Back in October 2010, for the first time, I boarded a plane and travelled overseas. The first destination that I was to stay in would be Vancouver, Canada and from Brisbane, Australia. The trip took two flights and is not a short journey by any means.

Getting Overseas

The first flight I took departed from Brisbane and arrived in Los Angeles. There was a stopover of around eight hours in Los Angeles, most of which I spent in an Airport Lounge. Before a second flight which took me to the final destination for this part of the trip Vancouver, Canada. That was a lot of time in transit, which I know many people do on a regular basis. However, the first time is something of a challenge to deal with.

The timing of the flights and such had me arrive into Vancouver in the evening. That was all before the stuff on the ground in Vancouver. Like collecting luggage, passing through customs, including a bag search, catching the train to the city and finding and checking into the hotel. By this time as you can imagine, I might have been a little tired, maybe a little hungry. So I found a nearby spot for something to eat, a nearby Starbucks for a chai latte and some free wifi before heading back to the hotel and the first real bed in close to 36 hours.

First Overseas Photo – Vancouver

The following morning when I woke up just happened to be the first chance that I even though of my camera. Through Los Angeles and getting to the hotel I had not even though about it. In fact, I think the first photo I took in Los Angeles was on the third visit to the city. Above though is the very first photo that I took overseas, looking out from the hotel balcony in Vancouver. The view is across the area of Vancouver known as West End. I cannot recall the level I was staying on, but the hotel was the Empire Landmark Hotel.

Making Long Trips Better

There is only one thing that I would have changed about the travel arrangements and that is the long day travelling. I would look to either significantly decrease the stopover in Los Angeles, maybe between 1-2 hours instead of eight hours. Alternatively, I would look to make it an overnight stop instead, something which I have done on numerous occasions since. In fact, I spread my trip from Brisbane to Vienna over three days with this idea in mind. Because there is nothing fun about spending long periods waiting in airports.

Let me know in the comments below what is the longest you have had to wait in an airport? Did you know about the wait in advance or were you delayed?

When I visited the city of Reykjavik I only had two full days in the city. On the second full day I booked in for a tour of the Golden Circle, but on the first full day it was time to explore the city. I wanted a chance to see and explore the area around the city and so I set out on foot.

The city of Reykjavik in Iceland is by many standards small. Covering some 274 square kilometres with a population of 126,000 or just over one third of the population of Iceland as a whole. But once you set out on foot it does seem a whole lot bigger. The thing that did not help in this was the weather, while the photo below shows a layer of cloud it was not rain that was a problem. It was not even the very light dust of snow that was falling either, but the temperature of -10 degrees celsius.

Hallfrímskirkja

I started the day with a walk from the hotel to Hallgrímskirkja, which you can see in the below image. Hallgrímskirkja is the tallest building in Iceland standing at a height of 74.5m. One of the things I enjoyed about the visit was taking the elevator to the top of the spire. While the view below is quite nice, the view from the spire gives a very different view of some other area’s of Reykjavik than you would get anywhere else in the city.

Perlan Building

The location where I am to capture this image is known as the Perlan Building. The building is quite interesting in that it is a multi purpose building. A Glass dome sitting atop six hot water storage tanks each of which can hold around 4 million litres of hot water.

Walking Reykjavik

As the crow flies it is around 1.5 km between Hallgrímskirkja and the Perlan Building. However, when I look at the other spots I visited and the route that I likely travelled the walking distance was a whole lot further. I would estimate somewhere in the range of 15-18 kilometres for the day.

I still think that walking is the best way to see and experience a destination, especially if you have the time. While driving around a town leaves you with your focus split in two directions, the driving and the sightseeing. Tours can also helps to speed up the sightseeing, but can also see you speeding past other things you might like to see. So in a city the size of Reykjavik walking can be the way to go.

