Articles By

Alyson Long

Is There a Beach in Cairns? Where to Swim or Cool Off.

Cairns, Australia, is one of the stepping off points for snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, but is there a beach ...
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We’re Going to Malaysia!

Why did we choose Malaysia as the first destination on our family gap year? I’m going to tell you. Air ...
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Making Money Selling Second Hand Stuff

We’re in the process of decluttering, losing our possessions, ready to hit the world for a few years. But here’s ...
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Mongolia on The Trans Mongolian Express

Technically, The Trans Siberian Express doesn’t exist, I’ve Googled it to check. It’s the Trans Siberian Railway or the Trans ...
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Where to go on a RTW. Russia.

We took a 12 month RTW ( Round The World Trip) in 2000. A long time ago, I know, but ...
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Golden Temple Patan Nepal (Rat Temple)

The Golden Temple and Buddhist monastery Hiraṇyavarṇa Mahāvihāra also Kwa Bahahas existed in Kathmandu since 1409. The temple is just ...
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Rusty’s Market Cairns

Looking for a foodie treat in Cairns or this area of Far North Queensland? I’ve posted about London’s Borough Market ...
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Finding Love Through Travel

I’m going to tell you my story, it’s not just about finding love through travel, it’s about having the guts ...
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Crocodile Spotting in Port Douglas

Yes, we have saltwater crocodiles in Queensland and yes, they can eat you. But mostly they don’t, which is good. ...
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Feeding George The Groper

Want to know what’s top of my “Things to do in Port Douglas” list? Well, I always say that feeding George ...
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Planning Family Travel: The First Six Months

We are a family setting off to travel the world. We’re not planning a gap year, we’re planning to travel ...
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What Does A Homeschool Day Look Like?

What is homeschooling like? A real homeschooling family, that homeschooled from 6 – 18 years old, explains what a typical ...
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Let’s Hear It For The Chefs!

  And the kitchen porters, the housekeeping staff, the gardeners, front of house, maintenance and everyone else working to make ...
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Ayutthaya Floating Market, With A Tiger

The Ayutthaya Floating Market This floating market just outside Ayuthaya, Thailand, was so remarkable, so odd, so strange yet delicious, ...
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Ayutthaya Travel Blog

Ayuthaya  (also spelt Ayutthaya or Ayudhya) was the second capital of old Siam (1360-1767) after Sukhothai. This ancient city to ...
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Gardening In The Tropics

I’m no expert on gardening in the tropics, I’ve lived here for 5 years, in tropical Queensland,  I’m a British ...
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My Biggest Travel Regrets

Many people will regret not travelling. But does anyone actually regret travel? A group of travel bloggers look at their ...
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A Tropical Christmas in Port Douglas Australia

Honestly, I’m confused, my head is a mess. I spent forty-two years experiencing Christmas in winter. December, in my mind, ...
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The First Day Of Summer

Yesterday was the first day of summer in Australia. It brought wind and rain to Port Douglas, looks a bit ...
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Why Love India?

Why do I love India? I fell in love with India a long time ago. I think it had something ...
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A Scary Scuba Diving Story – The Yongala

The scary scuba diving story is the scariest of my travel horror stories.  If you’re  learning to scuba dive, read ...
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School Sores or Impetigo, a Horrible Tropical Disease.

We live in the tropics, Far North Queensland, we get horrible tropical diseases, more so, because we have children, adorable little ...
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What’s it Like To Experience a Total Solar Eclipse (Port Douglas) in Photos

We’ve just got back from observing the total solar eclipse at Four Mile Beach Port Douglas, the whole experience was ...
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Snorkelling On The Great Barrier Reef

Is snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef on the top of your bucket list?  It’s an experience like no other, ...
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Kopi Luwak. Civet Poop Coffee

Kopi Luwak or Luwak Coffee is often described as the most expensive coffee in the world, prized for it’s mellow ...
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Small Group Adventure Holidays. What Are They Like?

Small group adventure holidays usually involve travel to an adventure holiday destination, domestic or international, and touring or taking part ...
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Being a Beach Cleaning Volunteer with Tangaroa Blue

I’d love to get a long-term volunteer position while we are traveling, but, it’s hard to get into. it’s often ...
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Where are we going to go?

Well, who knows?  We’d like to see a few new places and, of course, we have favourite countries from our ...
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Packing Anxiety

My husband laughs at my packing. He laughed even harder when I mentioned that I was going to blog about ...
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Chef’s Widow

A chef’s widow is a term used to refer to a person who is married to a chef. Chefs spend ...
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Kookaburra Sausage Snatchers, Lake Tinaroo Wildlife

It’s not unusual to attract wildlife when you’re camping in Australia. Living in the tropics involves plenty of up-close wildlife ...
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Lake Tinaroo, Camping and Catching Yabbies.

A weekend camping on Lake Tinaroo. A great chance to catch Lake Tinaroo redclaw yabbies and mess around on Tinaroo ...
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Should You Visit Ubud, Bali? (2025)

There are plenty of things to do in Ubud Bali, for families or with kids, or for me today, as ...
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Camping in Cooktown by Four Wheel Drive

We just had a couple of days camping in Cooktown. It’s about 3 hours north of Port Douglas in Far North ...
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Reasons To Take A Round The World Trip

12 Reasons to take a round the world trip (RTW). Only 12? There are far more, but I’ve tried to ...
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Finding The Money to Travel

We were able to travel full-time for almost 7 years, without a full-time traditional job between us. we were loving ...
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Travel Horror Stories

Travel is amazing, but it’s time to ‘fess up. I have a few travel horror stories to tell. Sometimes travel ...
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Helicopter Rides Port Douglas

There are quite a few options in Port Douglas if you are interested in helicopter rides and charters. We live ...
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Flying With Children

Most people worry about flying with children. I used to, but now I don’t know why I ever did. We’ve ...
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Some People Don’t Get Home Schooling

Some people just don’t understand homeschooling at all. That’s OK, its not something that most people have ever come across or researched. ...
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Stinger Season in Cairns and Port Douglas (2025)

Stinger season Cairns, Port Douglas, the Great Barrier Reef area and the whole of Far North Queensland is something you ...
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Game Reserves in South Africa With Kids

People often don’t associate South Africa with taking a safari or visiting a game reserve. I always think of Kenya ...
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