I’ll be honest with you guys, I did absolutely no research when I planned my trip to New Zealand. I booked a flight to Auckland and had nothing else planned. Luckily New Zealand is the perfect travel destination for this type of procrastination. The first thing we did was book a rental car. They drive on the left side of the road over there but don’t worry, they are used to Americans attempting to navigate the roads and have huge arrow signs at every turn reminding you which lane to stay in. Half of the fun of traveling through New Zealand was experiencing the breathtaking views while getting to our destinations. Get ready for some winding roads along the mountain…

  Cairns is considered the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia so it was only natural that I head there to find Nemo. Hotel I stayed at the Doubletree in Cairns. The main reasoning behind this is that I’m an HHonors member and I wanted the points. The room was ok, we had a major leak from the AC unit the first night and I almost face planted a few times… so not exactly the best experience. The main redeeming quality was the location. There were so many options for dining within walking distance. The peer was also nearby which made getting to our excursions much easier. Food Oasis Kebab– This place has the most amazing Kebab rolls I…

For years if anyone ever asked me to describe my dream vacation the answer would always be the same, Australia and New Zealand. I’m not sure where the obsession with these two destinations started although I’m pretty sure the Lord of the Rings movies had some major influence. Who doesn’t want to see middle earth?? So when I discovered that a good friend of mine also wants to see these two places we decided to book our flights. Getting there I currently live in Dallas and Qantas flies non stop to Sydney! I know what you’re thinking, “why would I want to be stuck on an airplane for 18 hours?!” Honestly I was a little wary of the long flight…