Sam

Travello’s 2019 Global Travel Survey

Travello’s 2019 Global Travel Survey

Over 90% of travellers have or will travel solo, the biggest influence on travel decision making is peers and over 80% of travellers would choose travel over sex! These are just some of the findings that came out of Travello’s first ever Global Travel Survey.

It seems that solo travel is on the rise and here to stay with a whopping 92% of respondents willing to hit the road alone. This is a trend we’ve noticed for some-time at Travello and the popularity of solo travel doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.    

Short 4-10 Day trips account for 50% of travel intention for the next 12 months.

Just over half of all respondents (54%) were female, so any perception that women weren’t as willing as men to travel solo is completely wrong!

Over 97% of our respondents said they would be travelling in the next 12 months and it looks like short sharp trips are on the rise! 50% said they travel (on average) for 4-10 days at a time, 23% for 11-20 days and only 18% were hitting the road for over 21 days.

The experiences you have while travelling is the best thing about travel

When asked what the best part about travelling was, there was a runaway winner with 72% stating Experiences (including tours & activities). The people you meet was the next best thing (16%) with the places you stay (7%), the food you eat (4%) and the things you buy (>1%) taking out the minor placings. So experiences and people are clearly the most important things for today’s traveller.

Are you mobile-ready as a travel business? You better be!

As expected, the mobile phone plays an integral role for travellers today with 83% saying they used their mobile to book one or more parts of their last trip.

Over 50% of travellers have booked tours & experiences on their mobile.

Accommodation & flights lead the way, but the big growth came in the “Experiences” vertical, with over 54% saying they had used their mobile to book a tour, activity or experience on their last trip. This is significantly higher than most industry surveys that report mobile booking for experiences closer to 30%. It looks like Travello, Klook, Get your Guide and some of the other Experience OTAs are on the right track!

Today’s travellers would rather collect experiences, not things

It’s a cliché, but it looks like it’s also the truth! Today’s travellers would rather collect experiences, not things. When asked where they preferred to spend their travel budget, experiences came out well ahead of flights, accommodation, food, beverages and transfers. It looks like they are happy to rough it on the flight and the hotel in order to get that amazing experience (and Instagram shot to prove it!)

over 20% of travellers now like to book the majority of their trip after they arrive in the destination

Mobile, phones and increased connectivity are also having an impact on the booking window, which is becoming shorter and shorter. While the majority of travellers still like to book in advance, over 20% of travellers now like to book the majority of their trip after they arrive in the destination. This correlates with the growth in solo travel and the spontaneous nature that goes along with it. Solo travellers are less bound to plans, can meet people as they go and find amazing adventures they never had planned!

Peer to peer recommendations rule the roost

And what’s the biggest influence on their travel decision making? Peer to peer recommendations! Over 31% said peer’s recommendations played the biggest part in where they went and what they did. But Trip Advisor isn’t dead just yet, with reviews (29%) coming in a close second. The days of the travel influencer might be coming to an end with only 9% saying these tanned travel gods are their biggest influence – on par with old school travel ads at 9%. So it seems the humble fellow traveller is a bigger influence than the influencers!

What would you choose travel over?

We also thought we’d have a little fun, just to see how important travel really was! And guess what – it’s pretty important! 62% said they would choose their dream trip over their dream job and 76% would choose travel over a home deposit. 80% would choose travel over sex (I guess that depends who you’re doing it with!) and just over half of respondents (53%) would actually choose travel over their partner!

Would you choose a dream trip or a dream job?

Would you choose a Home Deposit of Spend it on Travel?

Would you choose the love of a partner or the love from travel

Would you choose more travel or more sex?

Travello’s inaugural Global Travel Survey revealed some great insights. We’ll be back next year to see what’s changed, what’s new and whether even more people would choose travel over their partners!

December 19, 2019 Sam Lindner ,
Sam LindnerTravello’s 2019 Global Travel Survey
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Best New Travelmates Start Their Aussie Adventure

Best New Travelmates Start Their Aussie Adventure

Meet Tom & Natalie!

They Were Our Two Lucky Winners Of The Ultimate Aussie Adventure Competition!

If you weren’t lucky enough to see our huge $25K Aussie Adventure competition you will have missed out on a chance to win a huge 7 week Aussie Adventure! We were looking for the best two travel mates in the world to come together for this epic adventure Down Under. After hundreds of video entries and a final 20 voting round then lastly a final 10 interview round we announced our two lucky winners!

The two winners are complete strangers, one male and one female who are now about to meet for the first time in person in Cairns next week where their adventure as new travel mates kicks off and continues on for an action packed 47 day adventure from Cape Tribulation down to Sydney and then across to Adelaide and up to Uluru! It’s a massive adventure which will take them on a 5,500km journey across the country.

Our two adventurers are super excited and can’t wait for the trip to start. So they wanted to say a quick hello and introduce themselves to you all with a short video below. 

Tom is from Australia and Natalie is from the USA but just very recently decided to move to Melbourne. So Tom will no doubt be giving Natalie some local Aussie tips and insights into life in Oz. While Natalie will no doubt have a huge amount of curiosity and excitement as well. 

We’re looking forward to all the exciting content that they will be capturing and sharing with you all along the way. Make sure you are following them in the Travello App as well as across all our social profiles and the blog here too, as well as their own social profiles outlined below as well. They will be capturing content from each destination and of course from all of the fun adventures & activities outlined on the map further below.

So without further delay, here are a few words from Tom & Natalie for you all!

Tommy’s Welcome Message To You!

Tom Cunningham

Tom is from country Victoria and currently living in Sydney. He recently returned from a trip to Utah in the US. Tom is a great photographer, videographer and drone operator, so he's looking forward to capturing some amazing footage for your all t o share across your socials as well. Make sure you check out some of his footage he shot from Kokoda and PNG for taste of whats to come!

Los_TravelYouTubeEmail

Natalie’s Welcome Message To You!

Natalie Otto

Natalie is from the USA but has recently moved to Melbourne! She is a former TV news reporter in the US so she is certainly comfortable in front of the camera telling her stories about the adventures with you all. She is also an avid video producer and videographer as well, so you can expect some interesting edited videos from Natalie at some point a long the journey when they get a break!

Natalie OttoYouTubeEmail

This Was Tommy’s Entry Video!

This Was Natalie’s Entry Video!

THANKS AGAIN TO OUR MAJOR COMPETITION PARTNERS!

HERE IS SOME OF WHERE & WHAT TOMMY & NATALIE WILL BE UP TO!

Tom & Natalie will be arriving up in Cairns in Queensland and will begin their journey at Cape Tribulation. From there they will travel South, taking in major destinations such as Cairns, Mission Beach, Townsville, Magnetic Island, Airlie Beach, the Whitsundays, Great Keppel Island, Rockhampton, Emus Beach, Gladstone, Fraser Island, Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Sydney, Adelaide & finishing with Uluru & Alice Springs!

HERE IS A TASTE OF WHAT THE WINNERS WILL BE DOING THANKS TO OUR PRIZE PARTNERS!

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October 3, 2018 Sam Lindner , ,
Sam LindnerBest New Travelmates Start Their Aussie Adventure
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Would You Travel With A Complete Stranger?

Would You Travel With A Complete Stranger?

It’s a question which does stir up quite a bit of debate. However, many backpackers all around the world actually embark on a journey all the time with a stranger that they may have only just recently met.

You only need to Google “Travel with a stranger” to find hundreds of links to blogs and articles outlining the benefits of travelling with strangers and how travellers have met great new travel buddies and mates for life from doing so.

We need to point out though, we are talking more so about organic travel experiences that bring two strangers together, not companion based/dating-type travel sites that attempt to put strangers together for companionship. No, we are talking about the experiences where travellers find themselves in situations where fate brings the two together and they decide to take the plunge and travel together. That could be two travellers or even just a traveller that has met a local too.

Solo travel is a hugely popular category, and in fact female solo travellers are well supported all around the world with likeminded groups, forums and of course apps. Travello also caters for this segment of solo travellers of course but also female travellers with a private Female Travellers group too, connecting females that are travelling now or in destinations where they will be travelling to as well.

