2018. It’s the year Donald Trump solved all the world’s problems and the Honey Badger had us screaming at the TV for choosing no-one. We had a royal wedding and Australia officially became the coup capital of the world ousting a fifth prime minister in 10 years.
Personally, I’ll mark 2018 up as a year of all-round debauchery. I celebrated my 30th birthday with an epic festival of fun – there was the boat party, winery lunch and not one but two birthday dinners.
Then I spent a horrible five weeks travelling overseas, awful it was: Cuba, New Orleans, New York, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. I also prioritised seeing more of New South Wales beyond Sydney this year, ticking off the Blue Mountains, Jervis Bay and Port Stephens.
Now, in what’s an annual tradition, I share the Eat Play Love Travel blog posts that have dropped the mic and proved more popular than Meghan Markle in 2018. Here we go:
1. 5 Hobart restaurants you have to try if holidaying in Tasmania
Speaking of dropping the mic, Hobart’s restaurant scene is causing a right stir. And why wouldn’t it be with quality local produce plying the kitchens and impressive Tassie booze stocking the bar. In late 2017, I visited the Apple Isle and ate enough to send Tasmania into famine, so felt obliged to share my top Hobart restaurant picks. This list is a treat – no surprises that it won most popular new talent in 2018.
2. 5 of the best wineries in McLaren Vale (in my eyes)
Getting back to that ripsnorter of a 30th birthday festival. It all began with a winery lunch in McLaren Vale. No surprises given I love wine, wineries and winery lunches more than I love hot showers. But McLaren Vale holds a very dear place in my heart (it’s gorgeous, creates some knockout wines and where I grew up). Choosing where to have my birthday lunch was like choosing a favourite child, and these were the children I was having to choose between.
3. Blue Mountains: a weekend in Katoomba and Leura
As alluded to, 2018 has been a year of intrastate travel for this blogger. And it all began with a weekend in the Blue Mountains back in February with the husband Jude and wine sister Bel. The three regular explorers that we are ticked off some serious tourist attractions and big hikes, with a healthy dose of eating and drinking naturally thrown in there.
4. Everything you need to know to have the best Sydney holiday
Before I lived in Sydney I made the same tourist mistakes as the millions before me. I wasted good holiday time shopping (Melbourne’s where this country’s shopping is at) and doing cliché shit like riding the monorail (there’s a reason it’s gone). To stop people making the same mistakes as I, I penned an insider’s travel guide. It’s clearly saved the holidays of thousands.
5. Driving in Sydney: here’s what I’ve learnt
One of the most common questions I get asked from non-Sydneysiders is: ‘How do you go driving in Sydney?’ This is said with a face that’s a mixture of horror and disdain, as though they’re asking me how I go plucking my nose hairs, eating pig’s feet or riding a unicycle. Having been driving in Sydney full-time for over two years now, I have some observations. Not sure if anyone agrees but alas a lot of people have read said observations.
6. 13 things I love about living in Sydney
This year I have also pondered why I choose to stubbornly live in one of the 10 most expensive cities in the world. Why I choose to live in a city that feels like, at times, it’s eating your face. Especially when (this year alone) I’ve had five friends pull the rip cord and parachute the heck out of here. I came to the conclusion that there’s 13 reasons why I put up with Sydney when sometimes it’s a right cunning dunny rat.
7. Intrepid Travel’s Beautiful Cuba eight-day tour: what to expect
Cuba has forever been on my bucket list. Yet, visiting the Carribean island comes with a lot of unique travel challenges. So, when Cuba moved from dream to reality back in May, I decided I didn’t want to spend the entire trip moonlighting as a logistics officer, and booked an Intrepid Travel tour. Of course, I shared some word vomit about the experience. There really needs to be more colour in this post.
2019. What’s in store?
Fuck knows. This planner has no plans. Well, actually, I lie. I do have trips booked for Bali, Bowral and Byron Bay, as well as Melbourne and Adelaide (although I’m not sure how you classify previous places you’ve called home, they’re certainly not holidays).
And then just write, write, write, repeat.
Happy New Year my friends xx
