How Do Couples Get A Perfect Holiday...

Have you felt the strains of living life a little out of the ordinary of late?  Well, it can be said that “covid-19 has had an effect on all of us”.  But now after each state and territory in Australia has experienced closures and you, isolation. Life is still not as we know it and it wont be for awhile, but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel...time for a holiday.  A desired perfect holiday!

Ultimate Winery Experience

If you have been pondering where you and your loved one would escape to, to feel the joy of freedom, relaxation, fun and whatever you desire, remember to consider these three tips:

• Get organised.  Ask family or friends if they can look after your children, pets, plants or house for a few days.  If need be look at services where you can get a live in nanny or where your pet can be comfortably lodged in a boarding kennel environment.  Also, do not be hesitate to touch base with a friendly neighbour who may be able to water your plants and keep an eye on your house or there may be a local kid who would love some pocket money.  Simply ask them and then you are another step closer to your perfect holiday.  

• Couples you want that perfect holiday?  So, holiday where there are no children unless you truly do not care.  Options for a perfect holiday would be to stay at a resort that has adult only facilities, such as a pool area or more oooohlalala, stay at an adult only resort. Yes, they do exist.  Be it a private villa, a luxury resort, remote outback camp or an adventure such as heli-touring, fishing, self-driving or an exploration cruise to experience different cultures and unique scenery.  You can experience a perfect holiday.

• Because this is all about you and your loved one.  Discuss what you both mutually want to do or get out of your holiday.  There is no use, hanging out remotely in a luxe tent at a beach destination if your loved one despises being away from concrete buildings.  Will it be an action packed holiday or leisurely lazing by a pool and wine sipping at a fancy restaurant.

Kimberley Coastal Camp

Here are some suggestions to stimulate discussions to what you may desire on your holiday:

•      Gourmet cuisine or fresh local produce
•      Wine your drink and you would love to taste and experience more from a region
•      You both love the ocean, so you will not go inland
•      You love the ocean, but it is nice to broaden your life experiences, so why not head inland

Remember, this is about you two getting away together.  Take a relaxed pace and appreciate what we do have on our doorstep here in Australia, all within a few hours drive or flight.

When border restrictions are eased, travel and holidays are going be different.  Social distancing, washing of hands, sanitising and less contact of communally touched items will be in place.  

At Travel With A Difference we have over twenty years in coordinating and booking holidays and travel arrangements, so contact us

Grab a cuppa, sit back and relax completing this Find A Word Destination and receive a gift when you book your holiday with us 

AUSTRALIA is AMAZING

Western Australia

group travel cringe or embrace....

Group holidays, do you cringe when you hear the word 'group'? 

Don't worry you're not alone; I still hear people say, "oh, I could not stand that".  But the more diverse these group holiday options are becoming the more people are participating and embracing them. 

There's a variety of 'group holiday' experiences to be had. It may be a small group journey - where you join a small group of up to twelve guests to experience a destination. The more niche is the special interest group getaway - where groups of whatever number will experience a footy game, Gallipoli, trekking, a photograph or writing workshop just to name a few.  Then, there's the small 'like-minded' holidays, where men or women gather with their friends to chill-out, share a laugh and whatever takes their fancy - usually a cooking class or a game of golf.  Yes, they leave their loved-(family and pets)-one’s home.

Also, I question. Does then going on a cruise entail 'group travel'? As you are amongst the masses of thousands, all living the same life for the duration of time it takes to embark and disembark on the cruise.

'Generational-holidays' could also be group holiday, as I have coordinated these Generational-holidays where the grandparents take their children, spouse and grandchildren on a holiday...those number of guests soon add up!

Travelling as group does definitely have its merits. It allows you to travel in the safety and companionship of others. It means your holiday arrangements will be pre-arranged and mostly pre-paid, giving a smoother and more seamless journey.  It takes the pondering and decision making out of it, which can be a time waster when on holidays.  For sure, you still have to take the time to ponder and decide, but is mostly done before you depart on your holiday. The pondering and decision making would be on what destination you are going to go, what is it you want to experience, what the cost you are prepared to pay and so on.

So, for your next holiday you may just ponder...am I travelling in the company of simply a friend or loved one or am I going to cringe or embrace the thought of a 'group holiday'? 

I look forward to hearing your thoughts....

Travel With A Difference CALENDAR has a few 'special interest' group holiday you may be interested in: Uganda - eco and sustainable.  France - history of Julia Child and food. Uganda - charity and sustainable.

trekking Bay of Fires

Bill Peach journeys: Sydney to London

Absolute Sanctuary group yoga retreat

lodging whilst trekking Vietnam

Travel With A Difference through knowledge and experience, can tailor-make a memorable and unique journey for you....

neeeeext destination....that bucket list!

Its something most of us have experienced at some point in our life, where we sit and ponder and say “I really want to go there” or “…do that”. I know I have and so have clients I chat with. It’s the destination where we can experience, where we can pursue our favourite activity or adventure, it the thing that puts a fire in our belly.


