{"id":10270,"date":"2020-06-22T14:24:25","date_gmt":"2020-06-22T04:24:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/?p=10270"},"modified":"2020-11-11T11:44:00","modified_gmt":"2020-11-11T01:44:00","slug":"8-reasons-im-excited-to-only-be-travelling-in-oz-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/australia\/real-travel-stories\/excited-travel-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"8 reasons I\u2019m excited to only be travelling in Oz this year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some people are seriously bummed about not being able to travel overseas this year. But not me. I\u2019m thrilled to have some dedicated Oz holiday time \u2013 and I plan to make the most of it. Here are eight reasons why I\u2019m stoked to only be travelling in Australia this year.<\/p>\n

1. Australia is MASSIVE and ridiculously diverse<\/h2>\n

I don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve noticed, but Australia is absolutely enormous and so full of different landscapes, people and experiences. Here you\u2019ll find ancient rainforests, snow-capped mountains, tropical islands, otherworldly deserts, world-class wine regions, charming villages, free-spirited towns, exciting cities and everything in between.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a country that\u2019s home to the oldest continuing human civilisation IN THE WORLD \u2013 Australian Aboriginal culture, which is made up of more than 250 languages and over 500 clans.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a place that people from all over the world choose to call home, bringing their unique cultures and traditions with them. You can see the world in this country without using your passport once. How cool is that?<\/p>\n

\"Woman
Me at Cape Tribulation, where the oldest rainforest in the world (the Daintree) meets the world\u2019s largest living organism (the Great Barrier Reef). I can be obnoxious anywhere \ud83d\ude1c<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. All the food<\/h2>\n

Not only can you see the world in Oz, but you can eat it too \u2013 and that\u2019s definitely a priority for me. Here you can munch on a different cuisine for every meal, every day. And it doesn\u2019t matter if you go casual or fancy because, either way, it\u2019s almost always awesome. Now that\u2019s what I (and my tastebuds) call a win \ud83e\udd24<\/p>\n

\"Waffle
THE most incredible waffle at Putia Pure Kitchen in Banyo, Brisbane. You can find amazing food everywhere in Oz \ud83e\udd24<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. My Aussie travel list is looooong \u2013 and it keeps on growing!<\/h2>\n

One of the only downsides of getting paid to research and write about travel is your holiday list keeps growing (I know, your heart bleeds for me). My holiday list is loooooong and it\u2019s full of amazing Australian destinations and experiences. I still haven\u2019t seen the Great Barrier Reef (how is that possible?!). I\u2019m hanging out to visit Nambung National Park (and see the Pinnacles!) in WA. And my partner and I have been planning to do the Mount Kosciusko Summit Walk for literally years.<\/p>\n

This is the year to make a dent in your Aussie holiday or bucket list. I say bring it on!<\/p>\n

4. All the cute animals<\/h2>\n

\"Quokka<\/p>\n

Look at that little face! Don\u2019t you just want to sit and watch her all day (from a respectable distance, of course)? If quokkas (and platypuses and echidnas and little penguins and Tassie devils and fur seals and potaroos and wombats and\u2026 well, all our adorable Aussie animal friends) don\u2019t scream, \u201cBest holiday destination ever!\u201d I don\u2019t know what does.<\/p>\n

5. I can save leave and cash<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s easy to get tempted by a cheap international flight, but even with bargain deals international trips always somehow end up more expensive than local ones.<\/p>\n

You see, you have to pay for EVERYTHING \u2013 the flights, the accommodation, the passports, the visas, the insurance, the currency conversion and withdrawal fees. And when you travel so far, you tend to stay for longer, which makes the trip even more expensive. And there\u2019s all those little extras that seem to creep in, like new luggage (because there\u2019s no way your old backpack is going to survive a 14-hour flight) or tours (because sometimes sightseeing on your own in a totally new destination \u2013 especially one where you don\u2019t speak the language \u2013 is just too tricky).<\/p>\n

But when you travel in Oz, you can make your holiday as big and flashy or as chilled and wallet-friendly as you like. You can luxe out in the Whitsundays for a fortnight, all expenses paid, or you can kick back in Jervis Bay, NSW, having barbecues by the beach and watching the whales. You can take a month and explore the Top End, four-wheel driving through some of the most remote landscapes in the world, or you can hop on a cheap flight to Melbs and spend a weekend shopping and bar-hopping. You can have an amazing getaway and spend as much \u2013 or as little \u2013 of your leave and cash as you like.<\/p>\n

6. Big Things and random roadside attractions<\/h2>\n

Yeah, the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal are great and all, but have you snapped a selfie with the Big Melon in Chinchilla, QLD?<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Cassie Britland (@cassiebritland)<\/a> on