When I first decided that I would visit England as part of a trip there seemed to be only one thing that came to mind. That was to visit Stonehenge and thinking back now I cannot come up with why it was the first thing on my mind. But that decision in many ways guided the rest of the time that I spent in England over the following few days.

The Thought Process

When looking at the idea of visiting Stonehenge, I never even considered the idea of a tour from London. While it might have been a much easier option, I looked at the location and immediately the thought of driving seemed the most logical option. That thought established the idea of renting a car and so that is just what I did.

I had the car for five of the seven days I would be in England and had no idea where I would go after Stonehenge. In fact, even though I hated the idea of leaving home without a plan, I even had three nights in England unbooked. I did not book each night until the night before as I covered my journey.

Getting To Stonehenge

I organised to collect the car upon arrival in London at Heathrow Airport. Subsequently also booking my first nights accommodation some 70 Miles (115 Kilometres) away at the Travelodge in Amesbury. However, there were two big downfalls in this combination of decisions. Both of which I would definitely change in the future if I was making similar choices.

1. The timing of my flight arriving in London at Heathrow Airport and subsequent departure by road was not ideal. It turned out that not only was I driving out of London at peak hour but it was also a Friday afternoon. The normally just over one hour drive took me well over two hours.
2. The combination of travel time and departure times in Toronto saw me awake a little too long. I would calculate it at getting close to 22 hours awake, a point I should have been heading to bed, not into London peak hour traffic. Thankfully everything worked out well in this case, but definitely a choice I would make differently in the future.

Visiting Stonehenge

If you are visiting Stonehenge, there is one huge benefit to staying somewhere in the town of Amesbury. That is you are extremely close to Stonehenge. The Travelodge in Amesbury is just 2 Miles from Stonehenge and makes it easy to be there for the opening time.

I was basically stepping out of the car at the opening time for Stonehenge and one of the first few to enter that morning. It allows for a much better and less busy experience with so few people to contest with. The pathway is empty in this photo, but that is because there were maybe 10-20 other people altogether here. But even as I was leaving the tour buses with starting to fill the coach parking and many more people were arriving.

Even though I have visited the area around Noosa in the last couple of years it is not since I was a child that I have stayed in the area. Noosaville is a suburb of Noosa and located around 130km north of Brisbane. Rather than sitting in the car for too long there were numerous stops throughout the morning on the way north and arrived mid-afternoon.

The hotel that I chose to stay in was the Noosa Sun Motel on Gympie Terrace. The location was great directly across the road from parklands on the banks of the Noosa River. There was a short walk of about 600m to reach cafes and shops, and about 1.3km walk to the supermarket.

Noosaville Shopping & Cafes

The shopping in this particular area along Gympie Terrace and Thomas Street is somewhat limited. You will find an abundance of cafes and restaurants, and mostly more the sort of shops in a resort area. There is also the expected sort of service business you find everywhere, but it is a nice spot to walk along and take a look.

The shops are spread out mostly along a 900m stretch of Gympie Terrace. However, if you wander down Thomas Street (pictured below) you will find a few more and a short distance along Mary Street (off Thomas Street) is Noosa Village Shopping Centre.

Noosa River

Now that I have covered the more practical aspects of the location, I want to share the more beautiful aspects. The majority of Gympie Terrace on the northern side is bordered by either parkland or the Noosa River. While the weather was not ideal with some rain showers while staying in Noosaville, they were thankfully not constant.

The river provides a beautiful spot to walk, which is something that I like to do. There are paths through the park and in some spots like the one below a small beach on the banks of the river.

The park is not that small either with plenty of space for picnics and BBQ’s. There were spots with play equipment for the children. Also if you were looking for fish and chips for dinner there were a few options right on the water’s edge as well.

One thing that I would have loved to do while in the area would have been to take a boat out on the river. Alas, there was not enough time for this, but it was this spot with the Big Pelican that did give me pause to consider it.

