A big drawcard for many visitors to Japan in autumn is to partake in Momiji-gari, (in English meaning “hunting red leaves”). Deriving from the Japanese words of momiji (red leaves, or maple tree), and kari (hunting). The autumn colours of Japan generally start to appear from October through to the end of November, and transforms the country’s many forests…
By 50 Shades, January 6, 2023
Kathy was a 50 something year old when she started up this blog 6 years ago, but has since turned over another decade and is now in her early 60s. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy enjoys living life to the fullest and loves to keep fit and active by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Some of her interests include reading, photography, travelling, cooking and blogging! Kathy works part-time as a freelance writer but her real passion is travelling and photographing brilliant destinations both within Australia and overseas and writing about it.
Australia is an island country with an incredible 34,000 kilometres of spectacular coastline. Although, rugged in the southern regions around the Great Australian Bight, and crocodile infested at the northern Top End of Australia, there are an abundance of beautiful beaches. This begs the question “have you been to Australia’s most beautiful beaches”? Recently Qantas…
By 50 Shades, December 22, 2022
Kathy was a 50 something year old when she started up this blog 6 years ago, but has since turned over another decade and is now in her early 60s. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy enjoys living life to the fullest and loves to keep fit and active by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Some of her interests include reading, photography, travelling, cooking and blogging! Kathy works part-time as a freelance writer but her real passion is travelling and photographing brilliant destinations both within Australia and overseas and writing about it.
Since Australia resumed domestic and international travel just over 12 months ago, it has been a shaky start. Unfortunately, there were teething problems, particularly with airlines, airport staffing and trying to decipher international Covid-19 requirements was a maze. I think if I’d had my time over again, I would have waited a little longer to…
By 50 Shades, December 14, 2022
Kathy was a 50 something year old when she started up this blog 6 years ago, but has since turned over another decade and is now in her early 60s. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy enjoys living life to the fullest and loves to keep fit and active by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Some of her interests include reading, photography, travelling, cooking and blogging! Kathy works part-time as a freelance writer but her real passion is travelling and photographing brilliant destinations both within Australia and overseas and writing about it.
In what has been a tumultuous year of travel for me, a luxury stay at Ayana Resort in Bali was just what the doctor ordered. It was as if the Gods were set against me, with a bout of Ross River Fever earlier in 2022 and then three days prior to travelling overseas to Hawaii…
By 50 Shades, December 7, 2022
Kathy was a 50 something year old when she started up this blog 6 years ago, but has since turned over another decade and is now in her early 60s. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy enjoys living life to the fullest and loves to keep fit and active by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Some of her interests include reading, photography, travelling, cooking and blogging! Kathy works part-time as a freelance writer but her real passion is travelling and photographing brilliant destinations both within Australia and overseas and writing about it.
Failing to stick to a travel budget can mean unexpected expenses can catch you (and your wallet) off guard. Recent research suggests 1 in 5 of us rarely or never stick to a holiday budget. Over 55s are the main culprits, with just over 1 in 4 (26.38%) throwing the budgeting rulebook out of the…
By 50 Shades, November 30, 2022
Kathy was a 50 something year old when she started up this blog 6 years ago, but has since turned over another decade and is now in her early 60s. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy enjoys living life to the fullest and loves to keep fit and active by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Some of her interests include reading, photography, travelling, cooking and blogging! Kathy works part-time as a freelance writer but her real passion is travelling and photographing brilliant destinations both within Australia and overseas and writing about it.
In Australia, we have all started to travel again, both within our own country and to overseas destinations. This year I’ve actually caught flights to Sydney, Cairns, Bali and more recently, Japan. Naturally, my husband and I always look for the best air fare deals with some of the low coast airlines. However, after having…
By 50 Shades, November 23, 2022
Kathy was a 50 something year old when she started up this blog 6 years ago, but has since turned over another decade and is now in her early 60s. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy enjoys living life to the fullest and loves to keep fit and active by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Some of her interests include reading, photography, travelling, cooking and blogging! Kathy works part-time as a freelance writer but her real passion is travelling and photographing brilliant destinations both within Australia and overseas and writing about it.
On our third trip to Cairns in Far North Queensland, we managed to spend a little more time checking out this gateway city to the Great Barrier Reef, The Daintree and the popular resort town of Port Douglas. Although there is plenty to do and see in Cairns itself it is advisable to take as…
By 50 Shades, November 10, 2022
Kathy was a 50 something year old when she started up this blog 6 years ago, but has since turned over another decade and is now in her early 60s. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy enjoys living life to the fullest and loves to keep fit and active by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Some of her interests include reading, photography, travelling, cooking and blogging! Kathy works part-time as a freelance writer but her real passion is travelling and photographing brilliant destinations both within Australia and overseas and writing about it.
What is it about the place we affectionately call ‘The Bay’, aka Byron Bay, that makes it one of the most sought after holiday destinations on the east coast of Australia? Is it the fact that it is unspoiled and non-commercialized, with no hi-rises, no traffic lights and strict environmental protection laws? Is it the…
By 50 Shades, October 27, 2022
Kathy was a 50 something year old when she started up this blog 6 years ago, but has since turned over another decade and is now in her early 60s. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy enjoys living life to the fullest and loves to keep fit and active by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Some of her interests include reading, photography, travelling, cooking and blogging! Kathy works part-time as a freelance writer but her real passion is travelling and photographing brilliant destinations both within Australia and overseas and writing about it.
Spreading from Cairns to Cardwell, Far North Queensland Cassowary Coast is one of the regions we explored during our recent motorhome trip. It is a relatively quiet stretch of coastline bordered by the Wet Tropics Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. It takes in the townships of Cardwell, Tully, Kurramine Beach, Etty Bay, Innisfail and…
By 50 Shades, October 20, 2022
Kathy was a 50 something year old when she started up this blog 6 years ago, but has since turned over another decade and is now in her early 60s. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy enjoys living life to the fullest and loves to keep fit and active by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Some of her interests include reading, photography, travelling, cooking and blogging! Kathy works part-time as a freelance writer but her real passion is travelling and photographing brilliant destinations both within Australia and overseas and writing about it.
One of the best ways to see the natural beauty and wonders of our countries is to get out into the great outdoors on a hiking trail. We’ve all probably heard of some of the infamous hiking trails such as: Camino de Santiago through France, Spain and Portugal; The Path of the Gods along the…
By 50 Shades, October 6, 2022
Kathy was a 50 something year old when she started up this blog 6 years ago, but has since turned over another decade and is now in her early 60s. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy enjoys living life to the fullest and loves to keep fit and active by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Some of her interests include reading, photography, travelling, cooking and blogging! Kathy works part-time as a freelance writer but her real passion is travelling and photographing brilliant destinations both within Australia and overseas and writing about it.