Our latest competition is an invitation to the adventurous at heart. We would love to match two individual strangers together for a trip of a lifetime around Australia. However entrants are actually open to both individuals who would love to win and travel with a stranger as well as two mates or even couples as well. It’s one heck of a trip from Cairns down to Sydney and the Adelaide up to Uluru on a 4-6 week adventure together!

It includes Airfares, accommodation mostly with YHAs, a JUCY camper van, spending money, travel insurance and a whole heap of adventures along the way in every destination. The whole trip is worth over $25,000 for the two winners. For a full outline of prize details make sure you check out the competition entry page here – https://travelloapp.com/travelmates/

All you need to do to enter is submit your details along with a 1-2 minute video explaining why you or you and your mate or partner would be the best travel mate in the world for this adventure! So you can enter as an individual wanting to be matched by us to a new travel mate for this adventure or as a team of two already.

We are looking for entrants from Australia as well as anywhere around the world. We’d love Australian’s to enter as we’d love to be able to match up 1 Australian with an International for the trip, however entrants are open to teams from anywhere around the world as well.

If you are an aspiring travel blogger, photographer or vlogger then this prize is right up your alley too, as the requirement of this trip is that you will be sharing every experience not only on the Travello app but also across our social channels and of course yours as well. So this will help springboard an intense travel content challenge for you.

To give you a small taste of what the winners will be up to, over the coming weeks we will be doing a few small teasers from a couple of the destinations that the winners will be visiting. The first one of these we did on the Gold Coast recently. We approached the Surfers Paradise YHA to find us two backpackers that would be up for a full days adventure.

The day started with picking up a JUCY Champ camper van and heading over to the Surfers Paradise YHA to pick up the two backpackers. From there we hopped in the JUCY van for a quick chat to find out a little more about them. The two lucky backpackers were Anniken from Norway and Emanuel from Argentina. They then got to experience a Surf lesson thanks to our prize partner GetWetSurf, a SUP lesson thanks to Go Vertical SUP Hire and an exhilarating jetboat ride thanks to Paradise Jetboating!

Here is a bit of that action that we captured so that you can get a taste of all the fun the winners will have!

THANKS AGAIN TO OUR COMPETITION MAJOR PRIZE PARTNERS:

July 11, 2018 Sam Lindner , , , , , ,
Sam LindnerWould You Travel With A Complete Stranger?
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Travello’s Featured Travel Bloggers Series | Feature 1

Travello’s Featured Travel Bloggers Series | Feature 1

Welcome to Travello’s Featured Travel Bloggers To Follow This Year Series!

Each week we’ll be featuring a handful of travel bloggers, vloggers or photographers who we recommend you follow to ignite that travel spark! Over the coming weeks you’ll also be introduced to many of them with a personal video introduction and message from themselves on our new Travello Travel Blogger Video Series on YouTube. The weekly list is not going to be a list of the very top or most followed travel bloggers, vloggers, photographers or social influencers, it will be a combination, some very popular ones, but also some that are just starting out, in fact we’ll also be featuring some of our top Travello users in here too, many of which dont have official blogs but are really active travel posters on Travello.

Today, almost everyone has a friend or a friend of a friend that considers themselves to be a travel blogger or travel social influencer right? You may even look upon them with a hint of jealously (or a lot!), but hey, whats not to be jealous off. Who wouldn’t want to be travelling the world and earning an income while you do it.

We are not telling you to throw in the towel and quit your day job to become a travel blogger too, all we want to do through this series is to inspire you to see the world through their stories and adventures and to encourage you to also immerse yourself in your next destination, to really “see it” not just visit it. This is what travel bloggers do, they get under the skin of a place, they go beyond their comfort zones, they approach strangers, they explore it to share that experience with others.

We previously posted a series about the life of a travel blogger to give you some insights into their travels and why they travel, however these weekly lists are just to introduce you to their little world of travel. Above all, travel is not about having richness of money to see the world, its all down to your perspective and gratitude for the life you live and respect for people in the place you visit. In fact, some of Travello’s most energetic and enthusiastic users on Travello have barely had the financial means to travel beyond their own country so far, yet the passion and gratitude they have for their own country is immense, they are excited to share posts from their own travels in their home country, as meeting new friends and travellers from around the world brings them joy.

Travello actually provides that perfect platform for both every day travellers on their next travel adventures as well as for travel bloggers too. As a travel blogger, Travello provides the perfect platform to post about your travel adventures to a 100% travel audience, an audience that are on Travello to get a dose of  travel inspiration! It also enables you to connect with other travellers and locals nearby. So we encourage all travel bloggers to create a profile and start sharing your blog post links as well as of course your travel photos and videos as well!

If you are a travel blogger, vlogger, photographer or influencer please get your submission in on this form here

So without further ado, here is this weeks little list of travel inspiration! Have you got that bag packed and ready?

Jen Morilla
The Social Girl Traveller

For many travellers travel is not only about seeing new places, travelling is about visiting new countries to make a difference in the world. That is the case of Jen Morilla, a 29-year-old Cuban-American Impact Travel Influencer, Clean Water Initiator, driven by Social Impact. Her purpose is to discover humanity, understand a culture and connect emotionally with people. As she does that, she is tirelessly driven to leave a little something behind that can change a life.

Jen carries with her clean water filters when she travels to countries in need of clean water. She has travelled to 41 countries on 6 continents, impacted an estimated of 12,000 people in 5 countries and continues to grow as an ambassador to young professionals like her who may be afraid to turn their passion into a purposeful career.

After starting a great career in the New York City agency world, Jen decided to turn what she learnt in the Masters in Social Entrepreneurship she undertook in London in 2013 into ACTION. Pivoting to PURPOSE, to align talent, mission, impact, and business into everything she does today.

Jen created her impact travel blog - The Social Girl Traveler – not only to talk about fantastic travelling adventures as a solo female traveller but to also share experiences as a traveller with a purpose.

“I am a traveller who likes to immerse herself in a new culture. Learning all there is to know. The good and the bad! If I am not travelling with water filters, I am building homes and/or teaching locals.” – Jen Morilla

The Social Girl TravellerYouTubeInstagramFacebookTwitter

Deanna Troy
Deanna Troy Travels

Have you ever felt you need to make a complete change in your life and go out to see the world? If you have, then you need to follow Deanna Troy, this funny and outgoing influencer started her travel YouTube channel to help other backpackers find adventure in life.

Two years ago, Deanna found herself feeling weighted down. She had been working for many years in a small town in Connecticut at an extremely stressful and under-sourced profession in America. So, she knew she needed to make a change.

One night, while sitting with her boyfriend looking at pictures from their vacation in Mexico they realised it was time to hang up life as they knew it and pack a year’s worth of items into 50 litres and travel 9000 miles to an unfamiliar country.

Even though at the idea seemed crazy at first, the moment they started planning, the pieces fell into place. Throughout the years they have seen Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Australia!

"Taking the plunge was the best decision I ever made, so I want to help other people shake things up and break out of their comfort zones" -Deanna Troy

Deanna Troy TravelsFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterest

Drew Binsky
Travel Vlogger

Wondering why should you follow Drew Binsky? The answer is why not. This full-time travel blogger, video maker and content creator has travelled to 133 countries since 2012, taught English in Korea, has 105M+ video views, 800K+ social media followers and 30K+ monthly blog readers. And is also a 5-handicap golfer and a 2X Guinness World Record holder. Impressive right??

Well, according to Drew there is no end in sight. He feels like he’s just getting started. He is planning to keep living his dream and to visit every country on earth before turning 30.

The travel bug first hit this amazing travel blogger when he studied abroad in Prague. It was after having an incredible semester of living and travelling around Europe that Drew knew he wanted to make a career out of travelling.

While living in Korea, he created and grew The Hungry Partier blog to 150K+ monthly readers and I had about 100K+ social media followers. But in 2016 he decided to rebrand himself as his name and launched his new blog. A more simplified, professional and personal website dedicated to sharing his lifestyle, travel tips and insights around the world.

