The Purple Passport

Seasoned advice for British Travellers

travel

Visiting Queensland – Why You Need To Plan It Now!

by

Source

The Gold Coast is actually a city in Queensland, only 66km from the state capital of Brisbane, which can be done on a day trip very easily, and with a population of 638,000 it is the 6th largest city in Australia. Getting in by plane requires that you land at Coolangatta Airport, which is interesting in itself because the New South Wales and Queensland borders run through the middle of the runway, meaning you will land in one state and then disembark in another at the terminal building!

Getting Around The Area

To get around Gold Coast itself, you can take the very convenient Light Rail which runs from 5.00am to midnight. Gold Coast has several districts, each with their own flavour: The Main Beach is essentially a high-rise residential area with a nice beach, while Surfers Paradise is infamous for it’s surfing and wild nightlife: Many younger people come to Gold Coast from all over Australia and New Zealand to enjoy the sun, the nightlife and surfing, especially those on vacation from university.

Things To See And Do

Broad Beach has a casino and some shopping complexes, while Burleigh Heads beaches that are very popular with families and to a lesser extent younger surfers. Just outside the city, you can explore the ‘Hinterland’, which spans from west of the Pacific Motorway and is a spectacular collection of national parks, which mainly consists of mountain ranges and rainforest, which will make a welcome change for those who have just spent a while travelling in the more arid areas of Australia!

The highlight of the Hinterland are the Tamborine Mountain, which is home to numerous local small businesses running excellent restaurants, fudge making shops and even some wineries.
Other things to do include beautiful destinations within the Hinterland include Numinbah Valley – which has abundant waterfalls, rainforest walks and cleared grazing land, and Currumbin Valley which commands panoramic views of of the rainforests and Mount Tallebudgera. Many of these areas also have wildlife sanctuaries you can visit.

So, the Gold Coast and it’s surrounding area has something for literally everyone. With family friendly beaches to be found amongst the surfing beaches, and with Theme Parks and Water Parks, children will be well entertained throughout their stay, while the legendary nightlife and surfing draws a steady mix of young party goers and beach lovers.

Further Afield

The best way by far to experience these natural wonders just out of Gold Coast is by car, as you can then do it all at your own pace, however there are a number of excellent tours that can be arranged ranging from bus tours to all inclusive 4×4 tours deeper into the Hinterland and usually come with camping options.

Just like the fact that Gold Coast has a little bit of everything for everyone, gold coast accommodation reflects that and is available from budget basic hostels and guest houses – which are popular with younger people – all the way to luxury hotels that offer swimming pools, room service, mini-fridges and wonderful views over the beaches via spacious balconies.

With so much to do and catering to all budgets it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Gold Coast continues to grow and grow in popularity every passing year.

The Weird, The Wonderful, The Unexpected Airline Flight Delays

by

Source

When it comes to your flight being delayed or cancelled, you tend to hear a lot of the tired old excuses again and again. ‘Exceptional circumstances’, ‘technical issues’, they’re all the same. However, sometimes flights are delayed for the oddest of reasons. We’re going to be looking at some of the most surreal and downright unbelievable reasons why people were unable to get on their flights.

Cat In The Cockpit

The first up on our list is the story of a cat inside the cockpit of the plane. And no, it wasn’t the cat of either of the pilots. Someone had brought their pet along for the ride and stowed him in the hold. However, the curious feline decided that being relegated to a travel cage wasn’t acceptable, and so he broke out and decided to have a little exploration. This all culminated in the cat finding his way into the cockpit and causing delays.

Homemade Astronaut

In a story which almost seems to come right out of a book, a man from LA bought himself a lot of balloons and helium. He planned to float around in his back garden for some time before using a pellet gun to shoot balloons, thus lowering his altitude. It was a good idea until he lost control and began to float up into the air, and eventually found himself 16,000 feet in the air, and in the middle of LA airspace. This, of course, caused a problem, and people on board the aircraft found a delay in getting to their destination, and obviously, those waiting for the plane were delayed as well.

