a must see site while visiting the city. Edinburgh_Castle1It’s a great way to learn about the history of the city, the history of Scotland, and to take in beautiful views of Old Town, The Royal Mile, New Town, Arthur’s seat and the rest of Edinburgh. Edinburgh_Castle7Edinburgh_Castle6Edinburgh_Castle5(Tip: once you purchase a ticket, you have the option to take a free guided tour (leaving every 10 minutes during peak season or 30 mins during non-peak season) or you can purchase an audio guide to enrich your visit. The audio guide will definitely have a lot more information than the guided tour, but it is also an extra expense and the guided tour is a great option to learn about most important parts of the castle and see most of it in a shorter amount of time.)  Continue reading →

Are the Whitsunday Islands Worth the Trip?

The Whitsunday Islands are located off the coast of Airlie beach on the Southern end of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Airlie Beach is a small beach town in Queensland, pretty much 8 hours from civilization to the North (Cairns) and to the South (Hervey Bay). Let’s be honest…Rockhampton doesn’t count.

If you are interested in visiting the Whitsundays, there is an airport near Airlie Beach (Whitsunday Airport) or there is the Great Barrier Reef Airport on Hamilton Island. Although a bit difficult to access, with the long drives south from Cairns or north from Hervey Bay, in my opinion the effort is worth it.

We didn’t have enough time to go all the way to Cairns or Port Douglas, so enjoying a few days in Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays to see the Great Barrier Reef and Whitehaven Beach was an amazing experience.

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Seven Day Road Trip up the East Coast of Australia: Sydney to Airlie Beach

One of the best ways to explore the East Coast of Australia is by car (or camper van if that’s your style). You could basically spend as much time as you wanted driving the east coast of Australia, as there are a ton of great stops along the way. Plus, you never know what you might see!

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I would recommend allowing two weeks if you want to make more stops, spend more time at each stop, or to camp and explore some of the natural attractions in the region.

We only had a week to make it up to Airlie Beach for our Whitsundays adventure (more on that later…stay tuned!), so we researched the most intriguing stops and made the most of our time exploring the region.

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Exploring Sydney Australia in One Day

If you’re only spending a day in a city, you will likely have to make some tough choices about what to see. Thus, planning ahead is incredibly important. It will allow you to maximize your time and streamline your day. My advice is to make a list of everything that you want to see and then break it down into a must-see site list and a secondary site list (ones you wouldn’t regret not having seen if you miss it). Once you’ve broken down your list, plot out how to fit everything in the time that you have. Mapping out the sites and bringing it along will help you stay organized and be of use to guide you for the day. Don’t forget to plan in meal stops and have some must-eat spots on your list, as that is usually one of the best ways to experience a city…at least in my opinion!

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Our original plan was to be in Sydney for 2 full days and spend 1 day visiting the Blue Mountains. Then food poisoning struck…both of us, whomp, whomp. This certainly cut down our time to explore Sydney, as we spent the first day holed up in the room of our hostel. This also meant missing out on the Blue Mountains, which I was very bummed about.

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade, right? We rallied for our last day in Sydney, and tried to cover the majority of what we wanted to see in the city in a day. One caveat about what we saw is that we were not our usual self, and were certainly not able to see as much as we normally would in a day.

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So, if you’re planning on visiting Sydney and are short on time, here are some ideas to make the most of your visit to the city!

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New Zealand: North & South Island Itineraries

Are you thinking about taking a trip to New Zealand, but are not sure where to start planning? Or are you in the midst of planning, but having trouble making a few decisions? Then you’ve come to the right place!

New Zealand has so much to offer, from heart-stopping thrills, outdoor adventures, and jaw-dropping scenery to culturally and historically interesting sites.

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I absolutely fell in love with New Zealand during our trip and believe that it has so much to offer anyone interested in visiting, whether you are an outdoor enthusiast or not.

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Take a look at our itinerary for our trip to New Zealand along with any of the related posts I’ve linked to below to see which places interest/intrigue you.

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The Tallest Mountain & the Clearest Skies in New Zealand

After departing Dunedin, our travels led us back through Queenstown and then up through the center of the South Island of New Zealand to Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park and Lake Tekapo.

We had a few good Paleo eats along the way as well. In Dunedin, we had breakfast at this great spot called Good Oil Cafe. They had delicious coffee and food with tons of healthy options. I had the kumara (sweet potato) hash with poached eggs and smoke salmon…however it appears I was too hungry to consider a picture at the time!

For lunch, we ate in Cromwell, a city outside of Queenstown with a cute little historic part of town.

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The Grain & Seed Cafe, despite its name, had healthy paleo options as well. Everything was made from scratch, delicious, and the place is adorable! I had a tasty salad with a mint and honey vinaigrette.

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