Above all, Drew's travel content is so authentic and unique. He has great travel tips videos that often become hugely viral. It's his totally down to earth nature and humour that we love. Getting to know locals and meeting new friends in new places he visits is at his core, he manages to grab great stories that are definitely not on any well beaten traveler's path, he uncovers and digs up some real gems! If you want to be entertained as well as inspired to travel, Drew is your man. 

“My ultimate goal is to HELP others get started with travelling. I want to be the #1 resource for you when you think about travelling and I strive to be a role model for the high school/college kids who aspire to become travellers” – Drew Binsky

Drew BinskyFacebookYouTubeInstagramTwitter
Tommy Walker
The Wandering Walker

Tommy Walker has been travelling and seeing the world since 2012. His travel adventures have seen him backpack and live across 6 continents in that time, he now is working full time in the travel industry. Now predominately a freelance travel writer than a blogger, Tommy also works on social media marketing, radio and conservation.

Tommy loves the off beat places, loves being in the jungle, venturing into the unknown and has a love for the ocean, marine life & Scuba diving. While he has also been known to don the hotpants for some Hot Yoga while he is on the road to keep his mind right he says!

Tommy has actually been regular ambassador & contributor to Travello as well, guest writing for us on a number of features, just as he does for many travel brands around the world now. In fact, you may not realise it, but Tommy may well have already influenced many of your travels without you ever knowing anything about him. You see, Tommy is actually the creator and head administrator for over 40 travel groups on Facebook! Most begin with ‘Backpacking’ and ‘Travel’ such as groups for Backpacking Central America or South East Asia Backpacking. There is a link to all of the Facebook Groups he started and manages on his profile links below.

"I’m the same as you, an everyday person just trying to fulfil a dream. The dream is to have a life of travelling, so far, so good.”

The Wandering WalkerFacebookTwitterInstagramFacebook Travel Groups
Carolin Piligrath
Breathing Travel

Many of us wonder if it is possible to combine travel and work. The big question of: How do I take that huge step and support myself while I travel the world? Well, Carolin, the traveller soul behind Breathing Travel may be able to help you with that.

Raised in small country town among chickens and corn fields, at the age of 16, Carolin traded everything she knew and moved to Australia for a year. After that her life has never been the same again. In November 2014, she decided to travel and live overseas permanently, so she sold her car and everything in her apartment and bought a one-way ticket to Thailand. Looking to reach her goal to combine travel with location independent work. Ever since the road has been her home.

She created and grew her successful and popular blog for eternal traveller souls and seekers of unique travel experiences – Breathing Travel. She does house and pet sitting to cover her accommodation expenses and works as an independent digital marketing consultant and web designer to support herself. For her, home is not a place, it is wherever her heart is.

Caroline is currently living her dream. She has extensively travelled around Southeast Asia, jungle trekked through wild Borneo, sat between chickens on a local bus in Vietnam, backpacked through Australia, snorkelled in Fiji, snowboarded through New Zealand, conquered the highest building in the world - the Burj Khalifa, and lived both in Singapore and Peru.

“I am a huge fan of housesitting and believe it’s one of the best ways to live like a local and travel long-term.” Carolin

Breathing TravelFacebookInstagramTwitterPinterest
Alice Pye
Travel Blogger

Alice is one of our earliest ambassadors for Travello. She lives in Queensland Australia but has travelled to over 30 countries so far and loves sharing her adventures through her social channels, the occasional blog as well as videos on YouTube. She is quite the natural in front of the camera too and right at home telling her travel stories through videos.

Alice is one of those ones that we like to call an up and coming, one to watch, one with growing social followings, in particular on Instagram. Alice hopes to inspire others to take the leap and travel too. That is why she started her travel & lifestyle blog, a place where she features her adventures, travel tips, photography and more from around the world.

“I have an insatiable hunger for travel and a passion for photography, writing, keeping active and living life to its fullest potential.” - Alice Pye

Alice PyeYouTube ChannelInstagramFacebookTwitter
May 3, 2018 Sam Lindner , ,
Sam LindnerTravello’s Featured Travel Bloggers Series | Feature 1
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Heron Island | An Underwater Wonderland On The Great Barrier Reef

Heron Island | An Underwater Wonderland On The Great Barrier Reef

Are you looking for a holiday destination where you can truly escape the hustle and bustle, completely disconnect from the outside world and reconnect with nature? Then Heron Island is the little oasis you have been looking for. Aside from staff and invited guests to the Heron Island Research Centre, this is an exclusive island for Heron Island Resort guests only, there are no day-trippers, and, with television-free rooms, no mobile phone reception and limited wifi this is your chance to let go for a few days, to completely escape, if you can control your anxiety about not being connected to the outside world for a few days that is!

This tiny island sits right on top of the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, which completely surrounds the island. It’s so small in fact that It only takes 20-30 minutes to walk all the way around the island. Just what you’ll see on that trip around the island does vary depending on the time of year. For example the Turtle egg laying season begins in November with the last of the hatchlings appearing May/June. While bird life really take off December to March with over 100,000 birds on the small island! Then of course from June to September you’ll also see Humpback Whales breaching along reefs too.

With all the excitement and joy I had on the island though, there were also moments of fear and sadness. Not fear for what lies beneath the waters or lurking in the coral canyons, but a fear that my future grandchildren, in fact even my 4 year old daughter, may not ever have that same opportunity to see the reef as it is today but rather only as a totally bleached, dying or dead reef.

It sickens me to think that. To have to explain to them we possibly had the chance do something about saving the reef but we left it too late for them. The Great Barrier Reef may well sit on the Australian coast line, but this is not an Australian priority, this is a human priority globally. We all need to take action now, not next year or leave it up to someone else.

Now, I don’t want to paint the rest of this story into all doom and gloom, as there are in fact positive things happening, however I hope this serves as a harsh reality check for those that may not have been aware of how serious the situation is.

There is no denying it, the Great Barrier Reef is severely under threat from not just climate change, but also poor water quality, coastal developments and also illegal fishing. We’ve now had an unprecedented coral bleaching event 2 years in a row, with one before that in 2002 and 1998 before that. That is unsustainable, if it happens again over the next 24 months we could be on the brink of an ecological collapse of the oceans due to other marine life affected by the dead corals. As coral, if not completely dead already, can’t rejuvenate when bleaching events are so close, it takes the fastest growing coral 10 years to recover after a bleaching event

Now of course, if you are making the 2 1/2 hr ferry (or 20min sea plane) journey out to Heron Island, then high on your to do list has to be diving on the reefs. As Heron Island boast some of the world’s most incredible reefs to dive on, along with an absolute abundance of amazing marine life such as turtles, huge manta rays (I saw 4 manta rays on one dive!), black and white tip reef sharks and so many large and small colorful fish, not to mention the migrating humpback whales too. All 20 of the dive spots are just a 5-15 minute boat trip from the Heron Island Jetty. There are huge coral cathedrals, the famous Heron Bommie and more.

It’s a very special place indeed, but don’t just take my word for it though, two of the worlds most respected nature explorers, Jacques Cousteau & Sir David Attenborough rate it as one of their most favourite places on earth. In fact, Sir David Attenborough is so passionate about saving the reef that he has a dedicated site just for it here, with Heron Island featuring prominently.

However you don’t even have to be a qualified diver to experience the spectacular marine life and coral gardens, you can simply snorkel right off the beach near the jetty, out to the wreck or around on North Beach or Shark Bay. The choices are endless. In fact, you will see snorkelers from dawn to well after dusk, depending on tide times. In reality the most dangerous animals you will encounter will be possibly the cone shells, do not pick them up, and of course always wear protective footwear when walking out at low tide.

Aside form the diving and snorkelling there is of course still plenty to do. Make sure you get yourself on a guided reef walk at low tide to learn all about the smaller critters on the reef. Or book into the spa for a little pampering too. For the children there is also a great Junior Rangers program to keep them occupied for a couple hours too. I’d also highly recommend the tour of the Queensland University Research Centre on the island too, they are doing incredible work on the island, in particular studies on protecting the reef, which I will get to shortly.

It is one of the greatest, and most splendid natural treasures that the world possesses

Sir David Attenborough

According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, the Great Barrier Reef recorded its hottest-ever average sea surface temperatures for February, March, April, May and June 2016 since records began in 1900.

