Getting older, but still a backpacker at heart? This is the holiday for you
It's an auspicious start. After the customary meet and greet in the bar of our elegant four-star hotel in Istanbul, tour leader Orcun Korkmaz leads us to the rooftop terrace of an upmarket restaurant with one of the best views in the city. I find myself spinning like a whirling dervish, mesmerised by a sweeping vista of the Bosphorus Strait and the floodlit facades of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.
Dinner is an indulgent spread of traditional Turkish fare – kebabs, mezze and fresh seafood – that's punctuated by the call to prayer, a haunting back and forth between the nearby mosques.
It's one of the most atmospheric dinners I've had in years – the kind of experience you'd expect on an exclusive itinerary with a luxury operator. Yet, I'm on a tour with a company that made its name by offering budget trips to cash-strapped backpackers.
Started in 1990 by Canadian Bruce Poon Tip, G Adventures is the world's largest small group adventure tour company with trips in more than 100 countries. In 2023, it realised that the travellers who'd booked tours 30 years ago were now looking for an elevated experience. They still craved active trips with like-minded people, but they wanted nicer accommodation, more cultural immersion and less 10-hour bus transfers. Enter Geluxe, a new tour style that purports to tick all these boxes while still giving back to local communities.
This two-week itinerary is the concatenation of two shorter Geluxe trips: a seven-day jaunt from Istanbul to Sirince via Cappadocia and Ephesus, then an eight-day journey from Sirince to Gocek via Bodrum and Dalyan. It's an ambitious itinerary that promises big-city buzz, desert escapades, historic ruins and seaside frolics.
Having been on several regular G Adventures tours, I'm curious whether the world's best-known budget tour operator can up its game for its increasingly discerning client base.
Mosques, mountains and Roman ruins
Our one full day in Istanbul is an action-packed romp through the city's old town, a bewildering maze of snaking alleyways choked with people and seemingly suicidal scooters. We tick off many of the city's big-ticket attractions, including the arresting six-minareted Blue Mosque, the subterranean Basilica Cistern (a spectacular Roman reservoir that's now an immersive art installation) and the 4000-plus stores within the cavernous Grand Bazaar.
Korkmaz shows us lesser-known gems too, such as the intricate Iznik tiling in the diminutive Rustem Pasha Mosque and a network of elevated 17th-century passages lined with workshops known as a 'han'. Along the way, we sample a variety of authentic street food, including doner kebabs, pistachio-studded Turkish delight and a popular tahini-filled pastry. In an atmospheric shisha cafe, we enjoy Turkish tea with cheese-filled bagels and learn the art of tasseography, where your fortune is told using the coffee grounds left after a syrupy slug of Turkish coffee.
From Istanbul, we fly, rather than drive, to Cappadocia and are plunged into its dramatic desert medley of soaring escarpments and basalt hoodoos.
Cappadocia is the location of our OMG Stay (an especially memorable hotel) and OMG Day (a choice between two immersive experiences) – two features on every Geluxe tour. Exedra Hotel certainly ticks the OMG box – the palatial property has been carved out of the volcanic terrain, creating an intriguing labyrinth of subterranean rooms linked by terraces and courtyards.
The OMG Day options are a guided hike or e-bike tour in the Meskendir Valley, a buckling lunar landscape of striking rock formations called fairy chimneys. Both activities turn out to be more intrepid than most of us are anticipating. Cycling on narrow sandy tracks while dodging horse riders and high-speed ATVs certainly elicits plenty of OMGs, plus several much stronger expletives.
Cappadocia's distinctive topography gets all the glory, but the region also has several impressive historic sites. Goreme Open Air Museum is a complex of UNESCO-listed medieval cave churches carved by Byzantine monks. Hidden among a scrum of towering outcrops, many still contain colourful frescoes of prophets and saints.
Even more astounding is Kaymakli Underground City, a vast underground network of chambers that once housed 3500 people. First constructed by the Phrygians in the 8th-century BC, it was expanded by Christians seeking shelter during the 400-year-long Arab-Byzantine wars.
