Happiness Is Just Around The Bend

Image: BluEyedA73 Spring break for American college students is defined by the following: drink specials, beach parties, booze cruises, dancing all night long, beer bongs, random hookups, wet t-shirt contests and Joe Francis filming girls with low self-esteem, all set in beachy destinations like Cancun, Mazatlan, Jamaica and Panama City Beach. I never had a typical American spring break.  Neither did my best friend, Beth.  (I went to Italy to perform with the Glee Club; she hit up the Connecticut casinos.)  So when I flew down to visit her when she was living in South Texas, we decided to spend a night at South Padre Island. South Padre Island is one of the most popular spring break destinations in the United States.  While it’s a family-friendly beach resort during most of the year, it absolutely explodes with spring breakers during the month of March. As we drove over the causeway from Port Isabel to South Padre Island, I noticed a plane pulling a sign.  I craned my neck t...

Capri is a mountainous island in Italy’s southern Campania region, just off the coast of Naples.  It’s also one of my favorite places in the world. Capri is divided into two halves: the posh, ritzy Capri, and the village-like, lesser-visited Anacapri. Staying in Anacapri — at the fantastic Bussola di Hermes — gave us the chance to see more of Anacapri, which plenty of tourists just skip entirely in favor of the beaches and boutiques. Monte Solaro, the highest point on the island, is one of Anacapri’s star attractions.  For just a few Euros, you can take a chairlift to the top of the mountain. Then for twelve minutes, you soar through the air, gliding by incredible gardens like this one.  I love how the chairs are built for one — it gives you a chance to take everything in. And then you get to the top, where you have a 360-degree view of one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean. I was so struck by the beauty of Capri — ...

Every so often I come across a place in my travels that is so magical and unspoiled that I would rather keep it a secret for myself. But alas, it would be an injustice not to share Norfolk island with you and encourage you to book a holiday here, as it is honestly one of the most incredible destinations I have discovered in a long time. As a small town girl (originally from a town on the North West coast of Tasmania with a population of not many), the kind of holiday I appreciate is one where I feel welcomed by the locals, can quickly locate my morning coffee stop and find fresh produce to graze on throughout my visit. Norfolk Island is just that, along with the tranquillity, untouched nature and incredible scenery. Arriving in Norfolk Island We landed in Norfolk Island after a short two hour flight from Sydney, Australia. My boyfriend and I were on the way home after a month of travels in Europe, so the decision to take an island escape before landing at home in Tasmania worked ou...