When combined, this six-month period was also the planet’s warmest half-year on record, with an average air temperature of 1.3 degrees Celsius higher than the late 19th century. June 2016 marked the 14th consecutive month where the monthly global temperature record was broken, the longest such period in the 137-year instrumental temperature record.

Just a couple month ago, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies completed their report on their aerial surveys for 911 reefs along the Great Barrier Reef

Of all the reefs we surveyed, only 7% (68 reefs) have escaped bleaching entirely. At the other end of the spectrum, between 60 and 100% of corals are severely bleached on 316 reefs, nearly all in the northern half of the Reef

ARC Centre for Coral Reef Studies

At the time of putting this article together, the 2017 G20 Summit was being held where the world’s leaders (minus the POTUS), reaffirmed their commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, in fact agreeing to aim lower than the 2-degree global average rising temperature target.

In the same week South Australia announced that Elon Musk’s Tesla has committed to building the world’s biggest lithium ion battery to be connected to a wind farm. Plus, Al Gore was also in the country promoting his movie An Inconvenient Sequel as well.

While at the same time the Australian Government was wheeling and dealing with a company called Adani to build Australia’s newest and largest coal mine in Queensland, one of the world’s biggest in fact and one that would require it to unfortunately be shipped out right through the Great Barrier Reef.

In fact, Deloitte recently completed a review to determine the true economic, social and icon asset value of the Great Barrier Reef and concluded that the value was an estimated $56 Billion. The full report can be viewed here.

However, in my view, if you need to communicate to people that the Reef has a $56 Billion value to us, well, then those people are looking at it from totally the wrong perspective. The Reef does not belong to anyone, it’s Earth’s gift to us all. It lies on Australia’s doorstep and as such Australia is it’s guardian, not its owner, Australia needs to lead the protection of it for the world.

We can still do something about this collectively though, its not all doom and gloom. Infact, right on Heron Island at the Research Centre, Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and his team of scientists from the University of Queensland aim to predict the fate of the Great Barrier Reef into the future by subjecting controlled samples of today’s corals to the higher sea temperatures and increased ocean acidity predicted as a result of climate change 100 years from now.

I managed to get a look at the experiment tubs. Their results are eye opening and shocking, it unquestionably shows almost complete loss of the living corals and reef structure. However their experiments also give a faint glimmer of hope too. If we can manage to stick to the Paris Agreement and CO2 emissions can be stabilized and then reduced, then Professor Hoegh-Guldberg’s team and their scenario experiments on the impact of CO2, temperature and water acidity and quality have shown that we can still positively improve the outlook for the Great Barrier Reef, there is still time to save the reef, if we all act now and governments act responsibly for the long term instead of short term political gains.

Heron Island is such a magical place, it really is. I have another follow up blog that will outline my top 20 tips for your stay at the Heron Island Resort. So in the mean time, I really hope this helps to open your eyes as to why we must act now to help protect the reef’s future.

If you would like to find out how you can get involved to help the Reef visit https://www.barrierreef.org/ to explore all the great information on there. Another great resource is https://www.coralcoe.org.au.

HERON ISLAND GALLERY

September 29, 2017 Sam Lindner , , , ,
Sam LindnerHeron Island | An Underwater Wonderland On The Great Barrier Reef
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Win A New Drone To Take To The Air On Your Next Travel Adventures

Win A New Drone To Take To The Air On Your Next Travel Adventures

TAKE YOUR TRAVEL PICTURES AND VIDEOS TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL, UP, UP & AWAY!

HOW TO ENTER:

To enter, first download Travello if you have not done so yet.
Then post on the feed in the Travello App the following:

 

  1. Post a photo or video from your own travels that your think would inspire others to travel there too.

  2. Include your favourite travel quote on it too.

  3. Lastly, add the hashtag #travellolife to the post as well so that we can easily view your entries

 

There is no limit to the number of entries per person, so you post as many times as you like!

Encourage your friends to like the post too. We will be compiling a final list of 5 entries which we will then post on to Facebook, from there it will be voted by the public as most favourite entry!

PRIZE:

Win a Parrot Bebop Drone –  take your travel shots to a whole new level, into the sky! Valued at $250.
Take aerial video and pictures like a pro. The ultra-light drone with a full HD camera digitally stabilized on 3-axes! Equiped with a 14 megapixel fisheye camera, the Parrot Bebop Drone records videos and pictures in a 180° field with remarkable image quality. A full-digital image stabilization technology allows the Bebop Drone to take remarkably stable and clear aerial footage regardless of the drone movements. Splash and dust proof lens. Please note, prize is for the original Parrot Bebop not the Bebop 2.

COMPETITION TERMS & CONDITIONS

Disclaimer:

This competition is in no way associated, sponsored or administered by either Apple, Google, the App Store, Google Play or Facebook. Parrot, the drone brand is also not associated with this competition, the drone is simply a prize giveaway from Travello.


CONDITIONS OF ENTRY – “WIN A PARROT BEBOP DRONE”

 

Information on how to enter and prizes form part of these Conditions of Entry.
Entry into this promotion is deemed acceptance of these Conditions of Entry by each entrant.
Entry is open to all Travello users who are aged at least 18 years old.
Employees of Travello and their immediate families are not permitted to enter.

Duration of Promotional Period

The competition commences at 4:00pm AEST Tuesday 26th September, 2017.
The competition entires on Travello closes at 11:59pm AEST Friday 20th October, 2017.
The final 5 entries will then be announced by Tuesday 24th October and will then proceed to the final public voting round closing on 29th October at 5pm AEST.

 How to Enter

Eligible entrants can enter the promotion in any of the following way:Persons must have a profile on the Travello App

  • Persons must then post on the Travello feed either or all of the following:
  • Photo/Video from your own travels that was inspiring to you and maybe inspiring to others – mention the location too.
    Include in the comment on the post your favourite travel inspiration quote.
    Tag in #travellolife on the post as well
  • There is no limit to the number of entries per person, so you post as many times as you like!
  • Encourage your friends to like the post too. We will be compiling a final list of 5 entries which we will then post on to Facebook, from there it will be voted by the public as most favourite entry!

Entries received will be considered final by the Promoter. Incomplete, inaccurate, erroneous, illegible or incomprehensible entries will be deemed invalid.

Entries must be received by the Promoter during the promotional period. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected entries.

Any costs associated with accessing the App remain the responsibility of each entrant and are dependent on the Internet Service Provider/Mobile Provider used.

Draw Details

The competition will be drawn by Travello.

There will be a final list of 5 entries chosen by the Travello team that will then go on to be promoted onto Facebook. The eventual winner from those five will be chosen from a mix of engagement such as most likes/comments/shares etc for their entry from the Travello community!

The final 5 will be drawn at 3:00pm AEST Tuesday 24th October, 2017 at Travello headquarters in Brisbane, QLD.

The final 5 will be notified via the Travello App And Email by a direct message before 11:59pm AEST Tuesday 25th October 2017 and will also be announced on the Travello Feed in the app at that time.

From there the final 5 will be posted to our Facebook Feed by 9:30am Wednesday 26th October 2017 and voting will commence.

Voting of the final 5 on Facebook will close at 5pm AEST Sunday 29th October.

The eventual winner will be announced and messaged by 5:30pm AEST Monday 30th October.

The Major Prize Winner has until 5:00pm AEST Monday 6th November, 2017 to claim the prize. Although every effort will be made to contact the prize winners, should an unclaimed prize draw be necessary, in the event that the winner has not been able to be contacted or replied another draw will take place by Travello to select the next winner.

Prize Details

There will be one (1) major prize consisting of the following components:

– Value: AU$250
– Parrot Bebop Drone (Please note this is not the Parrot Bebop 2 Drone, prize is for the original Parrot Bebop Drone)
– Note, the drone hand controller is not included (we think its too bulky for travelling around with). It is able to be controlled by your mobile phone or tablet.
– Example of the drone can be found here – http://global.parrot.com/au/products/bebop-drone/

Winners must take the prizes as offered. Prizes are non-transferable, non-refundable, cannot be sold or exchanged for cash, credit or foreign exchange and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer, discount or promotion. Negotiation with Travello or the prize partners will not be entered into.