After descending into the bowels of the eight-level complex via narrow staircases and cramped tunnels, we discover an incredible warren of storerooms, living quarters and churches.
Perched on an imposing 60-metre-high rocky outcrop, Uchisar Castle provides a refreshingly lofty contrast. The 200-step climb leaves us gasping but watching the desert landscape burnished in golden hues by the setting sun is a worthy reward.
Of course, these are just warm-up acts for the tour's headline performer: Ephesus. Highlights include the Library of Celsus, a soaring marble facade decorated with statues of the four virtues; the Corinthian-style Temple of Hadrian with its impressive self-supporting main arch and the yawning Great Theatre, which could hold 25,000 people.
Community interaction is a G Adventures staple, and we enjoy two delightful food-themed encounters – a fun gozleme cooking class with two sisters at a rustic village restaurant and dinner at a family home in the tiny Cappadocian hamlet of Zelve (population 45). After a delicious meal of lentil soup, stuffed eggplants and rice-filled sarma, host Mehmet brings out a five-litre flagon of homemade red wine. The rest is a bit of a blur.
Hikes, tombs and the Turquoise Coast
Of the 11 guests that started in Istanbul, only six of us are doing the full two-week trip, so we say farewell to the rest on the transition day, which is spent at Nisanyan Hotel, a delightful collection of villas nestled in the forested hills above the village of Sirince near Ephesus.
We soon learn that it's practically impossible to go anywhere in Turkey without tripping over a ruin. We literally stumble across one during a coastal hike near the town of Ahmetbeyli, and then there are guided visits to the ancient Greek cities of Priene and Miletus, Bodrum Castle, the Temple of Apollo at Didyma and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. While each site is notable in its own right, it's hard for anything to compete with Ephesus, and after several long, hot days of ruin scrambling, we're all a bit templed out.
Fortunately, Dalyan provides the perfect antidote. A lively town strung along the banks of the Dalyan River, it's known for its natural mud baths, Lycian rock tombs and sandy Aegean beach. During a relaxing river cruise, we experience all three, starting by slathering ourselves in mineral-rich mud (as Cleopatra did, allegedly), before soaking in a sulphur-infused thermal pool.
After a lunch of grilled trout and a rosé in a riverside restaurant, we glide past dramatic escarpments studded with intricately carved 4th-century-BC Lycian tombs. Last stop is Iztuzu Beach, a popular swimming spot that's also an important nesting site for loggerhead turtles.
This trip's OMG Stay is the boutique Hotel Arp Dalyan. Its riverfront restaurant provides a captivating view of the tombs, particularly at night when they're illuminated by floodlights.
The following day we hike part of the Lycian Way, a 760-kilometre-long trail that skirts the mountainous coastline between Fethiye and Antalya. There's a pitstop at the ruined ancient Lycian city of Pinara, followed by another home-cooked feast – this time a table-crowding platter of soups, dolma and tender baked chicken at the home of Mr and Mrs Hussain in the village of Minare.
This is the inaugural departure of this Geluxe tour, so, inevitably, there are teething problems, specifically a long airport transit, one unremarkable hotel and some minor logistical gremlins.
But overall, it's still a significant upgrade from a regular G Adventures departure, with characterful accommodation, more inclusions and a good balance of active and cultural experiences.
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Like all the best trips, it finishes on a high – a private boat trip along Turkey's Turquoise Coast, a superyacht-dotted succession of tranquil bays lapped by teal water. It's a gruelling day of swims and strolls fuelled by barbecued sea bass, fresh salads and a secret chimichurri sauce made by the captain 'with love'. If this is the Geluxe life, sign me up.