Noosa River Ferry

If you don’t want to walk or get in the car, you can consider using the Noosa River Ferry service to get around for the day. The Ferry travels between Tewantin and the Sofitel at Noosa Heads with seven stops in total. The ferry can be a great way to get around or see the area from a different perspective. They do offer a range of different pricing options along with a few special cruise options, so it is best to check out the Noosa Ferry Website for all the information.

Visit Noosaville

Noosa itself is a very popular area to visit, but you can find that areas nearby such as Noosaville are just as good and don’t always come with the same price tag. While a visit to the area might be a bit of a stretch for a day trip from Brisbane, it is a nice spot to spend a few days or a week. Have you visited the area around Noosaville? Why not let me know what you think of the area in the comments below.

Mooloolaba is a small area around 100km north of Brisbane. The area is bordered by the Sunshine Motorway to the west and the Mooloolah River to the south, with the Pacific Ocean to the east. Covering just 4 square kilometres with a population of over 7,300.

Of course, when you have a beach like you will see below you can see why people would want to live here. But it also makes Mooloolaba one of the popular spots for tourists on the Sunshine Coast. It can be a nice spot to stay and I have stayed here on multiple occasions, but you do need to choose your time to avoid the crowds.

Mooloolaba Beach

One of the key attractions of Mooloolaba is just how close you can be to the beach. There are many hotels or apartments for holiday accommodation within one or two blocks of the beach which makes it rather accessible. For those who bring their own accommodation, there is also a holiday park with great beach access.

Mooloolaba Esplanade

The Mooloolaba Esplanade is stretch of road and walkways that is lined with shops, cafes and restaurants. Whether you are looking for a simple cup of coffee or a new outfit there is a good chance you might be able to find it along here. When I have stayed in Mooloolaba this area is often where I will take a walk in the morning. In one direction I will follow the path along the beach and the return I will follow the front of the shops.

With shops and cafes only on one side of the street, you will find many spots with water views to enjoy your meal. But even if you don’t have a clear view you can hear the waves along most of the area.

The Wharf

Another area that is not far from the beach and waterfront at Mooloolaba is The Wharf. I must say that the area has probably seen better days, but they are currently working on a project to renew and revitalise the area. you will find a few restaurants here as well as access to Sea Life Aquarium. Sea Life is a place I remember from my childhood, back than it was called Underwater World. I visited as part of a school trip and think many from South East Queensland might remember it.

I would say this is one of those places you need to visit if you are staying in Mooloolaba. Especially if they are working on building the area up you will likely find that it is always evolving. I do know that there used to be markets held here, but I have been unable to confirm for sure if they are still on or when.

Coffee Shops

One thing that I found in Mooloolaba is that there is a great range of coffee shops in the area. If you read my blog much you will see that I do love visiting many different coffee shops. One that I got to visit while in Mooloolaba for this walk was The Colombian Coffee Co. They roast their coffee in the cafe on Brisbane Street and would highly recommend a visit if you like your coffee.

You wont need to look far though to find some other great options for cafes. There are plenty along the beachfront or in the nearby streets as well.

Visit Mooloolaba

Mooloolaba can be a great spot to visit, even for a day trip from Brisbane. But booking a couple of nights or a week can be a great way to see the area. Mooloolaba could also be a great central location to explore the Sunshine Coast from. Especially if you do not want to be moving from hotel to hotel all the time. But you will need a car to make the most of seeing other areas of the Sunshine Coast. Even though there are buses they will not always be the most flexible options. So come and check out Mooloolaba and if you have visited I would love to know what you think.

There is one substantial difference that I have discovered between travelling by land and travelling by cruise ship. That is often the ports you visit by cruise ship tend to get pushed to the back burner a little in terms of research. With destinations, you are visiting by land getting the much bigger share of research time. While there are two goods reasons for this I will get to in a moment I wanted to first share a little photo from Málaga, Spain.

