Is Digital Photography Ruining Your Travel Experience?

As a group, we travellers have become obsessed with taking photos when we're away, with recording every moment on film. It used to be that the Japanese were made fun of for their compulsion to take photos, but the rest of us have caught up.

Digital photography has a lot to answer, its ease and relative cheapness opening up the camera obsession to the wider populace. You don't have to be an expert anymore, or even an enthusiast, you just need a spare hundred bucks or so and a big memory card.
And there are so many ways to share the results. You don't have to persuade friends to come over to your house for a slide night in order to bore them senseless with your holiday snaps. All you have to do now is post the pics on Facebook and wait for the likes to pile in. Or upload them to Flickr and have them judged. Or alter them with Instagram and bomb your friends' feeds. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand boasts.

I'm as guilty of this obsession as anyone, although I have the excuse that it's my job. I not-so-secretly enjoy the Instagram posts, but I'm forced through work to have a DSLR always close at hand when I'm on the road, ready to raise to my face and click whenever anything interesting happens.

What's the problem? Well, it's a bit like spending your whole holiday posting Facebook status updates about what a great time you're having – instead of going out and actually having that great time.

In the rush to frame and document every important moment, modern-day travellers are missing those moments while their faces are glued to the camera. Ever been to a concert and had your view blocked by about a thousand raised hands holding iPhones and thought, "Why don't these people just enjoy it now instead of recording it for later?" Then you know what I mean.
Not everyone takes photos to show off, I'm sure. There are plenty who do it for their own enjoyment, to keep a personal record of a good time had. It's the new-age way of keeping a travel diary.
But I've caught myself plenty of times not looking at a monument or landscape as a thing of beauty, but as something that needs to be framed properly in the ideal light. I'm weighing up the best angle to snap it from instead of just looking at it, taking it in, appreciating it.

This is part of an article written by Ben Groundwater from Fairfax

Read more: http://www.watoday.com.au/travel/blogs/the-backpacker/how-digital-photography-is-ruining-travelling-20130730-2qvv2.html#ixzz2ab0zs3I7

Australian travel for foreign families

Travelling with your family is one of the best life experiences! A journey overseas requires meticulous planning—from the travel budget, to travel insurance, flights and accommodation. Australia is an excellent country destination, offering numerous family vacation spots. Below are some of the Australian attractions that may suit your family’s preferences.

Hamilton Island

With over 40 holiday activities to choose from, Hamilton Island can be a great choice for your family vacation. The island is large enough, allowing you to drive to many different areas while admiring the peaceful scenery but small enough that you can enjoy walks from restaurants and beaches to your hotel. You can also enrol your kids in art classes so they can unleash their creative skills. Other activities include bowling, Go-Kart racing, cruise, mini-golfing, and the popular BumperZ.

Kangaroo Island

Located in South Australia is a tourist attraction that will offer the best of the country’s wildlife: Kangaroo Island. Aside from kangaroos, there are cute koalas, adorable baby seals, and other animals your kids can marvel at. It is advisable to book your tours as early as possible since Kangaroo Island is jam-packed with tourists during peak seasons. After travelling, you and your family can enjoy healthy, organic foods in the island.

Leanyer Water Park

Are you on a tight budget, yet you want the best vacation experience for your kids? In that case, the Leanyer Water Park can serve the purpose. Known for its free admission, expect tons of water activities in this place. Amenities in the water park are shaded pools, shaded BBQ facilities, shaded playground, basketball court, and coloured water slides with kid-safe heights. Safety is a top priority in Leanyer, with lifeguards on active duty.

Mount Hotham

Mount Hotham is an excellent choice for skiing classes or any related winter activities. Your kids can also partake in snowman-building competitions wherein they can show their creativity to everyone. The interesting activities in Mount Hotham are also made to fit within your vacation budget.

Kingfisher Bay Resort

Kingfisher Bay Resort offers a smorgasbord of Australian vacation delights. Located in the ecological paradise of Fraser Island, Kingfisher ensures that you will have the best vacation time of your life. Some of the activities in the island include 4WD tours, water sports, canoe paddling, self-guide walks, and informative educational tours. If ever you feel hungry, you can eat at Fraser’s notable restaurants such as Seabelle, Maheno, and Dingo Bar.
 

Now that you have these tourism spots in your checklist, it is time to deal with the Australian visa process. While the visa process may sound complicated to you, National Visas can assist you with your visa requirements. National Visas is dedicated to bringing the best visa service for you. Once you have settled the family holiday visa requirements, you can sit back and let National Visas take care of the great part of the process.

The real shark attack statistics

Australia has a reputation as being a dangerous shark feeding zone thanks to worldwide media coverage every time we have a shark attack. Yes we do have shark attacks and yes they seem to be increasing however this is also the case in many other parts of the world.

In the last 12 months there has been 10 fatal shark attacks globally, one of these was in Australia; the most occurring off Reunion island. Check out the Shark Attack Map

How to estimate the cost of your road trip

One of the main considerations when deciding to take an extended road trip is the cost. How do you work out how much it will actually cost? Once you are on the road the bulk of your money will be spent on fuel, food and accommodation. Following this is probably the cost of going on tours and tourist attraction fees.

Reading the posts on travelling forums it is generally agreed that trips, as an average, cost about $1.00 per km. I know there are a lot of variables, including where you choose to stay (bush, cheaper camping or more expensive resort parks); how big your family is, the age of your kids and so on. But if you start with a budget of $1.00 per km, and work it out from there, at least you will have some idea to start with, then add extra for side trips, visiting of theme parks etc. The less takeaway food you buy the cheaper the trip.

I always recommend that you have an emergency fund (a high interest online savings account is good) in case of unforeseen events like a mechanical or medical issue. Also if your time is not too restricted and you have portable skills you can pick up work as you go. You don't have to save the whole $20k before you go.