Any passes and tickets issued as part of the prize are subject to prevailing terms and conditions of use and any tickets or passes are only valid for use within the stated duration on the passes or tickets issued or the duration of the chosen prize, whichever is earlier.

The Prize Winner consents to the use of their name, suburb of residence and image as well as their entry post for promotional and marketing purposes.

To the extent permitted by law, the Promoter is not responsible or liable for: inaccurate/incorrect transcription of entry information; purported entries that are not received for any reason, including because they are lost, misdirected or stolen, or that are received, but are late, illegible, incomplete, sent with insufficient postage (where entry is by post), or sent other than as directed in the entry instructions; any problems or technical failures of any kind, including malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems or network, servers or providers, computer equipment, or software; the unavailability or inaccessibility of any service whether or not caused by traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website; unauthorised human intervention in any part of the competition; electronic or human error which may occur in the administration of the competition; any loss suffered or sustained, to person or property and including, but not limited to, consequential (including economic) loss by reason of any act or omission, deliberate or negligent, by the Promoter, or its servants or agents, in connection with the arrangement for supply, or the supply, of any goods or services by any person to a prize winner and, where applicable, to any family/persons accompanying a winner; or any injury or damage to persons or property, including to the participant’s or any other person’s computer related to, or resulting from, participation or downloading any materials in this competition.

The promoter, Travello, will be liable for personal injury suffered during prize winnings.

This condition does not affect, and is not intended to affect, any rights a consumer might have, which cannot be excluded under applicable consumer protection laws. To the fullest extent permitted by law, any liability of the Promoter or its servant or agents for breach of any such rights is limited to the payment of the cost of having the prize supplied again.

The Promoter is Travello App trading as TRAVELLO PTY LTD 600 440 953.

The personal information of entrants will be collected to enable the Promoter to administer and promote this competition. All entrants and the Prize Winner may be used to market the Promoter’s services. The personal information of the entrants will be held and used in accordance with the Promoter’s privacy policy which is available at Travel Privacy Policy. The personal information of entrants & winners may be provided to our prize partners and to authorities that regulate this competition. If an entrant does not truthfully provide all requested personal information, the Promoter may determine that they are not eligible to win the prize

September 26, 2017 Sam Lindner , , , ,
Sam LindnerWin A New Drone To Take To The Air On Your Next Travel Adventures
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Win A Cinch Tent + Either A 5nt Japan Ski Package Or A 2nt San Sebastian Surf Trip

Win A Cinch Tent + Either A 5nt Japan Ski Package Or A 2nt San Sebastian Surf Trip

THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED!

Create a profile on the app to find out about our next exciting competition coming soon.

TOTAL PRIZE VALUE WORTH OVER $1,000!

This month we’re giving away a great camping prize along with your choice of a ski or surf holiday package!

COMPETITION CLOSES SUNDAY 27TH AUGUST 11:59PM AEST

Winner takes home a 2-Man Cinch tent + the choice of either a 5 night ski package for 2 to Altitude Madarao Lodge in Japan or a Stoke Travel 2 night surf trip in the heart of Basque Country in San Sebastian in Spain! 

HOW TO ENTER:

To enter, first download Travello if you have not done so yet.
Then post on the feed either 1,2 or 3 of these things. If more than one, a separate post for each.:

  1. Photo/Video of your favourite CAMPING holiday or festival trip & why with the hashtag #cinchtents.
  2. Photo/Video of your favourite SKI location or ski holiday & why with the hashtag #madaraoski.
  3. Photo/Video of your favourite SURF location or surf trip & why with the hashtag #stoketravelsurf

PRIZE 1:

Win a Cinch 2-man Tent, the world’s most advanced pop-up tent. Valued at $470!
Plus also included is the Extended Canopy, Heat Regulating Canopy, LED Lanterns, LED Tent Pegs, Light Reflective Guidelines plus much more!
Cinch is one of Kickstarter’s most successful camping product stories!

View more about these awesome tents here through one of their instructional videos below:

THEN YOUR CHOICE OF EITHER A:

5 Night Ski Package at Altitude Madarao Lodge in Japan
or
2 Night Surf Trip to San Sebastian with Stoke Travel.

SKI PACKAGE:
Value – $900

This ski package at Altitude Madarao Lodge in Japan includes:

  • 5 nights accommodation for 2 people
  • 2 people in a Twin or Queen room with private bathroom
  • Pick up and drop off on arrival and departure at Madarao Ski resort
  • Daily breakfast
  • 3 day lift pass for Madarao and Tangram


Altitude Madarao is a well-appointed recently renovated full service ski lodge with all the extras to make your stay extra comfortable but with out the price tag. Altitude Madarao is located less than 100 meters from the runs at Madarao Ski resort which is know for it’s high snowfall and great tree skiing located in both Nagano and Niigata Prefectures.

If you are looking for a taste of what the snow and skiing is like at Madarao, then check out the video below:

SURF PACKAGE:
Value – $210

This surf trip with Stoke Travel in San Sebastian includes the following:

  • Stoke surf house dorm accommodation
  • Pick up/drop off from San Sebastián (12:30-13:00pm) or Zarautz (email info@stoketravel.com to arrange)
  • Chef-prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner daily
  • Daily surf lessons and equipment use
  • Unlimited Beer & Sangria!
  • Experienced surf guides
  • Local activities and party nights
  • Awesome guides for Semana Grande
  • Hiking
  • Cliff Jumping
  • Slip n Slide
  • Daily yoga
  • Pick up/drop off in San Sebastián (12:30-1pm) and Zarautz. Please email info@stoketravel.com to confirm your pick up at least 24 hours in advance.

If you are looking for a taste of the San Sebastian Surf Trip with Stoke Travel then check out their video here:

COMPETITION TERMS & CONDITIONS

Disclaimer:

This competition is in no way associated, sponsored or administered by either Apple or Google or the App Store and Google Play.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY – “WIN A CINCH TENT PLUS EITHER A MADARAO SKI PACKAGE OR STOKE TRAVEL SURF TRIP”

  1. Information on how to enter and prizes form part of these Conditions of Entry.  Entry into this promotion is deemed acceptance of these Conditions of Entry by each entrant.
  2. Entry is open to all Travello users who are aged at least 18 years old.
  3. Employees of Cinch Popup Tents, Madarao Lodge, Stoke Travel or Travello and their immediate families are not permitted to enter.

Duration of Promotional Period

  1. The competition commences at 4:00pm AEST Monday 24th July, 2017.
  2. The competition closes at 11:59pm AEST Sunday 27th August, 2017.

 How to Enter

  1. Eligible entrants can enter the promotion in any of the following way:
  1. Persons must have a profile on the Travello App
  2. Persons must then post on the Travello feed either or all of the following on separate posts:
  3. Photo/Video of your favourite camping holiday or festival trip & why with the the hashtag #cinchtents
    Photo/Video of your favourite ski location or ski holiday & why with the hashtag #madaraoski
    Photo/Video of your favourite surf location or surf trip & why with the hashtag #stoketravelsurf
  4. There is no limit to the number of entries per person, so you post as many times as you like!
  1. Entries received will be considered final by the Promoter. Incomplete, inaccurate, erroneous, illegible or incomprehensible entries will be deemed invalid. Entries must be received by the Promoter during the promotional period. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected entries.
  2. Any costs associated with accessing the App remain the responsibility of each entrant and are dependent on the Internet Service Provider/Mobile Provider used.

Draw Details

  1. The competition will be drawn by Travello.
  2. There will be one (1) Prize draw with one (1) Major Prize Winner drawn by Travello and chosen based on photo/video and post entry from all eligible entries received.
  3. The major prize draw will take place at 3:00pm AEST Wednesday 30th August, 2017 at Travello headquarters in Brisbane, QLD.
  4. The Major Prize Winners will be notified by a direct message through the Travello app before 11:59pm AEST Sunday 27th August 2017 and the result will be published on the Travello Feed by 9:00am AEST Friday 1st September 2017 if we have confirmed with the winner by that time.
  5. The Major Prize Winners have until 5:00pm AEST Monday 4th September, 2017 to claim the prize. Although every effort will be made to contact the prize winners, should an unclaimed prize draw be necessary, in the event that the winner has not been able to be contacted or replied another draw will take place by Travello to select the next winner.