Málaga, Spain

The city of Málaga in the south of Spain is a rather good example of this. It was in the middle of the cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Venice. In some ways, I kind of forgot it was even on the itinerary. In another way, the visit, to this city has definitely left me wanting to return, not just to the city of Malaga but the surrounding area as well.

Málaga sits at the foot of some rather impressive mountains, some of which you can just see on the right-hand side of this photo. However, it is the mountains which sit behind where I took this photo to the East of the city that looked even more impressive. As the ship was departing the city in the evening I had dinner looking over the mountains and it is one of the few times I did not have my camera with me but wish I did.

A Lack Of Research

As I mentioned above there are two reasons why I tend to spend a lot less time researching the ports I visit on a cruise.

The first is that in many cases there is a big lack of time when you visit a city on a cruise ship. In many cases, you might be in port for 8-10 hours. Sometimes less if you have to tender or depending on the port and sometimes more. But in almost every case when you start to research a port there is so much that you could do. Of course, there is not the time to do everything and for that matter, I prefer to just find out what I do when I arrive.

The second reason is that often there is the chance to take a tour that is reasonably comprehensive. You get to have a good introduction to the main attractions in the city without having to guess from your research. It gives you an opportunity to better identify cities you might like to return to at a later time by land.

How do you go about researching your travels? Do you approach the way you are travelling to a destination or the time you will have in a different way?

Instagram

The post is a slightly adjusted cross post that I recently shared on my Instagram account. If you would like to see more posts I share on Instagram why not connect with Travel Explored on Instagram.

For many people, Alexandra Headland might not be a place that you think about stopping. With Maroochydore to the north and Mooloolaba to the south, Alexandra Headland kind of just is there in the middle. While some people might find some nice accommodation here or stop for the beach that is likely it.

My stop here was most around a visit to a coffee shop that I had heard about and decided to check out. But while stopped I decided to take a walk and check out the area and the beach. In the end, I found out that it is quite a nice area and it turns out that I used to stay not far from where I stopped as a child.

Walking Alexandra Headland

The area here is quite flat so a great spot to stretch the legs. There are some shops and cafes, but nothing too outstanding that you don’t find similar elsewhere.

Street Art

One of the pieces that caught my eye was the traffic signal box. There are many places around Australia and the World that have embarked on projects to decorate these fairly boring pieces of equipment. The project on the Sunshine Coast was undertaken with Urban Smart Projects, the same company that facilities the same project in Brisbane. To date they have 44 boxes painted on the Sunshine Coast.

Box 7344 is painted by Mieke van den Berg and given the name Perfect Break. The description for the box is “There is nothing better to wake up with the sun just kissing the sky and the best waves presenting themselves to enjoy them first thing in the morning.”

Alexandra Headland Beach

Not too far beyond the traffic signal box above is the beach. Currently, after some fairly heavy surf, the beach is looking a little worst for wear. After a couple of weather systems in the Coral Sea that has caused some big surf, many beaches along the South East Queensland Coast look quite similar to this. The beaches do come back in time though and it does not stop many people from still enjoying the sand and surf.

The park that runs along the beach is also a great spot for those who enjoy a picnic or BBQ. The facilities here do look quite good and they are rather abundant as well.

Of course, the kids are not left without something to do either, this is just one of the playgrounds that I spotted along the waterfront here. Just worth remembering to keep an eye on them though as this is not too far back from the carpark and main road.

Make A Stop At Alexandra Headland

While it might not be the heart of activity on the Sunshine Coast, it is a nice spot to stop. I stopped here to visit a coffee shop called Milk and Beans Coffee House, it was quite good and worth the stop. But you might prefer a stop at the beach or the park.

If you are feeling energetic and staying nearby to this location you can even consider walking either north or south to Maroochydore or Mooloolaba. Neither is far depending on where you are staying and where you are specifically heading. But the elevation does change a little especially if you are heading south to Mooloolaba. If you have visited or plan to visit the area why not let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear about your experience.