My family and I explored the North Island of New Zealand in 4-5 days. While many will argue that 5 days is way too short, that's the amount of time we had and it was enough for us. We started with a Hobbiton Movie Set tour and had a mud spa at Hells Gate. We then spent the next couple days at Skyline Rotorua, had a fun zorb ball adventure, immersed ourselves in Maori culture at Te Puia, and wondered at the Waitomo glowworms. Let's begin shall we?

Kia Ora, welcome to New Zealand.

The North Island of New Zealand is full of geothermal wonders. So of course you have to include a mud bath/sulphur spa on your New Zealand itinerary. For day 1 of our family tour, we started the day at the Hobbiton Movie Set then travelled 1.5 hours to get to our next stop: Hells Gate to experience a natural wonder and to indulge in some pampering. Anybody up for a mud facial? Let's tick that off the bucketlist.

For our annual sibling reunion, my family travelled to New Zealand. We made our way from the North Island to the South Island in 12 days. I know, I know, 12 days is "not enough" to enjoy the experience completely but we made it happen and it was more than enough for us. Watch out for a full itinerary breakdown coming soon. But for now, let's travel to our first stop: the Hobbiton Movie Set Tour...

"Mr. Bilbo, where're you off to?"

..."I'm going on an adventure!"

I can't deny it, I'm currently hooked on the paper bag pants trend. While I know that jeans are absolutely fashionable when they fit right, the autumn and winter season - where I am clad in them all the time because it's cold - is enough for me. And now that it's spring, I'm glad to be in lighter and more comfortable material. Still, it's a little bit too windy to be dressing in shorts. Here is where trousers are perfect - or more specifically, paper bag pants!

After spending 3 days in Seminyak (check out our Seminyak Itinerary and Budget Breakdown here), we continued on our Bali holiday and transferred to Ubud. While Seminyak brought us close to the beaches, Ubud was filled with lush, green sceneries - but still filled with plenty of private swimming pools and relaxing massages of course. We were in Bali for some much needed rest and relaxation after all. While our holiday involved plenty of lounging, and massages, and naps, and doing absolutely nothing (can I get a yaaazzzz?), we made sure to include some activities and things to do in Ubud. Check out my activity choices for a relaxed Ubud vacation suitable for a 4-day itinerary:

As I've mentioned in the blog many times before, I've always had a knack for wearing my boyfriend's/husband's watches as an accessory that immediately spices up my outfit as wearing men's watches always does. This time, I am featuring a women's watch with pink details. But hold up, it's no ordinary watch - it's a stylish wooden watch from Konifer with an ebony band.

Hey guys!

Just got back from an amazing holiday in Bali. My husband and I were finally able to go on a honeymoon (after 3 years of being married) and we wanted a very relaxed trip to de-stress and unwind. Bali, being a top tourist destination, is actually bigger than you think. People from all over the world go there to immerse themselves in the culture, relax in a tropical paradise, go on adventures, party, practice yoga, surf, and so on. WHY you choose to go to Bali will then dictate which area of Bali you should go to. For us, we were there to sightsee, to relax, and get pampered for cheap (read: getting as many massages as we can!). With this in mind, I chose to divide our 8-day Bali honeymoon and spend it in Seminyak and Ubud (Ubud blog post coming soon).

It was my second time in Melbourne. I had already seen Melbourne's CBD, the Great Ocean Road, and even free tourist attractions in Melbourne (see blog posts for itineraries). This time, I wanted to see the famed penguins who reportedly parade their way back home every night. Depending from where you're staying in Melbourne, Phillip Island is 1-3 hours drive away. Now some people stay there a couple days but we only made it a day trip. Read on for our one-day Phillip Island itinerary.