Prize Details

  1. There will be one (1) major prize consisting of the following components:

– Value: AU$470
– Cinch 2-Man Tent Package. Package includes the 2-man tent, extended canopy, heat & light regulating canopy along with all standard inclusion in their 2-man tent packages found here : https://www.cinchpopuptents.com.au/products/2-man-tent

Plus then the winner has the choice to choose from the following two other prizes:

1/ 5 Night Package to Altitude Madarao Lodge, Madarao, Japan. Value is AU$900.

This package includes:

  • 5 nights accommodation for 2 people
  • 2 people in a Twin or Queen room with private bathroom
  • Pick up and drop off on arrival and departure at Madarao Ski resort
  • Daily breakfast
  • 3 day lift pass for Madarao and Tangram

*Please note flights are NOT included in the prize package

2/  2 night surf trip with Stoke Travel to San Sebastian, Spain. Value is AU$210.

This package includes:

  • Stoke surf house dorm accommodation
  • Pick up/drop off from San Sebastián (12:30-13:00pm) or Zarautz (email info@stoketravel.com to arrange)
  • Chef-prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner daily
  • Daily surf lessons and equipment use
  • Experienced surf guides
  • Unlimited Beer & Sangria!
  • Local activities and party nights
  • Awesome guides for Semana Grande
  • Hiking
  • Cliff Jumping
  • Slip n Slide
  • Daily yoga
  • Pick up/drop off in San Sebastián (12:30-1pm) and Zarautz. Please email info@stoketravel.com to confirm your pick up at least 24 hours in advance.

*Please note flights are NOT included in this prize package

TOTAL PRIZE VALUE UP TO $1,370 AUD (if Tent + Altitude Madarao Ski trip chosen)

  1. The following are not included as part of the prizes: all other out of pocket expenses including any required flights, travel insurance, additional meals, beverages, laundry services, spending money, transfers, optional excursions, tipping, passports, visas and all other ancillary costs not expressly provided, as well as the costs of obtaining any of these. These are the responsibility of the Prize Winner.
  2. Winners must take the prizes as offered. Prizes are non-transferable, non-refundable, cannot be sold or exchanged for cash, credit or foreign exchange and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer, discount or promotion. Negotiation with Travello or the prize partners will not be entered into.
  3. Any passes and tickets issued as part of the prize are subject to prevailing terms and conditions of use and any tickets or passes are only valid for use within the stated duration on the passes or tickets issued or the duration of the chosen prize, whichever is earlier.
  4. The Prize Winner consents to the use of their name, suburb of residence and image as well as their entry post for promotional and marketing purposes.
  5. To the extent permitted by law, the Promoter is not responsible or liable for: inaccurate/incorrect transcription of entry information; purported entries that are not received for any reason, including because they are lost, misdirected or stolen, or that are received, but are late, illegible, incomplete, sent with insufficient postage (where entry is by post), or sent other than as directed in the entry instructions; any problems or technical failures of any kind, including malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems or network, servers or providers, computer equipment, or software; the unavailability or inaccessibility of any service whether or not caused by traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website; unauthorised human intervention in any part of the competition; electronic or human error which may occur in the administration of the competition; any loss suffered or sustained, to person or property and including, but not limited to, consequential (including economic) loss by reason of any act or omission, deliberate or negligent, by the Promoter, or its servants or agents, in connection with the arrangement for supply, or the supply, of any goods or services by any person to a prize winner and, where applicable, to any family/persons accompanying a winner; or any injury or damage to persons or property, including to the participant’s or any other person’s computer related to, or resulting from, participation or downloading any materials in this competition.
  6. Neither the Promoter, Travello nor the prize partners of Cinch Popup Tents, Altitude Madarao or Stoke Travel will be liable for personal injury suffered during prize winnings.
  7. This condition does not affect, and is not intended to affect, any rights a consumer might have, which cannot be excluded under applicable consumer protection laws. To the fullest extent permitted by law, any liability of the Promoter or its servant or agents for breach of any such rights is limited to the payment of the cost of having the prize supplied again.
  8. The Promoter is Travello App trading as TRAVELLO PTY LTD 600 440 953.
  9. The personal information of entrants will be collected to enable the Promoter to administer and promote this competition. All entrants and the Prize Winner may be used to market the Promoter’s services. The personal information of the entrants will be held and used in accordance with the Promoter’s privacy policy which is available at Travel Privacy Policy. The personal information of entrants & winners may be provided to our prize partners and to authorities that regulate this competition. If an entrant does not truthfully provide all requested personal information, the Promoter may determine that they are not eligible to win the prize

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July 24, 2017 Sam Lindner , , , , , , , ,
Sam LindnerWin A Cinch Tent + Either A 5nt Japan Ski Package Or A 2nt San Sebastian Surf Trip
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12 Travel Blogger Insights On Self-Discovery Through Travel

12 Travel Blogger Insights On Self-Discovery Through Travel

Welcome to Part 1 of our 4-part Travel Blogger series.

If you missed the background and intro blog to this series, please feel free to read up on it first here.

Don’t forget if you’d like to join the Travello Travel Bloggers Group click here or the Solo Travellers, Travel Photographers or Digital Nomads Groups too.

Travello is not only a social network for travellers to discover and meet other like-minded travellers, it also enables like-minded travel writers, bloggers and photographers to join dedicated groups in the app now to share and discuss their travel advice, stories and adventures.

For many people, travel is an escape from everyday life. It’s something that most only get to do maybe once or twice a year, or for many more people, even less often than that. So it’s through travel stories, pictures and videos, all of which are at our digital finger tips in an instant, that help feed that hunger to be somewhere else, to travel to new places. There are so many new places out there in the world that people want to go and visit. For example, some people love the idea of going to Manhattan, if this is a place that you would like to go to then you might want to check out these Times Square hotels.

So travel bloggers are key to this, they help fire our imaginations, to help kindle our dreams to travel, to inspire us all to follow our dream to travel more often. For travel bloggers, travel is their everyday life, there is nothing that they want to escape from!

Generally, travel bloggers are referred to as “lucky”. They are so lucky to be able to travel the world, they are so lucky to live the life they live, they are so lucky to live their dream job. The reality is though, there is no luck to it. Most set off with not much more in their own back pockets but a dream, a dream to see the world, to experience new cultures and diversity, to find adventure or let adventure find them. A high paying career in travel is not what they set off into the sunset each day for.

Travel is much more than the outward stories they tell, stories which give you a chance to experience these destinations through the lens of their own eyes. That visual and written representation of what they discover on their travels is just half the story. One of the most intriguing stories about their journeys actually takes place inside themselves, their journey of self-discovery through their travels.

That’s what we really wanted to find out from them. We didn’t want their top tips for this place or that place, but rather, for them to open up and share what it is that they have discovered about themselves or about travel itself so that we can share that with you to possibly inspire you to look at your own travel or holidays in a different light.

We compiled this list of 12 core or common insights from them, however for their full quotes please read on further where you will also be able to discover their own stories through links to their blogs and social.

12 Travel Blogger Insights About Self-Discovery Through Travel

  1. There are three core traits you learn from travel – Tolerance, Appreciation & Patience. This one rang true across so many of their responses.
  2. Travel is not escapism, it’s life education. It grows your gratitude for life itself.
  3. Every day travel forces you to step out of your comfort zones
  4. Travel opens your eyes to discover that diversity transcends into similarities across the world
  5. Travel opens our eyes, sprit and heart. It’s an opportunity to see the world through new eyes, expand your views, realising how small your problems are in reality.
  6. Travel makes you feel like a citizen of the world, differences dissolve when you immerse yourself and discover the heart of their being.
  7. Sailing is for boats, not your life. Don’t just sail through life and just exist, but rather go live it. Embrace the excitement of the unknown that traveling teaches you.
  8. You never return home the same person you were after travelling. When we get home, home is still the same but on each return home there is something new in our mind that has changed each time, it gets rewired every time.
  9. Travel teaches self confidence and to stare down your fears, it gives you the confidence to simply smile at strangers. We forget that a friendly smile offers so much.
  10. A lot of people, especially the closest ones, will not understand why you do it, but that’s ok, this is your journey, not theirs.
  11. Travel teaches you to fall in love with yourself again. We are so busy trying to get people to love/like us, sometimes we forget to be attractive to ourselves. Travel helps to find that inner glow of happiness, to be at one with who you are.
  12. Travel teaches you that it’s never too late to start something new, we mean anything new!