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Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
This astronaut says space is not the lonely place we see in science fiction
Chris Hadfield was nine when Neil Armstrong took his one small step for (a) man. Watching the astronauts from his small town in southern Ontario, he decided what to do with the rest of his life. But where many starry-eyed youngsters harbour similarly grandiose ambitions, little Chris got to work. 'I started making decisions when I was nine years old to try and turn myself into an adult that could do those things. I learned to swim. I thought about what food I ate. I made sure I kept my body in shape. I joined the Air Cadets so they would teach me how to fly. I studied so I could go to university.' There were significant obstacles along the way, not least the fact that Canada didn't have a space program. But Hadfield emphasises that he didn't hope to become an astronaut. ''I want to' or 'I dream to,' that's not nearly enough. You have to decide to. I dream of winning an Olympic gold medal, but obviously I haven't decided to because I never really worked at it. I'm not going to win an Olympic gold medal unless they give one for laziness and procrastination.' He's speaking from his cottage on an island not 200 metres from where he made the decision that would define the course of his life. Yes, he might have spent 165 days in space and travelled all over the world in the most literal sense, but these days he has returned to the place where it all began. Not that he doesn't travel. He's about to tour Australia with a new live show in which he recalls his adventures in space, answers audience questions and performs music live. In 2013 Hadfield became the friendly face of off-earth travel when his cover of David Bowie's Space Oddity – performed onboard the International Space Station – became a viral hit the world over. The novelty of the music video doesn't reflect his serious accomplishments, however. He was the first Canadian commander of the ISS, and notched up a total of 14 hours and 50 minutes of extravehicular activity (that's spacewalking to us earthbound types). He retired in 2013 but has maintained an active role as a writer, speaker and adviser. The young Hadfield decided to become a space traveller, but the 65-year-old today notes that he never made the achievement of that goal a measure of self-worth or success. 'I thought, there's a lot of forces beyond my control. Most of them. But I'm going to work really hard on the ones I can control. If I do my part right, and I get some luck, then I will have a chance of flying in space ... I got to fly in space three times. If I hadn't flown in space, I never would have thought of myself as a failure or as somehow cheated. It just helped me make all of the little decisions on a daily basis as to what to do next. ' That meant following in the footsteps of his heroes. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins were all engineers, so he earned an engineering degree. They were pilots, so he became one too, and then he climbed the ranks to fighter pilot and test pilot. 'Neil and Mike and Buzz were all test pilots. That's like a PhD in flying. I could have been a test pilot for the rest of my life.' Hadfield speaks with the confidence and conviction you'd expect of someone who possesses the right stuff to make it to space. During his first spacewalk, a visor malfunction temporarily blinded him. Most of us would probably panic if things went wrong 400 kilometres above the Earth with just a few centimetres of plastic between you and the void. It's hard to imagine Hadfield losing his cool. TAKE 7: THE ANSWERS ACCORDING TO CHRIS HADFIELD Worst habit? Not knowing the difference between work and play. Greatest fear? The untimely death of my children or grandchildren. The line that stayed with you? When I did my third space flight, my dad said: 'Trust yourself. You've done the work. You're going to have to make decisions without being able to ask anybody else, that have life or death consequences. But you're not doing it frivolously. You've built yourself the capability and right to do those things, so trust yourself.' Biggest regret? I don't live a life of regret. I spend life looking forwards, and I try and forgive myself and other people as often as I can. Favourite book? Carrying the Fire, by Mike Collins. He was the guy who orbited the moon while Neil and Buzz walked on the surface. The artwork/song you wish was yours? Almost every song I hear. Especially the simple ones, right? It's like, 'How come I didn't write that?' If you could time travel, where would you choose to go? If I could truly time travel, I would be a frequent flyer. I don't want to just go live somewhere else. But I would love to go back to some of the great significant moments in history. Wouldn't it be great to spend a day at the Colosseum in Rome? Just put on the toga, and somehow materialise and go to an event for the day, and then come back to 2025. 