Foam Catastrophe

We’ve all seen traditions being carried out in the streets, but there’s a high chance you’ve never seen something like this. The fire crew attempted to provide the vehicle with a water cannon burst as a form of salute, but it went sort of wrong. The button which was pressed instead expelled a large amount of foam onto the plane, which tampered with the engine and left a significant portion of the plane covered in foam. This delayed the flight for quite some time as it all had to be removed from the vehicle and everything had to be checked for signs of damage.

Overall, these are just a few of the strangest and most obscure reasons why a flight has been delayed or cancelled. Obviously, you’re going to be less likely to find these problems in an everyday setting, although you would be surprised at the frequency with which these things can happen. Every day, people are exposed to strange things, and they don’t stop to consider how unlikely it is that it’s happened to them. These are just a small handful of the odd reasons why a flight has been delayed or cancelled, and there are so many other possible explanations besides this for why a flight can be stopped. Who knows, you might hear about or even be a witness to one of the many strange phenomena which could prevent a flight one day.

Help fund your travel plans with these income ideas

by

Can’t Afford To Travel? Income Ideas To Help Fund Your Trip

Travelling the world can be expensive. Whatever your travel plans are, they are likely to cost money. Finding a good source of additional income to fund your travels can take the worry out of paying for flights, accommodation, and meals. You will probably already have a source of income, but when you want to save for an expensive trip, having an additional income can help significantly. In addition to this, some of the ideas highlighted in this article will allow you to continue to earn while you travel!

Rent Out Your Spare Space

If you own a property and have spare rooms, hiring them out can generate substantial income for you. There are many sites online that allow you to advertise your spare rooms to travellers or holidaymakers. Although you can rent your rooms out to long term tenants, it’s usually more profitable to rent to short stay travellers or holidaymakers. If you wanted to continue generating income from your property while you are away on your travels, then long term tenants are generally a better option. Renting out spare rooms to short term tenants can require a lot more work and management, this is slightly more difficult if you’re not in the country.

Hire Out Your Possessions

Many aren’t aware that you can actually make money from hiring out your possessions to others. Generally these are short term hires, ranging from one day to a month. A quick web search will provide you with a number of sites that will allow you to list your stuff for hire. The best items to hire out are musical instruments, film and photography equipment, drones, vehicles, and bicycles. If you own anything that could be of use to someone else, particularly those in creative industries, then you could make a decent sum of money by renting it out. Most people that hire equipment from others are creative individuals working on a project.

Become A Virtual Assistant

Many businesses are now turning to virtual assistants to manage their business needs, and save money. A virtual assistant usually works from home and takes on a customer relations role representing a specific company. Virtual assistants can be asked to operate live chats for a business, respond to emails, or answer phone calls. The good thing about becoming a virtual assistant is the flexibility of it. Many companies only require you to have a laptop and a headset, this means you can work anywhere in the world. The hours you work are also fairly flexible, some companies may require you to commit to a certain number of hours per week but this usually isn’t a lot.

Try Online Trading

Trading stocks and betting on the stock market is gaining in popularity. Although this is a risky business, it can be a good way to make some extra money. Most trading sites only require you to have access to a computer or mobile device to start trading. This option isn’t recommended to those that have nothing to invest. You will need some money to start trading, and profits from trades aren’t guaranteed. You can learn more about trading stocks online with CMC Markets.

Become An Online Tutor

There are many opportunities online that allow you to teach students a variety of subjects via webcam. Generally all that is required from you is access to a webcam in a quiet environment, and sometimes a minimum commitment to hours that you will work. If you decide to work for a company that teaches English to foreign students, you will usually require a TEFL certificate and be able to commit to a certain number of hours per week. Gaining a TEFL certificate is fairly easy and you can usually enrol on a TEFL course without spending too much.

If you don’t fancy teaching English, then you could become a private tutor in any area of expertise that you may have. For example, some people choose to teach guitar or other musical instruments to students via webcam. Others offer additional support to those studying specialist degrees. A simple online search should provide you with a number of online teaching opportunities.