Often it occurs more than once. It may be that childhood dream of wanting to see a city, the thrill of adrenalin, the cause to help others, a desire to learn a new language, to taste a new flavour of cuisine or culture or simply to have that change of climate. But I bet that whatever is on your dream list, bucket list, to do list, whatever you want to call it, there is more than just one destination or activity you’d like to experience. Hmmm….

Specials and updates pour in to my computer screen daily and yes, it is a moment in time, when I sit ponder and imagine. Then reality kicks in, the phone rings, I’m sitting at my desk. Regularly people ask me, where am I travelling to next and I reply “its endless….Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia… oh, to go back to Italy, France, Portugal and Morocco…to swim with whale sharks, to rent a villa with friends, to sail on a timber deck yacht in Croatia….ah, to be sharing the moment….”. I’m not sure, if others have as many desirable places to experience, but if I’m unable to experience them at this point in time, then the second best thing for me is to feature some of them on Travel With A Difference’s calendar. The Calendar has been created for the simple fact that, there are so many wonderful holiday experiences to be had.


Whether your desired bucket list holiday destination or experience is one purely for you to fulfil or one that can be shared with family or friends, it is worth putting on your calendar to do. It’s the joy of having experienced the dream destination that keeps us pondering on the next. Journeys on my calendar are selected or created with that point of ‘difference’, so they can be enjoyed by all. It may have set dates, but then again, the journey most likely can be tailored to suit you.

Once you’ve experienced your dream holiday, I’m sure you’ll return with a “neeeeext destination” only to be placing yet another on your bucket list to plot and plan. I see it time-after-time and all I can say is, we are lucky and fortunate. Enjoy…

trekking together....

A valued client/friend contacted TWAD earlier this year with the desire for her and her female friends to go on a trekking holiday in Asia.  They had trekked Tasmania and the Northern Territory several times and now were after something different. It was great talking with her to discover her desired requirements: it was to combine some trekking, stunning countryside, cooking class or sensational cuisine, as well as a bit of luxury along the way.  Nutting through the destinations, giving consideration to their time and seasonal climate constraints, North Vietnam was the chosen destination.
When visiting Hanoi, a cruise out on Halong Bay is a must, with the travelling time there, that added a couple of days to the itinerary.  The eight night / nine day itinerary was created.  It involved a night in Hanoi on arrival, four days trekking in a National Park with three nights in basic homestay accommodation and amenities, a night a Nihn Bihn - this was the capital city before Hanoi, a night cruising Halong Bay followed by two nights in a luxury hotel at the end in Hanoi along with a cooking class at K.O.T.O. - a local hospitality school giving children off the streets the opportunity for a change in life.
The journey invitation was for eight women, due to circumstance, it extended to ten with me becoming one of the group.  Not only was I keen on the itinerary, but it would be the first time I'd be travelling with a group on an organised itinerary and I've spent many years travelling. So, this was going to be interesting!!
Sapa is the most spoken of location when people say they're going trekking in Vietnam, but due the travelling time to get there and the request from our client for a location with a strong local and less tourists, we headed south west. Pictures below display the stunning scenery in which we were surrounded by daily as we trekked. The accommodation and hospitality on the luxurious Bhaya was a delight, after sleeping on bamboo floors with a thin mattress for three nights, plus the food sensational.  When we arrived in Hanoi, our journey had been elevated once again, by two nights in the beautiful and historical Hotel Metropole.
Do, enjoy my holiday photos below and if you have a group of friends or colleagues or if you wish to take your family on such a journey, simply phone us, we love to discuss, create and coordinate holiday with your requirements in mind...   
Travel With A Difference reservations: 03-5254 1279

A holiday with everything we had wished for ~ Lawes, QLD

And the journey goes on... Please visit our facebook page for further images. Enjoy, Karen

ever been tenting?

I must admit tenting has not been one of my passions over the years.  I don't mind sleeping out under the stars for night on a warm night, but camping for a few days or a week, always has me thinking of cold wet weather. Cringe factor.
Recently, I had some fun with Mum and Dad, testing their memories of our family holidays, which go back nearly forty years. It was interesting hearing their stories and banter, as they tried to piece the date and the location. I was taking them back to the early seventies!  Whether we were at Phillip Island or Portland, I was young and I am grateful for the experiences that our camping family holidays gave.  After all, I learnt to be a team player - you need a few hands to hold poles and pull ropes!  We played cricket with the other kids, precious behaviour was not tolerated. Dad loved to fish, so today, I can bait-up, cast and tie a hook on a line, if need be! Meals, I cannot remember those, I bet they were basic, I must ask about those. Dishes yes, I remember those, the trips to the laundry to get water to heat up, so we could wash them in a bucket.
Speed forward to the current day. Beyond the basic bush or outback tenting experience, you can today, camp in style and comfort.  By comfort I mean, your tent has a timber floor, veranda, private en-suite with a hot shower, chairs to relax and enjoy the view plus personalised extras for the added indulgence and fun, whilst still being amongst nature. Love it!  Here are few of my favourite.  Yes, Travel With A Difference can coordinate luxury tenting holidays in Australia, Africa and Asia...

1973 Dad and me

Mum catching some zzzzz's

Paperbark Camp, NSW

Sal Salis, WA

Sal Salis, WA

Nomadic living in Mongolia