'Panic is like extreme fear. There's a hyena in front of you with its jaws open? You need to get adrenaline into your veins, and you need to run faster than you've ever run in your life. I try to avoid that ever happening. In my life as a fighter pilot and test pilot there were all kinds of hyenas with their jaws open, figuratively. All kinds of dangers that reared their head instantaneously, but most of them are foreseeable. I'm going to use the quiet times to prepare myself so that I don't have to be afraid, and I sure don't want to panic.' That mindset is something that astronauts share. 'You choose people that have quite a large skill set, but also the right mentality and the right sense of humility and purposefulness. The filter that chooses astronauts tends to spit out the same type of person, no matter what country they're from. There's a great commonality when you get together as a group of astronauts.' It's reassuring to hear that the pettiness of politics is mostly confined to our planet. When you're travelling at 28,000km/h with people from all over the world, it brings you up to speed on what we have in common. 'You're over Ukraine, and you can look down at the worst of human behaviour, of violence and death and murder sanctioned at the national scale. But 10 minutes later, you're over farmers' fields ... You come around the world, and it puts things into perspective for you, that there are wicked things happening, but the vast majority of what's happening is just people living their lives. And they want the same things, no matter what country they're in.' Our earthly laws don't even apply in space. The ISS follows the International Crew Code of Conduct, designed to ensure that the squabbles and resentments of nations don't make it past the airlock. 'I think there's a real beauty in that. It's not just technical exploration or scientific experiment. It's also a geopolitical experiment.' It's an experiment that Hadfield thinks will only grow in importance as more nations launch their own space programs and private corporations do the same. 'As we start settling on the moon, whose laws will apply? Will we take the International Crew Code of Conduct and make that the law of the land? Or will we import a little China and a little America and a little India and just transplant that onto the moon?' It's apparent that Hadfield doesn't have much time for the 'incredibly stupid stuff' that can take place on Earth. But his time among the stars also reminded him that 'we're incredibly imperfect, yet we've still carved the Venus de Milo and built Angkor Wat and we revere Uluru. We built a space station where we've been working peacefully for 25 years.' There's an irony to the song that first brought Hadfield into many of our lives. Where Bowie lamented that 'planet Earth is blue, and there's nothing I can do,' Hadfield says that floating in a tin-can is the antithesis of a bummer. Loading 'The biggest misconception is that people think it's lonely. It's often a metaphor for loneliness. If you watch movies like First Man or Ad Astra, those movies are so sad and grim, and everybody's glum. Or the series that Sean Penn was in, The First, everybody's just so unhappy,' he says. 'But it's completely the opposite. It's magnificent. You're weightless. You have a superpower. You can fly. It's the coolest. And the whole world is pouring by out your window.'
The Advertiser
4 days ago
- The Advertiser
Family guide to snow season 2025: how to save money and keep your clothes toasty
A love of the Australian ski season could be 'exxy' but finding accommodation with a kitchen, parking in nearby villages, becoming a member of an Alpine club and loading up with groceries before a trip could save families a small fortune. Mum Sue Hopkin travels with her husband and two kids to Falls Creek each year to ski. Membership was a game-changer. "That basically changed our whole perspective on coming to the snow. "It's hard to get accommodation when you want it, at an affordable price," she said. "So becoming members made life so much easier because we always had accommodation, even though it's hard to get into during the season, but as a result of that, we have become part of an amazing community at Falls Creek." Ms Hopkin said there were some great restaurants, walking activities and fireworks every Thursday, which was always a thrill. Meanwhile, Canadian-born Dru Dundon grew up with a love for skiing so she was determined to give her son Angus a similar experience. "When you've grown up skiing, there's nothing better than introducing your children to the sport and seeing the smiles on their faces as they discover