And the BONUS one:

  • Shhhh, you don’t actually need to be rich to travel the world, just creative, determined and be prepared to travel with an open heart not just an open wallet!

NOTE: If any other travel bloggers would like to take part with some answers please feel free to email ambassadors@travelloapp.com

Picture Credit - DanFlyingSolo

Picture Credit – DanFlyingSolo

The following are the actual comments from our travel bloggers that participated in this question. Feel free to check out all of their social profiles and follow their on going travel stories!

Megan Seamans & Andrew Johnston | INDEFINITE TRAVEL | https://www.indefinitetravel.com

“Writing a travel blog for us is so much more than just showing off where we have been. It’s about inspiring others to go out and see this beautiful world we live in and find themselves on the way. For us, traveling is more than just checking items off our bucket list. Travel is more than just seeing new places and having pretty photos to post on Instagram. Travel is about seeing the world through new eyes, it’s about expanding our views to so much more than we ever knew they could be. It’s about figuring out how small our problems are in this world. Traveling opens our eyes, spirit and heart all at once and shatters any troubles we needed to leave behind.” – Megan & Andrew

Regitse Cecillie Rosenvinge | The Copenhagen Traveler | www.thecopenhagentraveler.com

“My biggest motivation is freedom. With that being said, there’s definitely another side to it: inner growth. You can practice yoga and meditation, which I already do, but traveling – either solo or with a bunch of people – makes you reflect on life and gives you the strength to look deep inside of yourself. I got to know myself so much better after traveling alone, and even though I love traveling with someone else too, I still somehow prefer to venture out on my own. It’s a satisfying yet sometimes scary feeling and I love it!” – Regitse Cecillie Rosenvinge

Jennifer Morilla | The Social Girl Traveler | www.TheSocialGirlTraveler.com

“I love inspiring people. Whether it’s a travel or just step out of your comfort zone. It’s definitely the most rewarding part about what I do. Traveling allows for growth. Whether it’s growing intellectually or personally. There is no price point for an experience like this. Traveling full-time has changed my life in multiple ways. With everything comes a struggle but the reward will always surpass.

If you’re looking for a moment where you need to reflect on your life; on your beliefs. Traveling will allow you to learn more than you could have ever imagined. It will be (it is) your greatest experience.” – Jennifer Morilla

Dan James | DAN FLYING SOLO | https://www.danflyingsolo.com

“For many, travel is about escapism, for some experiences, but for me it is Education. Being lucky to visit so many incredible places around the world and interact with cultures, religions and places that many can only try to understand from the news is something I will never take for granted. When you can stand in a spot where genocide took place and speak to a survivor, or travel to Palestine, somewhere which is often hard to understand from the outside, and have various stereotypes crushed or simply understand what life truly is like can not be rivalled by any book or documentary. The more I travel, the more I get to and want to learn. Travelling has literally changed my life, my outlook, and my gratitude and I just wish everyone could have the opportunity to experience that.” – Dan James

Lisa Bundesen | The Middle Age Wanderer | www.themiddleagewanderer.com

“Being in my middle age and having spent many years building a career with a very single focus, I realised that there was more to life. I had also struggled with my weight most of my adult life. So I needed to do something drastic to change my life. I booked my husband and myself on a trip to Peru to hike the Inca Trail. It meant I had 9 months to lose weight and get fit. That journey changed my life. Over the three days hiking the Inca Trail, I knew I could not give up. Those three days was an amazing self-discovery for me. It allowed me to realise that I could do things I never thought I could, both physically and mentally. Now I am fitter and healthier than ever and much of our travel now includes much more active activities including hiking in New Zealand and Tasmania. For those of us in our middle age, we can’t let our life go by without exploring and learning and travel allows us to do that.” -Lisa Bundesen

Emma & Yannick | Luxurybackpacking | http://luxurybackpacking.net

“Just after school, we decided not to be part of “the rat race”, but to go abroad instead. Since 2014 when we left school, we have travelled to over 30 countries ranging from the remote Lord Howe Island, off the coast of Australia to hiring a mustang in the desert of Nevada.

We think travelling abroad and getting in touch with other cultures is the most important thing to do, in order to achieve a mindset and personality of tolerance, appreciation and patience. That’s because if you never see anything apart from the place you’re born in, you’ll take everything for granted that there is.

One of our favourite travel quotes we believe is so relevant in todays society is: ‘You don’t have to be rich to travel well.’ Once you’ve gone abroad, you’ll stop complaining about things. You’ll start appreciating the positive things about your life instead of whining about small things that are actually no cause of trouble.” – Emma & Yannick

Alice Pye | alicepye.com

“I absolutely thrive off telling people about my adventures of travelling, it’s what brings me alive and I think because of that, I get people asking me questions about my experiences and that then motivates me to see more and tell more. It’s really humbling to have people say to you, “Keep travelling, I live through you!” – but with that I want to encourage those people to do it too. You can learn a lot by staying at home, but you can learn SO much more by stepping into unknown land. Your senses are heightened in every way and it’s true when they say you’ll never come home the same person.” – Alice Pye

Bruno Barroso | Geeky Explorer

“Being outside of my comfort zone is a golden opportunity to get face-to-face with my inner fears, concerns and needs and learn to manage them everyday. And I can’t think of a most suitable situation where this happens other than when we’re on the road. If you think about it, traveling is constantly challenging you! Sometimes this is enlightening as I get to discover new skills and new inner motivations. Other times it can be hard and even stressful, but that’s where growth comes from.

Personally, traveling helped me a lot with my shyness. Before, I would classify myself as introvert – simply beginning a conversation with random strangers was a big deal for me. But every time I am on the road, I have to do it. To ask for directions, to haggle a tour price or simply when I want extra butter during the breakfast. At the beginning it was not easy, but with time I started to lose whatever fears I had. Today I don’t think I’m an introvert anymore and I can find joy in chatting with random people abroad, smiling back to strangers and sharing different points of view on life. It makes the whole travel experience more complete and yes I’m pretty sure most of it has to do with all the time I was traveling!” – Bruno Barrosso

Jamie and Lukas | www.twosundowners.com

“The most important discovery is that life is flexible and we are all extremely influenced by societal standards. After traveling for a while now I realized more and more that every human has a choice to be free and live life in their own way: I do not HAVE to marry before I’m 30, I do not HAVE to have to work my ass off for an “important” company that doesn’t give two craps about me, just so I have a pension when I’m old. I do not HAVE to spend my life tied to a desk with the only actual free days being the weekends. I do not HAVE to wait until I’m old to have some freedom and I do NOT owe society anything. My advice to travellers is exactly this: Chill out. Breathe. Respect others and be tolerant. It’s actually as simple as that.” – Jamie and Lukas

Brenda G. Mejía | www.Traveleira.com

“The biggest joy of being a Travel Blogger is actually finding myself every time I can do the two things that I love the most: traveling and writing. Becoming a travel blogger was something incidental and fortunately, I made it part of who I am and of how I live. Maybe it hasn’t been the easiest path, maybe a lot of people, especially the closest ones, still don’t understand but every day I’m a lot more grateful of all the things travel blogging have give me so far” – Brenda Mejía

Fatima Dhaif | www.voguenvagabonds.com

“Why do I love traveling so much? Our lives can be spent in the same places, day in and day out, and we become numb to our surroundings. But when we walk down unfamiliar streets, our consciousness is heightened. It’s the exotic location, new smells, sounds and sights that stimulate me. It’s the curiosity that keeps me inspired and alive.