the thrill of skiing for themselves," she said. In August 2022, she and her son, as well as another family, set off from Adelaide to Thredbo. She admits it wasn't a cheap holiday, particularly as a single mother. "There is a big outlay," she said. "From fuel, accommodation, national park passes, lift passes and lessons to appropriate ski gear and clothing (that is only worn for one week a year and then they grow out of it!), the costs add up." But it was worth it. The two families stayed in a chalet in the Friday Flat area. During the week, the kids went to ski school. "This meant they were learning from trained instructors in a fun, age-appropriate environment," she said. "It also meant the adults could enjoy themselves without worrying about keeping everyone safe and teaching the right skiing techniques. "I was jealous when, at the end of day 2, my son was already mastering small jumps and skiing backwards down the hill!" Angus is already begging his mother to come back, and Ms Dundon is off to Japan this year. "We plan to alternate cheaper holidays, such as camping, with snow trips," she said. Selecting the right accommodation is important for a good snow experience, Ms Dundon said. "At the end of a long day of skiing, being in walking distance to our accommodation was a god-send and meant we didn't have to worry about driving in the snow for the whole time we were there." Parking was also limited at Thredbo, so staying in the nearby Friday Flat area meant they didn't have to find a park each day. Food could be expensive, so she recommends choosing accommodation with a kitchen. "Our chalet had a full-sized kitchen and coffee machine, so we ate breakfast there each morning and the adults took turns cooking easy evening meals," she said. And do a grocery shop beforehand. "There is a small grocery store in Thredbo Village for emergencies, but the range is limited, so you wouldn't want to do a full shop there," she said. "We'd go back to the chalet at lunchtime and make toasted sandwiches for lunch, which saved money, and we avoided the lunchtime rush in the on-mountain restaurants. "We did have lunch at Eagles Nest one day - Australia's highest restaurant, with great views of the mountain and good, hearty meals. "It was very busy, so be prepared to wait for a seat." Conditions are generally quite mild at Australian resorts, so you don't need layers and layers of clothing, she said. "Merino wool thermals and a good water-proof jacket and pants should be enough to keep [kids] warm. "Don't forget to put all of your gear in the warming cupboard each night, so it dries and is toasty warm for the morning," Ms Dundon said. A love of the Australian ski season could be 'exxy' but finding accommodation with a kitchen, parking in nearby villages, becoming a member of an Alpine club and loading up with groceries before a trip could save families a small fortune. Mum Sue Hopkin travels with her husband and two kids to Falls Creek each year to ski. Membership was a game-changer. "That basically changed our whole perspective on coming to the snow. "It's hard to get accommodation when you want it, at an affordable price," she said. "So becoming members made life so much easier because we always had accommodation, even though it's hard to get into during the season, but as a result of that, we have become part of an amazing community at Falls Creek." Ms Hopkin said there were some great restaurants, walking activities and fireworks every Thursday, which was always a thrill. Meanwhile, Canadian-born Dru Dundon grew up with a love for skiing so she was determined to give her son Angus a similar experience. "When you've grown up skiing, there's nothing better than introducing your children to the sport and seeing the smiles on their faces as they discover the thrill of skiing for themselves," she said. In August 2022, she and her son, as well as another family, set off from Adelaide to Thredbo. She admits it wasn't a cheap holiday, particularly as a single mother. "There is a big outlay," she said. "From fuel, accommodation, national park passes, lift passes and lessons to appropriate ski gear and clothing (that is only worn for one week a year and then they grow out of it!), the costs add up." But it was worth it. The two families stayed in a chalet in the Friday Flat area. During the week, the kids went to ski school. "This meant they were learning from trained instructors in a fun, age-appropriate environment," she said. "It also meant the adults could enjoy themselves without worrying about keeping everyone safe and teaching the right skiing techniques. "I was jealous when, at the end of day 2, my son was already mastering small jumps and skiing backwards down the hill!" Angus is already begging his mother to come back, and Ms Dundon is off to Japan this year. "We plan to alternate cheaper holidays, such as camping, with snow trips," she said. Selecting the right accommodation is important for a good snow experience, Ms Dundon said. "At the end of a long day of skiing, being in walking distance to our accommodation was a god-send and meant we didn't have to worry about driving in the snow for the whole time we were there." Parking was also limited at Thredbo, so staying in the nearby Friday Flat area meant they didn't have to find a park each day. Food could be expensive, so she recommends choosing accommodation with a kitchen. "Our chalet had a full-sized kitchen and coffee machine, so we ate breakfast there each morning and the adults took turns cooking easy evening meals," she said. And do a grocery shop beforehand. "There is a small grocery store in Thredbo Village for emergencies, but the range is limited, so you wouldn't want to do a full shop there," she said. "We'd go back to the chalet at lunchtime and make toasted sandwiches for lunch, which saved money, and we avoided the lunchtime rush in the on-mountain restaurants. "We did have lunch at Eagles Nest one day - Australia's highest restaurant, with great views of the mountain and good, hearty meals. "It was very busy, so be prepared to wait for a seat." Conditions are generally quite mild at Australian resorts, so you don't need layers and layers of clothing, she said. "Merino wool thermals and a good water-proof jacket and pants should be enough to keep [kids] warm. "Don't forget to put all of your gear in the warming cupboard each night, so it dries and is toasty warm for the morning," Ms Dundon said. A love of the Australian ski season could be 'exxy' but finding accommodation with a kitchen, parking in nearby villages, becoming a member of an Alpine club and loading up with groceries before a trip could save families a small fortune. Mum Sue Hopkin travels with her husband and two kids to Falls Creek each year to ski. Membership was a game-changer. "That basically changed our whole perspective on coming to the snow. "It's hard to get accommodation when you want it, at an affordable price," she said. "So becoming members made life so much easier because we always had accommodation, even though it's hard to get into during the season, but as a result of that, we have become part of an amazing community at Falls Creek." Ms Hopkin said there were some great restaurants, walking activities and fireworks every Thursday, which was always a thrill. Meanwhile, Canadian-born Dru Dundon grew up with a love for skiing so she was determined to give her son Angus a similar experience. "When you've grown up skiing, there's nothing better than introducing your children to the sport and seeing the smiles on their faces as they discover the thrill of skiing for themselves," she said. In August 2022, she and her son, as well as another family, set off from Adelaide to Thredbo. She admits it wasn't a cheap holiday, particularly as a single mother. "There is a big outlay," she said. "From fuel, accommodation, national park passes, lift passes and lessons to appropriate ski gear and clothing (that is only worn for one week a year and then they grow out of it!), the costs add up." But it was worth it. The two families stayed in a chalet in the Friday Flat area. During the week, the kids went to ski school. "This meant they were learning from trained instructors in a fun, age-appropriate environment," she said. "It also meant the adults could enjoy themselves without worrying about keeping everyone safe and teaching the right skiing techniques. "I was jealous when, at the end of day 2, my son was already mastering small jumps and skiing backwards down the hill!" Angus is already begging his mother to come back, and Ms Dundon is off to Japan this year. "We plan to alternate cheaper holidays, such as camping, with snow trips," she said. Selecting the right accommodation is important for a good snow experience, Ms Dundon said. "At the end of a long day of skiing, being in walking distance to our accommodation was a god-send and meant we didn't have to worry about driving in the snow for the whole time we were there." Parking was also limited at Thredbo, so staying in the nearby Friday Flat area meant they didn't have to find a park each day. Food could be expensive, so she recommends choosing accommodation with a kitchen. "Our chalet had a full-sized kitchen and coffee machine, so we ate breakfast there each morning and the adults took turns cooking easy evening meals," she said. And do a grocery shop beforehand. "There is a small grocery store in Thredbo Village for emergencies, but the range is limited, so you wouldn't want to do a full shop there," she said. "We'd go back to the chalet at lunchtime and make toasted sandwiches for lunch, which saved money, and we avoided the lunchtime rush in the on-mountain restaurants. "We