Another aspect that I really enjoy about traveling is meeting new people and learning about their country and culture. I enjoy interacting with the locals and making friends around the world. When we get home, home is still the same but something in our mind has changed.” – Fatima Dhaif

Chantell Glenville | www.TravelForYourLife.com I

Author of the best-selling book Travel for Your Life which shows people how to get over the obstacles that too frequently stop them from traveling and what the benefits of traveling will be.

“I love that I’m able to help save other people time in planning their routes by writing about the places I’ve travelled and provide support for those who might be worried about taking their first trip. The more people who travel the better as far as I’m concerned. It’s one of the most beneficial life experiences you can have.” – Chantell Glenville

Amalia Silva | Little Foot Adventures | www.littlefootadventures.com

“The thing I love the most since becoming a travel blogger is that I have received much more information about insiders from the country I am about to travel to and I have discovered amazing places because of that. I discover that I actually need less to travel than when I started, these days I like to travel light and even while I am way I learn to make myself simple, sometimes just flip flops and a dress is enough, which was something that I would not have imagined before.” – Amalia Silva

Cora | The Path She Took | http://www.thepathshetook.com/

“My favourite part about being a blogger is, by FAR, when I receive a message or a comment of someone telling how they agree with me or how I’ve made them realized something, or moved them, or taught them something important … my blog is about green travel, so it’s pretty opinionated and it makes that kind of message even more sincere and beautiful! ” – Cora

Ava Pendl | www.KickingAsana.com

“Every day that you travel is a day outside of your comfort zone and a day for you to look at the world from a new perspective. Sure, you could be spending a day hanging out at your hostel writing or taking a nap on the beach, but you’re constantly learning about the world and yourself when you step outside of your norm and learn someone else’s. Being able to write about these experiences clarifies everything and helps you understand your journey. This notion fuels me to continue onward on a path of adventure through bad situations, great memories, and further into getting to know myself and the world better.” – Ava Pendl

Claire Summers | www.clairesitchyfeet.com

“Travel for me is always a learning experience. It’s not about judgment of other cultures but acceptance and understanding. Wherever I am and whatever I’m doing learning is always at the heart of it. So far in Guatemala, I’ve learnt to weave in the traditional Mayan way, cook local food, attempt to learn Spanish (still on-going) and from every person I have met and spoken to they have left an imprint of some kind from the conversations we have had and the time we shared. That is the gift of travel for me, meeting new people, having new experiences and letting each person and experience change you just a little bit.” – Claire Summers

Lola Méndez | Miss Filatelista

“Solo travel can lead to the strongest sense of self-love. You have to take care of yourself and prioritize your needs when you’re on the road, especially when you’re interacting with and trusting complete strangers. The advice I get most often from psychics and random people on the road is not to trust anyone. But I take that advice with a grain of salt, as I trust myself and my ability to stay clear from dangerous encounters and persons. I’ve been amazed at my ability to be nimble in tense situations, throw back hesitations in embarrassing moments and really live deeply through the experiences I have been fortunate enough to have through traveling. I think any traveller would tell you they fall a little bit in love with themselves after overcoming an unusually rough day, or achieving something from their travel ‘bucket list.” – Lola Méndez

Steph Dyson | WorldlyAdventurer.com

“I started travel blogging at the end of five long years of teaching in a UK secondary school. It hardly needs pointing out that the difference between the two was stark: going from days that were regulated down to the minute (thanks to the shrill ring of the lesson bell) and where I was surrounded by people every second of the working day, to the luxury of being able to choose my hours – and my location – upon a whim. Moving from stability to eternal precarious living took some getting used to, but the more time I’ve spent exploring and writing about South America, the more I’ve fallen in love with a profession that on the surface is as easy as picking up your laptop and writing.

I’ve also learned how it’s never too late to start something new, whether it’s a language or a whole new career. I think that regardless of whether anyone wants to become a travel blogger or wants purely to see the world, it’s a way of discovering what things you’re passionate about, having the time to reflect on your way of living and maybe even take some huge, life-changing decisions.” – Steph Dyson

Marlies | http://www.magnificentescape.com

“I have discovered that it is ok to be more open and letting people in. I was very insecure when I was younger and making that step to see the world made me more open/social. I also realized I can do way more and am stronger then I have ever thought. The ‘world’ also doesn’t end when something doesn’t goes as planned and that there is always a solution. The advice I give travelers is that the world is a beautiful place and that you have to discover it sooner then later. You will make friends for a lifetime and learn more about yourself and the world around you as long as you have an open mind and positive attitude.” – Marlies

Ana Asanovic | www.utiscisaputovanja.com

“My self-discovery through travel changed me in a way that it encouraged me to take huge life steps. I moved from Serbia to Australia, alone, not knowing anybody in Melbourne.

Travel made me see how other people live and made me question my life choices. Made me realize how change is good and how people can adapt to living in other cultures and countries, and that being born in one country does not mean we need to spend our entire lives there. Traveling has made me feel like a citizen of the world, and that is something I have always felt, but with travel it has just confirmed to be true.” – Ana Asanovic

Amber Zulfiqar | www.ambyzee.wordpress.com

“You see how the word ‘Ravel’ comes in travel? As a travel blogger, I believe it’s one of the fastest, most long lasting ways to untangle your inner knots and open them to new perspectives, unravel the hidden persona that lives within you but you might not have been aware of it earlier. Travelling changes you from where you had been to where you’re now.

Solo travel is something everyone must experience at least once in a lifetime, it helps you understand yourself better, reflect upon your thoughts, both those that have gone by and those you yet plan to execute. It sets in great confidence, strengthens your power to make decisions and teaches you to cope when needed. Be around people you don’t know, who don’t speak your language, learn a few words from them and teach them some of yours, leave a part of you behind and bring back some of theirs. It’s okay if you’ve lost an item there, think like you’ve left a story of your life there which will remain there and go places and no one will know where it came from.

All of this teaches you to accept the strange, calm down because nothing is permanent, encounter the unexpected and be content with little, because you can’t carry too much at once anyway.” – Amber Zulfiqar

Raghav Modi | https://tickereatstheworld.com

“Personally, travelling has been the best form of introspection there ever could be; being in foreign lands, meeting and understanding people from different cultures, exploring the diversities that transcend into similarities, and experiencing adventures that are unique to certain regions – makes me realise that although the world has become so small it is still packed with so much beauty that many a lifetimes are needed to appreciate it in its entirety.” – Raghav Modi

Start connecting with new travel friends from over 170 countries today.

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February 28, 2017 Sam Lindner ,
Sam Lindner12 Travel Blogger Insights On Self-Discovery Through Travel
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Create Your Own Travel Reality Shows By Winning Our GoPro Pack

Create Your Own Travel Reality Shows By Winning Our GoPro Pack

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Stop wasting time watching reality TV!

It’s time to start creating your own reality shows,

your very own travel reality shows!

Simply WIN our $1,000 GoPro Pack or a $1,000 (AUD) Travel Voucher to start you off on your own travel adventure stories around the globe! Entry is simple if you have the app. So first thing if you have not done so is to download the app! Then follow the instructions below.

Win a GoProJoin the Travello Competitions Group Here to get started!

 

Travello is the app where travellers connect from all over the world!

COMPETITIONS TERMS & CONDITIONS:

  • Entry is open to residents from all countries over the age of 18
  • Prize options include either 1 x AUD$1,000 Go Pro Packages (exact package can be compiled by the winner) or a 1 x $AUD1,000 Travel Voucher to the travel operator of the winner’s choice. Prize is not transferable for cash.
  • Value of prize is in AUD
  • Competition Dates: 10th February to 13th March 2017
  • Entry requirements: Join the Travello Competitions Group, post on the feed an update of a photo and comment depicting what is your most favourite or memorable travel destination and why.
  • Competition is a game of skill, Travello holds the right to choose the winner they deem to best fulfil the competition entry requirements.
  • Winner will be chosen and announced by 17th March and announced on the feed in the Travello App as well across Travello’s social channels.
  • Winner will be notified directly by all confirmed contact details from their registration/profile on the app.

Start connecting with new travel friends from over 170 countries today.

Available for iOS and Android

IPHONE ANDROID

February 27, 2017 Sam Lindner , ,
Sam LindnerCreate Your Own Travel Reality Shows By Winning Our GoPro Pack
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