did have lunch at Eagles Nest one day - Australia's highest restaurant, with great views of the mountain and good, hearty meals. "It was very busy, so be prepared to wait for a seat." Conditions are generally quite mild at Australian resorts, so you don't need layers and layers of clothing, she said. "Merino wool thermals and a good water-proof jacket and pants should be enough to keep [kids] warm. "Don't forget to put all of your gear in the warming cupboard each night, so it dries and is toasty warm for the morning," Ms Dundon said. A love of the Australian ski season could be 'exxy' but finding accommodation with a kitchen, parking in nearby villages, becoming a member of an Alpine club and loading up with groceries before a trip could save families a small fortune. Mum Sue Hopkin travels with her husband and two kids to Falls Creek each year to ski. Membership was a game-changer. "That basically changed our whole perspective on coming to the snow. "It's hard to get accommodation when you want it, at an affordable price," she said. "So becoming members made life so much easier because we always had accommodation, even though it's hard to get into during the season, but as a result of that, we have become part of an amazing community at Falls Creek." Ms Hopkin said there were some great restaurants, walking activities and fireworks every Thursday, which was always a thrill. Meanwhile, Canadian-born Dru Dundon grew up with a love for skiing so she was determined to give her son Angus a similar experience. "When you've grown up skiing, there's nothing better than introducing your children to the sport and seeing the smiles on their faces as they discover the thrill of skiing for themselves," she said. In August 2022, she and her son, as well as another family, set off from Adelaide to Thredbo. She admits it wasn't a cheap holiday, particularly as a single mother. "There is a big outlay," she said. "From fuel, accommodation, national park passes, lift passes and lessons to appropriate ski gear and clothing (that is only worn for one week a year and then they grow out of it!), the costs add up." But it was worth it. The two families stayed in a chalet in the Friday Flat area. During the week, the kids went to ski school. "This meant they were learning from trained instructors in a fun, age-appropriate environment," she said. "It also meant the adults could enjoy themselves without worrying about keeping everyone safe and teaching the right skiing techniques. "I was jealous when, at the end of day 2, my son was already mastering small jumps and skiing backwards down the hill!" Angus is already begging his mother to come back, and Ms Dundon is off to Japan this year. "We plan to alternate cheaper holidays, such as camping, with snow trips," she said. Selecting the right accommodation is important for a good snow experience, Ms Dundon said. "At the end of a long day of skiing, being in walking distance to our accommodation was a god-send and meant we didn't have to worry about driving in the snow for the whole time we were there." Parking was also limited at Thredbo, so staying in the nearby Friday Flat area meant they didn't have to find a park each day. Food could be expensive, so she recommends choosing accommodation with a kitchen. "Our chalet had a full-sized kitchen and coffee machine, so we ate breakfast there each morning and the adults took turns cooking easy evening meals," she said. And do a grocery shop beforehand. "There is a small grocery store in Thredbo Village for emergencies, but the range is limited, so you wouldn't want to do a full shop there," she said. "We'd go back to the chalet at lunchtime and make toasted sandwiches for lunch, which saved money, and we avoided the lunchtime rush in the on-mountain restaurants. "We did have lunch at Eagles Nest one day - Australia's highest restaurant, with great views of the mountain and good, hearty meals. "It was very busy, so be prepared to wait for a seat." Conditions are generally quite mild at Australian resorts, so you don't need layers and layers of clothing, she said. "Merino wool thermals and a good water-proof jacket and pants should be enough to keep [kids] warm. "Don't forget to put all of your gear in the warming cupboard each night, so it dries and is toasty warm for the morning," Ms Dundon said.
Sky News AU
29-05-2025
- Sky News AU
Airlines in Turkey fining passengers who unbuckle belts before plane stops
Airlines in Turkey have been instructed to begin reporting and fining passengers who unbuckle their belts and get out of their seats before the plane comes to a stop. The country's Civil Aviation Authority has imposed the ruling after receiving multiple complaints, adding there has been a rise in incidents onboard aircraft. Turkish media reports that fines are upwards of 100 Australian dollars.
